Headline

Insecurity: Ooni of Ife, Bishop Harp On Peace, Advise FG To Dialogue

Published

4 years ago

October 15, 2021

The Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to engage all aggrieved sections of the country with a view to addressing various misgivings.

The call was made collectively by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; (Ọjájá II) and a Chieftain of the All progressive Congress (APC) in Abia state, and the General Overseer, Faith lnternational Bible Church Worldwide, Bishop Emeka Nwankpa while interacting newsmen at the Ooni’s Palace.

The Ooni of Ife who harped on the need for Nigerians irrespective of ethnic, religious and political colorations to come together and unite in peace, added that the issue of insecurity, bedeviling the country, requires a holistic approach so as to address the issue once and for all.

He urged those fanning the embers of disintegration to jettison their thoughts, stressing that Nigeria is better as one, advising the Federal Government to address issues causing agitations for the sake of peace.

The Ooni also called on the Federal Government to engage all aggrieved groups in the country, pointing out that through dialogue, a lot would be achieved.

On his part, Ambassador Bishop Dr. Emeka Nwankpa, who corroborated the views of the Ooni, stressed that Nigeria is better as one indivisible entity.

He stated that engaging all aggrieved groups in the country, remains the surest and possible way of addressing the insecurity challenges that is threatening the corporate existence of the nation.

Dr. Nwankpa who was with his entourage, decried the killings in all the geo-political zones of the country, adding that those perpetuating these crimes are enemies of Nigeria bent on bringing the country to it’s knees.

He, however, expressed hope that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government would find solution to the myriad challenges facing the country.

While calling on President Buhari to open doors for dialogue with a view to galvanizing all aggrieved groups in the country, he appealed to all groups causing unrest in the country to sheath their swords and embrace peace which has no alternative

The cleric also used the opportunity to urge Abians to keep hope alive as the state is on the verge of being liberated from bad governance.

Headline

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

Published

12 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

Headline

Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

13 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

Headline

Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

13 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