Nigeria won six gold medals in different categories of female wrestling event at the ongoing 13th African Games on Sunday night.

Blessing Oborodudu started the gold medal haul by defeating Blandine Nyeh Ngiri of Cameroon 14-4.

Odunayo Adekuroye followed Oborodudu’s footsteps by beating Zineb Hassoune of Morocco with a pinfal.

Commonwealth and African, Mercy Genesis dispatched her Egyptian opponent Mohamed Nada of 7-0.

African Games debutant Ogunsanya Christiana produced à dominant display in the 53kg to outclass her opponent Nogona Bakayoko of Cote D’Ivoire 11-0.

Hannah Reuben added more celebration to the already agog atmosphere after she defeated Amy Youin of Ivory Coast.

At least seven people were critically injured in a gas explosion that rocked a steel company in Ogijo area of Sagamu Local Government Area of Ogun State.

The explosion occurred on Sunday evening.

The state government has, however, ordered the immediate closure of the company.

The entire line of production of the company was affected by the explosion.

The cause of the ugly incident is yet to be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, but the State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Ola Oresanya, vowed to get to the root-cause of the accident.

Oresanya, who paid an on-the-spot assessment visit to the scene of the incident, also ordered the immediate closure of the iron rod manufacturing company.

Speaking during his visit to the scene of the accident, the Environment Commissioner stated that, ”Under the rule of engagement with all the industries in the state, we will carry out a thorough investigation on the remote and immediate causes of the explosion with a view of preventing future occurrence.

“The investigation will spell out in clear terms the condition under which the company can operate so that its workers can be adequately protected as well as property of its immediate communities which were affected by the gas explosion.”

The management of the company has taken all injured victims to a nearby hospital at Ikorodu, Lagos State.

Kano State Fire Service has confirmed that an inferno razed down two substation transformers at the Transmission Company, Dan’agundi, in Kano Municipal.

The Public Relations Officer of the service, Alhaji Saminu Abdullahi, confirmed the incident on Sunday.

He said the incident occurred on Sunday at around 4.00 pm.

He said, “We received a distress call at about 04:10 p.m from one Mr Umar, that there was a fire outbreak at the Dan’agundi substation. Upon receiving the information, we quickly sent a fire vehicle to the scene, to bring the situation under control.

“Transformer one (TR one) with 60 MVA capacity and transformer two (TR two) 60 MVA capacity with one crane caught fire.’’

Mr Abdullahi said the fire was caused by a technical team working at the site of the transformer.

He further confirmed that there was no life lost and no one sustained injury.

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested one Emmanuel Ikoka, caught in possession of electrical wires he allegedly stole.

The command’s public relations officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this on his official X handle on Sunday.

According to the state’s police spokesperson, the suspect stole the wires from a building under renovation at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

Stating that an investigation was ongoing, Mr Hundeyin urged members of the public to safeguard their buildings under construction.

He said, “25-year-old Emmanuel Ikoka was apprehended by a vigilant security officer as he was emerging from a building under renovation in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. He was caught with lots of electrical wires he ripped off the building. Investigation is ongoing.”

The Lagos State government says it will start enforcement operations in Apapa to re-establish the three-metre drainage right-of-way for all its drainage channels on Monday.

The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said this in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

He said the enforcement was coming after the expiration of notices and convening of stakeholders meetings with the property owners earlier in the year to move their fences that fell within the drainage setback.

Mr Wahab said the ministry had issued contravention notices to the buildings regarding the drainage setbacks.

He added that for several years, the ministry had not been able to access the eight major collectors for maintenance purposes due to encroachment, which was a major contributor to flooding in the Apapa area.

Mr Wahab said the state government was determined to find a lasting solution to flooding in Apapa.

He directed enforcement officers to ensure that all contravening properties were removed from the drainage right-of-way in accordance with the three metres required by law.

The commissioner assured the government would not cherrypick properties during enforcement.

“We want to check the state of collectors in Apapa in order to evacuate and treat the collectors.

“The whole of the collectors in this area are blocked and the right-of-way taken over by individuals who moved their fences in order to acquire extra land, thereby denying us access to the drains,” Mr Wahab said.

Some yet-to-be-identified number of persons may have been trapped as a five-storey building under construction collapsed at Basden Street, Fegge, in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State.

It was gathered that the building, meant to serve commercial purposes on completion, collapsed in the early hours of Sunday while some of the construction workers were on the last floor.

An excavator has quickly been moved to the site to begin the evacuation of rubbles and possible rescue operations of any trapped victims.

The reason for the collapse has not yet been ascertained but as of the time of filing this report on Sunday, a source near the area said one person has been rescued as rescue operations continue at the site.

However, details of the incident are still sketchy as the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, could not be reached for confirmation.

He did not respond to enquiries on his telephone as of the time of filing this report.

The Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Emergency Management Agency, Chinyere Nworah, has yet to respond to enquiries sent to her telephone.

Nigeria’s Nworie Emmanuel on Saturday won a bronze medal in the 77kg Greco-Roman event at the ongoing African Games in Accra, Ghana.

Nworie defeated Hattingh Johannes of South Africa 11-0 superiority, after what seemed to be a controversial semifinal for the Nigerian wrestler.

Speaking after the game, Emmanuel expressed dissatisfaction with his semifinal loss to his Egyptian opponent.

He dominated almost the entire tie but was defeated through technical decisions by the umpires.

“I really feel sad because of my semifinal defeat because I gave all my strength in the game to be able to play in the final.”

I play in the third place game with every power within me to secure the bronze medal match,” Emmanuel said.

Nigerian wrestlers will hope to better their performances on Sunday, in the women wrestling when Blessing Oborodudu and Odunayo Adekuoroye among others take to the mat.

The wrestling event which started on Saturday is expected to end on Monday.

Former UFC champion, Francis Ngannou, has apologized to his fans after he was knocked out by Anthony Joshua on Friday night.

Ngannou has also vowed to bounce back from what he described as “a bad day at the office”Joshua floored the Cameroonian in the first round with a powerful right hand and then again early in the second with a right-left hook combination.

Ngannou got to his feet, but was quickly put back down by another strong right hand, leading to the referee putting a stop to the contest.

Afterwards he wrote on X: “Sorry guys I let you all down.

“Today was a bad day in the office but tomorrow will be another day.

“Thank you all for the love.”

The 37-year-old narrowly lost on points to WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury in what had been his only previous fight last December.

Tyson Fury has reacted to Anthony Joshua’s victory over Francis Ngannou on Friday night in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua produced a great display against the Cameroonian, putting the former UFC heavyweight champion on the mat with a savage right hand in the first round.

Ngannou managed to get back to his feet but he was floored with two more explosive shots as Joshua won the fight.

However, Fury, who was watching from ringside, hailed Joshua for putting up a great performance.

“Me and Usyk have got an undisputed world heavyweight championship coming up,” Fury said after the first in Saudi Arabia.

“He [Joshua] just had a show fight in Saudi Arabia, which is fantastic for the show, but for the actual real boxing, it is me and Usyk who fight for the number one and number two position for the undisputed championship of the world.

“So that [the fight with AJ] is on the backburner for now. Great performance from AJ, fantastic, but unfortunately I have got bigger fish to fry in Usyk on May 18 and then we have a rematch in October.

“So, after that, if he is still available, and I’m still available, let’s get it on.”

Fury is set to take on Oleksandr Usyk on 18 May in their historic undisputed showdown and the winner could face Joshua in the future.

It took Anthony Joshua two rounds to beat Francis Ngannou in what was supposed to be a 10-round heavyweight bout in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The much anticipated fight ended a one-sided show as Joshua knocked down Ngannou twice, cruising to victory unhindered.

Though Ngannou had a good entrance into boxing, he was no match for Joshua. His defeat came easier and faster for Joshua, who took five rounds to batter and defeat Sweden’s Otto Wallin at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last December.

Coming from three morale-boosting victories last year, it was Joshua’s fourth consecutive victory after he lost two consecutive fights to Ukraine boxer Oleksandr Usyk, losing his belts.

For Ngannou, a mixed martial artist, whose professional boxing debuted last year in a 10-round bout against Tyson Fury, it was a second defeat in his newly-found career.

The fight against Joshua was his second as a boxer, a test of his impressive performance in his first outing in which he dropped Fury to the canvas with a fierce left hook in the third round.

Kogi State Police Command has finally confirmed the robbery incident in Anyigba Banks and an attack on a police station.

Gunmen on Thursday attacked two commercial banks in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, killing one police officer and one other civilian.

It was also gathered that there were sporadic shootings during the attacks on banks, and a police station in the town where an unspecified amount of money was allegedly carted away.

Reacting, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Williams Ovye in a statement issued on Friday night, confirmed the attacks and the killing of one officer.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Police Command, CP Bethrand C. Onuoha, on Friday visited the scenes for on-the-spot assessment and vowed that the hoodlums would be apprehended.

According to the statement, the CP also ordered the deployment of Tactical Teams comprising PMF Personnel, Counter Terrorism, Quick Response and Intelligence Units in synergy with other Security Agencies to restore normalcy in the area.

“One Police Constable paid the supreme price during the exchange of fire with the hoodlums, before the arrival of the reinforced Team to the scenes and the attackers fled.

“The Commissioner of Police assures of the Command’s unwavering commitment to working in synergy with other Security Agencies as well as patriotic Stakeholders in ensuring that Kogi State is safe and secure for all and sundry”, the statement added.

A US Army analyst has been arrested and charged with selling sensitive military secrets to a contact in China.

Sgt Korbein Schultz was arrested on Thursday at Fort Campbell in Kentucky following an inquiry by the FBI and US Army counterintelligence.

According to the charges, he was paid $42,000 (£33,000) in exchange for dozens of sensitive security records.

Officials say the criminal conspiracy began in June 2022 and continued up until his arrest.

Sgt Schultz is charged with conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information, exporting technical data related to defence articles without a licence, conspiracy to export defence articles without a licence, and bribery of a public official.

It is unclear if he has hired an attorney that can comment on the charges against him.

“The conduct alleged in today’s indictment represents a grave betrayal of the oath sworn to defend our country,” said Larissa Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch.

“Instead of safeguarding national defence information, the defendant conspired with a foreign national to sell it, potentially endangering our national security.

“The confidential documents were provided to a contact that the defendant believed to be living in Hong Kong, officials say.

Some of the information he allegedly provided related to hypersonic equipment, studies on the future development of US military forces, and a document on China’s military preparedness.

The justice department charging documents do not name the Chinese government as implicated in the scheme, or identify the contact who paid him.

The indictment said he was instructed to transmit “original and exclusive documents” to his contact.

The intelligence he provided includes information related to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the “operability of sensitive US military systems and their capabilities”.

It also included US plans regarding Taiwan in the event it should come under attack.

Messages sent by Sgt Schultz include one where he says he “wished he could be ‘Jason Bourne’,” the indictment says, in reference to the fictional spy character.

After being promised more money from his handler, he said in another message: “I hope so! I need to get my other BMW back!

“Earlier this week, investigators arrested an retired US Army colonel in Nebraska who is accused of sending classified information to a person through a foreign dating website.

The arrest of the retired colonel came just hours after a US airman from the Massachusetts Air National Guard pleaded guilty to six counts of illegally retaining and transmitting national defence information.

The creator of Dragon Ball, one of the most influential and best-selling Japanese comics of all time, has died at 68.

Akira Toriyama suffered an acute subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain, his studio said Friday.

Dragon Ball is hugely popular around the world and the comic series has also spawned cartoon and film versions.

Fans have paid tribute to Mr Toriyama for creating characters that have become a part of their childhood.

The Dragon Ball comic series debuted in 1984. It follows a boy named Son Goku in his quest to collect magical dragon balls to defend Earth against alien humanoids called Saiyans.

Mr Toriyama had uncompleted works at the time of his death.

He died on 1 March and only his family and very few friends attended his funeral, according to a statement from the Dragon Ball website.

“He would have many more things to achieve. However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world,” his studio said.

“We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come,” it added.Fans offered their sympathies on social media.

“Thank you for creating a manga that represents my youth. Rest in peace, thank you for your hard work,” read a post on X, which instantly got 500 likes.

“It’s too soon, it’s too sad,” another Japanese X user wrote.

“His legacy will live on forever. Thank you for creating the most iconic anime character of all time Akira,” another user wrote.

Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1955, Mr Toriyama broke into the comic book world in the early 1980s with Dr. Slump, which tells the story of a little girl robot Arale and her scientist creator.

But Dragon Ball was his most famous work. To many fans, Son Goku’s journey from a kid who fumbles his martial arts training to a high-flying hero who can shoot bolts of electricity from his hands mirrors their own struggles against self-doubt as they grew into adulthood.

Dragon Ball inspired fan fiction writers and cosplayers who style their hair like the characters’ sharp and pointed locks.

The cartoon version has been dubbed in numerous languages and Dragon Ball action figures are a staple in toy stores from Japan to China and Southeast Asia.

In a 2013 interview with a Japanese newspaper Asahi, Mr Toriyama said he had “no idea” how Dragon Ball became so popular around the world.

He described the series as a miracle, “given how it helped someone like me who has twisted, difficult personalities do a decent job and get accepted by society”.

“When I was drawing the series, all I ever wanted to achieve was to please boys in Japan,” he said, according to news agency AFP.

India’s federal investigation agency says it has busted a network of agents sending people to war-torn Russia under the pretext of giving them jobs.

The agents were luring people through social media, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.

The network stretches across several states and about 35 people have fallen victims to the racket, the agency said.

The development comes after two Indians, who were duped into traveling to Russia, were killed in the war.

The CBI said in a statement that the traffickers were operating under an “organised network”.

It said that agents were using social media channels like YouTube and their local contacts to lure “gullible” youth to travel to Russia by promising them “lucrative jobs”.

In an earlier story, a man from Uttar Pradesh state living in Moscow told BBC that he was lured to Russia by a YouTube channel called BabaVlog, promising a monthly salary of 150,000 rupees ($1813; £1,415).

“We were not told that we are being drafted in an army,” he said.

The CBI said it had found that trafficked Indian nationals were being trained in combat roles and deployed at front bases in Russia-Ukraine war zone “against their wishes, thus, putting their lives in grave danger”.

The agency has filed cases against several private visa consultancy firms

The CBI said it has seized cash worth 5m rupees, “incriminating documents” and electronic devices from these places and have detained some people for

India’s foreign ministry had earlier acknowledged “that some Indian nationals have enlisted for support roles with the Russian army”.

It added that it was working with Russian authorities to get Indian nationals discharged from the army.

The ministry has also urged “all Indian nationals to exercise due caution and stay away from this conflict”.

Troops of the Nigerian Army, on Thursday, cleared and destroyed an alleged Supreme Headquarters of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB and its security wing, the Eastern Security Network, ESN.

Army Headquarters stated this in a post on its official X handle while sharing still and motion pictures from the operation.

According to the post, the headquarters which serves as the last IPOB and ESN stronghold is located in the Mother Valley and spans Orsu and Ihiala Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Imo and Anambra States, respectively.

It added that the headquarters was about 5,000 feet below sea level.

“The well concealed and forested location affords the terrorists good cover from air surveillance.

“It also serves as their command and control centre and military council headquarters”, the post added.

Governor Uba Sani has pledged to get back all the students abducted on Thursday by bandits in Kuriga, Chikun LGA, Kaduna.

The governor made the pledge when he visited the community to commiserate with them over the incident.

He, however, said the total number of those kidnapped had not been ascertained, but the government was working with the school management and the community to get the actual number.

The governor told the community members that he received assurances of support from President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to get the students back home safely.

He urged the community members not to despair but to work with the government to secure the release of the children and reinforce security there.

Mr Sani appealed to the parents of the abducted schoolchildren to exercise patience, assuring that the government would not let them down.

The governor said he was pained over the incident and would not relent in getting the primary and secondary school pupils and students reunited with their parents.

Mr Sani was briefed by the district head, Lawal Abdullahi, on the incident at LEA Primary and Secondary School in Kuriga, where a vigilante who confronted the bandits lost his life.

“A security committee will be established in Kuriga, with membership drawn from key stakeholders in the Kuriga community, security agencies, and the state government.

“I will make a strong case to the chief of defence staff and chief of army staff for the establishment of a military base in Kuriga to strengthen security in the area,” Mr Sani explained.

The governor, in a statement later, said the Kuriga kidnap reinforced the need for state police.

“The unfortunate Kuriga incident reinforces our positions in support of the establishment of state police. With state police, there will be a standing police force in Kuriga drawn from members of the community who understand the terrain, the people and the issues at play.

“They can gather intelligence with ease. They will also be constitutionally empowered to bear arms, including sophisticated ones. This is important because vigilante groups are not allowed to carry arms.

“They are always at the mercy of these criminal elements who have scant regard for human life,” stated the Kaduna governor.

Israeli airstrikes have killed 17 militants in the southern and central part of the Gaza Strip, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Thursday.

Ground troops originally identified the targets during fighting against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the military said.

Hamas command centres and tunnel entrances were also attacked, and workshops for the production of weapons and warehouses with military equipment were discovered, Israel said.

More than four months after the start of Israel’s ground offensive in the coastal Palestinian territory, Israeli forces have not managed to locate the head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yehya al-Sinwar.

There is also no sign of the 100 or more of the Israeli hostages whom Hamas and other terrorist groups took during their assault on southern Israeli communities on October 7.

About 1,200 people were killed in the large-scale attacks by gunmen who broke out of Gaza.

Since then, Israel’s response against Hamas has led to the deaths of over 30,700 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run authorities there.

Thousands of victims have been believed to still be buried under rubble.

The humanitarian situation is catastrophic, and there are now more frequent reports of deaths as a result of hunger and dehydration.

There was no word on possible progress in talks in Cairo on a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israel before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The Ramadan is expected to begin on Sunday.

Uganda’s central bank has announced that its policy rate will be raised to 10 per cent, up from 9.5 per cent.

The decision was made due to the country’s local currency depreciation and the expected rise in inflation.

The Bank of Uganda deputy governor, Michael Atingi-Ego, made a monetary policy statement on Wednesday.

Mr Atingi-Ego said the depreciation, which started in November 2023 and became steeper in February 2024, was caused by the outflow of some offshore investors’ funds from the domestic market.

A weaker shilling could drive up inflation, he added.

“Inflation is projected to rise above the medium-term target of five per cent by quarter one of financial year 2024/2025 and stay above five per cent throughout 2025 unless monetary policy is tightened,” said Mr Atingi-Ego.

Mr Atingi-Ego also mentioned that the projected economic growth rate of six per cent for the financial year 2023/2024 would remain unchanged.

According to him, economic growth in the outer years was projected to be between 5.5 and 6.5 per cent, compared to an earlier projection of 6.5 to 7.0 per cent.

Mr Atingi-Ego said, “The downward revision of growth in the outer years largely reflects the likely impact of tighter monetary policy, which is required to stabilize inflation around the medium-term.”

He warned of a higher Central Bank Rate to bring inflation down and anchor inflation expectations.

“High inflation rates hurt economic growth, leading to significant and permanent reductions in the per capita income,” Mr Atingi-Ego explained.

“Therefore, tightening monetary policy in the current circumstances is consistent with supporting sustainable growth, which is a prerequisite for social-economic transformation.”

On Thursday, Samuel Olanrewaju, 24, appeared before the Ikorodu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for conducting himself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace and unlawful harm.

Mr Olanrewaju is facing a four-count charge of causing unlawful grievous harm, assault and unlawful possession of dangerous weapons.

The prosecutor, Christian Okonofua, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 3 in the Eyita area of Ikorodu.

Mr Okonofua alleged that the defendant conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace by possessing weeds suspected to be banned substances in the area.

The prosecutor told the court that the defendant allegedly unlawfully assaulted the complainant, Olanrewaju Taiwo, with a cutlass causing him permanent body injury.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The magistrate, A.O. Onalaja, granted the defendant bail of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Ms Onalaja held that one of the sureties must be a clergyman or a respected community leader with evidence of tax payment.

He adjourned the case until March 28 for mention.