The state’s police commissioner says members of the dreaded group were seen around the scene of the incident shortly before the explosion.

The police have fingered newly formed terror group Lakurawa as the mastermind of an explosion that occurred along the Dansadau-Gusau Road in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Wednesday.

“This Lakurawa (group) when they were dislodged by the Army in Sokoto and Kebbi, the rest of them that survived the military onslaught were trying to find new enclaves,” the state’s police commissioner Muhammed Dalijan said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast programme on Thursday.

“As they were passing that village to Birnin-Gwari forest, they planted a bomb under a bridge. Then a motorist was passing and step on it. It exploded and killed the driver and three other people were seriously injured.”

The police commissioner said members of the dreaded insurgent group were seen around the scene of the incident shortly before the explosion.

Dalijan said planting of explosive devices was a new development in the North-West state. He said though Zamfara has had a long battle with deadly bandits, they don’t have the capacity to plant explosive devices.

“They were seen passing through a village and as we were getting reports, trying to get ourselves prepared to pursue them, this (explosion) happened. So, we are sure that they were the ones that planted the bomb.

“The bandits here (in Zamfara) don’t use bombs because they don’t know how to make it; they don’t know how to improvise explosive devices. So, we are 100% sure that they (Lakurawa) are the ones because planting bombs in Zamfara State is a new development and bandits don’t have that capacity,” he said.

Zamfara, located in North-West Nigeria, has become the “hub of banditry” in Nigeria, as described by Governor Dauda Lawal.

The governor said the marauding bandits whose kidnapping-for-ransom trade is booming in the state can be strangulated in two weeks with the right political will.

Meanwhile, military authorities have vowed to eliminate Lakurawa insurgents and other terror groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

The Lagos State Electricity Law 2024 is a comprehensive plan of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s resolve to address longstanding challenges in the energy sector.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has officially signed the Lagos Electricity Bill into law.

The ceremony which was carried out at Lagos House Alausa Ikeja, had in attendance the state deputy governor Kadri Hamzat, members of the State assembly, as well as the state executive council members.

Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the state House of Assembly for ensuring the speedy passage of the bill, stressing that the bill will change the socio-economic value of citizens in Lagos State.

He stated that the electricity bill has been in the works for some years, and now that is finally achieved as Lagosians can be sure of a steady power supply.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Biodun Ogunleye, said the electricity law signed will provide an additional grid for Lagos State, and also put an end to black out in the state.

“There will now be regular power supply. Host community development Trust fund, which will provide opportunities for communities to develop power plant,” he said.

Ogunleye noted that the step taken by the government stands as a beacon of progress, that will ensure uninterrupted power supply in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Electricity Law 2024 is a comprehensive plan of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s resolve to address longstanding challenges in the energy sector.

The law will lay a robust foundation for economic growth, fostering industrial growth, improved quality of life, energy equity, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability.

Among other things, the law seeks to establish a Lagos Electricity Market that is technically sound, financially viable, and well-regulated, ensure access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity for all citizens.

It also helps to promote diverse energy sources, including renewable energy, and encourage energy efficiency, foster investment, competition, and innovation in the electricity sector and electrify underserved areas, contributing to the sustainable development of Lagos State.

Thousands of youth from across the 19 Northern States of the country staged a solidarity rally at the entrance of the National Assembly today, in support of the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, describing him as the “Sardauna of our era.”

According to them, the peaceful rally was organised to warn those attacking the Deputy President of the Senate over last Wednesday’s resolution of the Senate allowing tax reform experts access to the chamber of the Senate to make presentations during the plenary session on the Tax Reform Bills.

Barau had, during the plenary session, said that the experts, including the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Tax Reform, Taiwo Oyedele, should be allowed to educate the Senators and Nigerians on the Tax Reform Bills.

Carrying banners with various inscriptions including: “Senator Barau: The Sardauna of our era”,” Senator Barau is the new leader of the North”, ” Stop attacking Senator Barau”, ” Leave Senator Barau alone”, ” Senator Barau: The pro-masses lawmaker,” they said Barau remains the best Senator in the North, given his sponsorship of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) bill.

A former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Tijjani Kabiru Mohammed, said the Deputy President of the Senate has neither supported nor kicked against the Tax Reform Bills; instead, he pushed for the sensitisation of Nigerians.