A transportation expert and elder statesman, Chief Chris Chigboh, has commended Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State for the remarkable improvements witnessed in security and infrastructure.

Chigboh, a former Secretary of Transportation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stated this in an interview on Sunday in Abuja.

He spoke shortly after returning from Enugu, where he said he personally observed the transformation programmes being implemented by the Mbah administration.

According to him, the developmental strides recorded in the state in the last two years indicate that Enugu is on course to surpass the governor’s target of building a 30-billion-dollar economy by 2031.

“What I saw in Enugu beats my imagination, especially when compared with the state’s lean receipts from the federation account.

“The security operation control centre is second to none. The recent addition of drones and other security infrastructure will help flush out terrorists and criminal elements from the state.

“With these measures, citizens are set to enjoy a crime-free Yuletide and New Year celebrations. The latest transportation infrastructure will also ease movement of goods and services across the state,” he said.

Chigboh said terrorism and banditry had negatively affected development plans in many parts of the country, leaving citizens in fear and deepening economic hardship.

He expressed satisfaction with the recent deployment of surveillance drones in a late-night operation around the Opi–Nsukka/Ugwogo–Nike forest, a notorious kidnappers’ hideout, noting that the operation led to the evacuation of bandits from the area.

“With the frontal attacks on criminals in Enugu, the state will attain greater economic prosperity in the near future,” he added.

The state government recently added two surveillance drones and 10 security vehicles to its security fleet. It also procured 200 BRT buses and several electric vehicles for commercial transportation.

Chigboh, who also served as Secretary of Area Councils in the FCT, commended the cleanliness of Enugu metropolis and the rollout of smart schools across political wards in the state.

He described the expansion of the capital city through new estates on its fringes as a creative move to accommodate current and future population growth.

The elder statesman also lauded the introduction of electric vehicles for public transportation and urged the governor to complement the initiative with a rail network.

The rail line, he said, would link all local government areas, to boost commerce and facilitate the movement of food from rural communities to major markets.

“Mbah can partner with the Federal Government to revive portions of the Eastern railway corridor by putting the abandoned Agbani–Emene transit line to use.

“This will significantly improve travel and haulage within Coal City,” he said.

Chigboh, who was involved in the design and implementation of the Abuja Master Plan, noted that the harmonious relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government in Enugu was responsible for the peace and coordinated development currently witnessed.

He described Mbah’s socio economic reforms as unprecedented in the history of the state and called on residents to support government initiatives, especially in the area of security, to sustain Enugu’s status as the safest state in the South-East.

He urged chairmen of the 17 local government areas of the state to emulate the governor by extending development efforts to rural communities.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said a fatal road traffic collision on Ikorodu Road has claimed the lives of an eight-month-old baby and a female passenger.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

Bakare-Oki noted that the collision occurred opposite Olabode House, between Anthony and Obanikoro.

“Preliminary findings indicate that a red Tata commercial bus, speeding from Palmgrove toward Anthony, suddenly lost mechanical and directional control.

“In a catastrophic sequence of events, the bus veered off its lane, broke through the median barrier, and collided with an oncoming Volkswagen commercial bus carrying passengers from Anthony to Palmgrove.

“The sheer violence of the impact resulted in the instantaneous death of an adult female passenger aboard the Volkswagen bus, while an eight-month-old female infant tragically succumbed to injuries sustained in the collision,” he said.

He added that LASTMA operatives, supported by well-meaning members of the public, immediately activated a coordinated rescue and recovery operation.

The LASTMA boss disclosed that a total of 10 victims, including the drivers of both vehicles, were successfully extricated from the mangled wreckage, all sustaining varying degrees of serious injuries.

“Six trapped passengers were rescued from the Volkswagen commercial bus, while four others were evacuated from the red Tata bus,” he said.

He stated that the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) promptly transported the injured victims to nearby medical facilities for immediate attention, while officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit (SEHMU) evacuated the remains of the deceased infant and adult female.

He also noted that security operatives from the Ilupeju Police Division provided crucial security coverage throughout the rescue and recovery operation.

Bakare-Oki conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families, saying he was particularly concerned for the distraught mother of the deceased infant, who had sustained severe injuries and was receiving medical treatment.

He seized the occasion to warn all motorists, especially commercial drivers, to exercise utmost restraint, maintain heightened vigilance, and comply strictly with stipulated speed limits.

A mortuary attendant in the Upper Sakponba area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo has landed in police net after allegations of missing vital organs from a corpse kept at Akugbe Mortuary.

This incident triggered a violent reaction from relatives of the deceased.

The situation reportedly escalated when angry family members and friends accused a mortuary attendant of harvesting organs from the body.

Relatives of the deceased were said to have raised alarm when they arrived at the mortuary on Friday to collect the body for burial and allegedly discovered that some vital organs were missing.

An eyewitness, Osaro Ivie, described the scene as chaotic, saying tempers flared after family members accused the attendant of engaging in ritual practices.

“The relatives claimed that the chest cavity of the deceased had been emptied and stuffed with nylon,” Ivie said.

He said the relatives threatened to lynch the attendant and set the facility ablaze before police operatives intervened to restore calm.

Confirming the incident on Sunday, ASP Eno Ikoedem, Public Relations Officer of the police command in Edo, said the command received a distress call that a mob was on the verge of attacking a suspect at the mortuary.

“The Command received a distress call that someone at Akugbe Mortuary was about to be lynched, and the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun Division, was immediately mobilised to rescue a mortuary attendant alleged to have harvested organs of a corpse,” Ikoedem said.

Ikoedem explained that the suspect was rescued from the crowd and subsequently to custody.

She added that he was currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), where investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the allegation.

Ikoedem assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted, urging residents to remain calm and allow due process to take its course.