NEWS
Ikire Town In Osun State Ravaged By Heavy Floods
On Saturday morning, Ikire town, which serves as the headquarters of Irewole local government area in Osun State, experienced prolonged heavy rainfall, resulting in the submergence of several areas.
The downpour, which started around 8 am and continued until the afternoon, led to significant damage to properties estimated to be worth millions of Naira.
According to reports, residents disclosed that the flooding affected various parts of the town.
Among the areas hit were Oja-Ale, Atoto, Fulani, Mateba, UNIOSUN Road, the Campus area, and the well-known Naira and Kobo junction along the Ife-Ibadan expressway.
In the aftermath of the flood, numerous shops, residential houses, farmlands, and livestock were severely impacted.
A student of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Onigbinde Michael, who spoke to DAILY POST via phone, expressed the extent of the devastation.
However, he found it challenging to quantify the exact level of loss incurred by the community.
He said “More than 100 residents have been affected. In the affected areas of Ikire, you will observe residents scooping water out of their houses and shops.
“Some of them are even trapped in their building with no help in sight. Some even came out and saved some trapped victims from drowning. The case is pathetic.”
In response to the flood incident in Ikire, the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, instructed the Commissioner for Environment to expedite flood prevention measures.
Through a statement signed by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Adeleke expressed sympathy over the flood disaster.
The governor acknowledged that the flood wreaked havoc on the western part of the state and reassured the people that his administration would address the root cause of the flood, take measures to prevent future occurrences, and hasten the implementation of the state’s flood prevention plan.
The governor said “It is touching to learn about the monumental damages that flood has wrecked on homes and livelihoods in Ikire. The scale of the losses suffered by our people as a result of the flood disaster is too heavy especially at a time of economic strain as now.
“I want to, on behalf of the State Government, convey heartfelt sympathy to everyone affected in one way or the other.
*As a government, we stand with the people of Ikire in this difficult moment and assure them of our commitment to support them overcome the challenges posed by the incident.
“My administration has activated emergency measures to rescue people and livelihoods hugely impacted by the flooding. I assure victims of the incident that the government will do all in its capacity to support them.” He added.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Environment, Mayowa Adejoorin, disclosed that he has instructed personnel from the Ministry to swiftly find a temporary solution to tackle the flood situation.
In a statement obtained by DAILY POST, Adejoorin said, “in the meantime, I have directed the Permanent Secretary and Director of Flood control to mobilize some personnel to the spot for urgent attention. I want to assure the people of Ikire of our maximum support in combating the flooding.
Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Sunday Dare, has criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his manner of addressing the President, describing it as “the height of insolence.”
In a statement posted on X on Saturday, Dare accused Atiku of political hubris for addressing the President simply as “Bola” while allegedly attempting to dictate how the government should be run.
“To seek to lecture a sitting president with the unbridled insolence of dropping his first name, petulantly barking instructions, and dictating how governance should be run within a truncated timeline is the height of political hubris,” Dare said.
ALSO READ: Sunday Dare Highlights Tinubu’s Key Achievements, Fires Back at Steve Osuji
He also dismissed Atiku’s comments on fiscal management, arguing that Nigerians do not need lectures from the former vice president on how to manage the economy.
Dare described Atiku as a “political wanderer” whose decades-long pursuit of the presidency, according to him, has been defined by “perpetual opportunism.”
He defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, saying the President was undertaking what he described as the “heavy, foundational lifting” required to restructure an economy affected by decades of structural challenges and subsidy costs.
“Atiku’s sudden conversion to the gospel of interventionism rings hollow,” Dare said, describing it as a strategy by what he called a “perennial seeker of power” to exploit national difficulties for electoral mileage.
Dare also accused Atiku of weaponising economic challenges for political purposes, while defending the Tinubu administration’s approach to economic reforms.
Biztellers reports that Dare was also reacting to a recent International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration ruling on the dispute involving Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited and the Federal Government.
Recall that an ICC arbitration tribunal sitting in Paris on Thursday, September 17, 2026, issued a ruling rejecting Sunrise Power’s claims against the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project in Taraba State.
Speaking via a post on X on Friday, Dare said: “Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s recent theatrical press conference, characterised by haughty condescension and an unbecoming disregard for the high office of the President of Nigeria, is nothing short of self-deprecation.”
Dare accused Atiku of attempting to distract Nigerians from questions surrounding the Mambilla project and his past, while criticising what he described as the former vice president’s renewed interventionist position on economic matters.
He further questioned Atiku’s criticism of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the former vice president should first address lingering questions surrounding his past before attempting to lecture the government on governance and economic management.
The comments come amid renewed exchanges between Atiku and the Tinubu administration as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to intensify.
The Federal Government has constituted a 10-member independent committee to investigate the reported deaths of 37 people held in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, over alleged illegal mining.
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced the development in a statement on Saturday, saying the action followed a directive by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a comprehensive, transparent and unhindered investigation into the incident.
Recall that the deaths occurred on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
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The Minister also ordered the suspension of all officers involved in the incident pending the conclusion of the independent committee’s investigation.
Tunji-Ojo described the deaths as “deeply disturbing”, stressing that the government owes the families of the deceased and the Nigerian public a transparent account of the events that led to the incident.
According to the statement, the committee will establish the identities of the deceased and investigate their arrests, detention, as well as the cause and circumstances surrounding their deaths.
It will also determine responsibility, complicity, negligence and misconduct and recommend appropriate action, including compensation where applicable, as well as measures to prevent a recurrence.
The Minister directed the NSCDC leadership and all relevant officers to cooperate fully with the committee.
He further ordered that all records and material evidence connected to the incident be preserved and made available to investigators.
“Any attempt to destroy or conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses or obstruct the investigation will be treated as a serious offence,” the Minister warned.
Members of the investigative committee
The 10-member committee is chaired by Mr Jonathan Kure, mni, a retired Deputy Director-General of the Department of State Services, while Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, former Director-General of the Nigeria Law School, will serve as Secretary.
Other members are:
AIG Hosea Hassan Karma (retired)
Prof. Olayinka Buhari, Professor of Histopathology and former Chief Medical Director of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital
Representative of the Minna Emirate Council
Representative of the Niger State Government.
Alhaji Liman Sulaiman, National Secretary, Miners Association of Nigeria
Mr Deji Adeyanju, lawyer and human rights activist
Mrs Zainab Suleiman Okino of Blueprint Newspaper
Dr George Agbakahi, Public Affairs Analyst
The committee may co-opt relevant experts, access all necessary facilities and documents, visit relevant locations and request memoranda from members of the public.
It has two weeks to complete its work and submit its report to the Minister.
20 NSCDC officers suspended
The Federal Government also released the names of 20 officers suspended in addition to the Niger State Commandant of the Corps.
The suspended officers are:
O/C Station Guard, SC Usman Isah Ndamaka
Station Guard, ASCI Hassan Mohammed
Station Guard, CCA Bala Mohammed
Arresting Officer/O/C Investigation, CSC Oluwadare Sunday
Arresting Officer, DCC Obafemi Elvis
Arresting Officer, CSC Annas Shitto Lamino
HOD INT/INV, DCC Philip Ajayi
O/C Legal, ACC Barr. Stephen Tsado
Day/Night Duty Officer, ASCI Alhassan Mohammed
Guard Duty, IC Abdullahi Sale
Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Sonfada
Guard Duty, CAI Liman Abubakar
Guard Duty, CAI Bala Usman
Guard Duty, IC Mohammed Jiya
Guard Duty, DSC Isah Suleiman
Guard Duty, CAI Ahmed Wushishi
Guard Duty, IC Sale Adamu
Guard Duty, IC Haruna Mohammed
Guard Duty, ASCI Aliyu Sallah
Guard Duty, CAI Isah Sanusi
The Minister extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and appealed for calm while the investigation continues.
Former Vice-President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is set to address a world press conference at his residence in Abuja on Friday.
The specific reason for the media briefing has not been disclosed as of the time of filing this report.
SEE ALSO: Mambilla: ICC Orders Sunrise Power to Pay Nigeria $11.8m After 9-Year Battle
Atiku’s planned engagement comes amid several developments attracting public attention, including a recent report from TheCable concerning a $500,000 payment allegedly transferred in 2003 to his former wife, Jennifer Douglas, by Leno Adesanya, promoter of Sunrise Power and Transmission Company Limited.
TheCable reported that Adesanya told an international arbitration tribunal that the payment was part of a foreign-exchange transaction carried out for Atiku.
The report further stated that the payment was made through China Castle Investments Limited, an offshore company controlled by Adesanya.
The development comes shortly after an International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) tribunal ruled in favour of Nigeria in the $2.35 billion arbitration dispute brought by Sunrise Power over the Mambilla hydropower project.
The tribunal also ordered Sunrise Power and its promoter to reimburse Nigeria for a portion of its legal fees and expenses.
However, there is currently no official indication that Atiku’s scheduled press conference is connected to the Sunrise Power report, the arbitration ruling or any other specific issue.
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