Author: Alade Adisa

At least 17 people were reportedly killed in a mass shooting in a remote South African town on Friday.A BBC report, quoting the police, stated that 12 women and one man were killed in one location, while three women and one man were felled in a second location, with the 18th victim in critical condition in the hospital.The report also noted that the yet-to-be-identified gunmen targeted two homesteads in the town of Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.The police said a manhunt for the perpetrators is underway but are yet to determine the motive or make any arrests.The police minister, Senzo…

In continuation of the money laundering trial of a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, a Bureau de Change operator based in Abuja, Jamilu Abdullahi, has narrated how the former governor severally paid his children’s school fees in dollars. Abdullahi, who is the third prosecution witness in the trial of Ali Bello, the current Chief of Staff to Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, and nephew of Yahaya Bello was testifying before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja. His testimony was part of the financial transactions between him and the Kogi State government during Bello’s administration.…

Just a few days to the nation’s 64th independence anniversary, organizers of the #FearlessOctober1 protest have insisted that the military, police, and the Department of State Services (DSS) would not stop them from going ahead with the planned demonstration.Disclosing this to newsmen on Saturday, the National Coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, and the Director of Mobilization of the group, Damilare Adenola, said they have written to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to request security during the demonstration, noting that protest is a fundamental right they would not submit to any state agent. They also…

Agitation for a return to the regional system of government has generated a heated debate among Nigerian Senators from the southern and northern regions, with the lawmakers expressing sharply contrasting positions. This development came to the fore at a two-day retreat on the amendments to the 1999 Constitution, organized by the Senate Committee on Constitution Review in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) in Kano on Saturday.While senators from southern Nigeria described it as a welcome development that would improve the economy, tackle insecurity, and accelerate infrastructural development, their counterparts from the northern region vehemently opposed the…

A witness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abubakar Umar, has said that he gave a former governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam the sum of $15.8 million cash (N3.1 billion) at his Abuja residence in 2014. The former governor and his finance commissioner, Omadachi Okolobia were accused of diverting N3.1 billion from the state coffers.They were arraigned before Ahmed Mohammed, a federal high court judge in 2015. They were re-arraigned on an 11-count charge bordering on money laundering in 2020.During Friday’s proceedings, Umar, a bureau de change operator, told the court how he received money from Suswam through…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Elders Forum has waded into the acrimonious relationship between Governor Siminalaye Fubara of Rivers State and his predecessor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.The PDP Elders apologized to Wike “for what Fubara is doing to you” on Saturday (today) at the Rivers State Ijaw Peoples Congress.Led by the Executive Director of Finance, NDDC, Boma Iyaye, the elders said the Ijaw people were sorry for the bitter exchange of insults and disregard for the minister by Governor Fubara.Since Wike and Fubara fell out, the state has been embroiled in an intense…

The Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) has banned Argentina’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez for two matches for offensive behaviour. Announcing the development on Saturday, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said the 32-year-old Aston Villa star was also found guilty of “violating principles of fairplay” on two separate occasions.The penalty-saving goalkeeper was found to have violated FIFA’s code of conduct when holding a replica of the Copa America trophy to his groin after the World Cup qualifier win over Chile on September 5.Martinez has performed such an action once in the past, having also done it with the Golden…

Data by Financial Market Dealers Quotation (FMDQ) on Friday showed that the Naira gained N126.64 against the dollar at the official foreign exchange market in 48 hours.It showed that between Thursday and Friday, the Naira appreciated to N1540.78 per dollar on Friday from N1667.42 on Wednesday.This represents an N126.64 appreciation against the dollar between Thursday and Friday compared with the N1667.42 exchange rate on Wednesday.On a week-on-week basis, the Naira appreciated slightly compared to the N1541.52 exchange last Friday at the official market.The gain means that the Naira responded positively at the official FX market to the intervention of the…

About four persons have been confirmed dead as farmers and herders renewed hostilities in Gwomu village in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area, Taraba State, Northeast Nigeria. Confirming the incident on Friday, spokesperson for the Taraba State Police Command, DSP Gambo Kwache said over 50 cows were also killed in the violent confrontation. DSP Kwache said, “Yes, I can confirm that a total of four persons were killed in the avoidable conflict involving herders and farmers at Gwomu in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area. “Besides human lives, over 50 cows were killed during the violent confrontation involving the two communities.” According to a…

Hurricane Helene caused widespread devastation across Florida and the southeastern U.S. on Friday, leading to at least 41 deaths across four states.With winds up to 140 mph (225 kph), the storm toppled large trees, destroyed homes, and sent rescue teams on urgent missions to save people trapped by rising floodwaters.The Category 4 hurricane also knocked out power in some hospitals in southern Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp noted that authorities had to clear debris and reopen roads using chainsaws.Helene made landfall late Thursday in the rural Big Bend area of Florida, which consists of fishing villages and vacation spots where Florida’s…