Author: Safiu Kehinde

Safiu Kehinde  Paralympics Powerlifter, Oyinchechi Mark, has earned Team Nigeria’s first gold while setting new world record at the ongoing tournament in Paris, France. Onyinyechi shattered the Paralympic record in the women’s 61kg powerlifting category after lifting an astounding 145kg. Her astounding feat saw her surpassed the previous record held by compatriot Lucy Ejike. Mark’s performance has all but secured Nigeria’s first gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, with one lift remaining. Reacting to Oyinchechi’s feat, the Minister of Sports, Owan Enoh, lauded the Paralympian for her achievement. Having endured medal drought at last month’s Olympics game, Enoh…

A 14-year-old boy and his father have faced court for the first time charged over the murder of four people in a gun attack at a Georgia high school. Colt Gray, a pupil at the school, was arrested shortly after the shooting on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in Winder, near Atlanta. He appeared in person in court on Friday, charged with four counts of first degree murder. His father, 54-year-old Colin Gray, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, second-degree murder and child cruelty, and is accused of “allowing” his son to possess an AR-15 rifle. The judge clarified that the…

A 26-year-old American woman has been shot dead in the occupied West Bank during a protest. Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who is of Turkish descent, is reported to have been taking part in a protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the town of Beita near Nablus. Ms Ezgi Eygi was allegedly shot by Israeli troops, according to local media reports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they are aware of the incident and looking into it. The American activist was rushed to a hospital in Nablus with a head wound but was later pronounced dead, AFP news agency reported. BBC

Agency Report  The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Friday, said that troops have eliminated 152 terrorists, and apprehended 109 others, with 91 rescued kidnapped hostages in the last one week across the country. The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, made this known in an update on the operations of the armed forces in Abuja. Buba said the troops had during the week, carried out surgical operations against two prominent terrorist commanders known as Sadiku and Alhaji Yusuf and decimated their strongholds. According to him, Sadiku’s enclave is located at Tsora Hill in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina…

Safiu Kehinde  The Court of Appeal in Abuja has, on Friday, dismissed an appeal seeking to disqualify Asue Ighodalo as governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo. The appeal, marked CA/ABJ/CV/863/2024, was filed by governorship aspirants Arthur Esene and Anselm Ojezua following their dissatisfaction with the Federal High Court’s verdict on the lawsuit. In a similar turn of event, a three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Hamma Barka, dismissed the appeal. Esene and Ojezua had, in the appeal prayed the Court of Appeal to set aside the April 17 judgment by Justice James Omotosho…

Safiu Kehinde A group of unknown gunmen have kidnapped a staff of Babcock University, Elizabeth Uruakpa, in Ogun state. The Assistant Chief Nursing Officer with the Babcock University Teaching Hospital was reportedly abducted on Thursday. Confirming the incident on her X handle, Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, narrated how the 66-year-old Uruakpa was abducted. “On September 5, a distress call was received from the Ilishan near the new market at about 1710hrs that one Elizabeth Uruakpa was abducted by young armed men who blocked her Honda CRV with their unregistered red Toyota Camry and zoomed off with her.”…

Two brothers from Nigeria who targeted a 17-year-old in a sextortion scam have been sentenced to 17 years and six months in jail in the US. The Ogoshi brothers, from Lagos, lured Jordan DeMay into sending them explicit images by pretending to be a girl his age – then blackmailed him. He killed himself less than six hours after they started talking on Instagram. It is the first successful prosecution of Nigerians for sextortion in the US, where it is a rapidly growing cyber-crime, often linked to Nigeria. Jordan’s mother, Jenn Buta, held pictures of her son in court and…

Agency Report  The UNICEF Champions, Ali Nuhu and Rahama Sadau, have raised concern on malnutrition in Katsina State and called for action, in order to address the health problem in the state. The duo stated this at a press briefing in continuation of the high-level advocacy mission of UNICEF to the state, on Thursday in Katsina. Ali Nuhu, a renowned Kannywood actor, said that they visited some of the health facilities and interacted with parents on the health problem. Nuhu revealed that what they saw during the visit was pathetic, hence the need for all stakeholders to intensify efforts to…

The father of a 14-year-old boy accused of killing four people at his high school in the US state of Georgia has been arrested. Colin Gray, 54, is facing four charges of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight of cruelty to children, said the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Authorities have charged his son, Colt Gray, with four counts of murder and said they plan to prosecute him as an adult. His first court appearance is due on Friday morning. The shooting on Wednesday at Apalachee High School in the city of Winder, near Atlanta, left…

Safiu Kehinde  At least 17 pupils have been confirmed dead after a school in central Kenya caught fire on Thursday night. This was confirmed earlier today by the Kenyan Police. However, there are fears that the death toll could rise as more than a dozen others have been taken to hospital with severe burns. The cause of the fire at Hillside Endarasha Primary in Nyeri county is being investigated, police spokesperson Resila Onyango told local media. A team of investigators has been deployed to the school, Ms Onyango added. The Kenya Red Cross said it is providing psychosocial support services…