TASUED student dragged out of exam, lynched in daytime cult attack

A final-year student at the Tai Solarin University (TASUED) in Ijebu Ode, Ogun state, Ola Fabiyi, has been killed after suspected cultists stormed his examination hall, dragged him out and fatally beat him up on Wednesday, July 3.

The Cable reports that commotion broke out at the campus of the state-owned tertiary institution on Wednesday when men dressed in white shirts invaded the institution’s ETF exam hall during a session at noon. The armed men were said to have dragged out Fabiyi, the general governor for TASUED’s College of Humanities, beat him with stones, stabbed him, and left him unconscious in the bush.

A video surfaced showing colleagues of the now-deceased final-year student watching in shock from a distance as the assault unfolded. In the video, men numbering up to 15 were seen dragging the victim by the leg and kicking him as he writhed in pain. Student witnesses say campus security operatives only arrived at the crime scene after the cult members had already fled. It was gathered that Fabiyi was subsequently rushed to the hospital where he would later be confirmed dead

Babatunde Odugbesan, TASUED’s deputy registrar, has announced the suspension the institution’s ongoing second-semester exams.

“Students are assured of their safety and are advised to remain calm while investigations ongoing get to the root of the cultist attack,” he said

The state police command is yet to comment on this sad development.

FCT police arrest five notorious kidnappers who killed victims and collected N12m ransom

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command have arrested five notorious kidnappers after raiding their hideouts in the Gwagwa and DeiDei areas of the territory.

The operation, headed by operatives of the Utako Division, was conducted between June 30 and July 3, 2024, while acting on credible intelligence.

Spokesperson of the command, SP Josephine Adeh, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, July 4, identified the suspects as Umar Abdullahi, Likita Abubakar, Salisu Sani, Sabiu Mohammed and Aliyu Suleiman.

The PPRO said the suspects were involved in a kidnap incident in Gwagwa on June 12, 2024.

The suspects were said to have abducted a resident, collected N12m from the victim’s family and killed two others.

“The suspects, Umar Abdullahi, a.k.a. Auta 20, Likita Abubakar 29, Salisu Sani 24, Sabiu Mohammed, and Aliyu Suleiman 24, were arrested in connection with the kidnapping incident in Gwagwa on June 12, 2024, where a victim was kidnapped, 12 million naira was collected as ransom from the victim’s family, and two others were killed,’ the statement read.

“They are also responsible for several kidnappings and other heinous acts in the capital territory,”

“Four AK-47 rifles, a Dane gun, two magazines, and eight unexpended live ammunition were recovered from the suspects, as they have all confessed to the crime.

“While the Investigation is still ongoing, the commissioner of police FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, psc, mni, reaffirms the command’s steadfast commitment to ensuring the security and safety of residents.

“He also urges the residents to be vigilant and take advantage of the police emergency lines in reporting suspicious activities.”

Police arrest 26-yr-old for assulting girlfriend in Niger

The Niger State Police Command has arrested Mohammed Abba Yahaya, 26, of Tungan-goro, Minna, over alleged assault on his girlfriend.

He was arrested for beating and injuring his female friend, Hussena Sani.

The command in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, in Minna said, on 30/5/2024 at about 4:30 pm, a case of criminal force and assault causing injury was reported at Chanchaga Division against Mohammed Abba Yahaya.

According to him: “On 29th of May, 2024 at about 2100 hrs he assaulted Hussena Sani, 25, of the same area and inflicted serious injury on her.

“The said suspect was arrested on 1st of July,2024 and he claimed that he saw his female friend Hussena being dropped by a vehicle at Tungan-goro and he enquired from her to know who dropped her, but he didn’t get a satisfactory response . Hence, an argument ensued, which led to a fight while he punched her face.”

The police PRO stated that the victim was taken to the hospital for treatment while the suspect has been transferred to the Police headquarters for further investigation and prosecution.

Police arrest 3 cultists responsible for killings in Ekiti

As part of the ongoing onslaught against hoodlums, especially cultists who recently attacked innocent citizens in Ado-Ekiti and consequently caused serious apprehension in the state, operatives of the Ekiti State Police Command, through credible information, have arrested in Ode-Ekiti one of the fleeing members of the gang that was involved in the recent killing of four persons in Ado-Ekiti.

The arrested suspect, Olanipekun Lateef, aka Lati Olorifunfun, during interrogation, confessed to be a member of the Eiye secret cult and admitted that he was one of those responsible for most of the recent attacks in Ado-Ekiti. According to him, the incident was a reprisal attack on members of the Black Axe Aiye confraternity who killed their member on May 27, 2024, in Ado-Ekiti.

The arrested suspect led the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, to Agbeniyi Bunmi, a female, in whose custody the two guns used for the operations were allegedly kept. She, in turn, confessed that she had already handed over the two guns to the secret cult’s armourer, Ademola Adejugbe, aka Oba, who was subsequently tracked and arrested. His premises was searched and one cut-to-small-size locally made single-barrel gun and one double-barrel gun concealed inside a sack were exhumed and recovered.

Effort is underway to arrest more fleeing members.

Osun governor’s aide accuses Green Africa Airways of discrimination due to his disability

Olanrewaju Oladosun, an aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun on disability matters, has accused a Nigerian airline, Green Africa Airways, of discrimination against persons with disabilities (PWDs).

Mr Oladosun alleged in a viral video released on social media on Tuesday that the airline, which prides itself on offering safe, reliable, and affordable air travel, denied him boarding on its flight from Akure, Ondo’s capital city, to Abuja due to his disability.

The governor’s aide, who spoke bitterly in the four-minute video, said he was in a wheelchair at the Akure Local Airport and expected to board a Green Africa Airways flight for a programme in Abuja but was denied boarding because of his disability.

“I went to board Green Africa Airways from Akure, [Ondo] state to Abuja for a programme for persons with disabilities, but the problem I encountered was that Green Africa Airways Limited management told me that they could not fly me because of my wheelchair,” Mr Oladosun revealed.

“We had to struggle with them, citing that our former president, Muhammadu Buhari, has approved the national disability law, making accessibility paramount for all transport or airline services.”

He noted that the airline’s action made him depressed, stressing that he had to query the attitude and action of the Nigerian airline for disallowing him to board their aeroplane.

Acknowledging the Nigerian airline’s insensitivity to PWDs, Mr Oladosun disclosed that he was ‘forced’ to board another airline, Overland Airways, after his initial entreaty failed.

“The day the incident happened, I was so depressed, but we thank God I later booked Overland Airline that took me to Abuja for the programme,” he added.

According to him, Green Africa Airways had earlier assured him of wheelchair accessibility with the boarding ticket, but it later ended up being a lie.

He said, “I tried to explain to them (Green Africa) why they allowed me to book their flight when they knew they couldn’t take me with my condition.

“The attitude of Green Africa Airways Limited is not friendly. It’s not just because they said they cannot take wheelchairs; it’s also evident in how they treat persons with disabilities.”

Efforts by Peoples Gazette to get the reaction of the management of Green Africa Airways Limited proved abortive.

However, a staff member of the airline at the Akure Local Airport, who pleaded not to be mentioned, told our reporter that the organisation was preparing its side of the allegation.

“We have seen the video, but I can’t respond. The head office is currently taking a position on this and I know they will respond soonest,” he said.

In 2019, Nigeria’s immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, 2018 – legislation that criminalises discrimination against PWDs in the country.

The law came after major attacks and discrimination against citizens with disabilities, with several accusations and advocacy by rights activists that the government was not doing enough to protect PWDs.

The law specifically prohibits discrimination against persons with impairments and provides for the imposition of fines for corporate bodies and an imprisonment term for individuals found guilty of any form of discrimination.

According to the legislation, all public organisations are mandated to reserve 5% of employment opportunities for PWDs, while section 31 of the law also provides for the establishment of a National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, which is to be headed by an executive secretary.

Israeli strike kills senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon

Hezbollah says one of its senior commanders has been killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon.

Mohammed Nimah Nasser is the latest senior member of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group to be targeted by Israel during almost nine months of cross-border violence which have raised fears of an all-out war.

Hezbollah said it had launched 100 rockets and missiles at Israeli military positions “as part of the response to the assassination”. No injuries were reported.

The Israeli military said Nasser commanded a unit responsible for launching rockets from south-western Lebanon and accused him of directing a “large number of terror attacks”.

It also described him as “the counterpart” of Taleb Sami Abdullah, the commander of another unit whose killing last month prompted Hezbollah to launch more than 200 rockets and missiles into northern Israel in a single day.

Since then, there has been a flurry of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, with the UN and US warning of the potentially catastrophic consequences of a war that could also draw in Iran and other allied groups.

There have been almost daily exchanges of fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the day after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on 7 October.

Hezbollah has said it is acting in support of the Palestinian group that is also backed by Iran. Both are proscribed as terrorist organisations by Israel, the UK and other countries.

So far, more than 400 people have been reported killed in Lebanon, the vast majority of them Hezbollah fighters, and 25 people in Israel, mostly soldiers.

Tens of thousands from communities on both sides of the border have also been displaced.

Belarus frees five political prisoners in rare amnesty

Belarus has freed five political prisoners in a rare amnesty, almost four years after the country’s leader Alexander Lukashenko launched a brutal crackdown on his domestic opponents.

The 69-year-old, who has led the country since 1994, launched mass repressions after he claimed victory in the disputed 2020 presidential election. Thousands of people were detained in the protests which followed.

On Tuesday he signalled his intention to release some “seriously ill” prisoners, during a press briefing with reporters in the capital, Minsk.

There are still more than 1,400 political prisoners held in Belarus, according to leading human rights group Viasna.

Three men and two women were freed from custody as part of the move on Wednesday, according to Viasna.

Only one of those released, Rygor Kastusev, has been identified. The 67-year-old, who ran against Mr Lukashenko in the 2010 election, was detained as part of a wave of arrests in 2021.

Confirming his release, Mr Kastusev’s daughter Galina said her father was “very happy to be free”.

“We saw each other, everyone got excited, started crying. We saw that he was home, everything is fine,” she said.

Another political prisoner, Irina Schastnaya, was released on 29 June. The opposition journalist was arrested in 2021 and sentenced to four years in prison.

The My Country Belarus Telegram channel, which she ran before her arrest, announced her release on Wednesday after she had left the country.

Mr Lukashenko said on Tuesday the amnesty would apply to people he accused of “smashing up or undermining the country in 2020” and who were “truly ill, mostly with cancer”.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the exiled opposition leader – who many believe defeated Mr Lukashenko in the 2020 election – tentatively welcomed the releases.

“I am glad to see these people free and reunited with their loved ones,” she wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

But she emphasised that many political prisoners remained behind bars, noting that more than 200 of them were suffering from “critical health conditions”.

“Already, at least six have died behind bars. They must be released unconditionally. Their urgent release is not a political issue, but a humanitarian one,” she wrote.

Ms Tikhanovskaya’s husband, Sergei Tikhanovsky is among those still in jail. He was arrested in May 2020, just two days after announcing his intention to challenge Mr Lukashenko in the presidential election.

He hasn’t been heard from in over a year, and a spokesperson for Ms Tikhanovskaya told the AFP news agency that there was nothing to indicate that he would be among those released.

There are also concerns for Maria Kolesnikova – an opposition activist who tore up her passport after authorities kidnapped her and drove her to the border in a bid to force her to leave Belarus in September 2020. She was later sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Ms Kolesnikova’s lawyer said earlier this year that he hadn’t had contact with his client since February 2023.

For decades, Mr Lukashenko sought to play Russia and the European Union off against each other. His established practice was to release political prisoners to win favour with leaders in Brussels and spark a thaw in relations.

But that relationship ended in 2020, after he claimed victory in the presidential election and launched waves of repressions.

Since then Mr Lukashenko has become reliant on President Vladimir Putin for support, after the Russian leader agreed to send troops to help prop up his regime as thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in mass protests.

It seems unlikely that Wednesday’s releases signal a return to Mr Lukashenko’s previous attempts to appeal to the West, considering the modest number of prisoners released.

Scores of detainees remain unheard from, while the secret police have continued to arrest others accused of undermining the regime.

Son butchers father to death, attempts to kill mother in Delta

A man identified as Ufuoma Umurie has killed his father, Rev. Isaac Umurie, in Delta State.

Ufuoma, 28, who has now been arrested, was said to have used a cutlass to hack his father, an Anglican priest, to death while he was asleep in the early hours of Wednesday.

The suspect was alleged to have chased his mother with the cutlass while she was attempting to save the life of her husband. She narrowly escaped unhurt.

The incident occurred at Okpare town in Olomu Kingdom, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Neighbours said lt was the second time that Ufuoma, alleged to be mentally unstable, would be attacking his late father, who is one of the reverends attached to St. John’s Anglican Church, Okpare-Olomu.

“This is the second time Ufuoma is attacking his father. The other time, he beat him, and members of the Okpare-Olomu vigilante held him, but the father pleaded that he should not be taken to the police station. We heard that he is mentally unstable.

“Today he hacked the father with a cutlass, burst his skull, and mutilated other parts of his body. The priest has a few years to retire. He was brought closer home because of his retirement before this unfortunate incident,” a neighbour revealed.

It was gathered that the suspect was apprehended and handed over to the police at the Otu-Jeremi Divisional Headquarters.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Delta Command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect is in custody and would be prosecuted for the crime.

Army cleans up Ogun market, drainages

Soldiers of the 35 Artillery Brigade Alamala, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Wednesday, in commemoration of Army Day, embarked on a sanitation exercise at Lafenwa Market.

The soldiers, who were seen at about 7:30 a.m., swept through the market, its drainages, and the surrounding area.

The Brigade Commander, Gen Mohammed Aminu, represented by Col Legborsi Nule, the Garrison Commander, said the gesture is to support the host environment and give back to the society.

He remarked that military personnel are members of the community and are involved in activities related to the country’s growth.

“This week is dedicated to the Nigerian Army; it is for the Nigerian Army Day Celebration and is a yearly event that takes place across the country. We use this period as a day to carry out activities like this in support of our host environment as part of giving back to our host communities.

“Yesterday, we were at this Lafenwa school where we gave out some books and spent time with the students.

“So today, we decided to come to the market. We have been passing by here and noticed that the market was getting dirtier by the day, so we decided to clean it to help the civil authority and our host community.

“And to let them know, basically, that we in the military are part of the society, part of the community, and whatever has to do with the development of the country is also our responsibility as citizens of this country.”

The Commander urged the traders to maintain a clean environment in the wake of the state’s cholera outbreak.

“Because of the outbreak of cholera, we decided to clean the environment. This is a market, and all of us shop here, so there is no better place that should be kept clean than where you are buying your foodstuff.

“So, marketers should help maintain their environment. When they sell, they should clean the environment in the evening before they go home,” he added.

Flood kills four in India

Torrential rains in northeast India have sparked heavy flooding killing at least four people, government disaster officials said Wednesday.

More than a million people have been impacted by floods, according to government figures.

Monsoon rains cause widespread destruction every year, but experts say climate change is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events.

Disaster authorities in the northeastern state of Assam said 38 people have been killed since mid-May when heavy rains battered the state, triggering floods and landslides.

India’s weather department has issued alerts for Assam and neighbouring states warning of the risk of more flash floods.

Flood waters have damaged roads in the state, and the airforce rescued 13 fishermen stranded on an island.

A major portion of the Kaziranga national park, a UNESCO world heritage site and home to the highest number of one-horned rhinos in the world, has also been flooded.

“Forest guards have been put on alert,” park official Arun Vignesh told AFP. “Hundreds of animals have started crossing the highway in search of higher ground”.

Floods have also swamped vast areas in Bangladesh, downstream from India’s northeast region.

Much of low-lying Bangladesh is made up of deltas as the Himalayan rivers of the Ganges and Brahmaputra slowly wind towards the sea.

Monsoon rains cause deluges and flooding every year in South Asia.

Last week, at least 14 people were killed after rains triggered landslides, lightning and flooding in Nepal.

In Bangladesh, at least nine people died in a landslide in June.

The same month, six people were killed in flash floods and landslides in Sikkim, an Indian state in the Himalayan foothills bordering China.

Abducted travellers on Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode expressway regain freedom

The Ogun State Police Command on Wednesday said that four abducted travellers on the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode expressway on Sunday have regained freedom.

The Spokesman for the state command, SP Omolola Odutola disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Odutola said those rescued along Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway by the anti-kidnapping team of the state police command included one Mr Ola, and three Indian nationals.

She said, “One Mr Ola, Pujan, and two other Indians names yet unknown have regained their freedom along Ogere inward Lagos Ibadan expressway. Efforts ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects”

The Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu, on Monday had ordered the anti-kidnapping unit to launch a manhunt against the hoodlums who attacked and kidnapped the travellers.

The gunmen were said to have ambushed the travellers between Sagamu Area Command of the Nigeria Police and Ilisan township.

According to the Chairman of Ilisan Development Council, Wemmy Osude, said some other victims were taken into the bush by the hoodlums

Nigerian students ranked top in New Zealand, compete for $10,000

Two Nigerian students have been selected among the top 30 students in the Architecture Engineering and Construction Management Industry sector in New Zealand.

The Nigerians, Angela Odiete and Oludolapo Olanrewaju, were also listed among the top 10 students in construction management in the country.

They have been given an all-expense paid trip to Christ Church in New Zealand to compete in a three-day client brief challenge.

During the trip, students will create innovative solutions to help solve industry issues, with the winners taking away a $10,000 prize.

“We are excited to announce the following 30 students have been selected to compete in the 2024 edition of ArchEngBuild.

“The students will compete in teams to solve a real-world building and construction challenge – with a winning prize of $10,000,” the organisers, Brandz wrote on LinkedIn on Tuesday.

“30 architecture, engineering, and construction students, from nine tertiary institutes across Aotearoa, arrived in Ōtautahi Christchurch for the three-day competition.

“They heard from experts, toured the Tūranga Central Library, and are now hard at work in teams of three, addressing a real-world building and construction challenge,” Brandz wrote in another post.

The students are from nine tertiary institutions which are the University of Canterbury, Unitec, The University of Auckland, Otago Polytechnic | Te Pūkenga, Auckland University of Technology, Ara Institute of Canterbury, Victoria University of Wellington, WelTec, Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, NZ.

Death toll from Indian stampede rises to 121

The death toll from a stampede that broke out at a religious gathering in northern India has risen to 121, minister of Uttar Pradesh state government said on Wednesday.

Thousands of people had gathered on Tuesday for a prayer meeting and sermon organised by a local guru at a tent off a highway in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district.

Witnesses reported people suddenly rushed out of the crowded venue as the guru departed.

Many slipped and fell along a ditch filled with mud and water.

Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation and trampling, a local administration official said.

Uttar Pradesh Education Minister Sandeep Singh said that 121 people have died so far.

“The probe has started and whoever is found responsible will be punished,” he added.

Among the victims were over 100 women and at least seven children.

The police are searching for the self-styled guru known as Bhole Baba, who organised Tuesday’s event.

Local media reported that investigators and sniffer dogs were seen working on an open muddy field on Wednesday, where an estimated 150,000 people had gathered for the event.

Sandals, slippers, clothing, and a baby’s milk bottle could still be seen strewn around the ground.

At least 35 people were being treated at local hospitals for serious injuries, according to a statement from the office of the state relief commissioner.

Russia repels Ukrainian attack on major Black Sea Port

The Russian military has repelled attacks by two unmanned Ukrainian drone boats carrying explosives on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, the boats were destroyed in the sea.

Novorossiysk on the Black Sea is a large port where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has stationed many warships against Ukraine.

The ministry initially did not mention any potential damage.

It came after local media reported about explosions in the area.

The Russian Defence Ministry also reported repelled drone attacks on the Moscow region as well as the Belgorod and Bryansk regions on the border with Ukraine.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

Authorities in Novorossiysk asked residents to remain indoors during the night as streets in the coastal part of the city were closed and sirens sounded.

Novorossiysk, in the southwestern Krasnodar region, was attacked by Ukraine several times in May.

On May 17, 44 drones were shot down that day, with some 30 buildings damaged, according to the authorities.

Russia had launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

After initially focusing on pushing back Russian troops on its territory, Ukraine has since begun also to attack targets in the Russian hinterland to disrupt military supplies.

However, civilians have also been repeatedly impacted by the attacks.

The consequences on the Russian side of the border, however, were relatively small compared to the high number of victims and the massive destruction caused by continuous Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Nigeria pledges to deepen bilateral relations with U.S.

Foreign affairs minister Yusuf Tuggar says Nigeria is working to deepen bilateral relations with the U.S. in accordance with Nigeria’s foreign policy thrust under President Bola Tinubu.

Mr Tuggar stated this at the 248th U.S. independence anniversary dinner organised by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday.

The minister said deepening Nigeria-U.S. ties would further cement their many years of cooperation and friendship.

He noted that the signing of the Nigeria-U.S. Binational Cooperation is one of the major foreign policy objectives of the Tinubu administration.

Mr Tuggar said Nigeria-U.S. bilateral relations “has been nurtured over the years” with various cooperations that have strengthened the ties.

He added, “Since our independence, we have been two nations that have continued to watch our friendship, bond, and cooperation closely. One of the major developments that happened this year was the Nigeria-U.S. Binational Cooperation agreement, and it is a testament of how important and cordial our relationship is.

“The Secretary of State just left Nigeria not too long ago. And to ensure that we had a smooth running, the Deputy Secretary of State, who had just been confirmed, hurried to Nigeria to ensure that we had a very successful Binational.”

The minister said both countries were working on a few other agreements and cooperations toward strengthening them.

“We are also looking into security, which is significant to Africa as a continent, particularly Nigeria. We are looking at strengthening the security bond between us; we are thankful for all the security cooperation that we are receiving,” he said.

Mr Tuggar also expressed Nigeria’s gratitude to the U.S. for the various interventions in the country’s health sector challenges.

U.S. Embassy’s charge d’Affairs David Greene described Nigeria-U.S. relations as a “whirlwind in the best way.”

The U.S. envoy disclosed that 700,000 Nigerians are living and working in the U.S., saying it underscores the significance of the U.S.-Nigeria people-to-people ties, which is the bedrock of the relationship.

Police arrest 270 protesters in Kenya

Kenyan police said they have arrested more than 270 people masquerading as protesters who are suspected of going on a criminal rampage during anti-government rallies on Tuesday.

Widespread looting and property damage was reported during the youth-led demonstrations in various cities across the country, which some protesters said had been infiltrated by “goons”.

“Security forces across the country singled out suspects found engaging in criminal activities in the guise of protesting, and took them to custody,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, late Tuesday.

It said a total of 204 suspects were arrested in the capital Nairobi and another 68 in various other areas of the country.

“The DCI has further deployed scrupulous investigators across the affected regions to pursue suspects captured on CCTV cameras and mobile phone recordings violently robbing, stealing and destroying properties and businesses of innocent citizens,” the statement added.

Tuesday’s demonstrations began in an atmosphere of calm but later degenerated into violence, with police firing tear gas at rock-throwing crowds in Nairobi and scenes of looting and property damage in the capital and other cities.

27 die, several injured in Indian stampede

About 27 people, mostly women, died in a stampede
at a religious gathering in a town in northern India on Tuesday.

Medical authorities said the stampede in Mughalghari village in Uttar Pradesh took place as hundreds of people that gathered for a Hindu prayer meeting were leaving the venue.

The local Chief Medical Officer, Rajkumar Aggarwal, said 27 bodies were taken to a local hospital, most of them women and children.

He added that many others were injured.

Turbulence causes injury to 30 Uruguay-bound air passengers

An airplane has been forced into an emergency landing in Brazil after dozens of passengers of the plane received injuries during extreme turbulence.

At least 30 people were taken to hospital after the forced landing by the Air Europa flight said to be from the capital of Spain, Madrid.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, originally due to land in Montevideo, Uruguay, had to do the emergency landing in Natal airport, Brazil, around 2.30am local time on Monday, reports indicated on Tuesday.

Photographs and video clips of the turbulence showed passengers being treated for injuries, and some splatters of blood were visible.

The ceiling of the aircraft and some seats were damaged.

The airline, giving an account of the incident, stated, “Our flight bound for Montevideo was diverted to Natal due to strong turbulence. The plane landed normally and those injured of varying severity are already being treated.”

On their part, health officials in Brazil affirmed in a statement that 30 passengers had to be taken to hospitals in Natal with “minor abrasions or orthopaedic traumas”.

This particular incident reminds air travel watchers of a British man who died and more than 20 others injured about six weeks ago after severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight from London en route Singapore.

Some scientists who looked at the two recent incidents and others before said the plane turbulence could get worse as a result of climate change.

Nigeria, South Africa strengthen defence partnership

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, has called for reinforcement of ties between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the South African National Defence Force towards addressing the multifaceted security challenges bedevilling the African continent.

Musa made the call during an official visit to the Chief of South Africa National Defence Force, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, in Pretoria, South Africa.

This was contained in a statement by the Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, on Tuesday in Abuja.

The CDS described the meeting as a panacea to addressing the multifaceted challenges bedevilling the continent, adding that the need for cooperation and reinforcement of bilateral ties were also paramount.

He said the closed-door meeting with his South African counterpart focused on various measures to address regional security challenges.

According to him, the exchange of expertise and forging stronger ties between the two countries for the betterment of the continent were considered.

Gusau said the Nigerian defence chief was also honoured with Cannon Gun Salutes as a mark of high regard during the visit.

“During the meeting, the Chief of SANDF highlighted the significance of the meeting between the two largest economies and military powers on the African continent.

“Present at the meeting were the SANDF Chiefs of Intelligence, Policy and Plans, International Affairs and Joint Operations amongst other departmental chiefs of the SANDF,” he said.

Three injured in Abuja building collapse

No fewer than three persons were injured in a building that collapsed in the Federal Capital Territory on Monday.

No life was, however, lost to the incident.

It was earlier reported that a four-bedroom apartment located opposite Stanbic IBTC Bank in Area 11, caved in on Monday evening.

It was gathered that the old structure was undergoing renovation before the incident.

Many people working on the structure were said to have been trapped in the building when it caved in around 8:40 pm on Monday.

A situation report sent to our correspondent on Tuesday by the Director of the FCT Fire Service, Amiola Adebayo, said no life was lost to the incident.

Adebayo added that three injured persons had been taken to the hospital for treatment.

The report read, “The three people injured have been taken to Hospital.

“It’s an old four-storey building undergoing restructuring and renovation. Other workers on the ground confirmed that no one else remained inside the rubble.

“Excavation and evacuation of the rubles stopped at 1.30am to resume 7am, July 2, 2024.”

The FCT police spokesperson Josephine Adeh also confirmed the incident.

Adeh said, “In response to the distress call, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, CP Benneth C. Igweh, promptly moved to the scene with multiple patrol teams as first responders to cordon off the area for possible rescue.

“Three victims were successfully evacuated from the collapsed building and rushed to the hospital for medical care.

“The attention of the National Emergency Management Agency of Nigeria and FCT Development Control has been drawn to the situation, and their personnel have taken charge of the area for robust management of the scene.”