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Ijaw Leaders Demand Creation Of Two New States

Published

3 years ago

March 7, 2022

The agitation for the creation of more homogeneous Ijaw states was renewed in Bayelsa State on Saturday as some Ijaw leaders rekindled the advocacy for additional two states for the Ijaw nation.

They spoke at the 25th remembrance anniversary of one of the founding fathers of Bayelsa and monarch of Kolokuma, late King Geoffrey Aganaba, which was organised in Yenagoa.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Governor Douye Diri, and an ex-military administrator of old Rivers State and monarch of Twon-Brass, Alfred Diette Spiff were among other prominent leaders that celebrated Aganaba at the event.

Speaking, Diri called for the creation of two additional homogeneous Ijaw states, arguing that the Ijaw ethnic nationality deserved more than one state in the Nigerian federation.

He recalled that the founding fathers had requested three states before the military junta of the late dictator, General Sani Abacha, created only Bayelsa.

The governor described the Ijaw as the fourth largest ethnic nationality in the country, and lauded Aganaba for his contributions in the creation of Bayelsa, saying that it was not the end of the clamour for more Ijaw states.

While paying tribute to Aganaba for his sacrifices for Ijaw people, Diri said, “The creation of Bayelsa State is not the end of it; it is indeed the beginning of it.

“We still have other two states that we proposed that have not been created and we must make that clear to the Nigerian government that the Ijaws are still craving for the creation of two additional homogenous Ijaw states.

“Today, most of us; governors, past and including myself serving, permanent secretaries, heads of service, speakers of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, members of the state House of Assembly, commissioners are all enjoying the sweats of people like Geoffery Filinti Aganaba. We cannot but honour and recognise our heroes past”.

He said his government established the policy of recognising and honouring Ijaw heroes saying it was the reason he named the Bayelsa Media Complex after the great Ernest Ikoli.

In his remarks, Jonathan, who was represented by a former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd), appealed to Ijaw people to rally around one another, describing Aganaba as “a man with an exemplary lifestyle.”

He noted that succeeding generations would judge the efforts of present leaders with standards far higher than what is currently obtainable.

The former president said, “All of us have a duty to this state to ensure that this state get to a point that succeeding generations will come and judge us with standards far higher than what we have now. Things are changing, it is a computer age; they will scrutinize us. But if they do that, can you stand out? He, Aganaba, has actually passed that test”.

On his part, Diete-Spiff, who was represented by the monarch of Ekpetiama Kingdom, Bubaraye Dakolo, said that Aganaba worked very hard for the creation of Bayelsa.

He further said, “The late Aganaba was born at a time when it was difficult to go to school when he took 28 days to get to Lagos by canoe and then later when he took three days to get to Lagos by engine boat. In spite of all these odds, he was able to make it to primary school, secondary school, and the university.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and monarch of Opobo Kingdom, Dandeson Douglas Jaja, said the name Aganaba signified a man who came into the world to liberate his people.

He observed that Bayelsa had been at the forefront of celebrating and recognising those who contributed to and fought for its creation.

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Headline

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

Published

13 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

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

14 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

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

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Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

14 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP