Six persons, including a pregnant woman and five undergraduate nursing students, have lost their lives in a motor accident that occured at the Kwara state section of the Ilorin–Ogbomoso highway on Monday.

The accident, as reliably informed occured around Ote area of Kwara state.

Some of the victims died on the spot, while others died while receiving medical attention at an undisclosed hospital.

It was gathered that the affected students were undergraduates of one of the higher institutions of learning in Oyo state.

The victims, all 500-level students, were running the Open and Distance Learning Bachelor of Nursing Science programme.

They were said to be on their way for the second semester’s examination when the accident occured at the Ilorin–Ogbomoso highway.

Confirming the accident, the Commandant, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Rosemary Alo, said the accident occured at Ote area of Kwara state.

According to her, the accident happened at the Kwara state end of the road.

“Our men are working in collaboration with the Kwara state Command to restore normalcy on the highway,” she said.

From Dan Amasingha, Minna

Social and economic activities in several parts of Niger State have been severely disrupted for more than two weeks following acute shortages of potable water and persistent power outages.

The crisis is attributed to the inability of the Niger State Water and Sanitation Board to supply treated water, compounded by poor electricity supply from the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), the licensed power distributor in the state.

Investigations revealed that water production has been hampered by the Water Board’s alleged lack of essential treatment chemicals, a situation worsened by inadequate electricity supply to major waterworks across the state.

Sources disclosed that the state government has reportedly not released funds required for the purchase of water treatment chemicals since the beginning of the financial year, after existing stock was exhausted in 2025.

Initially, the Water Board operated on skeletal services, reportedly spending about ₦6 million every other day on electricity tokens to keep its plants running.

However, the arrangement became unsustainable, especially after AEDC reduced power supply to most parts of the state.

Consequently, the Board shut down operations and placed workers on forced leave, forcing residents to seek alternative sources of water for domestic and commercial use.

The development has imposed severe hardship on residents, particularly women and children, who now roam in search of water from any available source.

 Owners of private boreholes who rely on generators to pump water now sell to water vendors at exorbitant rates.

Water vendors, popularly known as Mairuwa, now sell a truckload of ten-litre jerrycans for between ₦2,500 and ₦3,000, depending on the location.

Meanwhile, AEDC has intensified electricity rationing across the state over the past three weeks without offering any explanation.

 Many residents reportedly go without electricity for two to three days, while areas connected to 33kVA lines receive power for only two to three hours daily.

Last Friday, some youths after the Juma’at prayers drew the attention of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago to the situation.

The governor reportedly assured them that the matter was being addressed.

However, the Niger State House of Assembly on Tuesday declined to intervene immediately, stepping down a motion of urgent public importance raised by the member representing Suleja Constituency, Alhaji Adamu Murtala Badaru.

 The motion highlighted the acute water shortage and epileptic power supply, which he said had crippled both government and commercial activities across the state.

The decision followed an in-house deliberation between the motion’s sponsor and key lawmakers.

Presiding over the sitting, Deputy Speaker Affiniki Dauda explained that the motion was stepped down in view of ongoing efforts by Governor Bago to resolve the crisis.

She acknowledged that the situation affects all residents, including lawmakers, but urged patience to allow the executive to intensify efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people.

From Ajiya Ayuba, Bauchi

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has said that he will not leave his communities at the mercy of bandits.

The governor said this during a condolence visit to Kafin Duguri over an attack by gunmen that claimed four lives of the residents.

He commended the effort of local vigilantes and residents who confronted over 100 armed bandits on motorcycles and forced them to retreat.

He said that the courage of the vigilantes and the residents is a testament to the resilience of people, said that “It was a painful and deeply unfortunate incident, especially as it happened in my home area of Duguri”

According to the governor said that “We will not relent in our commitment to safeguarding lives and restoring lasting peace across our state”

He further said that his administration will continue working closely with federal security agencies and traditional institutions to reinforce protection in vulnerable communities.

“We have already requested additional security personnel and operational equipment to strengthen our response capacity”

The governor urged all residents to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious movements to security agencies, as community cooperation is critical in addressing insecurity.

He announced plans to recruit and train more local vigilantes in collaboration with the police, while assuring that the state government has taken full responsibility for the medical treatment of the injured victims.

The governor also conveyed the condolences of President Bola Tinubu to the affected families, while assuring his support to strengthen security and prevent further attacks in Bauchi State.

Speaking during the condolence visit, Isa Yakubu who is the village head of Kafin Duguri expressed their appreciation to the governor and his entourage for the visitation.

The village head, Yakubu, begged the state government for security personnel in order to bring back peace in their affected communities.