On Monday, four persons were killed on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway when a luxury bus rammed into a truck.

Three other persons sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident.

Florence Okpe, Federal Road Safety Corps spokeswoman, in Ogun, confirmed the incident in Abeokuta.

She said the truck did not stop after the bus rammed into it while negotiating a bend around the Kara axis on the expressway.

Ms Okpe also said 21 people, 13 men and eight women, were involved in the crash.

She said the corpses were deposited at a morgue in Sagamu in Ogun, while the injured were taken to a nearby hospital.

Harvard University economist Claudia Goldin received the Economics Nobel Prize on Monday for her research on women in the workforce.

Ms Goldin, a professor, received this prestigious prize, officially known as the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, in appreciation of her significant academic contributions to understanding women’s roles and results in the labour market.

Ms Goldin’s innovative work has been praised by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which noted that it has substantially improved our understanding of women’s labour market outcomes.

With the conclusion of this year’s Nobel Prize season, Ms Goldin becomes the 55th recipient of this distinguished honour and the third woman to do so since its founding in 1969.

Another 4.9 magnitude earthquake jolted western Afghanistan on Monday as the government’s death toll from Saturday’s quake reached more than 2,000.

The U.S. Geological Survey and residents in the area confirmed the new tremors.

“It was quite intense,” a doctor in the area described Monday’s quake to dpa. “People took shelter in parks, open spaces, and gardens.”

According to the health worker, the deadly earthquake on Saturday has negatively affected people’s mental health.

“Most of the patients are those who have mental shocks,” he added.

The 6.3 magnitude quake at the weekend destroyed at least 13 villages in Herat province’s Zindah Jan district.

Residents from other areas and rescue teams were still trying to remove bodies from under the rubble.

In many provinces, people are collecting donations for the victims.

Turkey, Iran and Pakistan have promised to provide urgent humanitarian assistance relief.

There are conflicting reports about the exact number of casualties.

The government announced 2,053 deaths and more than 1,200 wounded so far.

The UN Coordination Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it has recorded 1,023 deaths and 1,663 injured people, adding that more than 11,000 people have been affected by the tragedy.

Justice Ibironke Harrison of a Lagos High Court has sentenced a police officer, Drambi Vandi, to death by hanging for shooting a Lagos-based lawyer, Omobolanle Raheem, on the last Christmas Day.

Mr Vandi was arraigned on January 16 on a count of murder, but he pleaded not guilty.The court granted an accelerated hearing on the case.

The Lagos government alleged that the defendant shot Ms Raheem in the chest on December 25, 2022, at Ajah Roundabout on Lekki Expressway, Lagos State.

The murder contravenes Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The prosecution team, led by attorney general Moyosore Onigbanjo, called 11 witnesses, including eight police officers.

The other prosecution witnesses are two eyewitnesses and a pathologist.

Among the prosecution witnesses is Insp Matthew Ameh, who allegedly worked with the defendant at the time of the murder.

The prosecution closed its case on February 25, and on February 28, the defendant, through his counsel, Gbenro Gbadamosi, filed an application, praying the court to quash the charge against him.

Mr Gbadamosi argued that the evidence of the prosecution witnesses was inconsistent and did not link the defendant to the alleged murder.

On April 3, the court, however, dismissed the no-case submission.

Justice Ibironke Harrison held that the prosecution established sufficient oral and documentary evidence linking the defendant to the alleged crime, which required an explanation from him.

Ms Harrison added that evidence from the defendant would shed light on what happened.On May 31, the defendant gave evidence and closed his case.

His counsel had told the court that Mr Vandi was the sole defence witness.

On July 13, the parties adopted their written addresses, and the court reserved judgment until October 9.

Former Super Eagles captain Austin Jay Jay Okocha has reiterated his call for proper management of the Nigerian league to make it attractive to investors.

In an interview on Monday in Lagos, Okocha said he had earlier expressed an honest opinion about the Nigerian league being a less-fancied league.

The mercurial midfielder, who started his journey to stardom in football with Rangers International FC in 1990, said his judgement on the level of Nigeria’s football development was devoid of bias.

In a recent interview with local media in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 1, he said he would rather watch the English Premier League than the Nigerian league, an opinion which generated some backlash.

The former Bolton Wanderers captain said the league managers should wake up to their responsibilities.

He highlighted solutions to various challenges stunting the growth of the league, such as lack of grassroots development, academies, feeder teams, and live coverage of the league, which must be attended to.

“My position on the NPFL stands. One thing that is for sure is that there is no shortage of talent in Nigeria; the only difference is management and putting structures in place.

“I don’t want to own a club; I would have loved to. But the question is, how will I function when I know I will struggle to win away matches, knowing that those games won’t be televised?” he asked.

Explaining further, Okocha said, “It hurts to see that the efforts we have put in those years have not been built on.

“The league should give us what we are craving for, and that is why I made the statement so that we will all wake up and do the right thing. We need to start attracting investors to our local league.”

The two-time BBC African Footballer of the Year winner advised the league managers to put all necessary structures in place and make the Nigerian league attractive, allowing people like him to get involved.

According to Okocha, local players start learning about the basics of football when they move to Europe and other countries because grassroots football is not at the level it’s supposed to be in the country.

“If you go to some of the clubs in Nigeria, their so-called feeder teams or academies are filled with old men, even older than those in the main team.

“The structure of the league is deficient and would not attract any meaningful development if the errors are not attended to,” he said.

Okocha explained that the Nigerian league had not yet provided the right opportunities for players at home to play to realise their potential, and that was why some fumbled abroad.

On the newfound love for the Saudi Arabian league by big footballers, Okocha said he wouldn’t resist the offers being made by Saudi Arabian clubs himself.

The Borno Police Command arrested 537 people and secured 250 convictions from July 1 to September 30, the state Commissioner of Police (CP), Mohammed Lawan, said in a media briefing in Maiduguri on Monday.

Mr Lawan said 537 suspects were arrested for various crimes, including robbery, culpable homicide, gender-based violence, vandalism, and public nuisance within the period.

He lauded Governor Babagana Zulum’s administration for reviewing the Borno Penal Code, which he said facilitated the convictions and prescribed stiffer penalties for criminals.

“The success recorded in timely prosecution and conviction of the suspects is as a result of the recently accented Borno state penal code law 2023.

“This is part of the efforts of the governor in restoration of peace in the state for sustainable growth and development,” said Mr Lawan.

He lauded Borno residents for being security conscious and providing prompt and useful information to the police for necessary action.

Among the suspects arrested is 37-year-old Hamisu Dauda, of Panshani village in Shani LGA, who allegedly raped a 62-year-old woman and robbed her of N42,700.

There was also the case of 25-year-old Umar Goni, who stabbed one Zarami Modu, a 35-year-old man, for allegedly enticing his wife.

Shooting Stars acting general manager, Dimeji Lawal is optimistic that the matchday 2-1 defeat against Bendel Insurance will ginger the team ahead of their subsequent matches.

The Oluyole Warriors suffered their first defeat in the 2023-24 Nigeria Premier Football League season at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium on Saturday.

An own goal from the Shooting Stars right back, Ghali Falke and Evans Ogbonda gave the Benin Arsenals their first win of the NPFL campaign.

Lawal opined that the players showed a high level of commitment despite the defeat.

“You have been a very committed and disciplined player, very trust worthy. Don’t be deterred by whatever anybody says. For us as a team, we are behind you,” he told the club’s media.

“Let’s put our heads up and not be discouraged by the result of this match.

“You all really represented the club very well and I must commend you, despite the loss.

“The game is gone, the focus should be on the next game against Gombe United which is a must win.”

Barcelona Femeni forward, Asisat Oshoala and goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie top the list of 22 players invited for Super Falcons 2024 Olympic Qualifiers against Ethiopia.

Reliable midfielders, Rasheedat Ajibade, Toni Payne, defenders Osinachi Ohale and Oluwatosin Demehin were also called up for the game.

Michelle Alozie, Christy Ucheibe and Ifeoma Onumonu are the other top stars invited for the games.

Ethiopia will host the first leg of the second-round fixture in Addis Ababa on Wednesday, 25th October with the second leg in Nigeria on Tuesday, 31st October.

Ethiopia eliminated Chad in the first round of the series as nine-time African champions Nigeria drew a bye.

The Super Falcons have failed to attend the last three editions of the Olympics.

They played at the Olympics in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Wale Ahmed (APC-Lagos) has urged prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members to stop attempts to influence their postings and show a sense of duty.

He emphasised the importance of serving in various parts of the country to gain a holistic life experience.

Mr Ahmed said this in a statement in Abuja on Monday, underlining the need for the Federal Government to fortify critical institutions, including security infrastructure and the NYSC programme.

He said the core objective of the NYSC scheme was to instil the spirit of selfless service to the community among Nigerian youths. He further said it seeks to promote unity and brotherhood among all Nigerians, regardless of cultural or social backgrounds.

Mr Ahmed called on governments at all levels to prioritise adequate security measures, provide essential social amenities, and increase the monthly stipends and allowances of NYSC members.

He believed this would motivate them to willingly serve their homeland wherever they were posted within the country.

Mr Ahmed said the call served as a reminder of the NYSC’s original mission and the importance of fostering unity and patriotism among Nigeria’s youth.

He said as the nation continues to evolve, the message echoes the need for young people to embrace diversity and serve their country with dedication and commitment.

The International Community of Red Cross (ICRC) has provided 10,000 mental health and psychosocial support services to 10,000 traumatised victims in Borno in eight years. Comfort Dauda, ICRC mental health and psychosocial support field officer, said this in Maiduguri.

Ms Dauda said ICRC has been providing mental and psychosocial support for people affected by the violence of the armed conflict in the state, noting that they are in one of the communities to celebrate World Mental Health Day with some of their service users.

She explained that ICRC has also provided the beneficiaries basic psychosocial support, psychological first aid, psycho-education, awareness-raising, community-based activities, counselling, group therapy, psychiatric and psychological assessments and treatments.

”The beneficiaries were drawn from Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Damboa Dikwa, Monguno and Bama. They were provided with 10 weeks of psychosocial support services,” she said.

The official noted that those who accessed the services included IDPs, missing persons, hospital patients suffering weapon wounds, frontline healthcare workers, and people in detention treated in various health facilities.

“We are supporting such patients in Umaru Shehu Hospital, State Psychiatric Hospital, State Specialist Hospital and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospitals in the state to provide such services to the victims.

We also collaborated with the State Psychiatric Hospital to train some social workers and nurses to support people affected by violence on mental health and psychosocial support services,” Ms Dauda explained.

She added, ”We are also collaborating with the State Ministry of Health and Women Affairs to provide psychological support services to women and girls who were sexual violence victims.

“We are currently working in three communities in the MMC, including Ngaranam Bayan Quarters and Libya Bayan Texaco, where over 340 people with the same symptoms go to the centres to sit down and interact for ten weeks with our mental health and psychosocial support professionals.”

Malama Batul Bulama, an IDP, said she recovered from trauma after accessing the organisation’s mental health and psychosocial services.

Ms Bulama said before she was treated in one of the centres, she was depressed and had serious health complications after she and her family were displaced in their community by Boko Haram insurgents.

Two Israeli tourists and their Egyptian guide have been shot dead in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, the Israeli foreign ministry says.

Another Israeli was wounded in the attack on Sunday morning, which the ministry said a “local” carried out.

There was no immediate confirmation from Egyptian authorities.

But the private Extra News TV channel reported that a policeman had opened fire on a group visiting an ancient Roman site known as Pompey’s Pillar.

The assailant fired “at random” using his personal weapon, it cited a security source as saying, adding that he was detained at the scene.

Footage of the aftermath of the attack posted on social media showed at least two people apparently dead on the ground at an archaeological site.

The Israeli foreign ministry said it was working with Egyptian authorities in order to return the Israeli citizens to Israel as soon as possible.

The shooting happened a day after the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, sending hundreds of gunmen across the frontier from Gaza and launching thousands of rockets.

At least 350 people are reported to have been killed in Israel, while another 313 people in Gaza have been killed in retaliatory Israeli air strikes.

Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel in 1979, but Israeli policies towards the Palestinians make it unpopular with many Egyptians.

In June, an Egyptian police conscript killed three Israeli soldiers near the two countries’ border.

Egypt said he exchanged fire with the soldiers while chasing drug smugglers, but Israel said it was a terrorist attack.

A man in his 40s has died after he was struck by a vehicle in Dundalk, County Louth, gardaí (Irish police) have said.

The collision happened at about 02:45 local time at Junction 16 on the southbound M1 motorway, on Sunday.

Ambulance personnel attended to a male driver in his 50s and his three passengers for non-life threatening injuries.

The man’s body remains at the scene and a post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

The road remains closed and local diversions are in place.

It was one of three fatal road accidents across Ireland overnight.

At Skrine Hill in County Roscommon a man in his 20s died when the car he was driving overturned.

And in County Kerry a pedestrian was killed while walking at Duagh Village outside Listowel.

A driver and three passengers were uninjured.

Gardaí have appealed for anyone with information or dashcam footage from the collisions to contact them.

A mother has pleaded for information about her daughter, who she believes was kidnapped by Palestinian militants at a festival near the Gaza Strip.

Shani Louk, a German tourist, had been attending a festival for peace when Hamas militants stormed the area.

Her mother says she saw a video of Shani “unconscious in a car” after being taken.

A number of Israeli civilians and soldiers are being held hostage by Hamas, the Israeli military has said.

Holding up a picture of Shani on her mobile phone, her mother said in a video that her daughter had been “kidnapped with a group of tourists in southern Israel by Palestinian Hamas”.

“We were sent a video in which I could clearly see our daughter unconscious in the car with the Palestinians and them driving around the Gaza Strip,” she said.

“I ask you to send us any help or news. Thank you very much.”

Other people are reported to be missing from the festival, including British citizen, Jake Marlowe, although the Israeli embassy in the UK told the BBC it did not know if he had been taken hostage.

His mother told news site Jewish News that he was working as security staff at the festival in Kibbutz Re’im, a community in the city of Ofakim, not far from Gaza.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show an Israeli woman, identified as Noa Argamani, who also attended the event, being kidnapped and held on a motorcycle by two men.

Gili Yoskovich, who also attended, told the BBC that she hid under a tree in a field while gunmen went around shooting anyone they could find.

Fighting is ongoing after Israel was hit with a surprise attack by Hamas this weekend.

The Palestinian militants launched a wave of rocket attacks and fighters stormed into Israel on Saturday morning, which have left hundreds dead and thousands more wounded.

Hundreds have also been killed on the other side following Israeli air strikes according to the health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas.

In a highly contentious verdict, a Congolese military court has sentenced Edouard Mwangachuchu, a prominent lawmaker representing the Masisi constituency, to death on charges of treason and alleged involvement with the M23 rebel movement.

Mr Mwangachuchu, who also owns a mining company, was found guilty of illegal weapon possession, treason, and participating in the M23 insurrectionary movement.

The death penalty, while frequently handed down in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has not been executed for two decades and is typically commuted to life imprisonment.

The public prosecutor had initially sought a life sentence for the 70-year-old legislator.

Notably, Mr Mwangachuchu was absent during the sentencing, which has drawn criticism from his lawyer, Thomas Gamakolo, who claims that the trial was tainted by “ethnic hatred and deductions.”

He argued that Mr Mwangachuchu was unfairly presumed guilty due to his Tutsi ethnicity and emphasised that there was no concrete evidence linking his client to Rwanda.

The M23 militia, led by Tutsi leaders, has gained control over parts of Congo’s North Kivu province since resurfacing in 2021.

This has led to allegations from independent U.N. experts, the Kinshasa government, and several Western nations, including the United States and France, accusing Rwanda of actively supporting the M23 movement. Kigali vehemently denies these accusations.

In a surprising turn of events, Mr Mwangachuchu’s co-defendant, Robert Muchamalirwa, a police captain charged with “violation of orders,” was acquitted by the court, with an immediate order for his release.

As tensions escalate over the verdict, the case of Mr Mwangachuchu continues to stoke controversy, highlighting ethnic divisions within the region.

Kano Pillars Football Club on Saturday, defeated visiting Katsina United 1-0 in the match day two of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL).

Pillars shrugged off their last week away loss to Sunshine of Akure to occupy the driver’s seat in the 27th minutes of the game, when Mustafa Ibrahim found the opponent’s net in front of their home crowd, at the Sani Abacha stadium.

Though the visiting Katsina side upped their game and tried to pull an equaliser, their forays were foiled by the back line of the home side.

Speaking during a post match interview, Coach Absu Maikaba, commended his players, whom he said played to instruction.

Maikaba described the match outcome as rewarding after losing their away game 1-0.He said the win was massive for his young side being the second match of the season.

“My team will continue to improve and work for victory against Abia Warriors on Wednesday,’’ he said.

Head Coach of Katsina United, Tope Bulus, commended his team for the fighting spirit, saying they would go back to the drawing board to return to winning ways.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has alerted Nigerians to expect floods in nine states as Cameroon is set to release water from its Lagdo Dam.

The affected states are Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa.

Mustapha Ahmed, Director General, NEMA, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja when he briefed journalists on the release of water from the dam.

He said the nine affected states, which had communities along the banks of River Benue, may be affected by the water release, which is expected to last till the end of October.

Mr Ahmed said that the recent release had led to the displacement of communities and could lead to further destruction of crops and other infrastructure.

“NEMA has been alerted on sudden increased inundation of riverine communities and farmlands along the banks of River Niger in Adamawa, Taraba and Benue states in the past 48 hours.

“The sudden situation is attributed to the rapid release of water from Lagdo dam in the Republic of Cameroon and has resulted in the displacement of several inhabitants of the affected communities.

“Furthermore, crops, lands and valuable infrastructure are at risk of getting washed away by the flood waters.

“Situation reports from Adamawa State confirmed the upsurge of flood waters along the flood plains of River Benue.

“The situation is expected to be replicated in downstream states of Taraba, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Anambra, Edo, Delta and Bayelsa as the River Benue joins River Niger and flows to the Atlantic Ocean through the Niger Delta,” he said.

The director general also cautioned states and local government areas along the River Niger and Benue Basins to immediately activate their emergency response plans to avert potential damage and losses that could arise due to the flooding of communities.

He added that, so far, 159,157 persons had been affected by this year’s flooding, as 28 persons had lost their lives and 48,168 displaced in 13 states across the country.

He, however, added that the agency would continue to provide further updates as it received more situation reports from the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) as well as frontline states’ emergency management agencies.

All six suspected hitmen held in connection to the assassination of Ecuador’s August presidential election candidate, Fernando Villavicencio, have been killed inside prison, the country’s authorities said.

The suspects are Colombians and were charged with the murder of Mr Villavicencio in broad daylight, less than two weeks to last month’s poll.

The alleged hitmen were the only victims of the incident inside the Litoral Penitentiary on Friday.

They are identified as Jhon Gregore, Andrés Manuel, Adey Fernando, Camilo Andrés, Sules Osmini C. and José Neyder.

The Litoral Penitentiary is the biggest prison in Ecuador and has the reputation of being the most dangerous in the country.

The mysterious killing of the suspects came as the Prosecutor’s Office was about to conclude its investigation into Mr Villavicencio’s assassination, who was gunned down at a rally in early August.

He had reported threats to his life by the dreadful Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel before he was eventually killed.

The suspects in the killing were arrested hours after the attack and had been held in the Litoral prison till Friday when they were killed.

Ecuadorian authorities did not provide further details about the Friday killings but President Guillermo Lasso, who is out of the country, said any cover up will be uncovered and the truth will be revealed.

“Neither complicity nor cover-up, the truth will be known here,” he posted on the social network X, formerly called Twitter.

The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has dislodged roadside traders around the Oyingbo Market in Lagos for constituting environmental nuisance.

The market is currently sealed for various environmental infractions.

The Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Muyiwa Gbadegesin, said the agency observed that, in spite of the closure of the market, some traders still engaged in roadside trading activities, in breach of environmental regulations.

“We cannot compromise the environmental well-being of our city. It is imperative that all markets in the state strictly adhere to environmental laws.

“Non-compliance will result in the sealing of the markets, and such markets will not be reopened until appropriate conditions are met.

“We will also not condone any form of roadside trading around sealed business premises,” Mr Gbadegesin said.

He said that the enforcement action underscored LAWMA’s commitment to foster a sustainable and hygienic urban landscape for all residents, urging market operators to proactively engage in practices that aligned with established environmental standards.

The LAWMA boss said that Alamutu Market, Mushin, one of the recently shut markets, had been reopened after meeting stipulated conditions.

He urged market operators, residents, and stakeholders to work in tandem with the authority, to ensure the collective achievement of a cleaner and healthier environment.