Author: Vincent Osuwo

Youths in the Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State are considering taking up arms in self-defense amid growing dissatisfaction with frequent bandit attacks and an increase in kidnappings. According to a statement signed on Thursday by youth activist Bello Bala Shagari, an online conference of Shagari youngsters expressed great worry about the government’s failure to protect lives and property in their areas. They noted that bandit attacks, which have been ongoing for months, have relocated families, hindered farming activities, and left many communities in terror. Mr. Shagari, the grandson of former Nigerian President Shehu Shagari, stated that the youths…

A group of aggrieved discharged Nigerian soldiers resumed protests in Abuja on Thursday, demanding payment of their entitlements. The ex-soldiers called off their protest on August 4 after meeting with officials from the Ministries of Defence and Finance, who assured them that their outstanding entitlements would be paid by August 10. The ex-soldiers converged on the Ministry of Finance headquarters in the nation’s capital, accusing the authorities of neglect. One of the demonstrators, identified as Mama G, stated that they were obliged to return to the streets after previous guarantees proved ineffective. “We are here because the promises made to…

Portugal observed a day of national mourning on Thursday after 17 people were killed in the derailment of one of Lisbon’s historic funiculars, with 21 more injured. The tragedy occurred on Wednesday evening in one of the capital’s most popular tourist locations, when the yellow Gloria funicular ran off its tracks on a steep portion near Liberty Avenue and collided with a building. Emergency authorities verified that at least 11 foreigners were hurt, including two Germans, two Spaniards, a Frenchwoman, an Italian, a Swiss national, a Canadian, a South Korean, a Moroccan, and a Cape Verdean. Fifteen people died at…

No fewer than 29 persons have been confirmed dead in a boat accident that occurred in Gausawa, Borgu Local Government Area, in Niger State at about 11:30am on Tuesday. The boat was carrying 90 people, including women and children, on its way to pay condolences in another village. The accident was caused by overloading and collision with a tree stump. It was discovered that the passengers were not wearing life jackets when the boat capsized. An anonymous source in the state Ministry of Transport, who requested anonymity because he did not have authority to speak with the media, said that…

A 30-year-old man known only as Leberechi allegedly murdered an apprentice, a 25-year-old male, and hid the dismembered body in a refrigerator in his home in Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State. Leberechi, a spare parts trader at the Mgbuka Spare Parts Market on the Onitsha-Owerri Road, is reported to have gone home with the apprentice after the market closed on Saturday under the premise of paying for some things he purchased from him. According to witnesses at the market, the defendant allegedly killed the apprentice in his apartment, dismembered his body parts, and hid them in a…

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday began a 10-day vacation as part of his 2025 annual leave, the Presidency announced. According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu will spend the 10-working-day vacation between France and the United Kingdom, after which he will return to Nigeria. Onanuga said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today, September 4, to commence a working vacation in Europe as part of his 2025 annual leave. “The vacation will last 10 working days. “President Tinubu will spend the period between France and the UK and then return…

No fewer than three persons were brutally murdered during a masquerader festival that began on Sunday in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State. The exact cause of the killings remains unclear, but reports indicate that some members of the festival’s family, who are also believed to belong to various cult groups in Lagos, hijacked the event and turned it into a supremacy battle. A resident of the community, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the incident, told reporters on Wednesday that the situation descended into chaos shortly after the festival ended. “We had just finished the…

Israel’s defense minister pledged on Thursday to unleash the biblical ten plagues of Egypt on Yemen’s Huthi rebels as they increased their missile attacks on Israel. “The Huthis are firing missiles at Israel again. A plague of darkness, a plague of the firstborn—we will complete all 10 plagues,” Israel Katz posted on X. He was referring to the ten calamities that God, according to the Book of Exodus, wreaked on Egypt in order to persuade Pharaoh to free the enslaved Israelites. Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli army reported that a missile fired from Yemen struck beyond Israeli territory, a day…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has killed more than 15 terrorists in an airstrike on a hideout in the Sambisa Forest area of Borno State. The force’s spokeswoman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, stated on Thursday that the operation was carried out on September 3, 2025, by the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai. According to him, the NAF strike targeted an enclave west of Zuwa that intelligence and surveillance had identified as a hideaway for militants and leaders linked to previous attacks near Bitta in Borno State’s Gwoza Local Government Area. Ejodame claimed the bombing destroyed rebel facilities…

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) reiterated its resolve on Wednesday to embark on a nationwide strike on September 10 if the Federal Government and its relevant agencies fail to meet its demands. Dr. Tope Osundara, President of NARD, stated in an exclusive interview with our correspondent that the association met with the Federal Government on Monday but did not reach a positive outcome. Earlier this week, NARD issued a 10-day ultimatum to the relevant government agencies, warning that if their demands were not met, its members would strike. The doctors criticized the Federal Government for failing to fulfill…