A massive explosion has rocked the Trans-Niger Pipeline at Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State, sending plumes of fire and smoke into the sky.

The incident, which occurred on Monday night, has left a section of the major crude oil transport pipeline in flames, though the exact cause of the explosion remains unknown.

READ ALSO: Niger Delta Youths Threaten Oil Shutdown Over Rivers Crisis

Authorities have yet to determine whether the explosion was due to sabotage, equipment failure, or other factors.

However, concerns have been raised over possible human interference, particularly in light of recent threats by militant groups to attack oil infrastructure.

The threats were issued as a response to the Federal Government’s decision to withhold Rivers State’s allocation amid the ongoing political crisis in the region.

More to follow……… 

With the commencement of the rainy season, the Osun State Government has issued modalities for the operations of tractors across farmlands in Osun State.

The state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Hon Tola Faseru, according to a government house statement on Monday in Osogbo, confirmed the development.

Faseru said interested farmers should reach out to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry or the General Manager of Osun State Agricultural Development Corporation (OSSADEC) through virtual or physical applications.

He noted that the government was subsidizing the operational rate per acre to lower the cost of farm operations, explaining further that the tractors will be domiciled at the OSSADEC farm centre located across the state.

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Faseru pointed out that some of the tractors were already in operation in some farmlands, and noted that the ministry was working to set up technical centres at designated locations for maintenance of the tractors.

He narrated further that tractor drivers are being assembled, trained and retrained for seamless operation even as he explained that the administration adopted a public private partnership approach for the management of the tractors.

“We are happy to inform the public that the tractors are out for the rainy season. We are conscious of the question of sustainability, hence the careful approach to inject private sector practices.

“In 14 or so years, this is the first time Osun is having new fleet of tractors. We have learnt from what caused the failure of the past efforts. We won’t repeat the same mistakes.

“We know we are not there yet. But Governor Adeleke has blazed the trail by procuring the first set of tractors. We innovated also because of ongoing issues at the local government level.

“We don’t want it to be managed in unsustainable manner. Hence, Mr Governor insisted the tractors be managed like a business although with public subsidy”, the Commissioner posited.

He stated that the ministry is reaching out to stakeholders among the farming community to ensure accelerated access for users within the state.

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking an order to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from selling off properties confiscated from her.

Alison-Madueke, through her legal team led by Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), also requested the court to compel the EFCC to recover any assets already auctioned.

She accused the anti-graft agency of violating her fundamental right to a fair hearing, arguing that the sales were conducted without due legal process.

READ ALSO: Court Backs Diezani&’s Request To Amend Lawsuit Over EFCC’s Asset Forfeiture

She claimed the EFCC relied on final forfeiture orders obtained from various courts but failed to serve her with any charges, proof of evidence, or court summons regarding the seized properties.

According to her, the forfeiture orders were secured through “misstatements, misrepresentations, non-disclosure, concealment, and suppression of material facts.”

“In many cases, the final forfeiture orders were made against properties which affected the Applicant’s interest, the courts were misled into making the final order of forfeiture against the Applicant, based on suppression or non-disclosure of material facts,” she stated.

The former minister further argued that the courts which issued the forfeiture orders lacked jurisdiction and failed to respect her constitutional right to a fair hearing.

She insisted that she was outside Nigeria for medical treatment since 2015 and had no access to Nigerian newspapers where the forfeiture notices were reportedly published.

Alison-Madueke also maintained that she had not been convicted of any crime, making the forfeiture and subsequent sale of her properties unjustifiable.

“Only a court of law can declare an act as constituting unlawful activities and there was no such order that had declared the alleged conduct of the Applicant to be unlawful,” she argued.

In a counter-affidavit, the EFCC insisted that the properties were lawfully forfeited following extensive investigations into Alison-Madueke’s tenure as a public official.

The agency cited two criminal cases against her, including suit FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018 filed in November 2018 and HC/ADYL/56c/2017 filed in July 2017.

The EFCC stated that the asset sales were conducted based on final forfeiture orders issued by Justices C.A. Obiozor and I.N. Oweibo in 2019.

It maintained that all necessary legal procedures were followed, including public notices in newspapers inviting interested parties to contest the forfeitures.

“The final forfeiture orders pursuant to which the sale of the properties was conducted are still in force and have not been set aside. The forfeited properties were disposed of in accordance with the due process of law,” the agency stated.

During Monday’s proceedings, Alison-Madueke’s lawyer, Godwin Iyibor, requested additional time to respond to the EFCC’s counter-affidavit, which was served on March 14. EFCC’s counsel, Divine Okoro, acknowledged delays in filing but assured the court of the agency’s commitment to the case.

Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the matter to March 27 for a definite hearing, warning that no further delays would be entertained. “The case has been pending since 2023,” the judge noted.

Alison-Madueke’s legal battle with the EFCC also includes a separate ₦100 billion defamation lawsuit against the agency.

In that suit, she alleged that the EFCC had authored and sponsored publications portraying her as a treasury looter, which she claimed subjected her to “public ridicule, odium, contempt, derision, and obloquy.”