The body of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, has arrived at the military wing of Lagos Airport.

The arrival is part of the preparations to transport the remains to Abuja for further arrangements.

As the remains touched down, senior military officers stood in formation to honour the late Army Chief.

A full military parade, organized in his honour, is currently taking place. The parade features 48 soldiers and officers.

Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja passed away on Tuesday, November 5, after battling an illness in Lagos.

Prior to his death, President Bola Tinubu appointed Olufemi Oluyede as the new acting Chief of Army Staff.

Wike addressed his position during a live media briefing on Wednesday, November 13, emphasizing that security concerns were the primary reason behind the recent crackdown.

“Abuja is not meant to be a beggar’s city,” the former Rivers State governor stated, responding to public criticism regarding the sweep.

While critics argue that the move is unnecessary, particularly given Nigeria’s economic struggles and the prevalence of begging as a result of limited opportunities, Wike dismissed poverty as a valid excuse. He pointed out the security risks associated with an unchecked presence of beggars on the streets.

“There is no place in the world where employment has been provided for everyone,” he said.

He also highlighted potential security threats, including the possibility that some beggars may be acting as informants for terrorists.

“We are talking about security threats, and they are using poverty as an excuse. We should not allow poverty to justify security threats,” he remarked.

Wike further stressed the danger of individuals who might be pretending to be beggars while secretly gathering information for criminal activities. “You could see someone sitting outside your house, acting like a beggar, but actually functioning as an informant,” he warned.

He reiterated that the crackdown is part of a broader strategy to improve security in Abuja and prevent criminal elements from exploiting vulnerable situations.

The Minister’s statements underline his commitment to tackling security challenges, even as the debate over poverty and security in Nigeria continues to evolve.

An Air Peace flight from Abuja to Lagos was unexpectedly aborted during takeoff on Thursday morning due to a bird strike at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Inibehe Effiong, a Lagos-based human rights lawyer and one of the passengers on board, shared the incident on his Facebook page. He revealed that the situation caused panic among some passengers, who were seen screaming in fear.

“While taxiing on the runway, just before takeoff, our Air Peace flight from Abuja to Lagos, scheduled for 6:30 AM today, was suddenly stopped. This caused panic and screams among some passengers. The captain explained that the incident was due to a bird strike. We were then deboarded to wait for either a replacement or repair of the aircraft,” Effiong wrote.

He expressed relief that the incident occurred before takeoff, noting that it would have been much scarier if it had happened after the flight had started.

Around 30 minutes later, Effiong updated his post to inform his followers that the faulty aircraft had been replaced and passengers were boarding for the rescheduled flight to Lagos.

He also raised a concern about whether the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport’s domestic terminal is equipped with bird detection radar technology.