The Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has expressed his utmost pride and congratulations to his daughter, Tobi, on her graduation from Yale University.

Sharing photos from the graduation on Tuesday, Gov Makinde said, “Congratulations, my darling Tobi on your graduation from Yale University yesterday.

“Your hard work and diligence paid off. Wishing you all the best as you embark on a new chapter of your life and I’m also glad that I have one less school fees to pay.”

A priest, Very Rev. Fr. Oliver Buba, serving with the Yola Catholic Diocese, has been kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

The incident occurred during the early hours of Tuesday in the reverend father’s rectory at St. Rita’s Catholic Church, Bare, in Numan Local Government of Adamawa State.

This was disclosed in a statement signed by Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Dami Mamza, Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese.

Mamza invited all Christian faithful and men and women of goodwill to earnestly pray for the quick and safe release of the priest.

Residents of Ebi’s Mechanic Road, Amarata area in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, were on Tuesday thrown into mourning after the decomposing bodies of seven friends were found in a music studio apartment.

The tragic incident, suspected to have been caused by generator fumes in the studio owned by one of the deceased, identified as Akpos Barakubo, occurred after their studio section, and they decided to have a little rest in the apartment.

It was gathered that six bodies were later discovered dead in the morning while one who was unconscious and rushed to the hospital later died.

According to the residents of the area, the crew members in the studio were working into the night using their generating set due to poor power supply in the state and may have fallen asleep and forgot to switch off the generator.

It was also gathered that most of the deceased are undergraduate students from the Niger Delta University,vNDU, who are into the recording business to help themselves in school.

A resident of the area, Mr Damion Asamonye, blamed the state and federal governments as well as the power distribution company for the death of the people, saying if there was adequate power supply, there wouldn’t have been any need for a generator at night.

He lamented the situation in Bayelsa State where Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED, only supplies light when bills are shared.

He said: “Both the federal and state governments have failed us, if there was a public power supply, maybe these people wouldn’t have lost their lives in these circumstances.

“Seven able-bodied young men just died like that because of the failure of government, The most annoying thing is that tomorrow, the PHED personnel will come with a ladder to disconnect light that they are not supplying, how can people be spending their money in fueling generators despite the current hardship in Nigeria, even after paying for light bills.?

Another resident in the area, Mrs Joy Reuben, said the whole neighbourhood woke up on Tuesday morning to witness the tragic incident, calling on the government to ensure that there is adequate power supply in the state so that citizens will not be allowed to die in such circumstances again.

When contacted, the police spokesman in Bayelsa State, ASP Musa Muhammed, promised to call back with more details but did not pick his calls afterwards.

As of the time of filling the report, security operatives have cordoned off the area while the corpses have been evacuated to the mortuary.

Pa Suleimon Atanda Obasa, father of the Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, is dead.

The Speaker made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Eromosele Ebhomele.

According to the statement, the businessman passed on in the early hours of Tuesday at the age of 83.

He is survived by his wives, children and grandchildren, among whom he is the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

His remains would be interred at 4pm in the Agege (Old Abeokuta Motor Road) area of Lagos State, according to Islamic rites.

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Kaduna Zonal Command, confirmed the arrest on Tuesday.

The suspects were arrested at Kakuri, Barnawa and Television Garage axes in Kaduna State.

Their arrest followed credible information on their suspected involvement in internet-related offences.

Items recovered from the suspects include, one car and 29 mobile phones.

The Commission added that the 23 suspects will be charged to court after investigations.

The Delta State Police Command has arrested two armed robbery suspects.

This was disclosed in a post shared by the Delta Police spokesperson, Bright Edafe, on Tuesday.

The two suspects, identified as Azuluonye Okonkwo 21 and Anuku Joseph, were arrested on Monday.

Edafe stated that their arrest was a sequel to a series of complaints of armed robbery posted on various social media handles.

The post reads: “Sequel to the series of complaints of armed robbery posted on various social media handles and the promise of CP Abaniwonda Olufemi to arrest the perpetrators, these two suspects, Azuluonye Okonkwo aged 21 years, and Anuku Joseph were arrested yesterday.

“They confessed their involvement in armed robbery around COKA area, they robbed three houses and the victims came to the headquarters and identified them.

“But one point to note is that in some of the houses they entered around 2 am, their gates were not even locked. Let’s take our security seriously pls.”

The United States has said the late Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, had a “lot of blood on his hands.”

The White House disclosed this on Monday in a condolence message after Raisi’s death.

Raisi and some officials were involved in a helicopter crash in East Azerbaijan province.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Raisi was responsible for “atrocious” rights abuses in Iran and had supported regional proxies, including Hamas.

Addressing reporters, Kirby said: “This was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands.”

Kirby, however, said: “As in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offer official condolences as appropriate.”

Earlier, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced on Monday five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash.

“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” said Khamenei in an official statement a day after the death of Raisi

Photograph of the helicopter wreckage that killed Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi over the weekend have emerged.

Raisi, alongside the country’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian lost their lives in a helicopter crash that occurred in a mountainous area in the province of East Azerbaijan, amid foggy conditions.

Others on board the helicopter include East Azerbaijan Governor, Malek Rahmati, and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, representative of Iranian Supreme Leader to East Azerbaijan.

There were three helicopters in this convoy, two of which were carrying the ministers and officials.

The cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained as rescue officials are in the area.

Iranian state TV, Mehr and Tasnim news agencies have confirmed the death of Raisi.

Raisi, 63, who became president in 2021, was returning from a trip to neighbouring Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam.

An Upper Shari’a Court sitting in Rijiyar Zaki Kano, on Monday, ordered the remand of a 38-year-old man, Shafi’u Abubakar, in a correctional centre for allegedly setting a mosque on fire, killing 14 people.

The defendant, who lives at Gadan Village in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano, is charged with mischief by fire, causing grievous hurt and culpable homicide.

The Prosecution Counsel, Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Kano State, Mr Haruna Isa-Dederi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 15, 2024, at Gadan village, Gezawa Local Government.

He alleged that on the same date, at about 5:15 a.m., the defendant used petrol and set a mosque at Gadan Village on fire during subhi (Dawn) prayer.

“The defendant poured the petrol on the carpet where Sani Suleiman and 24 others were praying, and closed the door.

“In the process, several people sustained various degrees of injuries and were rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital Kano for treatment, while Suleiman and 13 others died while receiving treatment,” Dederi said.

The AG said the case is a capital offense and urged the court to allow the defendant get a lawyer to give him his constitutional right.

The defendant, however, pleaded guilty to all three counts.

According to him, the offence contravenes the provision of section 336, 247 and 221 of Kano State Shari’a Penal Code Law.

The presiding judge, Malam Halhalatu Zakariyya, ordered the court registry to write a letter to the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria to provide a lawyer for the defendant.

He ordered the remand of the defendant and adjourned the matter until May 31, for hearing.

The Secretary-General of Okija Progressive Union, Barrister Peter Awa, and Izuchukwu Igwenagha, popularly known as Onwa, were on Sunday murdered by gunme in Anambra.

While Awa, who is also the Chancellor of the Knights of St Mulumba, Okija Sub Council, was killed in a market square in Umudioka village, Igwenagha was murdered over alleged land dispute in his Isieke village.

Also on the same day, a business man at Nkwo Okija was kidnapped as he was driving home from a function.

Before the latest incident, Okija was the only community in Ihiala Local Government Area that enjoyed security and neighbouring communities were coming to conduct burials and weddings in the town because the leadership had put in place a security outfit that worked.

Awa was appointed secretary of Okija last year following a town union election conducted by the Anambra State Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Town Union Matters.

Until the incident, he was practicing law in Ihiala. Only recently, there was a failed attempt to kidnap his wife, also a lawyer, at Ihiala.

It was gathered that he attended a village meeting few hours before his gruesome murder.

Some people, who it was believed he was familiar with, had stopped him at Eke market in his Umudioka village and eyewitnesses said there appeared to be a discussion between them, only for gunshots to be heard few minutes later.

The occupants of the car immediately drove off after firing several bullets at him. He was confirmed dead later.

For Onwa, his murder was said to be connected to a protracted land dispute in his village. Onwa was said to be a key player in Umuezeulasi land matters and he was shot dead in his house.

Barrister Mike Ozulumba, a United States-based attorney said the community is passing through tough times.

“Okija has within 24hrs recorded two painful gruesome murders. While mourning the assassination of Onwa in a suspected land dispute, we received the shocking news of OPU Secretary, Barr Awah’s assassination at his village in Umuohi Okija tonight.

“While reeling from this painful news, a kidnap gang struck at pipeline tonight and the details are still sketchy. We are in real tough times,” he said.

The Anambra State Police Command is yet to confirm the incidents.

President Bola Tinubu has reacted to the death of his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

A helicopter carrying President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was involved in a hard landing while visiting a northern region.

The duo were confirmed dead by local media platforms.

Reacting, Tinubu in a statement issued on Monday by his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, extended his condolences to the government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

President Tinubu expressed profound grief over the disturbing tragedy and described President Raisi as a leader who was passionately committed to the development of Iran.

While commiserating with the bereaved families, President Tinubu prayed for the continuous peace, stability, and prosperity of the Iranian nation.

Lai Ching-te of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was sworn in and took office as the president of the island’s self-governing party on Monday.

According to Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, more than 500 foreign guests from 51 delegations attended the inauguration ceremony and related activities, including the national leaders of eight countries which maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Mr Lai, 64, the son of a coal miner and a trained physician, took over from Tsai Ing-wen, 67, to lead the democracy amid increasing threats from China, which claims the self-governing island of over 23 million people as its territory.

Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949.

Ms Tsai could not run again after completing the maximum of two terms.

Her eight years in office aimed to maintain the status quo between Taiwan and China and augment Taiwan’s international visibility amid a complex geopolitical situation.

Vice-President Hsiao Bi-khim, 52, was also officially sworn in.

She was Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States from 2020 to 2023 and formerly served as a DPP lawmaker for several terms.

The Chinese Communist Party considers the DPP to be a separatist organisation and has threatened to invade Taiwan if the party makes any formal moves towards independence.

The DPP says Taiwan already functions as an independent state and does not need to make any formal declaration.

Given China’s threats, Ms Tsai’s administration adopted strategies to strengthen Taiwan’s defensive military capabilities and cooperate with like-minded countries to form a collective deterrence in the region.

Since his January victory, Mr Lai reiterated that his administration will continue to strengthen the foundations laid by Ms Tsai to safeguard the status quo, let Taiwan continue playing an indispensable role in the global economy, and maintain geopolitical stability.

The United States maintains a certain amount of strategic ambiguity regarding Taiwan, officially recognising only the Beijing government, but it is legally bound to support Taiwan’s defence capabilities through the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act.

European Council President Charles Michel expressed condolences on behalf of the European Union after the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter accident.

“The EU expresses its sincere condolences for the death of President Raisi and Foreign Minister Abdollahian, as well as other members of their delegation and crew in a helicopter accident,” Mr Michel said on X.

“Our thoughts go to the families,” the EU leader added.

Mr Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were among nine people who died when their helicopter crashed in Iran’s mountainous north-west during bad weather on Sunday, state media reported.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested nine suspected oil thieves at an illegal refinery in a forest boundary between Rivers and Abia.

This is according to a statement by NSCDC spokesman Babawale Afolabi on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Afolabi said that, based on the Corps’ dedication to wage war against illegal bunkering, the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CGsSIS) conducted intelligence surveillance at the site, which aided in the successful arrest.

“We apprehended nine suspects caught in the act of illegally refining stolen crude extracted from a vandalized oil wellhead. We also discovered an ongoing construction of a local refinery with the capacity to produce 60,000 litres of crude at once.

“Visibly at the massive illegal bunkering, we noticed large hoses and galvanized metal pipes laid to transfer stolen crude across the processing channels,” he said.

According to him, the suspects arrested are Oghene Wede, 32; Moses James, 25; Chidi Nwosu, 53; Samuel John, 24; Emmanuel Paul, 20; Oghenevo Nwebi, 43; Martina Whinnypeter, 38; Nwabuchi Nwogu, 41, and David Okere, 20.

According to the NSCDC, the suspects have been interrogated, and further investigation has commenced. It added that the suspects will be prosecuted.

He said the massive site contained over 15 modular ovens, four fabricated reservoirs, and 30 pits dug out to store processed AGO.

“Exhibits recovered are RWD 5.0 GFE-6500 power generating set, two yellow colour pumping machines, metal and plastic buckets, cutlasses, saw, mats, welding Machine, galvanized metal pipes, different heavy-duty hoses, automotive gas oil illegally processed in cooking ovens,” Mr Afolabi said.

Erstwhile Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has blamed the United States for the helicopter crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage.

Mr Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian died on Sunday after the helicopter suffered a hard landing due to bad weather in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province while returning from Khoda Afarin country to Tabriz.

Mr Zarif, who offered his condolences over the death of Mr Raisi and other officials of the government, alleged that the death occurred because of the U.S. sanctions on Iran’s aviation industry.

He stated, “One of the causes of this heartbreaking incident is the United States, which, by sanctioning the sale of the aviation industry to Iran, caused the martyrdom of the president and his companions, and the U.S. crime will be recorded in the minds of the Iranian people and history.”

The former foreign minister added, “With national solidarity and unity, the people showed that they are vigilant and will stand by each other in difficult situations for a better tomorrow.”

He said Iran had faced events in the past 45 years, and according to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, even they tend to overcome the tragic events.

Iran’s first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, is expected to assume the presidency after Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash as the country gears up for early elections.

The Iranian constitution stipulates that the first vice president take over “in the event of the president’s death, dismissal, resignation, absence or illness for more than two months”.

Raisi, who died on Sunday along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials, was nearing the end of his first four-year term as president.

Mokhber’s interim appointment requires the approval of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final word in all state affairs.

Presidential elections to pick a permanent successor are to be held within 50 days, according to the constitution.

A council made up of the parliament speaker, head of the judiciary and the vice president are to be tasked with organising the national vote.

Mokhber, 68, was appointed vice president as Raisi took office in August 2021.

The vice president was born in Dezful city in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, where he held several official positions.

For years since 2007, Mokhber chaired the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, a governmental organisation tasked with managing properties confiscated following the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The foundation, established in the 1980s, has over the years grown to become a major state economic conglomerate with shares in various sectors.

Iranians head to the polls for presidential elections every four years since the Islamic Republic’s first vote in 1980.

The constitution sets a two-term limit for Iranian presidents.

The position of prime minister does not exist in Iran, and the president — assisted by several vice presidents — is responsible for appointing and directing the cabinet.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced on Monday five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash.

“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” said Khamenei in an official statement a day after the death of Raisi and other officials in the crash in East Azerbaijan province.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has visited the victims of a mosque attack in the Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

Obi, who posted the pictures of the victims lying in the hospital beds with various degrees of injuries, made this known on his verified X handle on Monday.

He wrote, “Yesterday, Sunday the 19th, as a follow-up to my earlier condolence message regarding those who lost their lives in the horrific and devastating terror attack on May 16, 2024, in the Gezawa local government area of Kano State during the morning prayer session.

“I visited Murtala Mohammed Hospital in Kano to sympathize with those injured and receiving treatment at the hospital. The visit was to physically show solidarity with the wounded, offer support, and wish them a speedy recovery, as well as to thank and encourage the management of the hospital.

“And most importantly, it was to send a message to the victims that we stand together in condemnation of any senseless act of violence and killing in our country.

“Once again, I sincerely send my condolences to the Government of Kano State, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, and the people of Kano over this very sad incident. I extend my thoughts and prayers, especially to the families of the victims,” he wrote.

The former Anambra State governor further urged for peace, tolerance, and understanding in the country while praying that Allah would forgive the sins of the deceased.

The PUNCH reports that the Kano State Police Command on Friday confirmed the death of 15 persons in the mosque attack in Gadan village in Gezawa Local Government Area of the state.

A man on Wednesday allegedly sprayed the mosque with petrol, locked its doors, and set it on fire, trapping worshippers.

The state Commissioner of Police, Usaini Gumel, told the News Agency of Nigeria in a telephone interview that so far, 15 out of the 24 victims of the incident died.

Initial reports said one worshipper had died from the attack but the death toll later rose after more victims died while receiving treatment at the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano.

A former Minister of Labour and Productivity under the Interim National Government of Chief Enerst Sonekan, Prince Ajibola Afonja, is dead.

Our correspondent learnt that the former Chairman of First Bank and native of Oyo town, Oyo State, died on Sunday night at the University College Hospital, UCH, in Ibadan, at 82.

He was said to have sustained injuries from a lone accident he was involved in at Ilora, a few kilometres from his country home.

He was thereafter rushed to UCH in Ibadan where he eventually died.

The deceased was at a time the senatorial candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, in Oyo Central Senatorial District.

Chairman of Oyo Global Forum, OGF, Taiwo Adebayo confirmed the death of the deceased on Monday.

He described the deceased as a community leader and industrialist par excellence.

“On this dark day in Oyo, we mourn the loss of Prince Ajibola Afonja, former Labour Minister and Chairman of First Bank Nigeria, who passed away on Sunday night, aged 82. Although a national figure with tremendous influence, he was particularly light for the Oyo community where he made pioneering efforts as an industrialist. His legacy of generosity and open-heartedness touched countless lives, and his presence will be profoundly missed.

Until his last month, Daddy IDS, as he was affectionately known, as a reference to his manufacturing company, remained hardworking, dedicated to realizing one of the most transformative business visions for the country’s economy. It was the E-Customs project.

“His absence leaves a void that will be difficult to fill, but his spirit of generosity and leadership will continue to inspire us. For all of us that he inspired, we shall honor his memory by carrying forward the values he embodied and continuing his legacy of service and compassion, the values that guide OGF, which he supported during his lifetime.

“We extend our deepest condolences to his family, the entire Oyo community, and friends and associates throughout the world during this time of mourning,” Adebayo said.

The people of Taraba State were thrown into mourning on Sunday following a fatal motor accident that claimed the lives of six members of the state chapter of the Women Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria, WOWICAN.

The accident, DAILY POST learnt, occurred on Sunday while they were on their way to Jalingo, the state capital, from Gembu, the administrative headquarters of Sardauna Local Government Council.

The victims were travelling in an 18-seat bus after attending a conference that ended on Saturday in Gembu.

Mourners who spoke with DAILY POST described the incident as a black Sunday, not only to the Christian community but to the people of the state at large.

Describing the news as heartbreaking and devastating, Governor Agbu Kefas, who swiftly condoled with the families of the victims, noted that it was a black Sunday for the state.

The governor further stated that the circumstances of their deaths are regrettably tragic, as they were returning from the women’s CAN Conference, which ended in Gembu on Saturday.

While praying for the repose of their souls, the governor pledged his administration’s continuous commitment to safer roads, especially within areas that posed great threats to life. He said he has already directed that local government chairmen maintain existing roads with proper traffic controls, signage, and basic repairs.

His administration, he promised, would work hard to minimise the sad occurrences of road mishaps occasioned by bad roads in the state.