A fully-loaded Dangote Cement truck with registration number DGW109XA rammed into a house in Imasayi Yewa North local government area of Ogun state.

The incident occurred on Friday night when residents had already gone to bed.

No life was lost as the
occupants of the house, who were asleep in the parlour, escaped being crushed by a whisker.

The Olu of Imasayi, Oba Lukman Kuoye, when contacted on Saturday, said the incident happened in front of the house where he was living and thanked God that no lives were lost.

He lamented that this incident, among others, was one of the things they faced with Dangote drivers.

The monarch, however, urged the residents to take laws into their own, adding that efforts are underway to investigate the root cause of the accident.

He said “A Fully loaded Dangote Cement Plc truck swerved into a house in Imasayi yesterday night, God saved the people that slept in the sitting room

“The people inside the room escaped untimely death. It happened in front of the house where I was living before moving into my new house

“This is one of the things we are facing with Dangote drivers”, he said.

Residents of many neighborhoods in Ado Ekiti and other towns in Ekiti State have been thrown into darkness as electric poles were destroyed by a rainstorm Friday evening.

Communities affected include Ajebamidele, Omisanjana, Atlas—all in Ado Ekiti—as well as Ikere Ekiti, Ise Ekiti, and Emure Ekiti, which are experiencing power outages due to the destroyed poles.

A heavy rainfall swept across the neighborhoods Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday, leaving many residents stranded and disrupting traffic, social, and economic activities.

The rain, which started some minutes before 5 p.m. on Friday, ceased briefly before restarting around 6 p.m., accompanied by violent storms that brought down no fewer than six concrete electric poles.

The high-tension cables on the poles connect the 132/133 KVA power substation in Omisanjana and neighboring towns of Ikere, Ise and Emure.

The affected poles were brought down by the rainstorm within the vicinity of the Deeper Life Campground in Ajebamidele, a densely populated neighborhood in the Ekiti State capital.

The main access road, which starts from the Ado-Ikere Highway and terminates at Omisanjana, has been blocked by the fallen electric poles.

The road, constructed by the Biodun Oyebanji Administration and commissioned by Vice President Kashim Shettima in June, has been left deserted due to the development.

Many residents on their way home from work were stranded for hours. While some stayed inside their vehicles, others sought shelter in nearby shops and houses.

As the rain intensified during the confusion, a number of motorists had to turn back to take the much longer route through Ajilosun, Ijigbo, and Ilawe Road to reach their destinations via Omisanjana.

It was observed that due to the road blockage caused by the fallen electric poles, many motorists abandoned their vehicles in some locations and trekked home in frustration.

Apart from the Ajebamidele neighborhood, the development has reportedly plunged neighboring Omisanjana community and Ikere town into darkness, as the affected poles supplied electricity to them.

Shortly after the rain subsided, some officials from the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) visited the scene to assess the damaged poles ahead of a possible rescue mission on Saturday.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has confirmed the death of a driver as two trucks collided near the Cane Village, Maryland, area of the state.

The agency’s permanent secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed this in a statement on Friday, said the accident resulted from brake failure.

“LASEMA, in response to distress calls through the 767 and 112 toll-free lines at 12:08 hrs, activated the response team from the command and control centre, Alausa, Ikeja.

“Upon arrival at the incident scene, it was discovered that there was an accident involving a concrete mixer truck, registration number DGW 208 XA, and another truck, registration number SMK 906 YE.

“Investigation conducted by the response team revealed that one of the trucks suffered brake failure, lost control and crashed into a JUSTRITE truck, whose driver was loading items.

“The truck further rammed into the building beside the road and crashed into two people in the process,” he said.

Mr Oke-Osanyintolu said the JUSTRITE truck driver died instantly, while the two other victims sustained injuries and had been transported to Gbagada General Hospital.

“The agency’s response team has activated necessary safety measures for the protection of responders at the incident scene.

“Also, the response team has activated traffic control measures and is currently involved in managing the traffic,” he said.

The police command in Akwa Ibom has confirmed the death of a former ExxonMobil staff in Villa Marina Hotels and also its personnel in Tivoli Hotels in Eket.

The police public relations officer, ASP Timfon John, disclosed this in an interview with journalists on Friday in Eket, Akwa Ibom.

She said the contractor for the multinational oil company died on Sunday, while the police officer died on October 14.

Ms John, however, could not disclose the names of the victims at the time of filing this report.

“The former ExxonMobil staff died at the hotel in Eket; he died as a result of slipping when he came out of the bathroom and fell and hit his head on the tiles,” Mr John said.

Ms John said a necessary investigation had been done, and the police had released the corpse to the family for burial.

She said the police officer who came from Lagos to Eket on an official assignment died of heart failure.

A woman was sentenced to death for abducting and trafficking 17 children, according to a retrial conducted by a court in Southwest China’s Guizhou Province on Friday.

In September 2023, the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Yu Huaying to death after finding her guilty of abducting and trafficking 11 children.

She abducted the children from Guizhou and Chongqing to the city of Handan in Hebei Province between 1993 and 1996.

Ms Huaying and her accomplice, a man who has since died, sold the children for profit.

She immediately submitted an appeal against the ruling.

In November 2023, the Guizhou Provincial Higher People’s Court held a second-instance trial.

In January 2024, the court ordered a retrial of the case after the police discovered that she was implicated in more child trafficking cases.

The number of children involved in the high-profile trafficking case has since risen from 11 to 17.

The children came from 12 families, five of them losing two children at the same time, according to the court.

Some children were even abandoned midway.

Ms Huaying was also deprived of her political rights for life, and all of her personal property would be confiscated.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expects Russia to deploy North Korean soldiers from Sunday or Monday.

“This is a clear escalation,’’ Mr Zelensky said on the short message service X on Friday.

He cited intelligence information that the soldiers were to be deployed in the combat zone from October 27 or 28.

Mr Zelensky said this clearly shows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intention to continue the war.

Mr Putin has not denied the reports of the transfer and training of North Korean soldiers to fight in Ukraine and had referred to military cooperation agreed with Pyongyang.

“The world can clearly see Russia’s true intentions: to continue the war. This is why a principled and strong response from global leaders is essential,’’ Mr Zelensky wrote.

He said there was a need for tangible pressure on Moscow and Pyongyang.

Mr Putin had previously said it was Russia’s business with whom it cooperated and added that the deal had been agreed upon between two sovereign states.

Russian state media also quoted Mr Putin as saying that Ukraine also chooses its partners in the West.

“We are repeatedly told that it is up to Ukraine how it ensures its security with or without NATO,’’ Mr Putin said.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has commended the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states for supporting the country in calling for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the United States.

Mr Mnangagwa, also the chairperson of the 16-member regional bloc, made the remarks in an address ahead of the SADC Anti-Sanctions Day held on Friday.

“In solidarity, the SADC community together joined Zimbabwe in calling for the immediate and unconditional removal of these unwarranted and cruel sanctions.

“The Sanctions violate the basic tenets of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” said Mr Mnangagwa.

The United States and its Western allies imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe more than two decades ago.

In 2019, the SADC set aside October 25 as Anti-Sanctions Day to protest the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe by the U.S. and its Western allies.

In March, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order terminating a Zimbabwe sanctions programme that had been in place since 2003 but imposed sanctions on 11 individuals.

The individuals include Mr Mnangagwa and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga over alleged human rights abuses and corruption under America’s Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

The United States also maintained sanctions on Zimbabwe through the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001.

Mr Mnangagwa said the imposition of sanctions undermines the collective efforts toward regional integration and sustainable development.

“As a community, we have to continue working together to ensure that our region remains a beacon of hope and prosperity for generations to come.

“May this message transcend our borders and reach the ears and rattle the conscience of those perpetuating these cruel sanctions,” he said.

Mr Mnangagwa said sanctions inflict harm not on the generality of the people of Zimbabwe, the SADC region and Africa at large.

“I implore all progressive countries to continue rendering their principled support to enable Zimbabwe and the SADC region to contribute to the socio-economic development of the region and the world,” Mr Mnangagwa added.

The United Nations says many seriously injured children in the Gaza Strip are dying because ambulances are hardly ever allowed to transport patients to hospitals outside the region.

“Those who barely survived the ruthless bombardments are then condemned to die from their injuries,” James Elder, a spokesman for the UN children’s fund UNICEF, said in Geneva.

The number of evacuated children has dramatically decreased to fewer than one child per day since the closure of the Rafah border crossing in May, said Mr Elder.

Despite their perilous situation, those affected are at the mercy of an indifferent bureaucracy, the UNICEF spokesman said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that between 12,000 and 14,000 patients of all age groups in the Gaza Strip required urgent transfer to hospitals outside the area for treatment.

A WHO spokesperson has called for the urgent re-establishment of medical corridors to save the lives of civilians.

The Israeli military has been bombing the coastal strip and also deploying ground troops to retaliate against Hamas since the Palestinian militant group carried out its deadly terrorist attack on Israel in October 2023.

Gaza’s Hamas-controlled health authority says tens of thousands of people have been killed so far.

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has commenced an investigation into the accident involving a Sikorsky SK76c helicopter with registration 5N-BQG, operated by Eastwind Aviation.

This was announced in a statement by Bimbo Oladeji, NSIB’s spokeswoman, on Thursday.

According to her, the helicopter, carrying eight individuals – six passengers and two crew members – went down into the Atlantic Ocean near Bonny Finima, off the coast of Calabar.

She said the incident occurred during a routine flight at approximately 11:22 a.m. local time on Thursday.

Ms Oladeji said, “The aircraft was en route from the Port Harcourt Military Base (DNPM) to the Anton Offshore Facility when it lost contact with air traffic controllers around 10:52 a.m.

“Operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), the helicopter did not transmit an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) signal, prompting authorities to manually plot the accident’s location to expedite search and rescue efforts.

“Search and rescue operations were activated immediately, with the NSIB collaborating closely with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Armed Forces and other relevant agencies.”

According to her, emergency response teams are actively working to locate survivors, with three bodies recovered so far.

She said the search continued with support from neighbouring aerodromes, military units, and low-flying aircraft.

NSIB director-general Alex Badeh said, “We are fully committed to uncovering the circumstances surrounding this accident. We will work diligently to ensure that all necessary information is collected.

“The public must avoid speculation during this sensitive time, as our focus is on providing clarity and accountability through our investigation. The NSIB is actively preparing to dispatch a go-team to the scene to gather evidence and conduct a comprehensive analysis.

“A preliminary report will be issued in due course to provide updates on the investigation’s progress.”

Mr Badeh said that NSIB remained dedicated to promoting transparency and accountability through the independent accident investigation process, ultimately enhancing transportation safety in Nigeria.

The NSIB is a multimodal transport agency charged with the mandate of promoting transport safety and conducting objective, thorough, and accurate investigations into transport accidents and incidents in Nigeria.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s trip to Samoa to represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit has been cancelled after a foreign object hit his plane during a stopover at JFK Airport, New York.

The foreign object damaged the cockpit’s windscreen of the plane, presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said in a statement.

“President Tinubu, acting promptly, has approved a ministerial delegation to represent Nigeria at the summit in Samoa, capital of Apia, while the plane’s repair has commenced.

“The delegation, which will now represent Nigeria at the 2024 Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting in Samoa, is being led by the Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal,” said the statement.

The summit, which began on the Pacific island on October 21, will end on October 26.

Mr Shettima and foreign minister Yusuf Tuggar have left New York for Nigeria.

There was panic on Thursday as the Five-Star foot pedestrian bridge on the ever-busy Oshodi-Apapa Expressway in Lagos collapsed on Thursday.

It was gathered that the bridge partially collapsed around 6:30 a.m., blocking a part of the road.

Fortunately, no lives were lost in the incident.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said preliminary investigations revealed that an articulated truck carrying heavy equipment collided with the bridge earlier in the day, causing cracks and subsequent collapse.

LASEMA cordoned off the entire bridge and initiated decommissioning efforts to remove remaining concrete members to ensure public safety.

LASEMA’s heavy-duty equipment was deployed to evacuate the impediment and prevent secondary incidents.

As of the latest update, recovery operations were ongoing, with efforts focused on completely removing all concrete debris from the road.

The Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, has seized jerry cans and drums of petrol totalling 33,595 litres, meant for smuggling to neighbouring Cameroon Republic.

The Adamawa/Taraba Area Command headquarters of the NCS made the disclosure in Yola on Thursday, saying the seizures were effected between August and September 2024.

Addressing newsmen at his office, the Adamawa/Taraba NCS Area Comptroller, Garba Bashir placed the monetary value of the seized petrol at over N71 million.

He gave breakdown of the seized commodity as 1,115 jerry cans of 25 litres each and 26 drums holding 220 litres each.

Bashir listed other confiscated items as three vehicles which were means of conveyance of the seized petrol, 200 50kg bags of foreign flour, 57 50kg bags of parboiled rice, and 10 bales of second hand clothes.

According to Bashir, the confiscated containers of petrol, which were impounded from various borderlines in Adamawa and Taraba states, would be auctioned to members of the general public.

Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, adjourned till November 14, for arraignment of the defendants and response to the summon issued by the Court for the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.

He is to appear before it for arraignment on the fresh 16-count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The adjournment was fixed on the request of the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), who stated that at the last adjourned date, the court had issued a public summons against the 1st defendant (Bello), directing that same be published and that the charge be pasted.

Justice Anenih, however, interjected, stating that she did not ask that the charge be pasted, only the summons.

Oyedepo explained to the court that he expected the 1st defendant to be in court on November 14, making reference to the 30-day duration of the summons, and therefore sought adjournment till November 14 for the arraignment of all three defendants.

Counsel to the 2nd defendant, JB Daudu (SAN), however, objected, stating that the matter was scheduled for arraignment and that if the prosecution is not ready to read the charge to the defendants, he will have to ask that they be discharged and they have been in custody for over one month.

He added that the defendants were all independent and shouldn’t be used as a shield for the sake of one who is absent.

“My Lord, we are here for arraignment. I don’t think the prosecution should use them as a shield as they are individually here on their own. I will ask for their discharge if he (the prosecution) is not ready for arraignment. We either take plea or their discharge.

“You cannot be using somebody as a human shield when they are not in hostage. I don’t like this practice,” he said.

The counsel to the 3rd defendant, A.M. Aliyu (SAN), agreed with the submission of the 2nd defendant’s counsel, adding that he would be asking the court to take his client’s application for bail.

“In the alternative, my Lord, I have filed an application for bail which was duly served on the complainant,” he said.

Oyedepo, however, said that the application for bail could not be taken as the charge was a joint charge. According to him, there are counts of conspiracy in it.

He insisted that the court should adjourn to November 14.

He further stated that the defense counsel has served the EFCC with an application for the enforcement of fundamental rights of the 2nd defendant on him and that the oral application cannot be taken.

The 2nd defendant’s counsel, Daudu, however, insisted that this was against the principles of fair hearing.

He said, “Fundamental human right is not about freedom alone but fair hearing. I urge my Lord to take a global look at the matter. They left their family for over a month now.

“We urge the court to release the two on bail and that keeping them will not have any impact on the case.

“His argument is persuasive but does not go by what the law says. That is until one individual appears before they can be arraigned. I don’t understand this kind of practice.

“It is an affront to fair hearing because the privilege of fair hearing allows us to raise any issue. Keeping them for 10 years will have no impact.

“They have enjoyed administrative bail before with the EFCC, so it won’t hurt their pride if they give it to them.”

The 2nd defendant’s counsel also asked for a date for a fundamental rights application for his client.

After taking the submissions of the parties involved, Justice Anenih rejected the defendants’ oral application for bail.

She ordered the defendants to come with a formal application as their oral application was not accepted.

She said, “I have considered your application for bail; it is noted that, as rightly stated by the prosecution, the defendants are at liberty to make proper application for bail in this court; otherwise, the oral application made today is hereby refused.”

She subsequently adjourned to November 14 and 20 for the response of the 1st defendant to summons and/or arraignment.

Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan’s ex-prime minister Imran Khan, was released from jail on Thursday, his party said, nine months after she was imprisoned alongside him in the runup to elections.

In the days before the February polls, Bibi was convicted of graft and illegal marriage alongside opposition leader Khan in what he claimed was a campaign to sideline him from the vote.

The illegal marriage case collapsed on appeal and Bibi’s graft sentence was suspended, allowing her to walk free from Adiala Jail, where Khan remains imprisoned.

Bibi was bailed on a separate pending case on Wednesday.

The chairman of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, Gohar Ali Khan, said that after her release, Bibi was travelling to her Islamabad residence.

“She was kept in jail to put pressure on Imran Khan,” he told reporters. “I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all PTI supporters on the release of Bushra Bibi, and we offer our gratitude to God.”

It was reported in January 2024 that Khan was sentenced to 14 years in jail on a graft charge, a day after he was given a 10-year prison term in verdicts handed down just a week before national elections.

Khan and his wife were found guilty of graft in a case involving gifts he received while premier after he was handed 10 years in a case related to leaking state secrets.

The pair married in 2018, months before Khan was elected prime minister.

Meanwhile, in June 2024, a Pakistan high court overturned the treason conviction against Khan, who remains in jail on other charges.

The conviction was one of three slapped on Khan in the runup to the February elections, which he claims were orchestrated to prevent his return to power.

The decision by a two-member bench at Islamabad High Court was announced by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, an AFP court reporter stated.

“This is the first big case that was part of the political victimisation against Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, which has been dashed to the ground,” Salman Safdar, a lawyer for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, told AFP outside of court.

Italy’s leading bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, has reached a deal with trade unions for 9,000 voluntary job cuts — around 10 per cent of its workforce — due to the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation.

At the same time, the bank plans to hire by mid-2028 some 3,500 young new employees to work in wealth management, it said in a statement late on Wednesday.

The plan “aims at enabling generational change at no social cost” and the “further strengthening of future sustainability of the Group’s results… with a resilient business model in the digitalisation and artificial intelligence scenario”, Intesa Sanpaolo said.

The changes should lead to 500 million euros ($540 million) of savings annually on staff costs from 2028.

Some 7,000 of the job cuts are to fall in Italy and the rest in international units.

The bank said it would take a 350-million-euro charge against fourth-quarter earnings to finance the departures but that the provisions would not affect its guidance for a net profit above 8.5 billion euros in 2024.

Intesa Sanpaolo shares were flat in midday trading in Milan.

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday called countries around the world to strengthen their commitment to multilateral cooperation in addressing global challenges.

Guterres made the call on the occasion of UN Day, celebrated on October 24, 2024.

In his message, Guterres underscored the UN’s role since its founding in 1945 as a platform for nations to work together on peace, development, and humanitarian issues.

He highlighted the importance of the United Nations in finding solutions to today’s most pressing issues, including poverty eradication, sustainable development, conflict resolution, and the fight for equality, particularly for women and girls.

“The United Nations was built by the world, for the world. Since 1945, it has been the place for countries to unite behind global solutions to global problems,” he said.

The Secretary-General also pointed to the growing need for the UN to tackle modern challenges such as climate change, artificial intelligence, digital technology, and space exploration.

Guterres drew attention to significant milestones achieved during the General Assembly in September, notably the adoption of the “Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations.

“Together, these milestone agreements will help ensure that the United Nations system adapts, reforms, and rejuvenates so it is fit for the changes and challenges around us and delivers solutions for all.”

While the organisation continues to reform and modernize, the Secretary-General reaffirmed that the UN’s core mission remains rooted in the values of the UN Charter and the protection of human rights and dignity for all people.

“In today’s troubled world, hope is not enough. Hope requires determined action and multilateral solutions for peace, shared prosperity, and a thriving planet.

“Hope requires all countries to work as one. Hope requires the United Nations,” Guterres said, calling for concrete, collective action to achieve peace, shared prosperity, and a sustainable future.

The Secretary-General concluded by urging all nations to continue supporting the ideals of the UN.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has convicted and sentenced a 41-year-old Canadian woman, Adrienne Munju, to 11 years in prison for importing 74 parcels of “Canadian Loud,” a potent strain of synthetic cannabis, weighing 35.20 kilograms into Nigeria.

The spokesman for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Wednesday, said Munju’s conviction followed her arraignment on a two-count charge before Justice Dehinde Dipeolu.

The NDLEA had arrested her at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, October 3, 2024, during the inward clearance of passengers on a KLM flight at the ‘D’ Arrival Hall of the airport.

Munju, in her post-arrest statement, confessed that she was recruited to traffic the illicit consignment through an online platform for a payment of 10,000 Canadian dollars upon successful delivery in Lagos.

Upon her guilty plea to the charges brought against her by the NDLEA, Justice Dipeolu convicted and sentenced Munju.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Mohamed Marwa applauded the NDLEA officers involved in the case and the judiciary for the swift adjudication.

According to him, the conviction serves as a strong warning to foreigners and others contemplating to smuggle illicit drugs into Nigeria.

A Chief Magistrate in Ondo State, Olateju Odenusi-Fadeyi, has remanded a 15-year-old female student of Anglican Grammar School, Arigidi Akoko, for allegedly stabbing her 17-year-old colleague, Habib Salau, to death.

The magistrate ordered her remand at the Ondo State Juvenile Home in Akure, pending advice from the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The magistrate, however, did not take her plea.

The student is standing trial for allegedly stabbing the 17-year-old deceased, Habib Salau, with a knife during a scuffle between them after school hours.

The defendant was brought to court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and murder.

The Prosecutor, Josephine Awana, told the court that the young offender and one other, currently at large, conspired to commit murder on October 3, around 3:30 p.m., at Imo, Arigidi Akoko.

Awana alleged that the defendant killed Salau by stabbing him with a knife during a fight.

The prosecutor informed the court, “The defendant accused the deceased of accosting her on the way home after a misunderstanding between them.

“It resulted in a fight, and the defendant said someone gave her a knife and ordered her to stab the deceased in the neck.”

The offences, according to the prosecution, contravene Sections 124 and 319(1) of the Criminal Code Laws of Ondo State, 2006.

The Nigerian Navy said its troops of Forward Operating Base BONNY, while acting on credible intelligence, discovered and apprehended a suspect in possession of one AK-47 rifle, three AK-47 magazines, and thirty-six rounds of 7.62mm x 39mm ammunition.

This was made known in a statement on its verified Facebook page.

According to the statement, “On Wednesday, October 23, 2024, Forward Operating Base BONNY, acting on credible intelligence, discovered and apprehended a suspect in possession of one AK-47 rifle, three AK-47 magazines, thirty-six rounds of 7.62mm x 39mm ammunition, three smoke grenade launchers, and one locally made rifle in Eleme-Ifoko Community, Degema LGA, Rivers State.

“The suspect is currently in custody undergoing investigation.”