The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has accused youths of Okuama community in Delta State of removing vital body parts of the 17 slain soldiers.

Lagbaja disclosed that the 17 soldiers killed in Okuama community in Delta State were part of the finest men of the Nigerian Army.

The Army chief said their body parts were dismembered and scattered all over Okuama community.

Speaking during the burial of the slain 17 soldiers at the Military Cemetery in Abuja on Wednesday, Lagbaja said: “As a profession that deals with life and death, when soldiers die in the hands of the enemies of the state, we take it as dying for what the nation considers as a just cause, but when they are gruesomely murdered by the very people they are trained to protect, it is highly demoralizing.

“It’s no longer news that 17 of the Nigerian Army’s finest men were murdered in Okuama while on a legitimate peacekeeping mission.

“It grieves my heart that it took our search and recovery effort over 72 hours to recover some vital organs, the decapitated and disembowelled bodies of my men that were scattered all over the Okuama community by the youths.

“I consider it the most barbaric attack any citizen or community can commit against the state, and I must place on record that a lot of restraint has been exercised in our recovery effort for missing arms, ammunition, other equipment and body parts.

“The Nigerian Army will not be deterred by setbacks such as that of Okuama community.

“The Nigerian Army in conjunction with sister security agencies, is committed to bringing the perpetrators to book and recover all arms taken from the murdered troops.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has recovered N7.8 million as part of stolen funds from the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited, BIPC.

This was disclosed by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BIPC, Dr. Raymond Asemakaha Jr. on Tuesday in his office in Makurdi.

Asemakaha said the draft cheque of the money has been handed over to BIPC, adding that more recoveries were underway.

He said the recovery of funds for the Benue Investment and Property Company was a positive step in strengthening the integrity of the agency and promoting a culture of accountability under the leadership of His Excellency Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia.

He lauded the EFCC for their proactive action, which is a sign of their effectiveness in combating fraudulent activities of corrupt officials.

Asemakaha commended the anti-graft agency for their professionalism and commitment to upholding justice and combating financial crime.

“This successful recovery underscores the importance of robust investigative procedures and the commitment to upholding integrity in financial transactions,” he stated.

Gaza’s Hamas-run government media office says 18 Palestinians have been killed while trying to collect desperately-needed aid that was airdropped over northern Gaza.

Twelve people drowned when they went into the sea to retrieve food packages, the other six were trampled to death in “stampedes” when other aid packages landed on the ground, a statement said.

It calls for “an immediate end” to airdrops, calling them “offensive, wrong, inappropriate and useless”.

Video, obtained by Reuters, has emerged of Palestinians rushing to the coast after aid was dropped at a beach near the northern town of Beit Lahia on Monday.

It shows people running as dozens of aid packages attached to parachutes float down near the coast.

Israel – which is under pressure to allow more aid into Gaza via land – says it facilitated airdrops of 159 one-tonne packages of aid over northern Gaza on Monday.

The US says two C-17 aircraft dropped 46,000 “meals ready to eat” (MREs) over the north on Monday, while the UK says one of its A400M aircraft dropped 10 tonnes of water, rice, cooking oil, flour, tinned goods and baby formula.

Humanitarian organisations have warned that airdrops cannot meet the soaring need for food and the strategy has sparked considerable discussion.

Georgia created history by reaching their first major tournament with a penalty shootout win over Greece in their Euro 2024 play-off.

Home substitute Nika Kvekveskiri scored the winning penalty, squeezing his effort past the outstretched arm of Greece keeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

The 4-2 shootout success, which came after a tight and tense goalless draw, sparked joyous scenes in Tbilisi.

Georgian supporters ran on to the pitch to congratulate their players, having seen the national side – which played its first match in 1990 when still part of the Soviet Union – qualify for a major tournament at the 15th attempt.

Fans climbed on the crossbar of one of the goals and kneeled on the pitch in celebration.

Georgia will join Turkey, Portugal and the Czech Republic in Group F at this summer’s finals.

A cagey match, which saw only one shot on target in normal time, eventually burst into life in the extra period.

Greece defender Konstantinos Mavropanos hit the home bar with a powerful header from a corner, but a sloppy pass from the West Ham player seconds later let Georgia in.

Georges Mikautadze raced through before being forced out wide, but his cutback found Zuriko Davitashvili, whose low shot was well saved by visiting keeper Vlachodimos.

Penalties were needed to separate the teams and Lech Poznan midfielder Kvekveskiri, 31, converted the decisive one after Greece’s Giorgos Giakoumakis put his spot-kick wide.

The Euro 2024 finals will begin on Friday, 14 June at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

The tournament concludes on Sunday, 14 July, with the final at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

Victoria Azarenka continued her bid for a fourth Miami Open title with victory over Yulia Putintseva to set up a semi-final encounter with Elena Rybakina.

The Belarusian 27th seed, who won her last title at Miami Gardens in 2016, needed almost three hours to claim a 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-3 win against Putintseva.

There was a 45-minute stoppage in the opening set due to a power outage.

Meanwhile, world number four Rybakina beat Greek eighth seed Maria Sakkari 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-4.

Rybakina, who is the highest ranked women’s player remaining in the tournament, lost in last year’s final to the Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova.

The Kazakh had two match points in the second set on Tuesday but Sakkari fought back and won the tiebreaker to force a decider.

A single break of serve in the third set was enough for Rybakina to wrap up the victory after a gruelling two hours and 48 minutes.

“I have no words because I’m so tired but I’m really happy with the win,” Rybakina, 24, said.

After the power outage to electronic line-calling system caused the delay in Azarenka’s match, the , 34-year-old saved three set points before clinching the first-set tiebreak against Putintseva.

The unseeded Kazakh dominated the second set, but dropped serve twice in the third to allow Azarenka, who defeated Britain’s Katie Boulter in the fourth round, to reach a first semi-final in Miami since 2018.

On the other side of the draw, American fifth seed Jessica Pegula will face Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova for a place in the last four, while Caroline Garcia of France takes on American Danielle Collins.

The Australian government has watered down its proposed vehicle emission standards amid pressure from car manufacturers.

On Tuesday, Chris Bowen, the minister for energy and climate change, and Catherine King, transport minister, announced changes to fuel efficiency legislation to be introduced to parliament on Wednesday.

It came one month after Mr Bowen unveiled the government’s proposal for Australia’s first New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, which would come into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.

Under the changes, the average emissions of light commercial vehicles (LCVs) would need to be reduced by 50 per cent by 2029.

It is for manufacturers to avoid penalties from the 60 per cent target set in February.

New passenger vehicles (will remain subject to the 60 per cent target, but some high-emitting large sports utility vehicle models will be reclassified from PVs to LCVs.

Mr Bowen said this at a news conference alongside Ms King and representatives from Toyota, Hyundai, Tesla, the Electric Vehicle Council and the Motor Trades Association of Australia.

Mr Bowen said the government had found a compromise that accounts for the concerns of the industry.

The government promised to implement fuel standards in the lead-up to the 2022 general election but faced pushback from the automotive industry after detailing the policy in February.

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the sector’s peak body, argued that the proposal would raise the price of some car models by thousands of dollars.

Early in March, Tesla quit the FCAI over the organisation’s campaign against the vehicle efficiency standard, but Tesla Australia representative Sam McLean said on Tuesday that the revised policy was a solid compromise.

At least 11 bodies believed to be refugees have been found in Indonesian waters near the country’s Aceh Province since Saturday, local media and rescuers said on Tuesday.

The discovery of the bodies came after a boat carrying over 100 people sank in Aceh waters last week.

More than 75 refugees have been rescued, but dozens are reportedly missing.Ibnu Harris Al Hussain, chief of Banda Aceh Search and Rescue Agency of Aceh Province, said that the agency retrieved six female bodies on Monday after receiving information from local fishermen.

“We retrieved as many as 10 bodies between Saturday and Monday,’’ Mr Hussain said.

Mr Hussain added that another body was found in West Aceh regency. All bodies have been buried in local cemeteries.

Meanwhile, survivors have been sent to the country’s immigration department and are currently taking shelters in West Aceh.

A former president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), Chen Xuyuan, has been sentenced to life in prison for bribery, according to the country’s state media.

In January, he pleaded guilty to taking bribes worth a total of 81 million yuan ($11.2m; £8.9m).

An anti-corruption crackdown led by President Xi Jinping has cut through sport, banking and the military.

In football, more than a dozen coaches and players have been investigated.

The trial at the Intermediate People’s Court of Huangshi in central China revealed Chen’s illicit activities from 2010 to 2023, which included his earlier role as the president and chairman of Shanghai International Port Group.

Prosecutors said Chen accepted money and valuables in exchange for his help with obtaining project contracts and arranging sporting events.

The court ruling said he had brought “tremendous damage” to China’s football cause, according to the state-controlled Xinhua news agency.

State media also said that three other senior football officials were sentenced on Tuesday to between eight and 14 years in prison for corruption.

Earlier this year, an ex-Everton midfielder and former head coach of China’s national men’s soccer team, Li Tie, confessed to fixing matches and offering bribes to people, including Chen, to get China’s top coaching job.

China’s foreign ministry also confirmed that South Korea’s Son Jun-ho, who played for Shandong Taishan, was held in police custody in relation to a bribery case. South Korea’s foreign ministry said this week that he had been released from detention.

In the past President Xi has voiced his ambition to turn China into a major footballing nation. In 2011, he spoke of his ‘three wishes’ for Chinese football: to qualify for the World Cup again, to host the tournament and to one day win the trophy.

Over the past decade, clubs in China’s Super League have spent huge sums of money to attract some of the world’s top players, including Brazilian midfielder Oscar, former Argentina forward Carlos Tevez and Belgian international Axel Witsel.

However, that resulted in clubs piling up debts and the CFA announced a salary cap in 2020.

At the time, it said the move was aimed to focus investment on developing homegrown talent instead of importing international stars.

Now, only a small number of foreign players remain in the league.Recent detentions of major football figures have dealt another setback to the country’s football ambitions.

Despite these problems, domestic football is still popular in China and Mr Chen’s corruption scandal shocked fans.

The landmark Francis Scott Key Bridge in the US city of Baltimore has collapsed after a cargo ship collided with it.

Several vehicles that were crossing the bridge, which is more than 2.6km (1.6 miles) long, plunged into the waters of the Patapsco River.

As many as 20 people are believed to be in the water, according to Baltimore fire department.

Emergency personnel rushed to the scene and rescue operations are under way.

City officials say that at around 01:30 local time (05:30 GMT) a ship struck a column on the 47-year-old bridge, causing it to collapse.

A number of vehicles, including “one the size of a tractor-trailer” plunged into the water below, they added.

The container ship, named by ship tracking data as the Singapore-flagged Dali, was on its way to Colombo in Sri Lanka.

On marine radars, it departed from the terminal at Port Breeze at around 00:45.

The massive rescue operation is being led by Baltimore fire department, the US Coastguard and other agencies from the state of Maryland.

The head of communications for Baltimore fire department, Kevin Cartwright, described the situation as a “dire emergency”.

“Our focus right now is trying to rescue and recover these people,” he said, referring to those believed to be in the water.

Mr Cartwright said there were “some cargo or retainers hanging from the bridge”, creating unsafe and unstable conditions, and that emergency rescue teams were operating cautiously as a result, amid a power cut.

Shipping company Synergy Marine Group said all crew members, including the two pilots who were aboard, had been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries, adding that “the exact cause of the incident is yet to be determined”.

A man in his 40s has been arrested in connection with the seizure of explosives, Gardaí (Irish police) have said.

Gardaí said that four “viable improvised explosive devices” were found during the search of a van in Dublin on Sunday afternoon.

The Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team was requested to attend and removed the explosive devices.

During subsequent searches by in the Ballyfermot and Ronanstown areas by Gardaí, a small quantity of suspected cannabis and a scrambler bike were also seized.

The man who was arrested is currently being held in a Garda station in the Dublin area.

The suspected drugs have been sent for examination by Forensic Science Ireland.

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the kidnapping of the Chief Imam of Iyara in Ijumu Local Government Area, Sheikh Quasim Musa, by unknown gunmen.

The Islamic cleric was reportedly Kidnapped on Monday night outside his house in Ilukpa, Iyara headquarters of the Ijumu Local Government Area.

According to sources in the community, the gunmen, who came in a commando style, started shooting sporadically before taking their victim to an unknown destination.

A family source who spoke to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity said they are yet to get any information from the kidnappers.

The family source said “Dear compatriot sons and daughters of Iyara land, it is sad to announce to you all that our community had its own share of the current insecurity bedevilling the nation on Monday 25th, March 2024.

“Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen stormed the House of the Chief Imam of Iyara land, Sheikh Quasim Musa, and kidnapped him after shooting sporadically.

“The religious leader was abducted at about 2200hrs after he came back from mosque and slept outside his house in Ilukpa, Iyara headquarters of Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

“This dastardly act is cowardice and unfortunate, happening to a Religious Leader in this Holy month of Ramadan. We use this medium to call on relevant authorities to ensure that he is released.

“You’re hereby requested to commence fervent prayers as for efforts being made to rescue him from kidnappers’ den to yield positive results in no distant time.Once again, you are all requested to pray for his safe return”.

Confirming the incident on Tuesday, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Ovye Aya, said, “The Commissioner of Police in Kogi State has deployed tactical team, PMF, quick response unit, Divisional Police, alongside local vigilantes and other security agencies to ensure that the Man is rescued unhurt”.

The recent incident comes weeks after gunmen suspected to be kidnappers reportedly abducted a Chinese engineer and killed a yet-to-be-identified civil defence officer in the process at Obagende in Okehi Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The price of Brent crude oil surged to $85.67 and the West Texas Intermediate crude rose to $80.88 per barrel, according to Reuters.

The rise is attributed to concerns over tighter global supply brought about by escalating conflict in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine. The shrinking U.S. rig count added to upward price pressure.

President of NS Trading, a unit of Nissan Securities, Hiroyuki Kikukawa, said: “Escalating geopolitical tension, coupled with a rise in attacks on energy facilities in Russia and Ukraine, alongside receding ceasefire hopes in the Middle East, raised concern over global oil supply.

“Falling U.S. rig count also increased worry over tighter supply,” Reuters reported that Russia struck critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s western region of Lviv with missiles early on Sunday, according to Kyiv.

It was a significant air strike that saw one Russian cruise missile briefly fly into Polish airspace, according to Warsaw.” Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Bonny Light traded at $87.46 a barrel late Friday.

The Ogun State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, will deploy more than 900 personnel for a special patrol this Easter period to ensure a hitch-free celebration.

The Sector Commander, Mr Anthony Uga, gave the assurance in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Ota, Ogun.

According to him, the special patrol, to begin on March 29, would end on April 2.

He added that both regular and special marshals had been deployed for the exercise.

He said that the marshals would control gridlocks, tackle the breakdown of vehicles, and respond promptly to emergencies, especially accidents.

The sector commander said patrol vehicles, tow vehicles, and ambulances had also been deployed for quick responses to emergencies.

Uga said that the presence of the personnel would be felt on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Benin-Ore Expressway, Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode Road, Abeokuta-Ibadan Expressway, Abeokuta-Lagos Expressway and Ota-Idiroko Road, among others.

“We are appealing to motorists to adhere strictly to traffic rules and regulations and reduce their speed, as speed has been a major cause of road crashes,” he said.

He advised against wrongful overtaking and driving against traffic.

A man identified as Usman Abubakar has been confirmed dead after he engaged in a fight with a neighbour.

The neighbour, Omotosho Jimoh is now at large, the police said.

Spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Ejire Adeyemin in a statement in Ilorin on Tuesday, disclosed that “at about 2030hrs on March 20, 2024, Mr. Adebayo Ahmed, a resident of Isale Koko, Ojagboro, Ilorin, reported a distressing incident involving his son, Usman Abubakar.

“It was reported that on the same day around 1930hrs, Usman engaged in a hand-to-hand combat with one Omotosho Jimoh of Elekoyangan Area, Oke-Suna, Ilorin, over a minor issue.

“Tragically, during the altercation, Usman Abubakar slumped and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead by a medical personnel.

“Immediately, the scene of the crime was visited, and the necessary documentation carried out. However, the family of the deceased has declined releasing the body for autopsy, insisting on burial according to Islamic rites.”

Ejire said presently, the suspect, Omotosho Jimoh, was at large but that the state police command had initiated preliminary investigation into the matter, and efforts were underway to apprehend the suspect and ascertain the full circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris on Monday said there is no hiding place for Nadeem Anjarwalla, a Director of Binance who escaped from custody and fled the country after he was detained by the Nigerian Government.

The minister said the International Police (Interpol) were currently on Anjarwalla’s trail.Idris was reacting to the Binance executive’s escape from Nigeria.

According to Idris, since Binance is an international firm, there is no way the culprit will evade arrest.

His explanation came barely few hours after the Office of the National Security Adviser confirmed that Anjarwalla, a key suspect in the ongoing criminal investigation regarding Binance’s activities in Nigeria, managed to escape lawful custody on Friday, March 22nd, 2024.

In an official statement released by the Head of Strategic Communication for the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, it was explained that collaborative efforts between the office, relevant security agencies, various government bodies and the international community are already underway to swiftly locate and detain the fugitive.

The statement stressed that security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect as preliminary investigation shows that Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.

The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria, like other governments around the world, has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform.

Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan nationalities and serves as Binance’s Africa regional manager, was being tried by Nigerian courts before he escaped while under a 14-day remand order issued by a court.

He was scheduled to appear before the court again on 4 April 2024.

South Korean footballer Son Jun-ho has been released after being detained in China in relation to a bribery case, South Korea’s foreign ministry says.

Chinese Super League player Son, 31, was detained in May 2023 amid a crackdown on corruption and match-fixing in Chinese football.

China’s foreign ministry said South Korean international Son was suspected of accepting bribes.

Son moved to China’s Shandong province in 2021 to join Shandong Taishan.

The midfielder has played 20 games for South Korea, including at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

His country’s ministry said it had communicated with Chinese authorities during Son’s detention and requested a swift and fair process.

The National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Osun State has arrested a 65-year-old ex-convict for possession of narcotics.

This was made known in a statement made available by the NDLEA Osun State Command spokesperson, Odigie Charles on Monday in Osogbo.

Osun NDLEA revealed that the man, Dauda Lamide was caught during a patrol in Iwo in possession of dried weeds suspected to be Cannabis Sativa on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

The drug was packed inside two engine oil gallons.

The statement also revealed that Lamido was sentenced to three years imprisonment for the same offence in 2019.

According to the statement, “The Command operatives, while carrying out motorised patrol in Iwo on Saturday, 23rd March, 2024, intercepted one Dauda Lamidi, 65 years, with dried weeds suspected to be Cannabis Sativa inside two engine oil gallons which weighed 1.550 kg.

“Dauda, who is an ex-convict, was convicted for the same offence in 2019 for three years.”

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has warned Nigerians to be wary of any recruitment into the Service as fraudsters now use the name and pictures of assistant comptroller-general, Adesola Adesokan, to deceive unsuspecting public.

The NIS issued the alert on Sunday in a statement shared on its X handle. The statement was attached with screenshots of the chats impersonating Mr Adesokan.

“The attention of the Service has been drawn to disturbing information that some unscrupulous elements have been using the name and pictures of ACG Adesola Adesokan to deceive and scam unsuspecting members of the public.

“These elements, under the pretentious disguise of the respectable ACG Adesokan, have been perpetuating a recruitment scam, deceiving the public to part ways with their money with the promise of employment into the NIS,” the statement read in part.

According to the statement, the unscrupulous elements used his official information to disguise and deceive unsuspecting members of the public into parting with their money.

The NIS added that information on recruitment into the NIS would be shared on official channels, those of the ministry of interior, and in selected newspapers.

“For the avoidance of doubts that may arise, these are the facts: ACG A. Adesokan isn’t on Facebook; The Service has a clear-cut and defined process on how it recruits – which is handled by the board.

“There is no “recruitment” ongoing at the moment; If and when the Service begins recruitment, information would be shared via our official channels and that of the @MinOfInteriorNG and in selected newspapers; Only qualified candidates, having successfully satisfied all requirements, get recruited into the Service.

“The Service will NEVER ask you to pay for recruitment into its esteemed institution; Any conversations about persons claiming to have “slots” are but figments of the individual’s hyperactive imagination,” it added.

No fewer than three persons were feared killed, and many others were injured when a truck rammed into pedestrians along the Asaba, Delta State end of the River Niger bridge on Saturday.

It was gathered that the truck had brake failure and while the driver was struggling to control it, the vehicle skidded off the track and rammed into the walkway, hitting some passengers and other bystanders.

Eyewitnesses said the accident, which occurred late on Saturday, left a woman and her children dead instantly, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries.

One of the eyewitnesses, who narrated the incident to the correspondent on Sunday, said, “It was a horrific accident yesterday evening (Saturday) at the Onitsha head bridge. A truck travelling towards the Asaba end of the bridge experienced brake failure and rammed into the walkway.

“The truck crushed bystanders and individuals waiting to board Asaba-bound vehicles. Among the victims were a mother and her children, as well as several other pedestrians.

“About three persons died instantly, while several persons sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical.

“Security officers who swiftly responded to the incident worked to restore order and assisted with emergency operations.”

When contacted on Sunday, the acting Sector Public Education Officer, Federal Road Safety Corps, Margaret Onabe, could not confirm the incident as she requested to contact FRSC officials at the head bridge before getting back.

She has yet to revert as of the time of filing this report.