A Kerosene-laden tanker caught fire early Friday along the Suleja-Minna road after a head-on collision with a trailer leaving five persons injured.

According to a spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Bisi Kazeem who confirmed the incident “the crash happened at 08: 57hrs in Mallam Karo village along the Suleja-Minna road as a result of speed violation by a fuel tanker loaded with kerosene belonging to Conoil, leading to loss of control.”

He said that the nature of the crash was serious, being multiple accidents as the vehicles caught fire after the head-on collision.

Kazeem added that no life was lost and the victims were taken to the General Hospital Suleja, as they were attended to by FRSC officials and other security agents such as men of the Nigerian Police Force and Fire Service officials from Suleja.

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Barely 24 hours after a fuel tanker explosion claimed at least nine lives and burnt a minimum of  54 vehicles along the Otedola Bridge axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, another accident on Friday, happened on the same road.

Reports from the Rapid Response Squad said the accident occurred as a result of the recklessness of a commercial bus (Danfo) driver who drove against traffic on top speed resulting in an head -on collision with a Toyota Hiace bus entering Lagos.

Two persons were reportedly feared dead from the crash while several others were injured.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has on Friday promised to support any effort aimed at enhancing security in West Africa.

As contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke while receiving the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe, in Katsina, explaining that terrorism now transcended international boundaries, and no country could combat the scourge alone.

“We need to team up to fight common enemies. Terrorists in whatever form are enemies of humanity and no effort must be spared to protect our people. I will always support anything that is meant to enhance security in our region,” he said.

Buhari also lauded the proposal for a security summit between members of ECOWAS and countries in Economic Community of Central African States, scheduled  to hold on July 30.

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The Edo Government says it has not ceded land in any part of the state to anyone for ranching.

According to Governor Godwin Obaseki who made the clarification in a statement issued on Friday in Benin City, the state capital, “the Edo State Government wishes to clarify that it has not ceded any land, in any part of the state, for ranching project to anyone,” explaining that his “administration recognises that animal husbandry is a form of business which is done by private individuals, and the state government does not, as a matter of policy, directly engage in business.”

The governor reiterated that under his watch “the Edo State Government will remain an enabler of businesses through policies, incentives and laws and will continue to play this role to attract private investments that will create jobs for our teeming population.”

He further enjoined Edo people to ignore effort by some individuals to give political colouration to every government policy.

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The Federal Government has inaugurated a Technical Committee to develop the Federal Civil Service Welfare Policy.

Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita at the inauguration on Friday in Abuja, said it was part of the implementation of the 2017 to 2020 Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP), explaining that one of the major priority areas in the implementation plan was the improvement of welfare benefit packages for civil servants.

“The policy is expected to provide a framework that would ensure that all issues of welfare of federal government employees are fully developed and institutionalised. 

“The policy will ensure that MDAs are committed to providing a caring and supportive work environment that is conducive for the welfare of all employees which enables them to develop to their full potentials,” she added.

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And stories from around the world:

Two men have been arrested over the brutal rape of a seven-year-old girl in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh amid massive public anger.

Hundreds of people have been out on the roads demanding justice for the victim, who is still in hospital with grievous injuries including stab wounds.

The chief minister of the state has also demanded a death penalty for the rapists of the child.

The child was  abducted outside her school on Tuesday, according to police. (BBC)

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Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinians, one of them a 14-year-old boy, and wounded 415 others with live fire and tear gas during protests along the Gaza border on Friday, Gaza health officials has said. (Reuters)

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Decades of American leadership at the United Nations migration agency was broken on Friday as voters rejected President Donald Trump’s nominee for director general, electing Portuguese politician Antonio Vitorino instead. (AFP)

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A ceasefire has been agreed for southern Syria between the government and rebels, a Jordanian official source said on Friday, amid fears of a gathering humanitarian catastrophe in a region sensitive to neighbors Jordan and Israel. (Reuters)

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The Malian headquarters of an international anti-terror task force, the G5 Sahel, were attacked on Friday in a car bomb blast, killing six people and leaving many injured, according to a provisional toll. (AFP)