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Russia Launches Massive Air Attacks On Ukraine’s Cabinet Building

Published

2 months ago

September 7, 2025

Editor

Russia fired its biggest-ever aerial barrage at Ukraine early Sunday, killing two people and setting the seat of the Ukrainian government in Kyiv ablaze in an attack President Volodymyr Zelensky warned would prolong the war.

An AFP reporter saw the roof of Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers in flames and smoke billowing over the capital.

Drone strikes also damaged several high-rise buildings in Kyiv, according to emergency services.

Russia has shown no sign of halting its three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine, pushing hardline demands for ending the war despite efforts by the United States to broker a peace deal.

Residents in Kyiv spoke of their frustration following the strikes.

“This is already routine for us, unfortunately,” Olga, a 30-year-old resident of a damaged building, told AFP.

The Russians first “grab they Shaheds (Iranian-designed drones), then the rockets come,” she said.

The attack on Sunday was the first to hit Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers, a sprawling government complex at the heart of Kyiv.

An AFP reporter saw helicopters dropping what appeared to be buckets of water over its roof, as emergency services rushed to the scene.

“Ukraine’s military-industrial complex and transport infrastructure” in the attack, without mentioning the government building.

Police cordoned off the area surrounding the building, the roof and upper floors of which sustained damage.

“We will restore the buildings. But we cannot bring back lost lives. The enemy terrorises and kills our people every day throughout the country,” Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said.

Russia fired at least 810 drones and 13 missiles at Ukraine between late Saturday and early Sunday, in a new record, according to the Ukrainian air force.

Zelensky said emergency services were working across the country.

“Such killings now, when real diplomacy could have already begun long ago, are a deliberate crime and a prolongation of the war,” he said on Facebook.

The attack drew condemnation from European leaders, including Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

“Once again, the Kremlin is mocking diplomacy,” von der Leyen wrote on X.

Strike kills six

AFP reporters heard explosions over the capital early Sunday.

A strike on a nine-story residential building in the west of Kyiv killed at least two people, a mother and her two-month-old son, prosecutors said.

More than a dozen others were wounded in Kyiv, according to the emergency service.

Among them was a 24-year-old pregnant woman, who delivered a premature baby shortly after the attack, and doctors were fighting for her life and that of her baby, state TV Suspilne reported.

Four more died, and dozens of others were wounded in overnight strikes across the country’s east and southeast, authorities said.

The attack also killed seven horses at an equestrian club in Kyiv’s suburbs, according to Ukraine’s foreign ministry.

“The world cannot stand aside while a terrorist state takes lives—human or animal—every single day,” it wrote on X.

The barrage came after more than two dozen European countries pledged to patrol any agreement to end the war, some of whom said they were willing to deploy troops on the ground.

Kyiv insists on Western-backed security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks, but President Vladimir Putin warns that any Western troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable and legitimate targets.

Efforts in recent weeks by US President Donald Trump to end the war have so far yielded little progress.

Meantime, on the front line in the east, Moscow continued to claim territory in costly grinding battles, capturing another village in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Russia occupies around 20 per cent of the country in total.

Tens of thousands have been killed in three-and-a-half years of fighting, which has forced millions from their homes and destroyed much of eastern and southern Ukraine in Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II.

AFP

News

MOWAA Reacts To Alleged Misrepresenting Self As Benin Royal Museum

Published

20 minutes ago

November 10, 2025

Editor

Management of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) has denied allegations that it presented itself as the Benin Royal Museum in order to secure funding.

It urged relevant authorities to confirm directly with any of it donors if it ever misrepresented its status.

Director of MOWAA Institute, Ore Disu, in a statement issued in Benin City, said the body would continue to uphold deep respect for His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II, the Oba of Benin.

Disu said MOWAA would make every effort to foster understanding and goodwill as well as remain dedicated to engaging respectfully.

She said the organisation remained committed to a collective effort to contribute to the preservation and advancement of West Africa’s rich cultural legacy.

According to the statement, “MOWAA does not hold, nor have we ever claimed title to any Benin Bronzes. Since our inception in 2020, the Museum has consistently affirmed that it has no claims to these artefacts.

“Our focus for the last four years has been firmly on broader West African art, research, education, and conservation, with a strong focus on modern and contemporary, as well as historical works from Nigeria and beyond. There are no Benin Bronzes on display at the Museum, nor have there ever been.

“We are committed to supporting other museums and cultural institutions in Benin City and across West Africa as part of our mission to contribute to the city’s economic development and strengthen its image as a cultural capital for the region.

“MOWAA’s goal has always been to complement, not compete with, other cultural institutions. We do this by fostering collaboration with artists, researchers, universities and museums across the region. We look forward to working as part of this wider ecosystem, supporting and strengthening Nigeria’s growing network of cultural institutions.”

Disu clarified that there was no planned formal commissioning or official. opening of the Museum but that Sunday’s event was a private preview for partners and stakeholders.

She said none of the historical works on display were of Benin heritage.

“We set out to demonstrate that it’s possible to build world-class conservation facilities, research, and exhibition spaces right here in Nigeria. We’ve shown that African stories can be told on our own terms, and I’m incredibly proud and grateful for what we’ve accomplished so far. This is a gift for black and African people everywhere; for people today and future generations.”

Director of MOWAA, Philip Iheanacho, said they were saddened by the events of Sunday.

“But we hope this moment can lead to renewed dialogue, engagement and understanding, so that together we can realise the full potential of what MOWAA can represent for Nigeria and Africa at large.”

News

JUST IN: EFCC Declares Ex-Bayelsa Governor Timipre Sylva Wanted

Published

3 hours ago

November 10, 2025

Editor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared Timipre Sylva, the former Bayelsa state governor, wanted.

A statement on Monday by Dele Oyewale, the EFCC spokesperson, said Sylva, who also served as minister of state for petroleum resources, is wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.

The anti-graft agency urged anyone with useful information about his whereabouts to contact any of its offices or the nearest police station.

“The public is hereby notified that TIMIPRE SYLVA, a former Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, and former Governor of Bayelsa State, whose photograph appears above is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an alleged case of Conspiracy and Dishonest Conversion of $14,859,257 – part of funds injected by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) into Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited for the construction of a Refinery,” the statement reads.

“Sylva, 61, is from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The notice follows a November 6, 2025 warrant issued by [a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos].

“Anybody with useful information as to his whereabouts should contact the Commission in its Ibadan, Uyo, Sokoto, Maiduguri, Benin, Makurdi, Kaduna, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Gombe, Port Harcourt, or Abuja offices, via 08093322644, e-mail info@efcc.gov.ng, or the nearest police station.”

In October, soldiers reportedly raided Sylva’s residences in Abuja and Bayelsa, arresting his brother amid allegations linking the former Bayelsa governor to a failed plot to overthrow the Bola Tinubu administration.

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Julius Bokoru, special assistant on media and public affairs to Sylva, confirmed the raid on Sylva’s residence, but said the claim was politically motivated.

News

‘Why We Won’t Commemorate Saro-Wiwa, Other Fallen Heroes’

Published

8 hours ago

November 10, 2025

Editor

President /CEO Ogoni Liberation Initiative, Dr Fabeke Douglas, has stated categorically that they won’t commemorate November 10 when Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight innocent environmental activists were unjustly executed for advocating justice for their people.

Fabeke, in statement made available to The Guardian in Abuja, explained it’s due to numerous threat messages they received, and in the light of the planned attack when over 1,000 individuals gathered for prayer, which involves security personnel from the Bori division held two months ago.

Also, a former delegate of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) at the United Nations, John Idamkue, has urged President Bola Tinubu to wipe away the tears of Ogoni people in Rivers State

Idamkue, an environmental public policy consultant and former trusted aide to the late Ken Saro-Wiwa, made the appeal in a statement in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Sunday.

He lamented that successive Nigerian governments abandoned Ogoni ethnic nationality and failed to address issues which the late environmental activist, Saro-Wiwa, advocated for.

This is as Fabeke regretted that the heinous incidents that transpired on that day was an unprecedented attack in Africa’s and the world’s history, where they gathered for the innocent environmental activists and to pray for God’s intervention in Ogoniland and Niger Delta region in general.

“Many have inquired about the events we are organizing to commemorate this day”.

“We wish to inform the public that we will not observe the day to share the ideology of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other fallen heroes with few important diplomatic leaders outside Nigeria.”

The OLI President declared that this incident will continue to remain fresh in their minds, and they are awaiting the police report on the cause of this grievous attack, which, but for divine intervention, would have resulted in loss of lives.

“Upon personal investigation, I discovered that numerous individuals were involved, including some whom I hold in high esteem. The incidents leading to the manipulated judgment against Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others were orchestrated by a high-level conspiracy involving evil conspirators from Ogoni.”

According to Dr Fabeke, these groups of people collaborated with those interested solely in exploiting Ogoni resources, rather than promoting the development of its people.

Explaining further, he maintained, “In this regard, we hereby announce to all members of the Ogoni Liberation Initiative to remain calm, as the organisation will not host any public events until we obtain answers regarding the events of September 27, 2025.

“We advise all members to continue praying and trusting in God to provide unexpected answers that will guarantee sustainable freedom for a better society. We have withdrawn from participating in public gatherings related to Ogoni issues until this matter is properly addressed.”

He therefore expressed concern that numerous young individuals have been unknowingly recruited into this evil circle, enticed by fleeting gains that cannot fulfill their destinies, but we are scared of their future. We pray that God will open their eyes and have mercy upon them.