Pakistani troops on Friday fired bullets into crowds at a protest that seeks an end to attacks by Islamist militants, killing one demonstrator and dozens wounded, officials and activists said.

Tens of thousands of activists from political parties, rights groups and civil society gathered in the northwestern town of Bannu to protest this week’s attacks by the Pakistani Taliban.

At least 28 people, including 10 soldiers and five civilians, were killed in separate bomb-and-gun attacks in the region on Monday and Tuesday amid a surge in violence.

Carrying white flags that symbolise peace, the protestors chanted slogans against the militants and the army for failing to protect them, activist Taimur Kamal said.

Videos posted on social media and shared with dpa showed protestors running for their lives as gunshots rang out.

Another video showed tens of thousands of people chanting, “We want peace,” and “We don’t accept bombings” as the protestors marched in the chaotic town.

One dead body and at least 25 people with gunshot wounds were brought to the local hospital, local police officer Mumtaz Khan told dpa.

‘‘The army opened fire directly at peaceful protestors holding white flags seeking peace. This is shameful,’’ said Mushtaq Ahmed, a former senator and activist of an Islamic political party.

Protests led by rights groups whose leaders accuse the Pakistani military of being soft on the Islamist militants are common in the volatile north-west of Pakistan.

The violence by the Pakistani Taliban, a group different from its Afghan counterpart, has surged since Kabul fell to the Islamist militia.

The group has killed more than 80,000 Pakistani civilians and security forces in decades of violence.

The management of the University of Ilorin has confirmed the death of one person in a lone accident that occurred on the campus on Thursday.

The lone accident involved a commercial bus carrying ten passengers and going out of campus.

A statement by the institution’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Kunle Akogun, in Ilorin on Thursday, said: “As soon as it occurred, the University Management immediately commenced rescue operations, and all the victims were moved to the University Health Centre. They were attended to by a team of medical personnel at the University Health Centre.

“One of them needed advanced treatment and was referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) after he was stabilised.

“Four had minor injuries; they were treated and discharged.

Five victims, consisting of two males, two females and the driver, are currently being treated at the University Health Centre.

“Unfortunately, one of the victims was brought in dead; the body has been transferred to the morgue, and the university management is making efforts to contact the next of kin.

“The management regrets this unfortunate incident, condoles with the family of the deceased, and prays to God to comfort the family while we pray for a quick recovery of the injured victims.”

The Ogun State Community, Social Orientation and Safety Corps, otherwise known as So-Safe, has arrested Ibrahim Ridwan, a 24-year-old scavenger, for robbing and brutally attacking a shepherd of the Celestial Church of Christ in Abeokuta.

The suspect was reported to have chopped off the finger and ear of Tella Orelope, the shepherd of Orelope Parish, Abule Owe, Greenland Community along Randa, Abeokuta North Local Government Area.

News of the arrest was contained in a statement signed and made available to DAILY POST on Thursday by the corps spokesperson, Moruf Yusuf.

According to the statement, Ridwan had sneaked into the church to steal the shepherd’s motorbike, electronic appliances and cables, among others.

The statement reads: “On July 18, 2024, at about 4 am, the Corps received information that the Shepherd was under attack by armed robbers. The Special Squad of the Corps, led by ACC Elijah Ogundimu, was deployed to rescue the victim and apprehend the suspects.

“ Upon arrival, the team found the victim with severe injuries, including a chopped-off finger and ear. The suspect, Ibrahim Ridwan, 24, who resides under a scavenger shed behind Railway Police Station, Lafenwa, Abeokuta, was apprehended at the scene.

“Ridwan confessed that his mission was to loot the church, [stealing] the Shepherd’s motorbike, electronic appliances, cables, etc. He also admitted to attacking the shepherd’s wife, who heard the noise and tried to escape.”

Items recovered from the suspect include a cutlass, scissors, and pliers.

Yusuf stated that the suspect and the exhibits have been transferred to the Nigeria Police Force, Sabo Ilupeju Divisional Headquarters for further investigation and likely prosecution.

Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission, HYPPADEC, Abubakar Yelwa, has advocated a legislation that will criminalize non-wearing of life jackets by boat passengers.

He made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting on the agency’s Youth Transformation Programme (YTP) in Ilorin on Thursday.

Abubakar urged Houses of Assembly in its catchment areas to enact the laws to help mitigate the death rate from boat mishaps in riverine communities.

Speaking through the Director of Community and Rural Development, Dr Mahmud Muhammed, the HYPPADEC boss recalled how a riverine community lost 130 persons to a single boat mishap.

He disclosed that the agency had trained over 5,000 youths in its YTP scheme, noting that the 800 youths that benefited from the scheme in Kwara State would soon get starter packs to commence their own businesses and possibly employ others.

According to him, the starter packs that would be distributed to the beneficiaries who were trained in 15 vocations which include tailoring and fish farming cost over N255m.

Abubakar pleaded with the beneficiaries not to sell the starter packs, but put them to judicious use.

Former Speaker of US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi has joined the push for President Joe Biden to bow out of the presidential race.

The former speaker has reportedly told her Democratic colleagues that the President could be convinced to leave the race soon.

According to the Washington Post, the former speaker has assumed a prominent role in passing messages from House Democrats to the White House.

She is relaying concerns the incumbent President is incapable of beating his opponent from the Republican Party, Donald Trump in November.

The lawmaker thinks Biden is close to making a decision to end his campaign.

Pelosi, who was one of the key figures that ensured Trump did not return elected in 2016, helping Biden to the White House, is now widely reported as orchestrating the renewed pressure on the President to bow out of his re-election bid.

Biden has insisted he will bear the Democratic Party’s flag in November, but he is said to be asking questions about negative polling data and whether the vice-president, Kamala Harris, considered the favourite to replace him if were to withdraw, would fare better.

The indications of a possible rethink come after the President tested positive for Covid-19 during the week, forcing him to be isolated for several days.

His isolation has curtailed a campaign visit to Nevada that had been part of a drive to show his candidacy was very much alive.

This coincides with fresh polling data showing that Trump now leads by two points in Virginia, a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020.

It shows that President Biden’s support has fallen in swing states since his disastrous showing at last month’s debate in Atlanta.

Presidential candidate of the Republican Party for the 2024 election, Donald Trump has accused the Joe Biden administration of creating the Russia-Ukraine war.

Trump said he will end every single conflict going on around the globe if he returns as the President of the United States of America.

Trump stated this during the GOP convention on Wednesday and is said to be considering first phone call with Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Trump and Zelenskiy have not spoken since the former left the presidency in 2021.

Trump may speak on the phone with Zelenskiy as sources told Reuters that the two sides had talked about having the conversation on Friday.

Speaking at the Republican national convention, Trump said, “I will end every single international crisis that the current administration has created, including the horrible war with Russia and Ukraine, which would have never happened if I was president.”

A group of students under the auspices of Coalition of Concerned Northern Youth and Students, has distanced themselves from the planned nationwide protest against hunger and economic hardship in Nigeria.

The decision, according to the coalition, was conveyed by Comrade Jibrin Sani Bello, Senate President of the National Association of Kano State Students (NAKS), while addressing newsmen in Kano.

According to him, the withdrawal was as a result of concerns over the unknown identity of the protest organisers.

He explained that the preparations for the protest were at an advanced stage, but upon reflection and consultations, Nigerian students should refrain from participating in the national protest due to lack of knowledge about its organisers.

He emphasised that the protests often disrupted academic activities.

Sani stressed, “We recognise the economic hardship facing Nigerians, but we believe that participating in an unknown protest could lead to unintended consequences.”

Instead of protests, he said that the students advocated for the expansion of the National Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to provide scholarships for eligible students pursuing education locally or internationally.

US President Joe Biden has revealed the only situation that could make him drop out of the 2024 presidential election.

Speaking in a new interview, Biden said he would consider dropping out if he was diagnosed with a “medical condition” by doctors, giving the clearest indication yet that he is considering his second term plan.

The 81-year-old president made the remark in a BET interview when asked what it would take to prompt him to reconsider his candidacy.

“If I had some medical condition that emerged, if somebody, if doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” Biden said in an excerpt released Wednesday, July 18.

In the same interview, Biden said that he feels the need to run again rather than serve as a “transitional” leader, as he said in 2020 — because the country is “so divided.”

“I said I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I would be able to move on from this and pass it on to somebody else,” he said.

“But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. And quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings is a little bit of wisdom.”

The White House has thus far insisted that Biden doesn’t need a fresh medical exam following his unsteady, confused debate performance on June 27, which provoked panic from fellow Democrats about his cognitive fitness for another four-year term.

Top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday became the 21st House Democrat to call on Biden to step aside, saying that “it is time for him to pass the torch.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, is widely considered the most likely replacement candidate should Biden drop out before the November 5 election but some Democrats fear she could fare even worse.

The National Agency Food and Drug Administration and Control has refuted claims that nearly all paracetamol sold in Nigeria are underdosed.

Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, had shared a tweet insinuating that a research carried out showed that nearly all the paracetamols being sold are underdosed.

Malaysia’s nearly 100-year-old former prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, has been hospitalised for “continuous coughing”, his aide told AFP Thursday.

“Mahathir is expected to be treated for the next few days,” Sufi Yusoff said, adding he had been admitted on Monday.

A two-time former prime minister, Mahathir turned 99 last week.

He has suffered several heart problems in recent years and underwent bypass surgeries.

He spent nearly three months in hospital earlier this year.

Born on July 10, 1925, Mahathir served as prime minister twice, first taking office as the country’s fourth national leader from 1981 until 2003.

He then served as prime minister for a second time at the age of 92 from 2018 to 2020.

A troubling video has emerged allegedly depicting the Zanu-PF chairman for Mutasa district in Zimbabwe engaged in a v!olent altercation with his wife over $5 intended for his beer.

The video, widely circulated on social media, captures an intense physical confrontation between the chairman, whose identity remains undisclosed, and his spouse, both visibly injured and bleeding from the mouth.

In the background, a woman’s voice pleads for the altercation to cease, but her appeals go unheeded. The video suggests underlying issues beyond the monetary dispute.

Responding to the incident, Farai Marapira, Zanu-PF’s director of information, denounced the actions depicted in the video. He emphasized the ruling party’s stance against violence, echoing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s unwavering policy on the matter.

“What is shown in the video constitutes clear domestic violence. Zanu-PF’s position on all forms of violence is unequivocal and aligns with the repeated statements of His Excellency, President E. D. Mnangagwa. We do not tolerate any form of violence and urge all citizens, including our members, to seek peaceful resolutions to disputes,” Marapira declared.

He assured the public that Zanu-PF would conduct its own investigation into the incident and cooperate fully with law enforcement.

“As a party, we conduct thorough investigations into allegations of misconduct involving our members. Zanu-PF members are held to the highest standards of legal compliance. We unequivocally condemn such behavior and will abide by the findings of police investigations,” Marapira added.

The incident underscores ongoing concerns about domestic violence within Zimbabwean communities and the need for swift and decisive action to address such issues.

United States President, Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19, says the president and CEO of UnidosUS, Janet Murguía.

I was just on the phone with President Biden. And he shared his deep disappointment at not being able to join us this afternoon.

“The president has been at many events as we all know and he just tested positive for Covid,” Murguía told attendees.

CNN reports that Biden was expected to speak at the group’s conference in Las Vegas Wednesday night.

Biden, 81, had been scheduled to take the stage an hour and a half prior.

Edo State Police Command has narrated how a 17-year-old, Arthur Angel Jr. killed his 70-year-old father, Arthur Judah Angel over some money expected from Amnesty International.

DAILY POST reports that the Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, who spoke to newsmen in Benin City, said the suspect had severally threatened to kill his father on the ground that his father was expecting some money from Amnesty International.

Nwabuzor said the suspect who had since been arrested, killed the deceased with a sledge-hammer and buried him in a shallow grave behind his house.

According to him, “on the 15th of July, 2024, at about 09.00 hours, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ugboha division in Edo State received a complaint that one Arthur Angel Jr. (17 years) brought a complaint of a shallow grave discovery at the backyard of the compound where he lived with the deceased.

“Immediately, the DPO mobilized his men and they moved out to the scene. On getting there, they saw a shallow grave and decided to exhume the body.

“When the body was exhumed, they discovered that it was the lifeless body of Arthur Angel, 70, and at a close look, they saw a sharp injury on the back of the deceased head, and the body was taken to Uromi Hospital mortuary.

“The DPO said that preliminary investigation revealed that Arthur Angel Jr. had severally threatened to kill his father on the ground that his father was expecting some money from Amnesty International.

“The suspect had a feeling that the money had been paid to the deceased and decided to use the sledge-hammer to hit him behind the head while he was asleep.”

He said the suspect has been transferred from Ugboha to the homicide section of the Edo State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.

He said the incident happened at Ugboha community in Esan South East Local Government Area of Edo State.

Until his death, Arthur Judah Angel was an anti-death penalty advocate, and a human rights defender, who used his foundation, Life Wire International Foundation, to fight against the death penalty in the country.

He was said to have travelled to over 15 countries to speak out against the death penalty through his art exhibitions and drawings

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the arrest and detention of a police inspector, Aminu Muhammed, for alleged car theft.

Confirming his arrest to newsmen, the spokesperson of the police command, William Ayah, said the accused robbed thresidences of an area around his duty station, the ‘C’ Division in Lokoja, the state capital.

Ayah added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Bertrand Onuoha, has ordered a thorough investigation into the alleged misconduct.

He disclosed that luck ran out on the inspector following the escapades of a notorious gang who specialised in robbing houses of household items and cars in the state.

The stolen car was found in the workshop of the policeman’s panel beater who was already working on changing the car’s colour at Ochadamu in the Ofu Local Government Area of the state.

Those who knew the vehicle and were aware of the robbery incident in the owner’s house on 14th June 2024, quickly raised the alarm upon sighting the car.

The car’s number plate had already been changed to an Abuja number just as a car dealer’s receipt, backdated to 2020, was presented by the officer as his evidence of purchasing it.

His panel beater had primed the car preparatory to changing its colour before the alarm was raised and policemen of the Quick Response Unit (QRU) attached to the Police Area Command, Idah, apprehended him.

Upon reaching the ‘A’ Division in Lokoja, where the QRU took the apprehended panel beater, it was found that the criminals who committed the robbery had already been arrested for committing another crime.

One of the members of the gang of armed robbers, who had also been on the police wanted list for other crimes, confessed to the commission of the robbery, and named the police officer as the mastermind.

He confessed that they were contracted to rob the house of the owner of the car for the sole aim of getting the car for the inspector.

Gunmen kidnapped eight persons including a naval officer in Ibaka community in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

It was gathered that the victims were abducted at the Classic Point Hotel, Ibaka on Monday night, July 15, 2024.

The spokesperson of the State Police Command, Timfon John, who confirmed the incident on Monday evening said the state Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara, led a team of police officers to the community after he was briefed about the development.

“When the police got the information, the Commissioner of Police, CP Waheed Ayilara, led a team of security personnel to the community. I assure you that with that visit by the CP and other strategic approaches, normalcy will return,” she added.

A North Carolina teenager is making aviation history.

Ryan Garner is a 17-year-old pilot. He is also the youngest Black person ever and first African American from Concord to earn his private license out of Goose Creek Airport in North Carolina.

“I actually never wanted to be a pilot at first,” Garner told Channel 9. “I wanted to be a grounds crew member that would bring in the planes or marshal them in. I got talking with a Delta pilot about flight school, and that’s how I got into it.”

The City of Concord recognized Garner’s efforts last week by presenting him with an official proclamation.

The proclamation was presented to Garner by Mayor Dusch.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has issued a warning about the increasing number of yellow fever cases in the country, coinciding with the ongoing cholera outbreak that has affected nearly all states.

This was announced by Jide Idris, the NCDC’s director-general, during a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Idris said that since June, the NCDC has been actively managing a cholera outbreak that has spread across 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), impacting 187 local government areas (LGAs).

According to him, as of July 15, Nigeria has recorded 3,623 suspected cholera cases and 103 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 2.8 per cent.

He said there was a slight decline in reported cases and fatalities in the past week, attributing the improvement to ongoing national and state-level efforts.

The NCDC boss cautioned that the peak of the rainy season, which typically exacerbates cholera outbreaks, was still ahead.

Mr Idris said there were concerns about underreporting due to inadequate resources for surveillance and the political stigma associated with the disease.

He said the agency had also observed a troubling rise in yellow fever cases, particularly with the onset of the rainy season.

“Three presumptive positive cases have been reported, two in Ekiti State and one in Bayelsa, along with one death.

“Yellow fever, a viral hemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes, presents symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, back pain, body aches, and jaundice,” he explained.

Mr Idris highlighted the importance of vaccination as the most effective prevention method against yellow fever, offering lifelong immunity.

He urged the public to ensure that they were vaccinated, use mosquito repellents, wear protective clothing, and eliminate stagnant water to reduce mosquito breeding sites.

According to him, heavy rainfall and flooding significantly impact the spread of waterborne diseases like cholera and yellow fever.

He said the NCDC had provided comprehensive guidelines to mitigate the impact of the diseases.

The director-general advised healthcare workers to use standard safety precautions and report suspected cholera cases promptly.

He urged state governments to prioritise access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities.

A High Court sitting at Asaba, the Delta State capital, has sentenced one Onuwa Ijie to death, and Nwanozie Uzor to 14 years imprisonment for murder and conspiracy to commit the murder of twin boys, Chidalu and Chigozie Agwunobi.

The court presided over by Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro sentenced two convicts over the murder of the seven-year-old boys.

The prosecution conducted by a Deputy Director in the Ministry of Justice, Mrs Paula Akpoguma, in proof of the case called five witnesses.

The court held that the testimony of the five witnesses proved the case against the two defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

The prosecution stated that tragedy struck the family of Olise Agwunobi of Oko-Ogbele Community on March 5, 2020, when their seven-year-old twin boys were lured by the defendants to a bush and they proceeded to cut off their penis, eyes, tongues and hands which they hurriedly took to a native doctor at Aguleri in Anambra State.

“One of the defendants had earlier gone to the school of the twin children to take them but was turned down by the school teacher, one Mrs Emelda Ezekwude,” she said.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Marshal-Umukoro stated that after carefully evaluating the evidence presented before him, the prosecution had discharged the burden of proof as the first defendant from his confessional statement was the person who sowed the seed of committing human rituals in the mind of the second defendant by giving the phone number of one Chukwudi Edemuzor who was alleged to be searching for twins to kill for money.

The court maintained that the law is settled that the testimony of an investigating police officer was not hearsay evidence, and the court can rely on it.

Speaking with journalists after the judgment on Tuesday, the prosecuting counsel, Akpoguma thanked the court for upholding the cause of justice, “reaffirming that the judicial system works.”

A Federal High Court Sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos State, on Tuesday, dismissed a suit filed by human rights lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobho, challenging the Arabic inscription on the Nigeria notes.

Justice Yellim Bogoro, while delivering judgment in the suit, relying on the case of Chief Gani Fawehimi V . Akilu (1998) 2NWLR (Part 102 ), 122 at 169, held that although the plaintiff has the locus standi to institute the action, he failed to prove how the first defendant’s (Central Bank of Nigeria) design, issue, print and distribution of the naira notes with Arabic inscriptions is done in bad faith.

The court held that Nigeria is a secular state, and no religion is superior to the other.

The court further held that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and religious country, and no ethnic group or religion is superior to the other.

In a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Omirhobo stated that the court, however, noted that Nigeria is a secular state and that no religion is superior to the other.

According to him, the court stated that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and religious country and that no ethnic group or religion is superior to the other.

He said, “The court noted that Arabic language is not Nigeria’s official language and advised that for Nigerians to coexist in harmony, it is high time for the Central Bank of Nigeria and Federal Government to remove the Arabic inscription on the N200, N500 and N1000 naira notes since it has been removed from the N5, N10, N50 and N100.”

Earlier, Prof. Ishaq Akintola-led Muslim Rights Concern had asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to dismiss the suit.

MURIC and Akintola filed a counter-affidavit to the suit after the court granted their permission to be listed as defendants alongside the CBN, the Federal Government, the President and the Attorney General of the Federation, who were the original defendants in the suit.

Omirhobo, who filed the suit before Justice Mohammed Liman, contended that having Arabic inscriptions on the naira notes portrays Nigeria as an Islamic state, contrary to the country’s constitutional status of a secular state.

Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force have arrested a crypto billionaire, Linus Williams, popularly known as BLord.

Blord was arrested in Abuja on Tuesday following allegations of cryptocurrency fraud, terrorism funding, and aiding internet fraud among others against his companies.

Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, the Force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was arrested due to complaints against his companies.

He promised that the police would thoroughly investigate the matter.

Adejobi said, “Yes, we have him with us. The FCID (NPF-NCCC) is currently investigating complaints lodged against Blord Group, Blord Real Estate Ltd, Blord Jetpaye Limited, and Billpoint Technology.

“These offences include allegations of cryptocurrency fraud, aiding internet fraud, computer-related fraud, terrorism funding, and non-compliance with regulatory frameworks.

“We will do due diligence in our investigation. Our cyberspace must be safe and secure by all means. We are committed to achieving that.”

He denied that the petition that led to Blord’s arrest was following a petition from, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan.