Uthman Salami

Lagos

Senior Correspondent at The Punch

Runner up @NMMA 2023 and 2024 Capital Market Correspondent Categories | Field: Human Interest

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Articles

LASTMA accused of covering up N70m excavator theft at Lagos yard

1 week ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

The management of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has come under fire over an alleged attempt to cover up the theft of an impounded excavator worth about N70m by two members of staff. PUNCH Metro gathered from insiders on Thursday that the incident, which occurred on June 10, has thrown the agency into confusion, with several staff members accusing top management of shielding one of the suspects involved.
Another Nigerian arrested for drug trafficking in India after N1.8bn bust

1 week ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

Barely a week after a Nigerian hairstylist, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, was caught in India with drugs worth over N1.8bn, another Nigerian national, identified as Chikuwuma, has been arrested for a similar offence. According to a report by India Today on Tuesday, the suspect was apprehended by operatives of Bengaluru’s Central Crime Branch during a raid, with narcotics valued at approximately Rs 1.2 crore (N214m).
Ticket sales: Lagos tricycle operators lament extortion, seek intervention

1 week ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

Members of the Lagos State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers have raised concerns over what they described as the imposition of unsustainable ticketing practices by the Tricycle and Motorcycle Caretaker Committee. Speaking with PUNCH Metro on Monday, several operators lamented that they were being compelled to buy daily tickets at exorbitant rates and in quantities far beyond what their operations could justify, a situation they claimed was driving them into debt.
Tinubu Undermining Nigeria Democracy? Bode George Speaks Out

1 week ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George, has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of abandoning governance for political theatrics, warning that Nigeria is drifting dangerously toward authoritarianism. Speaking to journalists in Lagos on Monday, George stated that the country was at a “critical juncture,” where the very essence of democratic governance was under threat.
Bauchi CP mourns as about-to-wed DPO, two friends killed in crash

1 week ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

The Bauchi State Police Command is mourning the tragic death of a 42-year-old Divisional Police Officer of the Railway Division, Mustapha Garba, who died in a fatal car crash less than an hour before his wedding Fatiha. PUNCH Metro gathered from the state police spokesperson, Mohammed Wakil, in a telephone interview on Sunday, that two other individuals also lost their lives in the Saturday accident.
Nigerian hairstylist arrested in India with N1.8bn worth of drug

1 week ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

A 25-year-old Nigerian woman, Ifeoluwa Akinwunmi, has been arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch in India for alleged drug trafficking. Akinwunmi, who reportedly works as a hairstylist and nail artist, claimed she had travelled to India to open a beauty salon.
Nigerian arrested for trafficking 15 students in Australia

2 weeks ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

A Nigerian-Australian woman, Binta Abubakar, has been arrested by the Australian Federal Police for allegedly trafficking students from Papua New Guinea and forcing them into unpaid labour on farms across Queensland under the guise of educational scholarships. Abubakar, 56, was arrested on Wednesday at the Brisbane Airport upon arrival from Papua New Guinea, where she was primarily based.
Tanker explosion: Stranded motorists lament 24-hour gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

2 weeks ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami |Johnson Idowu |Fawzi Kehinde

Worn-out and frustrated commuters have berated the Ogun State Government for what they described as a slow and inadequate response to a petrol tanker explosion that caused a two-day gridlock on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The gridlock, which began around 11 a.m. on Wednesday following a fuel tanker explosion near the NASFAT corridor of the expressway, lingered into Thursday, leaving passengers and motorists stranded for hours.
Democracy Day: Bode George urges Fubara’s reinstatement

2 weeks ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to reinstate the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara. This, he said, is in the spirit of national reconciliation and in honour of the June 12 Democracy Day celebration.
Students accuse FUOYE of rigging SUG election results

2 weeks ago | punchng.com | Uthman Salami

Distraught students of the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, have accused the university management of manipulating the recently held Student Union Government elections to favour its preferred candidates. In separate interviews with PUNCH Metro on Monday and Tuesday, students alleged that the university management compromised the integrity of the May 24, 2025, elections to secure victory for loyalists and surrogates.