News
Street Begging To Attract N200,000 Fine, Two-Year Jail Term In Lagos
Hard times await street beggars and urchins in Lagos following plan by the Lagos government to criminalise their activities, with proposed sanctions, including fines of up to N200,000 and imprisonment of up to two years.
A bill to the effect is presently before the Lagos State House of Assembly and it is expected to be passed into law.
The proposed legislation, however, combines the planned crackdown with rehabilitation and welfare programmes aimed at addressing the social and economic conditions that drive people, particularly children and vulnerable youths, to the streets.
The bill, titled the Street Begging and Street Urchins (Prohibition, Prevention and Rehabilitation) Law of Lagos State 2026, was presented to legal practitioners, civil society organisations and members of the public at a public hearing held on Tuesday at the Lateef Jakande Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja.
The public hearing, chaired by the chairman of the House Committee on Youth, Sports and Social Development, Abiodun Orekoya, is part of the legislative process before the bill proceeds to further consideration by the House.
The proposed law seeks to prohibit street begging and activities associated with street urchins in public places, including motor parks, traffic intersections, pedestrian bridges and open markets.
Orekoya said the legislation was designed to promote public order, safety and environmental sanitation, while also strengthening child protection measures.
Under the proposed law, activities such as loitering, sleeping, assembling or erecting temporary structures for the purpose of begging would constitute offences.
People who engage in, procure, aid or abet begging would also be liable to prosecution.
The bill specifically targets parents and guardians who send children onto the streets to solicit alms, with such actions potentially attracting prosecution under the proposed law and existing child-rights legislation.
The proposed sanctions are structured in three stages.
A first-time offender may receive a formal warning and be referred to a state-run rehabilitation centre. A subsequent violation could attract a fine of up to N200,000, a non-custodial sentence of not more than three months, or both.
For more serious or repeated offences, the bill proposes imprisonment of up to two years upon conviction by a Lagos State High Court or Magistrate Court.
The legislation also proposes giving the Environmental Sanitation Corps Agency broad enforcement powers, including the arrest of suspected offenders without a warrant and the seizure of property connected to the alleged offence.
Enforcement officers would be required to profile those arrested before transferring them to the Nigeria Police Force or appropriate local neighbourhood security units.
However, the proposed enforcement powers have raised concerns among some participants at the hearing, particularly over the possibility of arbitrary arrests and the treatment of vulnerable people during enforcement operations.
The bill attempts to address such concerns by expressly prohibiting enforcement officers from subjecting detainees to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, or unlawful detention, in line with the fundamental rights provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
Beyond enforcement, the proposed legislation places emphasis on rehabilitation.
It mandates the Ministry of Youth and Social Development to establish dedicated Rehabilitation and Welfare Centres where people removed from the streets would receive temporary accommodation, basic literacy education, psychological counselling and vocational and life-skills training.
The stated objective is to help beneficiaries acquire skills and support needed for eventual reintegration into society rather than simply removing them from public spaces.
At the public hearing, however, human rights advocates and legal scholars urged caution, particularly regarding warrantless arrests and the broad enforcement powers proposed under the bill.
They also raised questions about how the legislation would balance the need to regulate public spaces with the rights and dignity of people living in vulnerable circumstances.
Deputy Speaker of the House, Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, said the views gathered from members of the public and stakeholders would be considered before the bill is finalised.
She said the feedback would help shape the legislation before it proceeds to third reading and, if passed by the Assembly, is presented to the Lagos State Governor for assent.
News
Court Arraigns Journalist In Benue
A Benue State High Court, presided over by Justice Mary Abounu, has arraigned the Benue State correspondent of Aljazirah Newspaper, Henry Ibya, in Makurdi over alleged cyberstang.
The trial judge had sought the prosecution’s response to the defendant’s argument that the journalist was reliable and should be granted bail.
The absence of the prosecution counsel in court did not stop the proceedings, as the defendant’s counsel, Tom Uja, Esq., notified the court of his bail application for his client.
He stated that the prosecution had taken the journalist to two other courts in the state on the same charge and that his client had never failed to appear in court whenever required.
Although the prosecutor’s absence did not affect the judge’s decision to proceed and grant bail, which was also believed to be in the interest of justice, the matter was adjourned until November 5, 2026.
One Terna Abuul, said to be the Director of ICT at Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi, reported Henry Ibya to the Nigeria Police Force, Benue State Command.
The director had accused the journalist of allegedly reporting mismanagement in the institution’s ICT department.
According to Abuul, Ibya’s report accused him of wrongdoing.
On the strength of the said report, the journalist was arraigned before the High Court in Makurdi.
News
64 Dead, 80 Injured As Two High-Speed Trains Collide
At least 64 people have been killed and dozens seriously injured after two high-speed trains collided near Urda, south of Madrid, in one of Spain’s deadliest rail disasters in more than a decade.
The Castilla-La Mancha regional government confirmed the death toll as emergency crews continued rescue operations at the crash site. More than 500 passengers were travelling on the two trains involved, according to a regional government spokesperson.
The BBC reports that the collision of the two trains involved a Renfe high-speed train and an Iryo service operating on the Madrid-to-Seville route. Aerial images analysed by the broadcaster showed parts of the Renfe train leaving the tracks, while carriages of the Iryo train also derailed.
The cause of the collision had not been officially confirmed. However, Spanish media cited preliminary accounts suggesting that the Renfe train struck the Iryo service, which may have been stationary following a problem on the tracks.
The scale of the disaster prompted a major emergency response involving ambulances, helicopters, rescue teams and police officers. At least 80 people were reported injured, with about 50 believed to be in serious condition and 15 in critical condition, according to regional officials.
Several victims were transported to hospitals in nearby areas, while others were taken to Madrid for treatment. Hospitals in Toledo, Ciudad Real and Alcázar de San Juan reportedly suspended planned surgeries to accommodate casualties from the crash.
Blood transfusion centres in Madrid and Toledo also appealed for urgent donations to meet a possible surge in demand.
Survivors described scenes of panic and severe destruction. One passenger, Sebastián Herrero, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo that he felt a powerful impact that threw him into the seats ahead. He said injured passengers had broken noses and arms, while smoke spread through the carriages.
Another passenger, Iñaki, told El País that the impact sent him rolling across the floor. After escaping, he saw injured people and bodies around the wreckage.
BBC Verify also examined images and videos appearing to show a section of railway track piercing through a Renfe carriage, with approximately 10 metres of rail protruding through its roof.
The disaster has revived concerns about railway safety in Spain, which suffered another deadly high-speed rail accident near Córdoba in which 46 people died. The country’s previous worst rail disaster occurred in July 2013, when 80 people were killed in a derailment near Santiago de Compostela.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said he was shocked by the crash and remained in contact with the transport minister. The Spanish royal family also expressed condolences to victims’ relatives and praised emergency workers.
Meanwhile, the Royal Spanish Football Federation postponed 24 Copa del Rey matches in solidarity with the victims, while most political parties suspended campaign activities.
Rescue and recovery operations continued as authorities worked to establish the full circumstances surrounding the collision.
News
Police Arrest Suspected Eiye Cultist, Recover Two Pistols, Cartridges In Ogun
Operatives of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Squad of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 26-year-old suspected cultist and recovered two locally made pistols, three live cartridges and a battle axe in the Atan area of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Council of the state.
The suspect, identified as Okiki Muhammed Adewusi, popularly known as “Baba Obo”, was arrested in the Ore area of Atan on October 26, 2026, following intelligence received by operatives of SWAT Base 7, Abule Iroko, Sango-Ota.
The Police Spokesperson, Oluseyi Babaseyi, confirmed the arrest in a statement in Abeokuta yesterday.
According to Babaseyi, a search of the suspect’s residence after his arrest led to the recovery of a locally made pistol and three live cartridges.
He added that preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect had allegedly admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.
Babaseyi said information obtained from the suspect led to a follow-up operation at about 6.30 a.m. on October 27, 2026 during which operatives recovered a second locally made pistol and a battle axe from a separate location.
The recovered items have been secured as exhibits, while efforts are ongoing to arrest other suspects believed to be involved in the activities and recover additional weapons.
The police spokesperson said investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the case.
The Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, commended the SWAT operatives for their vigilance, professionalism and effective use of intelligence.
Ojajuni reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to dismantling criminal networks, curbing cult-related activities and tackling the illegal possession of firearms across the state.
He urged residents to provide timely and credible information about suspected criminal activities, assuring them that the Command would act on actionable intelligence to protect lives and property and maintain public safety.
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