Author: Vincent Osuwo

Two children killed in an attack on a Catholic school in Minneapolis have been identified by their parents as Harper Moyski, a “joyful” big sister, and Fletcher Merkel, who liked “any sport that he was allowed to play”. Harper, 10, and Fletcher, 8, were slain in a gun attack on Wednesday while attending Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church, injuring 18 others. “Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” his father, Jesse Merkel, said in a news conference on Thursday, adding, “Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended…

The gunman who opened fire on students worshipping at a Minneapolis church was “obsessed with the idea of killing children”, investigators reveal. Robin Westman, who killed two children and injured 18 others, did not appear to have a clear motivation, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara. The attacker “appeared to hate all of us,” the chief stated on Thursday, adding, “More than anything, the shooter wanted to kill children.” The deceased children have been named by family members as Fletcher Merkel, eight, and Harper Moyski, ten. “Yesterday, a coward decided to take our eight-year-old son Fletcher away from us,” his…

A shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, US on Wednesday, has left two children dead and 17 others injured, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) confirms. The FBI stated that the shooting is being investigated as an anti-Catholic hate crime. “The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and a hate crime targeting Catholics,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X. The two children, aged eight and 10, were murdered when an attacker opened fire through the windows of the city’s Annunciation Church on Wednesday morning as children were celebrating Mass. The…

Two political parties, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Labour Party, have questioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s claim that the South-West had the highest percentage of pre-registration numbers in its ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise. However, the electoral umpire dismissed the charges as unjustified, citing a lack of historical awareness of previous voter registration trends. The ADC, in a statement published on Thursday by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, questioned the registration process in the South West, emphasising that data from Osun State, in particular, contravene both historical trends and demographic realities. According to INEC…

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has requested a quick probe into what he termed as ‘contrived’ voter registration data from Osun State, warning that if the anomaly is not rectified, the legitimacy of Nigeria’s electoral process will suffer. His media adviser, Mazi Paul Ibe, told the press in Abuja on Thursday that Atiku was genuinely disturbed about the stark discrepancy between Osun’s fresh registration figures and those of several other states. “Yes, His Excellency is, of course, concerned about it,” Ibe said. According to figures issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Osun State registered almost 393,000 new voters…

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has stated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not repeat the ruling All Progressives Congress’ (APC) “mistake” of running a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in the 2027 elections. The governor, speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Tonight on Tuesday, denied speculation about a potential Seyi Makinde/Bala Mohammed pairing for the PDP, saying that the party has not decided on a candidate. “Everybody should know that PDP is open, and it’s open in a manner that it is for the southerner to bring somebody,” Mohammed said. “We don’t want to make the mistake of the APC.…

A police officer was killed and several others were injured in a fatal clash between Nigeria Police Force operatives and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Amaeze community, Ivo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State. The Chairman of the Ivo Local Government Council, Emmanuel Ajah, confirmed the occurrence on Wednesday night, saying he had been briefed by the Divisional Police Officer in the region about the terrible conflict between the two sister security organisations. He said, “I was informed by the DPO that there was a clash involving the police and civil defence officers in the Amaeze community,…

The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday filed charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against nine suspects linked to recent deadly attacks in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, and parts of Plateau State, which left no fewer than 40 people dead, many others injured, and hundreds displaced. The atrocities prompted a visit by President Bola Tinubu, who implored the people of Benue to embrace peace. He also urged security agencies to track down the criminals. The DSS said in a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/453/2025, dated August 8, 2025, that the individuals, who were apprehended across ethnic…

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) on Thursday criticised the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, over claims that the government never signed any agreements with the union. Alausa made the statement on Thursday while speaking with journalists in Abuja. According to him, the documents frequently claimed by ASUU as enforceable agreements were never signed but rather were ideas made during talks. He said President Bola Tinubu’s administration was determined to settle outstanding concerns with the university lecturers’ union. Earlier this year, the Tinubu administration issued N50 billion to cover earned academic allowances owed to university teachers and staff.…

A Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt dismissed an ex parte injunction on Thursday that sought to halt the state’s local government elections on August 30. The Presiding Judge, Justice Stephen Jumbo, dismissed a suit filed by a Port Harcourt-based legal practitioner, Williams Abayomi-Stanley, against President Bola Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, and its Chairman, saying the application for motion ex parte lacked merit. Jumbo, on the other hand, granted the defendants’ plea for an ex parte order for substituted service while ordering that the August 30th LG elections be held…