General
Cops Attached to First Bank Mercilessly Beat LASTMA Officials
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Two officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) were beaten to pulp yesterday allegedly by two policemen attached to a branch of First Bank of Nigeria in the metropolis.
According to Punch, the law enforcement officers guarding the financial institution crossed over to the other side road to unleashed terror on two officials of LASTMA for arresting a mobile policeman, who had reportedly violated the state traffic law.
Trouble started when the Mopol, who was in a KIA vehicle with number plate, GW 113 AAA, allegedly drove through the reserved Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) lane.
He was reportedly blocked by the LASTMA officials, who were in a branded KIA, with number plate, RTN 198 LA.
The policeman’s car key was allegedly seized by the traffic officials, who insisted he would face the consequence of his action.
In the ensuing argument, the two policemen who came from a bank opposite the scene, allegedly beat up the officials, vandalised their vehicle and aided the escape of the cop.
A clip of the incident, which went viral on the social media on Tuesday, showed the moment the armed policemen kicked and punched one of the LASTMA officers.
A man, who identified himself only as Jerry, said the Mopol caused a traffic jam on the BRT lane while resisting arrest.
“The incident happened around 9.30am. The motorist wore a police shirt which had Mopol on it. He was coming from Maryland en route to Anthony and took the BRT lane. He was blocked by a LASTMA vehicle at Idi Iroko.
“The man refused to drive out of the lane after a LASTMA officer entered his car. Before we knew it, two other policemen crossed over from a First Bank branch opposite the scene. They beat up the LASTMA officials and demanded the key of the man’s car.
“When they did not get the key, they attacked every LASTMA officer in sight until they got the key. They broke the glass of the LASTMA KIA that was used to block the car with the butt of their guns.
“After they succeeded, they opened the LASTMA car and pushed it to the expressway. The Mopol then escaped, while they ran back to their duty post,” Punch quoted a witness as saying.
PUNCH Metro obtained another clip of the incident showing the Mopol saying the officials “scattered” his car.
“If you arrest me, must you scatter my car? Why will you scatter my car?” he queried.
It was further learnt that two hoodlums, who allegedly joined in aiding the escape of the policeman, were arrested and arraigned before a mobile court.
The men were reportedly remanded in prison.
The Public Affairs Officer of LASTMA, Mahmud Hassan, expressed disappointment in the conduct of the cops.
He said, “Our men were on their lawful duties on the Ikorodu Road, manning the BRT corridor, when the motorist was seen driving on the BRT lane.
“When accosted by our men, he said nobody could stop him from driving on the BRT lane. At that point, our men told him that he was not above the law. The motorist started making trouble with our men.
“When the policemen manning the bank opposite the scene of the incident saw him, they crossed the road and in a bid to free the man from the hands of the law, they descended on our men. They beat up our men black and blue, tore their uniforms and damaged our vehicle. They chased our men away and used force to take the vehicle from the BRT lane. The injured officers are receiving treatment as I speak.
“We are disappointed that men trained to enforce the law of the state are the ones circumventing the law and turning around to beat those they should be supporting. It is a low point for those involved. I don’t know how they would be proud of their action. They should look at themselves in the mirror and ask if they have lived up to the expectation of their profession.
“While we will continue to count on the support and cooperation of the police hierarchy, the action of those officers has done a great damage; it happened in the full glare of the public on the busy Ikorodu Road.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, said the Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, had ordered an investigation into the incident.
He said, “There is no report of the incident in any of the station in the area. The information we got was that the matter was not reported because the men settled their differences amicably.
“However, the CP, who does not tolerate acts of indiscipline, has ordered an investigation into the incident, especially the video being circulated online. He has ordered that the policemen identified in the video be brought for questioning.”
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court ordering the freezing of the bank account of the Osun Srate government.
In a statement today by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President said he’s “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order” because of its timing, which is just a few days to the governorship election in the state next Saturday.
According to him, actions of an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference. I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.
“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers. While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the statement stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
