Today’s Headlines: Peter Obi Started the Fight, Not Me — Umahi; Bandits Kill 3 Travellers in Sokoto

Minister of Works David Umahi has accused Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), of initiating their disagreement over the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project. Speaking on Arise Television on Friday, Umahi said Obi confronted him at the construction site and publicly criticised his handling of the project. He maintained that he had not attacked Obi before the incident.

Umahi also criticised Obi for allegedly failing to condemn inflammatory comments by his supporters, citing a statement that Obi would defeat Jesus Christ in an election. The minister described the remark as offensive to the Christian faith and said he expected Obi to speak against it. The disagreement between both politicians has centred on the coastal highway, which Obi previously described as a misplaced priority, while Umahi accused him of inciting people in the South-East against the Federal Government.

Suspected bandits have killed three people, including a driver, after attacking a passenger vehicle along the Marnona-Isa Road in Kunawa village, Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State, on Wednesday evening. The victims were reportedly travelling from Sokoto metropolis towards Isa when the attackers intercepted their vehicle and opened fire. Sokoto State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the deaths but did not disclose the victims’ identities or provide further details.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that some passengers might have been among the 3,000 people recruited by the Sokoto State Government and invited for further screening and document collection. However, police had not established whether any of the deceased were among the recruits. The attack has heightened concerns over the safety of travellers on roads linking communities in Sokoto State amid persistent banditry, with further details and possible security measures still awaited from the authorities.

Gospel singer Tope Alabi has threatened legal action against individuals who publish or circulate false and defamatory statements about her. In a public notice issued on Friday, October 23, 2026, her solicitors, Oakmount Legal Practitioners, warned that liability could extend beyond the original publishers to people who repost, share, forward or amplify the material online. They also cautioned that anonymous social media accounts do not automatically protect users from legal consequences.

The legal notice directed those who had published the alleged defamatory content to remove it and stop further circulation, warning that deleting posts would not automatically eliminate liability. Alabi’s lawyers said she could seek damages, court injunctions, retractions, public apologies and legal costs, where permitted by law. The warning follows online controversy surrounding her reported comments on traditional religious practices and renewed discussions about her past association with the late cleric Elijah Ajanaku, although the notice did not identify the specific allegations prompting the action.

One construction worker has died and three others were injured after a two-storey building under construction collapsed around midnight on Friday along Akinola Street, near Fadeyi Bus Stop, off Ikorodu Road in Lagos State. The workers reportedly slept at the site ahead of the next day’s work but became trapped when the structure suddenly caved in. Emergency responders from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) rescued three survivors and recovered one body from the rubble.

LASEMA Permanent Secretary, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the incident, stating that search and rescue operations were ongoing to determine whether anyone else remained trapped. The injured workers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, while emergency teams deployed an excavator to clear the debris. The cause of the collapse had not been established as of the time of the report.

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