Lagos Inspector Falls Off Speeding Commercial Bus, Dies

Published

10 years ago

January 14, 2016

The police have arrested a 40-year-old driver, Moshood Ekunsumi, for allegedly killing a police inspector, Stephen Nzerem, on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

The suspect’s conductor, who is at large, has also been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force in connection with the death.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Ekunsumi, a father of three, plied the Airport Road area and had resumed duty on the fateful morning.

However, a police team was said to have flagged down the bus along the road, with the aim of going on an operation with it.

The driver, who immediately sensed what they were up to, drove off.

But the deceased was said to have jumped onto the vehicle to apprehend the driver.

The driver was said to have taken the victim away and was speeding when another vehicle crossed his path and he stepped on the brake pedal.

It was learnt that although both the policeman and the conductor were flung off the bus as the brake was applied, only the inspector died.

His skull was said to have been smashed by an oncoming trailer and he died on the spot.

The driver and the conductor were said to have fled the scene and abandoned the bus.

The police, however, arrested the owner of the vehicle.

The matter was subsequently transferred to the State Department of Criminal Investigation, from where investigations led to the arrest of Ekunsumi.

The bus owner, Otaru Joseph, said he had cautioned the driver over his conduct.

He said:

“But he did not listen to me. After the incident happened, I thought he would also call me to let me know what happened, but instead, he called and said my vehicle was involved in an accident and cut the call. He didn’t call again and he switched off his mobile phones. He fled to Ondo State where he thought nobody would get him.

I was the one that was first arrested and detained. I would have suffered and died over what I knew nothing about.”

Ekunsumi said his action was not intentional.

He said:

“I did not do it intentionally. It was not the first time that the police would hijack our vehicle for their operation.
“But that day, I did not know what happened to me. The policeman just clung to the vehicle and because I was on motion, I could not stop.
“I applied the brakes and he fell off the bus and died. I regret my action.”

The suspect, was, however, arraigned before an Ebute-Meta Magistrate’s Court on two counts of murder.

The charge read in part:

“That you, Moshood Ekunsumi, and one other at large, on August 26, 2015, at about 8.30am, at Jakande bus stop, on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Inspector Stephen Nzerem, aged 51, by pushing him out of a fast moving commercial bus.”

The police prosecutor, Cousin Adams, said the offence was punishable under sections 231, 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.

The defendant’s plea was not taken.

Cousin thereafter applied for the remand of the defendant in prison custody pending the release of legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.

The defence counsel, however, objected the application, urging the court to conduct a preliminary enquiry.

The magistrate, Mrs. H.O. Omisore, called the Investigating Police Officer from the SDCI.

After listening to the IPO, the magistrate criticised the defendant for being reckless with his vehicle.

She also berated the police for wanting to forcefully take over the bus when the driver was not willing to release it.

She pointed out that what happened did not qualify for the murder charge brought by the police.

She, thereafter, adjourned the matter till Monday, January 18, 2016, for ruling.

Punch

NUC Approves Unbundling of UNN Mass Communication Into Five Degree Programmes

Published

1 week ago

July 2, 2026

lagoslatelytv

The National Universities Commission has approved the unbundling of the Mass Communication programme at the University of Nigeria into five specialised degree programmes.

The approval is part of the commission’s efforts to modernise communication and media education in Nigerian universities, enabling students to pursue more focused academic and professional training.

Under the new structure, the former Mass Communication programme will now be offered as five separate degree programmes:

Journalism and Media Studies

Broadcasting

Public Relations

Advertising

Strategic Communication

The university said the restructuring is designed to reflect the evolving nature of the media and communication industry, providing students with specialised knowledge and practical skills tailored to their chosen fields.

University management described the development as a significant milestone that aligns its academic offerings with global best practices and the NUC’s revised curriculum for communication studies.

The institution expressed confidence that the new programmes will enhance graduates’ competitiveness in the media, public relations, advertising, and strategic communication sectors while meeting the growing demands of the digital media landscape.

Naija News

NTPIC Chairman Tegbe Unveils Nigeria’s Most Sweeping Tax Overhaul in Decades, Promising Relief for Workers and Small Businesses

Published

4 months ago

March 18, 2026

lagoslatelytv

Chairman of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee Joseph Tegbe has declared that Nigeria’s new tax framework is specifically designed to take financial pressure off workers and small business owners, while simultaneously building a more stable and competitive fiscal foundation for the country. He delivered the remarks at the BusinessDay Tax Reform Conference 2026 in Abuja, themed “Navigating the New Tax Regime: What It Means for Your Wallet,” where he described the reforms as the most far-reaching restructuring of Nigeria’s tax system in living memory.

The legislative architecture underpinning the reforms is substantial. Four major new laws form the foundation — the Nigeria Tax Act 2025, the Nigeria Tax Administration Act 2025, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act 2025, and the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment) Act 2025 — which collectively establish a more coordinated and transparent national tax administration framework.

The reliefs embedded in the new system are tangible and targeted. Workers earning below ₦800,000 annually are now fully exempt from personal income tax, while employees who qualify can claim rent relief of up to 20 per cent of their income, capped at ₦500,000. On the business side, companies with annual revenue below ₦100 million and total assets under ₦250 million are exempt from Company Income Tax, and nano-enterprises with earnings below ₦12 million annually enjoy complete exemption from income tax — a provision designed to protect Nigeria’s most vulnerable commercial operators from any fiscal burden at all.

Tegbe was careful, however, to clarify that an exemption from payment does not translate into an exemption from record-keeping. He stressed that individuals and businesses falling within the exempted thresholds are still required to maintain proper documentation of their earnings and file their returns regularly — emphasising that compliance culture must be cultivated even where no financial obligation exists.

Beyond the relief measures, the reforms carry a significant institutional dimension. They are designed to strengthen coordination among key oversight bodies — the Nigeria Revenue Service, the Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria, the Tax Appeal Tribunal, and the newly created Office of the Tax Ombud — while accelerating the digitalisation of tax processes to improve transparency, efficiency, and compliance rates across the entire system.

Tegbe closed with a summary of the philosophy animating the entire package — that effective taxation is not about maximising extraction but about building a system citizens can trust. He described the ultimate goal as a tax framework that works simultaneously for government and citizens — one that funds national development without placing excessive strain on the pockets of ordinary Nigerians, and that rewards enterprise and investment rather than penalising them.

Naija News

FCT Approves ₦33.24bn For New Projects

Published

2 years ago

November 2, 2024

lagoslately

The Federal Capital Executive Committee has approved ₦33.24 billion worth of contracts for execution within the next one year.

The committee gave the approvals during its 9th meeting, chaired by the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, in Abuja on Friday.

Addressing journalists shortly after the meeting, the chief of staff to the minister, Chidi Amadi, said the decisions were part of the FCT administration’s efforts to provide critical services to residents of the FCT.

Providing details of the projects, Chinedum Elechi, Mandate Secretary, Transportation Secretariat, said that ₦7.22 billion was approved for the construction of access roads to Kugbo and Mabushi Bus and Taxi Terminals as additional works.

He recalled that contracts had been awarded in May for the construction of bus and taxi terminals in Kugbo, Mabushi and the Central Business District.

Mr Elechi added that the projects in Kugbo and Mabushi had reached an advanced stage before the realisation of the need for an access road to service the terminals from the major roads.

According to him, the committee has approved the award of the project to Planet Projects Ltd and to be completed in 12 weeks.
The mandate secretary also said that the executive committee approved the procurement of 120,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil (Diesel) and 40,250 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS.

He explained that the products were for the operation and maintenance of Wupa Basin Sewage Treatment Plant, adding that the contract was awarded to Safah and Fresh Ltd. at ₦2.92 billion, and to be delivered over 12 months.

Similarly, Mr Elechi said the supply of Diesel and PMS, at Wupa Basin Sewage Treatment Plant, was awarded to the same company to cover one year.

He added that ₦638,550 was also approved for the supply of 400,000 litres of Automotive Gas Oil to Lower Usuma Dam Water Treatment Plant of the FCT Water Board.

Also speaking, Shehu Ahmad, Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Territory Development Authority, said that the executive committee also approved the construction of access road to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Academy in Giri District.

Mr Ahmad added that the contract was awarded to Levant Construction Ltd. and ₦7.83 billion and to be completed in nine months.

He aid that the committee equally approved the design and construction of 10 units of Staff Quarters for the Nigerian Law School, Bwari Abuja.

He said that the project was awarded at ₦2.19 billion to Austlinks Energy Services Ltd., and to be completed in nine months.

The executive secretary further said that the committee also approved the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the existing Bill Clinton Road link to the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

He said that the contract was awarded to Julius Berger at ₦9.88 billion and expected to be completed in six months.

“The contract also includes rehabilitation of facilities in the Presidential Wing, which includes the Presidential Hanger, taxiway, and airport apron, among other facilities,” he said.

On his part, Gardiya Bawa, Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Legal Secretariat, said the committee equally approved ₦605.94 million for the procurement of office equipment, furnishing of the new office for the secretariat, and purchase of utility vehicles. (NAN)