Author: Kwara Reporters

Crystal Group, a company owned by APC Stalwart, Mashood Mustapha, has urged the Kwara state government to prioritize indigenous contractors in the award of the Kwara Hotel remodelling contract.Crystal Group said this while turning down the offer of the Kwara State Government to take over the renovation of Kwara Hotels from Craneburg Construction Company for the sum of N3 billion. The company also urged the state government to review the contract sum from N17.8 billion and channel the remaining balance towards other productive ventures that will benefit the state. The company pointed out that Craneburg Construction company has already commenced work…

Against the backdrop of the abduction wave across the country, the demand for bulletproof vehicles by Very Important Persons and other wealthy Nigerians has increased, The PUNCH can report.Armoured vehicle dealers, who spoke to The PUNCH, confirmed they had been recording increased sales of customised bulletproof Sport Utility Vehicles since the kidnapping epidemic worsened.In recent weeks, armed gangs operating from various forests have infiltrated major cities and urban centres carrying out abductions of citizens and demanding outrageous ransoms.The situation has compelled victims and families of abductees to crowd-fund for ransom from families, associates and social media in disregard of the…

Three persons, on Tuesday, died after a truck fell off from an overhead bridge in Jos, Plateau State capital.It was learnt that the three persons were trapped under the vehicle and died afterwards while three others were also injured.Residents who gathered at the scene along Zaria Road confirmed the accident to PUNCH Online in Jos on Tuesday, saying about 45 cows were also killed in the crash that occurred between 4 am and 5am.One of the eesidents, Timothy Garuba, who spoke with our correspondent, said the accident happened when the truck was climbing the flyover bridge situated within Gada Biu…

Statutory allocations from the Federal Account Allocation Committee to the 36 states and 774 local government areas from July to December 2023, increased to N3.34tn post-fuel subsidy era.Figures obtained from the National Bureau of Statistics indicate an increase of N545bn or 19.5 per cent from the N2.79trn distributed to states and local government areas in the first half of the year (January-June).Amid the worsening hardship, Nigerians, including the organised Labour leaders, in separate interviews with The PUNCH on Monday, urged state governors to justify the increased allocations by ending the hardship among the masses.President Bola Tinubu in his inaugural speech…

The Kwara State Joint Security team have arrested those who killed Oba Olusegun Aremu-Cole, Olukoro of Koro-Ekiti in the Ekiti Local Government Area.The Security team also arrested the leader of kidnap syndicate terrorising Ekiti, Kogi and Kwara states, one Pa Olowofela in Ekiti State and also freed the monarch’s wife and those abducted with her.Olowofela, an octogenarian, is based in Igbara Odo, Ekiti State with a chain of business enterprise cutting across the state, including a sawmill in Irele, the axis where the nefarious activities of the abductors is most pronounced..He was arrested by a combine team of security apparatus…

More revelations have emerged on the driver of Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure-Ekiti, Ekiti State, who was abducted last week, but never made it out from the forest.Daily Trust had reported how all the abducted victims were released but the driver was killed in the forest.In a now viral clip, the freed pupils and their teachers sat on the floor, looking tired as a mother lamented the condition of her child in the background.The kidnappers, however, reportedly killed and burnt the driver of the school bus, identified as Taiwo Olugbaye, in the forest.One of the parents of the victims…

…Condemns advert of propaganda over payment of percentage as arrearsThe Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State has berated Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s recent propaganda amplifying payment of paltry 24% and 21% of October 2016 and June 2017, out of an outstanding of 161% and 75% salary arrears owed to local government, SUBEB workers and pensioners in the state when more than N10bn was left in the state’s treasury in 2019 by the Abdulfatah Ahmed administration, which is sufficient to clear all outstanding arrears long before now.In a statement issued on Tuesday in Ilorin by the PDP State Publicity Secretary in…

A fire which spread from an undergrowth in Anuoluwapo community, Kangile area, Sango, Ilorin in Ilorin East local government of Kwara State on Saturday destroyed a four-bedroom bungalow in the area.The Kwara State Fire Service said that it received a distress call on Saturday afternoon to attend to a fire incident at Kangile area behind Royal Valley Estate Sango, Ilorin.“Upon arrival of the fire service to the area, they found a four-bedroom flat engulfed in flames. With commendable efficiency, the firemen contained the blaze, preventing it from spreading to neighbouring buildings”, a statement signed by Hassan Adekunle, Head of Media…

A veteran actor and dramatist, Jimi Solanke, is dead.The folk singer, poet, and playwright died on Monday, just 59 days to his 82nd birthday.Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State confirmed the development in a statement.Born on July 4, 1942, in Ipara Remo, Jimi Solanke’s artistic journey began as a pioneer member of the Orisun Theatre Group, founded by the renowned Wole Soyinka, in 1961.His contributions to the global entertainment industry spanned seven decades, leaving an indelible mark on various platforms, from Western Nigeria Television in the 1960s to international festivals in Senegal and Algeria during the 1970s.Solanke’s versatility shone through…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says its operatives have arrested Theophilus Ebonyi, general overseer of Faith on the Rock Ministry International, over alleged fraud.In a statement on Monday, Dele Oyewale, EFCC head of media and publicity, said the cleric defrauded members of his church and other Nigerians to the tune of N1,319,040,274.31 “using fake grants” from the Ford Foundation.“Ebonyi was arrested for defrauding his victims, comprising Non-Governmental Organisations, NGOs, and individuals by advertising an intervention project through his NGO (Theobarth Global Foundation) claiming that the Ford Foundation was offering a grant of $20,000, 000.000 (Twenty Billion United States…