Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reacted to the crash-landing of Enugu Air at Benin airport in Edo State.

In a post on his verified X handle on Friday, Keyamo said he had ordered all the relevant agencies to work closely with Enugu Air to unravel the cause of the incident.

DAILY POST recalls that the aircraft crashed at Benin City airport on Thursday.

Following the incident, Air Peace aircraft suspended all its flights to and from the Benin Airport after the temporary closure of the airport’s runway following a runway incursion.

Reacting, Keyamo said, “I have been duly informed that the incident with Enugu Air yesterday in Benin is that the aircraft skidded off the runway after landing successfully (it is called ‘runway excursion’ in aviation terminology).

“Everyone was safe. I have directed all the relevant agencies to work closely with Enugu Air to unravel the cause.”

Residents of Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, and Yola, the Adamawa State capital, are once again grappling with a prolonged electricity blackout following a fault at a Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, facility, a development that has intensified concerns over the reliability of power supply across the northeast.

The latest outage has left homes, businesses and public institutions without electricity for the past three days, with Jalingo metropolis among the worst affected.

The blackout has disrupted commercial activities, forced many businesses to rely on costly alternative sources of power and compounded the hardships faced by residents already struggling with rising living costs.

The incident comes at a particularly difficult time for electricity consumers in the region, as TCN had only recently announced a planned maintenance exercise that was expected to result in a temporary power interruption across several northeastern states.

According to the company, electricity consumers in Bauchi, Gombe, Damaturu, Maiduguri, Yola, Jalingo and surrounding communities are scheduled to experience a planned outage from 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2026, to enable maintenance work on critical transmission infrastructure.

However, the unexpected fault has effectively extended the blackout for many customers, sparking frustration among residents who say they have been left in darkness even before the commencement of the scheduled maintenance.

Business owners and residents expressed concern over the worsening power situation, noting that the prolonged outage has affected economic activities, increased operational costs and disrupted household routines.

Explaining the cause of the latest disruption, the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC, said the outage resulted from a technical fault at the 132kV Transmission Station operated by TCN.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the distribution company disclosed that the fault occurred at about 5:55 p.m. on Wednesday when the primary circuit breaker on TCN’s 125MVA transformer tripped at the transmission station.

According to YEDC, the incident affected all its 33KV feeders supplied from the facility, resulting in a widespread loss of electricity supply across Yola and its surrounding communities.

The company said it had been informed that TCN engineers were working to clear the fault and restore electricity supply to affected customers.

Despite the ongoing repair efforts, YEDC noted that the previously announced planned outage by TCN remains in effect. Consequently, electricity supply will continue to be managed in accordance with the approved outage schedule even after the fault is rectified.

The development has once again highlighted the vulnerability of electricity supply in the northeast, where technical faults on key transmission infrastructure often result in widespread blackouts affecting multiple states simultaneously.

For residents and businesses already contending with high energy costs, the combination of an unplanned system fault and an impending maintenance shutdown means a longer period of uncertainty, with many hoping that repair works and the scheduled maintenance will be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

YEDC appealed to customers to remain patient and understanding while engineers work to restore normal electricity supply, assuring consumers that efforts are ongoing to resolve the fault and stabilize the network.

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Obidient Movement have rejected former APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje’s claim that the Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso presidential ticket cannot win the 2027 election.

Both groups said Obi and Kwankwaso have strong records in government and large political support bases that could help them win elections, especially in Kano State and across Nigeria.

Ganduje had described the NDC ticket as dead on arrival, arguing that neither Obi nor Kwankwaso had the leadership record or political legacy needed to win the presidency.

He also questioned their popularity and achievements in Anambra and Kano states.

Reacting to the comments, NDC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Abdulmumin Abdulsalam, dismissed Ganduje’s remarks, saying, “he is just blabbing.”

He argued that the former APC chairman had lost political relevance in Kano and claimed the NDC was well-positioned to win elections in the state because of Kwankwaso’s influence.

He added, “We are confident of clearing all the state Assembly seats. We are also confident of winning the senatorial, House of Reps and governorship elections as well.”

Abdulsalam also said Obi’s performance in the 2023 presidential election showed his nationwide appeal. According to him, more votes will be recorded for him in the northern part of Nigeria because of the country’s current economic situation.

The National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, also criticised Ganduje’s comments.

He questioned Ganduje’s credibility and defended Obi’s record as governor of Anambra State, saying, “He left N75bn in the coffers of Anambra State.”

Tanko also praised Kwankwaso’s achievements in Kano, pointing to infrastructure projects and education programmes that sponsored students to study abroad.

Yiaga Africa has published its pre-election analysis regarding the current circumstances in Osun in anticipation of the upcoming governorship elections next month.

According to Yiaga’s report, the integrity of the governorship election is at risk, noting an increase in the distribution of money or gifts by candidates or their supporters to voters.

Yiaga Africa said that its findings conducted between 14 and 29 June 2026, recorded numerous occurrences of cash and gift distribution by political figures and their supporters during campaign events and community interactions.

The report made available to reporters in Abuja further stated that while some of these distributions were presented as social interventions or charitable programmes, their timing and proximity to the election raise concerns about their potential to unduly influence voters.

“Such incidents were reported in Irepodun, Ola-Oluwa, Olorunda  and Osogbo LGAs. In Ilobu/Erin, Irepodun LGA, observers heard that a group known as the ITK Sisters distributed cash, garri, beans and other food items to residents,” the report added.

It continued, “Similarly, observers reported the distribution of food items by unidentified groups in the Ekerele-Iwara area of Ola-Oluwa LGA, as well as in parts of Olorunda and Osogbo LGAs. A more sophisticated pattern of voter inducement was observed in Ife South LGA. On 7 July 2026, residents of Ara Joshua Village in Osi Ward reportedly received electronic transfers of N10,000 with the narration, ‘Renewed Hope Ambassadors/APC EPYT.’ “

Yiaga Africa said that its observers noted that the payments were linked to an earlier exercise in March 2026, during which individuals visited communities to collect voters’ Voter Identification Numbers, VINs, and National Identification Numbers, NINs.

“The same individuals reportedly returned in June 2026 to obtain beneficiaries’ bank account details before they made the transfers.This emerging data-enabled model of voter inducement represents a growing electoral integrity concern.

“Unlike conventional vote buying at polling units, it occurs well before election day, leaves fewer visible traces, and is more difficult to detect through traditional election observation methods,” Yiaga Africa said.

The organization further reported what it called ‘very limited voter education’ efforts targeted at marginalised groups such as women, youth, and Persons with Disabilities, PWDs.

“CSO-led campaigns targeting women were only recorded in Irewole and Ola-Oluwa LGA. Youth-targeted voter education campaigns were reported to have been conducted by INEC in Irewole and Ola-Oluwa and by CSO in Ede South LGA. In addition, PWDs targeted campaigns were reported to be conducted by only INEC, in Ola-Oluwa LGA,” it further stated.

An adult male was safely rescued after becoming trapped inside a malfunctioning elevator in a three-storey building located on Freeman Street, Zapass, Lagos Island East Local Council Development Area, LCDA, on Tuesday.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service disclosed that it received an emergency call at approximately 11:50 a.m., prompting the immediate deployment of a rescue team from the Ebute Elefun Fire Station.

According to the agency, firefighters arrived at the scene within five minutes of receiving the distress alert and quickly commenced rescue operations.

The trapped occupant was successfully freed from the elevator without sustaining any injuries.

Preliminary findings by the agency indicated that the incident resulted from an accidental malfunction of the lift.

Confirming the successful rescue, the Controller General of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, said no casualties or injuries were recorded during the operation.

The agency reaffirmed its commitment to responding promptly to emergencies and ensuring the safety of residents across the state.