The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has expressed dissatisfaction with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over the abrupt closure of the runway at Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu.

FAAN had announced that the airport would be closed to enable urgent rehabilitation of the runway.

However, Ohanaeze Ndigbo raised concerns over the decision, noting that this marks the third time in under 15 years that the airport’s runway is undergoing such closure.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr Ezechi Chukwu, the group condemned the timing of the shutdown, which coincided with the Easter season—typically a peak travel period for the Igbo and other Nigerians.

Chukwu said, “While we understand that safety is paramount, the timing of this closure could have been better managed to avoid disrupting the travel plans of many.”

He further described the development as “unpatriotic and unfair” to regular airport users, particularly within the Southeast.

He called on President Bola Tinubu to step in and ensure the immediate release of funds for a complete reconstruction of the runway.

“We need a lasting solution rather than the makeshift efforts we’ve seen over the years,” he stated.

In addition to decrying the repeated failures of the runway, Ohanaeze urged FAAN to conduct a comprehensive inspection of all runways across Nigerian airports to avert potential dangers to passengers.

The group also appealed to the Minister of Aviation, Chief Festus Keyamo (SAN), to take note of the ongoing concerns.

“We appeal to Chief Festus Keyamo SAN, the Honourable Minister of Aviation, to acknowledge that the Akanu Ibiam International Airport is still incomplete, with minimal work done by previous federal administrations,” Chukwu noted.

While expressing appreciation to the Enugu State Government for its interventions, Ohanaeze expressed hope that the federal authorities will prioritize completing the airport project to meet global standards.

“We look forward to the successful completion of the project within the stated timeframe,” the group added.

FAAN’s closure notice, issued late Friday, cited a “sudden and significant rupture in the asphalt surface” as the basis for the emergency repair, which is scheduled from April 22 to May 6, 2025.

A heartbreaking incident unfolded on Sunday at the Gubi Water Treatment Plant in Bauchi State, where four workers, including a father and his son, lost their lives during a routine cleaning operation.

The victims—Shu’aibu Hamza, his son Abdulmalik Ibrahim Hamza, Ibrahim Musa, and Jamilu Yunusa—were staff members of the Bauchi State Water Supply Agency.

All four were laid to rest shortly after the incident, in accordance with Islamic burial rites.

DAILY GAZETTE reports that the father and son, who were working in preparation for Abdulmalik’s upcoming wedding in two weeks, were among those who drowned while conducting maintenance work in one of the facility’s reservoirs.

Malam Husseini Abubakar, a resident of Gubi village where the plant is located, described the situation as a devastating blow to the entire community.

“It is the will of Allah. He gives and takes life. As painful as this is, there is nothing anyone can do—this was destined to happen,” Abubakar said.

He recounted that the incident began when one of the victims entered the reservoir to retrieve a fish that had been spotted.

A second person tried to rescue him but also drowned, followed by the father and son who were likewise caught in the tragic chain of events.

Another resident, Musa Muhammad, called on the grieving families to remain strong and accept the situation with faith.

“While incidents like this have occurred before, this is the most tragic, claiming four lives at once,” he said.

As at the time of this report, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Abdulrazak Nuhu Zaki, had yet to issue a statement or respond to inquiries about the incident.

A series of tragic accidents on the Abuja-Lokoja highway at Gada-Biyu have claimed the lives of six passengers and 11 cows between Thursday and Saturday, with 14 other people sustaining various degrees of injury.

Eyewitnesses said the crashes occurred at the same location and involved multiple vehicles, including a trailer transporting cows, a Toyota Sienna, a J5 Peugeot bus, and a Daf trailer.

One of the witnesses, Dahiru Musa, blamed the incidents on diversions created due to ongoing rehabilitation work on deteriorating sections of the highway.

“But the fatal one of the accidents was that involving a trailer loaded with cows and a J5 Peugeot bus, in which two people from the bus were burnt to death,” Musa said.

Emergency response personnel from the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) were dispatched to the scene, where they evacuated the injured and retrieved the remains of those who lost their lives.

A senior FRSC official, who took part in the rescue effort and chose to remain anonymous, confirmed the series of accidents. He also pointed to road diversions as the main cause.

He stated, “Six people died while 14 others sustained injuries,” adding that 11 cows also perished when the trailer collided with the J5 Peugeot bus.

The injured victims were transported to general hospitals in Abaji and Kwali, while the corpses were deposited at the Kwali hospital morgue.

In the aftermath, our reporter learned that eight surviving cows, which were badly injured, were slaughtered at the crash site by their owners.

Butchers from Gada-Biyu village later came to purchase the meat.

Efforts to reach the FCT sector commander of the FRSC, Mr. Muta’ah Chorrie, were unsuccessful as he was reportedly out of the country at the time of the incidents.

Drama unfolded at a police station in Minna, Niger State, when a man abruptly divorced his wife after she was apprehended during a hotel raid targeting suspected criminals.

The woman was among several individuals arrested by security personnel in an operation targeting hotels believed to harbor sara-suka gang members and drug dealers.

A security operative, who requested anonymity, told DAILY GAZETTE that the woman’s marital status was only discovered after those arrested were taken to the station and their families were contacted.

“Following the recurring youth restiveness and attacks on innocent citizens, the Deputy Governor, Comrade Yakubu Garba, after going round Minna recently, directed security operatives to go after the youths causing the unrest and stopping innocent citizens from going about their businesses,” he said.

The source added, “We embarked on the operation at some hotels suspected to be their hideouts. During the operations, many suspects were arrested, including women. And to our surprise, a man came to say that one of the women was his wife and instantly, he divorced her three times.”

“We didn’t know that she was married and did not know what took her there because police had not yet conducted investigation about the suspects when the husband came to the station.”

The police are yet to conclude investigations into the circumstances surrounding the arrests.