Police confirm man’s death at beer parlour in Lagos

The Police Command in Lagos State has confirmed the sudden death of a man, who came to watch television at a beer parlour in the state.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

Hundeyin said that the owner of the beer parlour, whose name was not mentioned, reported the case to Elere Police Division on Wednesday at about 7.00 pm.

He said that the report revealed that a customer (now deceased), whose name and address were yet unknown, in his 50s, came to the beer parlour located along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway at about 6.15 pm.

The image maker said the bar owner said the customer walked into the open bar to sit and watch television like any other customers, while some were drinking.

“He was later observed to be sleeping on the chair and there was an attempt to wake him up, but they discovered that he was lifeless.

“The scene was visited by detectives of the division and the body was seen lifeless on the chair without any mark of violence.

“The body has been removed to Mainland General Hospital Mortuary Yaba, Lagos for autopsy. Efforts to trace his family is in progress,” he said.

Table tennis star, Bello, qualifies for Paris Olympics

Nigeria’s table tennis star, Fatima Bello, has qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics holding in France.

Ms Bello joined the duo of Edem Offiong and Olajide Omotayo, who both qualified for the Games on Friday at the African Olympic qualifying event in Kigali.

Ms Bello, who secured a maiden ticket to the Games, fought hard to defeat Algeria’s Lynda Loughrabi 4-2 in the women’s final of the tournament on Saturday.

Usyk beats Fury to become undisputed champion

Tyson Fury suffered a split-decision points defeat on a dramatic night in Saudi Arabia as Oleksandr Usyk became boxing’s first four-belt undisputed heavyweight champion.

On a grand stage and on a legacy-defining night, Briton Fury began well but was given a standing 10 count and saved by the bell after an Usyk onslaught in the ninth round.

In a tense wait for the scorecards to be read out, Fury appeared convinced of victory before a stony-faced Usyk broke down in tears when he was confirmed as the winner.

The scorecards read 115-112 and 114-113 for the Ukrainian, with a third judge scoring it 114-113 to Fury.

It meant Fury, 35, lost for the first time in a 16-year professional career. He will get an immediate opportunity for revenge with a rematch planned for later this year.

“I believe he won a few of the rounds, but I won the majority,” a defiant Fury said in the ring.

“His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war. Make no mistake, I won that fight in my opinion.”

He added: “It was one of the daftest decisions in boxing. I’ll be back.”

Usyk takes the WBC belt from Fury, to add to his WBA, WBO and IBF collection.

The 37-year-old remains unbeaten and is the first boxer in almost 25 years to stand tall as the sport’s sole heavyweight world champion.

“Thank you so much to my team. It’s a big opportunity for my family, for me, for my country. It’s a great time, it’s a great day,” Usyk said.

“I am ready for a rematch.”

Two arrested after cannabis worth £2.1m seized in Tyrone

Two men have been arrested following the discovery of cannabis with a street value of £2.1m in County Tyrone.

Officers searched properties in the Cookstown and Coalisland areas on Saturday morning where they seized a significant quantity of the drug along with two vehicles and a number of other items.

The two men, who are 37 and 48, have been arrested on suspicion of involved in the supply of drugs.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokesman said: “This operation has dealt a significant blow to the supply and distribution of drugs in our communities.

“No drugs are safe and we remain committed to tackling the scourge of illegal substances.

” We continue to target activity that harms our communities by removing dangerous drugs from our streets and disrupting criminal activity.”

Meanwhile, an estimated €1m (£857,000) worth of suspected cannabis was seized by gardaí (Irish police) in County Meath.

It was recovered at a warehouse in Ashbourne on Thursday.

Gardaí were assisted by the Irish Revenue Customs Service in the operation.

The suspected cannabis was discovered in vacuum-packed bags and will be analysed by Forensic Science Ireland.

There have been no arrests at this stage; gardaí say investigations are ongoing.

Three Chibok girls graduates from AUN

Three abducted Chibok girls who escaped from Boko Haram captivity and enrolled at the American University of Nigeria, AUN, were among 189 students who officially graduated with first degrees on Saturday.

DAILY POST reports that of the hundreds of girls who were abducted from Chibok in 2014, while a great number remain in captivity, many have been lucky to escape and lead better lives.

In his remark during the 15th Commencement (Convocation) ceremony of the university at its main campus in Yola on Saturday, the President (vice chancellor) of the University, Dwayne Frazier, charged the graduates to uphold the tenets of the institution.

He reminded them that the university prepares students to face their new challenges.

“I have no doubt that you will excel because you have all shown resilience, determination, and commitment. These qualities will propagate you for the best even as you contribute to the development of the country,” Frazier told them.

In his message, the guest speaker, Professor Mike Ozekhome, asserted that the institution has proven that it can impact the world positively.

“With the entrepreneurship lectures and training you have received here at AUN, you can create jobs for yourselves,” he charged the students.

Eight students were awarded PhD, 10 students with MSc, and 189 students awarded first degrees.

Ozekhome was honoured with a Doctor of Letters degree for promoting peace, human rights, the rule of law, and good governance in Nigeria.

Adamawa police arrest stepmother for inflicting burns on children

The Adamawa State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old stepmother, Rachel Geoffrey, for allegedly inflicting severe burns on her 7-year-old and 3-year-old stepchildren.

This was made known in a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje on X.com on Saturday.

According to the police statement, the stepmother intentionally set fire to the children’s hands as punishment for eating food she had saved for their father.

“On 15/5/2024 the Command arrested a 23-year-old Rachel Geoffrey a resident of Federal Housing estate, Girei local government area who on 14/5/2024 intentionally inflicted severe physical injuries on her 7 and 3 years stepchildren.

“The Victims Genesis Geoffrey 7 years and Ijadai Geoffrey 3 years faced several calculated acts of cruelty and Human rights violations from their stepmother after the separation of their mother from their father.

“Most worrisome is the recent incident in which she cooked Rice and kept it for her Husband who happened to be the father of the victims and then went out, the hungry kids took and ate their father’s food.

“That angered her, she then tied their hands with a handkerchief making them powerless and set fire to their hands resulting in the severe injuries they sustained.”

Police deploy officers as soldiers, traders clash in Abuja market

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has deployed intelligence officers to Banex – an electronics and telecommunications gadgets market, in Abuja following a conflict that ensued between soldiers and some traders on Saturday.

A viral video seen on X on Saturday showed a multitude of civilians overpowering some soldiers during a free-for-all fight at Banex.

The Defence Headquarters, and the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu could not be reached for comments as of press time.

Meanwhile, a trader who simply identified himself as Abdul, told our correspondent on Saturday that the conflict ensued over the sale of a mobile phone.

“There’s a problem at Banex now. Some soldiers came to complain about a phone, and during an argument with the traders, a fight ensued,” Abdul simply revealed.

When contacted over the development, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh said the Commissioner of Police, Benett Igweh has deployed officers of the FCT Intelligence Response Team to the scene of the incident.

“The CP has deployed the Intelligence Response Team to the scene,” Adeh confirmed.

First batch of 423 Lagos pilgrims depart for Saudi Arabia

The first batch of 423 intending pilgrims from Lagos State embarked on their journey to Saudi Arabia on Friday for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage.

The pilgrims were bid farewell at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos by the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, Jalal Arabi, along with other officials.

In his address to the pilgrims, Arabi emphasised the rare opportunity they have been granted.

“For you to be called to perform Hajj, you must be extraordinarily lucky.

“Allah has given you the opportunity. It may be your last opportunity, to some it may be the beginning. So what do you do when you have the last opportunity? It is to utilize it so well,” he said.

Arabi implored the pilgrims to make Nigeria proud by abiding by the laws of Saudi Arabia. “Do the dos and don’t do the don’ts. If you stay on that path, you have no cause to worry,” he advised.

Encouraging a harmonious relationship with the officials, Arabi appealed, “Don’t fight or quarrel with the officials. When there are issues, such must be settled amicably without rancour because we are all human.”

Before their departure, Arabi wished the pilgrims a safe journey and urged them to pray for the country and its leaders, especially President Bola Tinubu, whose intervention made the 2024 Hajj exercise possible for Nigerians.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Olanrewaju Layode, expressed appreciation on behalf of the intending pilgrims for Arabi’s show of love and his admonitions.

Truck rams into BRT on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway

A truck has rammed into a Lagos State BRT bus at Ibafo bus-stop along the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

It was gathered that the accident occurred around some minutes to 6am on Saturday.

Officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps and Police on response call at the accident scene insisted that only their Public Relations Officers were authorised to speak.

However, unconfirmed reports from onlookers noted that several people on the BRT bus were injured.

Onlookers accounts noted that the BRT was parked loading its passengers at the bus stop before the truck loaded with cows heading to Lagos rammed into it, taking it off the road to destroy shops and kiosks by the roadside.

The cow truck had been towed a little away from the scene so as not to hinder traffic.

UK expresses support for Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, has said the United Kingdom was impressed by the security strategies President Tinubu has put in place.

Montgomery also reiterated the UK government’s support for the Nigerian government in terms of security, transparency and accountability in governance.

Montgomery stated this during a High-level Dialogue on Delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda on the theme, “Nigeria’s Global Ambitions: From Hope to Reality,” in Abuja on Friday.

He applauded Tinubu’s agenda, saying it focused on priorities and delivery.

“I’d like to use this opportunity to express the whole lot of support of my government to the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu.

“We commend his agenda for its focus on priorities and delivery. We acknowledge that you have done a lot to put in place transparency and accountability,” he stated.

Also, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite stated that the gathering, initiated by the Office of the Vice President, was evidence of the role of the international corporation in delivering the remarkable goals of the President’s laudable Renewed Hope Agenda.

On his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, praised the stakeholders’ efforts led by Vice President Shettima for convening the high-level forum to mark the first anniversary of the Tinubu Administration.

Idris said the gathering was both to reflect on the last year and look ahead to the next three years.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, said Tinubu’s one year in office had been successful despite being challenging.

Bagudu noted that the Tinubu-led government is an administration that will renew the hope of Nigerians.

He also appreciated Shettima for gracing the occasion, saying, “Not surprisingly, you chose to come in person to show importance, particularly to partners in the diplomatic and development world, that Nigeria appreciates them and that international cooperation is important to us and it is rooted in our constitution, is rooted in our development plans and is rooted in our Renewed hope agenda.”

He added, “Not surprisingly, Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Vice President Kashim Shetiima, over the last year, have engaged globally and locally with institutions that represent development partnership, multilateral institutions, and bilateral institutions, consistent with our development agenda.”

Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, who was represented by Senior Special Assistant to the President on International Cooperation, Dapo Oyewole, reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to long-lasting partnership with the global community.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s foreign policy will continue to accommodate the interests of all Nigerians and ensure mutual and beneficial partnerships with all nations,” Oyewole said.

Speaking further, he added that Nigeria will continue to work to unlock all hidden economic treasures in the country.

In his remarks, the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Dr Olasupo Olusi, said the event marked a critical reflection point for all who have explored optimally to harness international corporations in achieving the noble goals of Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He stated that the Bank of Industry has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of strategic partnership in driving economic growth and fostering inclusive development under the Tinubu administration.

US issues security alert over potential terrorist attacks against LGBTQI+ people

The US State Department has issued a worldwide security alert due to the potential for terrorist attacks against LGBTQI+ people and events.

CNN reports that the security alert on Friday comes two weeks before Pride Month begins on June 1.

The department warned US citizens to stay alert in locations that tourists often visit “including Pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons.”

“Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution.

”The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution,” the alert read.

CNN said the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, earlier this week, issued a warning that foreign terrorist organizations and their supporters may target LGBTQ+ events and venues as Pride Month approaches.

The report also said the police in Austria successfully foiled a plot to attack Vienna’s annual Pride Parade, arresting three suspects linked to Islamic extremism.

I once struggled with p*rn*graphy – Bishop Oyedepo’s son, Isaac

Son of Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church, Isaac, has confessed to struggling with prngraphy at a point in his life.

Isaac disclosed that he got indulged in Prngraphy during a trip to an European country.

Featuring on a podcast “Confession Box,” Isaac said he overcame through the help of God.

According to Isaac: “My confessions are good ones that will help people. I struggled with prngraphy before.

“I remembered how it started, we travelled to one country and I was meant to be in the room alone, I switched on the TV and that’s it.

“But God brought me out of it very quickly. A lot of people still struggle with it and I think of somebody who had struggled with it and had walked up to me and told me how to come out, I would have come out quickly.

“I think people feel there are things we shouldn’t talk about, but today there are some pastors and church members still struggling with it.

“You may be anointed, seeing signs and wonders but it does not mean you are standing right.

“There is this old saying that if it’s working it means you are standing right but I found out that it’s not always the case. There are times I found out I wasn’t right, but grace and mercy found me.

“For the sake of someone who is genuine in the congregation, God can bypass you to meet the person; this is my confession.”

Texas pardons US soldier who shot Black Lives Matter protester

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has pardoned a man convicted of killing a Black Lives Matter protester in 2020.

Daniel Perry, an ex-US Army sergeant, was moonlighting as an Uber driver in Austin when he turned on to a street where demonstrators were marching.

Garrett Foster, one of the protesters, approached the vehicle carrying a rifle. Perry shot him dead.

Perry said he acted in self-defence, but he was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Foster, 28, a former US Air Force mechanic, was openly carrying an AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle – something that is legal under Texas law – at the time of the confrontation on 25 July 2020. He was white, as is Perry.

Perry, now 37, had no passenger in his taxi and said some of the demonstrators, who had gathered in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, began banging on his car. The protesters said they feared the vehicle might ram them.

During the trial, Perry’s lawyers argued that Foster raised his rifle, a claim that some witnesses disputed. Perry lowered his window and shot Foster five times with a .357 revolver before driving off. He called 911 shortly afterwards.

The case became a rallying point for conservatives and Governor Abbott previously said he would pardon Perry as soon as he received an official request. Perry was convicted of murder in April 2023.

In announcing the pardon on Thursday, the Republican governor said that the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had conducted an “exhaustive review” of the case and Perry’s personal history.

“Texas has one of the strongest ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws of self-defence that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney,” Governor Abbott said in a statement, referring to Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza, a Democrat.

“Stand your ground” laws generally permit an individual to use force, including deadly, against someone if they believe that person is about to commit murder or other serious crimes.

In a statement Mr Garza said: “The Board and the Governor have put their politics over justice and made a mockery of our legal system. They should be ashamed of themselves.”

According to court documents, Perry began searching for the locations of Black Lives Matter protests weeks before the shooting and messaged friends on social media, comparing protesters to “a bunch of monkeys flinging [expletive] at a zoo”.

In May 2020, shortly after Floyd’s death, he sent a text message saying: “I might go to Dallas to shoot looters.”

He also sent messages about “hunting Muslims” and about killing a daughter if she had a crush on “a little negro boy”.

US confirms first aid trucks arrive via Gaza pier

The US military has confirmed that the first aid shipment via a temporary pier off Gaza has gone ashore.

US Central Command confirmed in a post on X that the aid trucks began moving ashore at about 0900 local time (0700 BST).

“This is an ongoing, multinational effort to deliver additional aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza via a maritime corridor that is entirely humanitarian in nature,” the post read, adding that no US troops went ashore.

The US began building the floating base weeks ago to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza as Israel continues its military campaign against Hamas.

On Wednesday, it was reported that hundreds of tonnes of aid had arrived in Cyprus, where screening takes place before being loaded on to ships for delivery to the pier.

Vice Adm Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command, said commercial ships would collect pallets from Cyprus and deliver them to a floating platform anchored several kilometres off the coast of Gaza.

Smaller US military vessels, capable of carrying between five and 15 lorries of aid, will then transport it to a floating pier, several hundred metres long, fixed to the beach in Gaza.

Lorries will travel along the pier before dropping off the aid at a marshalling yard on the beach.

Authorities said that the UN, primarily the World Food Programme, will be responsible for the onward distribution of aid.

Four dead after powerful storms slam Houston, Texas CV,

Thunderstorms have killed four people and knocked out power to nearly a million homes and businesses in south-east Texas.

“We have a storm with 100 mph winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike, considerable damage downtown,” said the mayor of Houston, John Whitmire.

Two deaths came from fallen trees and one from a crane blown over.

The storm has now moved on to neighbouring Louisiana with flood warnings in place for the Gulf Coast.

In Houston, traffic lights were out, office windows blown through and glass strewn across the city’s streets.

Residents were warned to stay inside by the mayor, speaking on Thursday evening.

“Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow, unless you’re an essential worker.

“Stay home, take care of your children. Our first responders will be working around the clock.”

Flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple counties heading into the evening, according to Houston’s National Weather Service office.

The city was working through a backlog of emergency calls, most of them about gas leaks and downed wires, the city’s fire chief said.

Nearly one million customers were without power in Texas as of late Thursday night, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.

The vast majority of outages are in Harris County, which contains Houston and is home to more than 4.7 million people.

In Louisiana there are 215,000 households without power.

More than 30 million people are at risk of severe weather on Friday across parts of the Gulf Coast.

Last month, another deadly storm swept through the city when tornado Katy killed one and injured 10.

Owner arrested after India billboard collapse kills 16

Indian police have arrested the owner of a huge billboard that collapsed on a petrol station and killed 16 people in the financial capital Mumbai, media reports said.

Another 75 people were rescued from underneath the wreckage of Monday’s accident when the giant hoarding fell during fierce rain and dust storms that buffeted the coastal megacity.

Police opened a culpable homicide case against the billboard’s owner Bhavesh Bhinde who fled Mumbai in the aftermath of the collapse.

He was arrested late Thursday in the tourist city of Udaipur, around 800 kilometres (497 miles) to the north, police joint commissioner Lakhmi Gautam told The Indian Express.

“Bhinde has been nabbed from Udaipur where he was staying in a hotel under the name of his relative,” Gautam told the newspaper.

“Our teams had been trying to track him down and eventually found him on Thursday evening.”

Police could not be reached for comment by AFP on Friday.

The storm that hit Mumbai on Monday uprooted trees, caused brief power outages in various neighbourhoods around the city and disrupted the city’s train network.

Mumbai’s international airport also temporarily grounded flights with at least 15 planes diverted.

Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra state, earlier this week ordered an audit of all billboards in Mumbai to prevent any repeat of the accident elsewhere.

NCC warns Nigerians against use of pre-registered SIM cards

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has issued a stern warning to Nigerians on the dangers of purchasing pre-registered SIM cards.

The Commission emphasized that this practice was illegal and could lead to severe consequences, including imprisonment.

The NCC highlighted that individuals using such SIM cards might inadvertently become implicated in crimes such as identity theft, financial fraud, kidnapping, and armed robbery.

Moreover, the NCC pointed out that the use of pre-registered SIM cards compromises the accuracy of consumer information and hampers efforts to track criminals effectively.

By using such SIM cards, the reliability of data collected on consumers was undermined, making it challenging for authorities to identify and apprehend the actual perpetrators of crimes.

The NCC’s message aimed to educate the public on the risks associated with pre-registered SIM cards and encourage compliance with legal guidelines to enhance national security.

FRSC confirms seven dead bodies in Ibadan-Iseyin road crash

Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has confirmed the death of seven persons in a road accident that occurred on Ibadan-Iseyin road on Thursday evening.

The Public Relations Officer, FRSC, Oyo Sector Command, Mr Mayowa Odewo, said the deceased were five male adults, one female adult and one female child.

Odewo said that 15 people also sustained varying degrees of injuries out of the 22 people involved in the crash.

He attributed the accident, involving a Nissan Urvan commercial bus, with registration number: SEY 254 ZY and a Mazda commercial bus, with registration number LGB 343 XA, to speed violations and fatigue.

Odewo stated that the 13 injured victims, including three male adults, nine female adults and one female child, had been taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

He said that four of the seven corpses of the victims had been claimed by their families, while the remaining three had been deposited at a morgue.

“The police from Motor Traffic Division, MTD Police Division, Moniya, Ibadan, have taken possession of the two crashed vehicles, including bags and other valuables recovered from the victims,” he said.

He urged motorists to always obey traffic rules and regulations as well as adhere to all traffic cautions on the road to prevent avoidable crashes, NAN reports.

National museums digitalise Nigerian heritage sites to preserve monuments

The National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Lagos office unveiled digitalised documentaries of Nigerian heritage sites on Thursday.

NCMM, Institut Français de Recherche en Afrique, and the Centre for Democracy and Development unanimously carried out the project.

Speaking during the unveiling at the National Museum, Onikan, Babrabra Morovich, Director of INFRA-Nigeria, said the digitalised heritage sites encompass monuments and artefacts from Ibadan, Benin, and Ile-Ife.

She said the challenges encountered during the project related to disseminating the research work to all Nigerians, adding that this was the most important aspect of the project.

Ms Morovich said the project’s benefit was directed at the public, who had been provided with a platform for easy understanding of heritage.

Sa’eed Husaini, CDD acting director, said the project’s primary purpose was to preserve potentially endangered materials, disseminate them, and make them accessible. The project had six components, each of which currently had at least one website for the public to access information and archival materials that had been digitised and uploaded.

He said the public could now visit those sites and download their desired materials.

One of those engaged in the project, David Afolayan, CEO of GIS Konsult Ltd., identified emerging problems he encountered while executing the project.

Mr Afolayan said climate change threatened most heritage sites nationwide, citing the town of a thousand gullies in Auchi, Edo, and a series of floods at heritage sites in Ibadan.

He added that the analogue way of record-keeping had become obsolete and inadequate, making him embrace new technologies for the project.

Mr Afolayan said in digitalising the religious architectural heritage of Ibadan and urban archaeology mapping of the pavements of Ile-Ife, he had engaged the Geographic Information System as the best technological platform.

According to him, GIS integrates computer hardware, software, and humanware to collate, process, analyse, and display geographically referenced data to solve complex problems.

He said he had trained no fewer than 100 researchers, students and stakeholders during the project.

Femi Olanrewaju, an Architect, noted that 137 churches, I42 mosques, and 127 shrines had been digitalised, as well as two Egungun festivals, to provide resourceful materials for all. He said this was to encourage the promotion of religious tourism in Nigeria.

Nkechi Adedeji, the curator of the Lagos Museum, harped on the need for heritage conservators to be well-informed in the area of heritage preservation using the GIS. She encouraged them to consistently develop laudable ideas to protect the nation’s heritage resources for future generations.

Adisa Ogunfola of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) advised building a digital interpretation centre for all the urban archaeological heritages of Ile-Ife in partnership with the National Museum, Ile-Ife.

He said the successful medieval Ile-Ife recapturing had ensured future security for all.

11 confirmed dead, 40 wounded after Kano mosque attack

A total of 11 worshippers have been confirmed dead in an attack on a local mosque in Kano state by a suspected arsonist identified as Shafiu Abubakar.

Mr Abubakar, 38, had allegedly sprayed the mosque with petrol after he locked the entrance door and set it on fire.

No less than 40 Muslim worshippers were, who were attending morning prayers were trapped in the process, the BBC reported.

A family dispute over the sharing of inheritance at a local settlement in the Gadan village, the outskirts of Gezwa in Kano, allegedly triggered the attack.

The arson occurred in the early hours of Wednesday.

Locals confirmed that flames engulfed the mosque after the attack, with the worshippers wailing as they struggled to open the locked doors.

Some of the locals initially thought it was a bomb, but rescue teams, including bomb experts deployed to the scene, proved otherwise.

The police confirmed the attack on the mosque, saying Mr Abubakar had been arrested while the injured victims are currently at the intensive care unit of the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital.

Umar Mamman Sanda, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 1 Kano, confirmed the tragic incident during his visit to the hospital.

Mr Sanda, who was joined by a team of security personnel, including the police commissioner in Kano and the director of State Security Services (SSS), described the attack as “very unfortunate.”

“What happened is not associated with any act of terrorism, rather it was a skirmish that arose as a result of inheritance distribution. The suspect is presently with us and is giving out useful information,” he said.

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