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2,757,833 Births Recorded In Katsina From 2017 To 2021 – NPC

Published

3 years ago

March 1, 2022

Katsina State recorded 2,757,833 births between 2017 and 2021, the National Population Commission has said.

Isiaka Yahaya, the acting Director, Public Affairs of NPC, in a statement, explained that the data was recorded from the RapidSMS, a tracking tool that collects and collates real time information on birth registration in Nigeria.

According to the statement, Katsina recorded 542,368 births in 2017, 489,488 in 2018, 474,068 in 2019, 499,843 in 2020 and 752,066 in 2021.

Yahaya explained that the figures were higher than the one from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

He explained that the birth registration figures credited to Katsina State by the NBS constitute a gross underestimation of the substantial progress made in registration of births in Katsina State which currently maintains 201 registration centres across the 34 local government areas of the state, stressing that births and deaths are registered on daily basis and free of charge.

He said that the boost in birth registration, according to the federal commissioner representing Katsina State, Engineer Bala Banye, was following the tremendous support of the Katsina State Government in collaboration with development partners and the traditional institution.

It noted, “Under the Enumeration Area Demarcation for the 2022 Population and Housing Census, the state government supported the commission in the training and recruitment of ad hoc registrars to mop up registration of under-five children in selected local government areas.”

It said in order to boost birth registration in Katsina State, efforts are being made to register and issue birth certificates to vulnerable children in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the state.

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Israeli Strike Kills Al Jazeera Journalist In Gaza

Published

1 hour ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

Al Jazeera on Monday said one of its journalists was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza, two weeks after the broadcaster lost six staff and freelancers in an attack.

Mohammad Salama, a photojournalist and cameraman, was killed in an attack on a medical complex that left 14 people dead, the Qatar-based news network said.

His death was “confirmed,” a spokesperson told AFP.

Earlier this month, four Al Jazeera staff and two freelancers were killed in an Israeli air strike outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, prompting widespread condemnation.

Mahmud Bassal, Gaza’s Civil Defence spokesman, also said the death toll in the latest attack stood at 14, including journalists.

An Israeli explosive drone targeted a building at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, followed by an airstrike as the wounded were being evacuated, Bassal said.

AFP

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42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

16 hours ago

August 24, 2025

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Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

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Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

16 hours ago

August 24, 2025

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Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP