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REVEALED: Why Nigeria, Ghana, Others Are Experiencing Internet Outages

Published

1 year ago

March 14, 2024

Internet watchdog, NetBlocks has said internet connectivity disruption in eight West African countries, including Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon Ivory Coast, Liberia, and the Benin Republic on Thursday was a result of undersea cable damage.

NetBlocks stated this in a post on its X handle on Thursday.

NetBlocks is a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the Internet. The service was launched in 2017 to monitor Internet freedom.

NetBlocks, in the post, said, “Live network data show today’s telecoms disruption in #Africa has intensified; the incident has high impact to West Africa with significant reductions in connectivity evident across the continent; operators report multiple subsea cable failures.”

Earlier, before that, it posted, “Confirmed: Live network data show a major disruption to internet connectivity in and around West and Central #Africa; the incident affects networks supplying telecoms via subsea cables to multiple countries and operators.”

Also, one of the world’s leading financial news organisations, Bloomberg, the West Africa Cable System, MainOne, and ACE sea cables — arteries for telecommunications data — were all affected on Thursday.

MTN Nigeria, in a post on its X handle confirmed the internet disruption. It explained that the network outage experienced by its subscribers was a “result of damage to international undersea cables across East & West Africa”.

“The repair process is ongoing to resolve the situation as soon as possible. Please look out for further updates,” MTN Nigeria said.

Already, the National Communications Authority in Ghana has revealed that multiple undersea cable disruptions have led to an outage of internet services in the country.

According to a statement from the Authority seen by our correspondent on Thursday, NCA said “The disruptions affecting multiple undersea cables responsible for carrying international traffic have occurred in Senegal and Cote D’Ivoire and with some disruptions in Portugal. This has led to a significant degradation of data services across the country.

“It is important to note that the Mobile Network Operators have redundancies on other cables and are working around the clock to restore full services. In addition, the MNOs have informed affected customers of the disruptions via various channels.”

Some Ghanaians have taken to the social media platform, X, (formerly Twitter) to express their displeasure with the situation, which had started in the morning.

An X user, George Koranteng, asked “Is it my area or the whole Ghana MTN internet is down?’

Another user, Koho Khan, tweeted, “I legit can’t do any work today because I got no internet. Legit nothing is working. Lol Ghana.”

In a message from MTN Ghana to their customers at 1 pm Ghanaian time, the telecoms provider apologised and said “This is due to disruption on our international undersea cables. Our technical teams are working with our international partners to resolve the issue. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and will keep you updated.”

The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications also issued a statement signed by one Louise Bobbie Osei, notifying users of the outage which it said affected internet, date, and Voice over IP services of the “Chamber, the Mobile Network Operators and the Data Service Providers to varying degrees. As a result, customers and subscribers are currently experiencing service challenges.”

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Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

Published

5 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

Headline

US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

Published

5 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

“The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

“One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

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US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

Published

5 hours ago

August 25, 2025

Editor

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”