Fresh condemnations have trailed the sudden closure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had announced that there is a significant rupture in the asphalt surface at a critical section of the runway that requires emergency repairs. FAAN, in a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Mrs Obiageli Orah, stated that the repairs will be conducted on that portion of the runway from April 22nd to May 6th, 2025. FAAN, however, added that all flights to the airport will be diverted to nearby airports. The statement reads: “There is a sudden and significant rupture in the asphalt surface at a critical section of the runway. Hence, emergency repairs will be conducted on that portion of the runway from April 22nd to May 6th, 2025. “In compliance with Nigerian civil aviation regulations, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has, therefore, closed the runway during this period. “As part of FAAN’s commitment to passenger safety and the modernisation of airport facilities, the runway will not be open for landings or takeoffs during the rehabilitation period. “FAAN appeals to all airport users and stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation during this time. All flights to this airport will be diverted to nearby airports.” It apologised for the late and unexpected notice regarding the closure. The development came amid alleged plans to concession the airport for 80 years, whereas other airports are set for 20-year concessioning, an allegation the Federal Government has denied. However, in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike said it was unjust for the FAAN to shut the airport without giving adequate notice to the users. Okwu said, “to make the matter worse, it came during the festive period, as though Ndigbo, who are known to be regular travelers during this period, are the targets. “Did the airport runway suddenly develop a fault? We are aware that airlines have been complaining about this, but the government waited till the Easter period to hastily shut down the airport, throwing our people into confusion. “This is not the first time Ndigbo are being subjected to this cruel treatment. The last time the runway was re-asphalted, it was also shut down during the Easter period. “However, what makes the present case worse is the lack of notice. “The cruel and degrading treatment of the affairs of Ndigbo in Nigeria should stop. “We know for sure that this cannot happen in Lagos, Abuja or Kano airports. Why also Ndigbo?” Okwu queried. The Ohanaeze Youths President urged the government to ensure that the rehabilitation is carried out and completed on the stipulated date. He also said the explanations offered by Aviation Minister, Festus Keyamo on the concessioning of the airport was not clear enough. According to him, “the minister merely painted words without saying anything concrete. “He said the process is still on; we want to hear- how many years are there in the pipeline for the concessioning. If it is not 80 years, how many years are they proposing? “We want to make it clear that we are not going to accept anything different from what shall be obtained from other airports.” Meanwhile, a legal luminary, Prof Joy Ezeilo also lamented the abrupt closure of the Enugu airport. While bemoaning the situation, Ezeilo wrote on her social media page: “The recent closure of Enugu Airport for emergency repairs from April 22 to May 6, just a few years after extensive runway reconstruction, highlights serious issues in Nigeria, namely corruption and a lack of accountability. “This has reignited frustrations of nearly a year of inconvenience, when travellers were forced to use Owerri to fly in and out of Enugu. Now, history seems to be repeating itself. “Air Peace is now rerouting its Enugu passengers to Asaba, raising questions about our options. Why Asaba and not Anambra or Owerri airports? Do we have a choice in this? “I recall that even the Enugu airport terminal's roof collapsed just a year after construction, further emphasising the poor quality of public works. “This situation calls for an investigation and accountability, underscoring the urgent need for reform in public projects for sustainable development and our collective safety.” It could be recalled that Keyamo described reports in some sections of the media about the concessioning of Enugu airport as unfounded and untrue. Although the Minister didn’t specify the duration of the planned concessioning, he said, “Our attention has been drawn to certain online reports/stories suggesting that a certain lengthy period of concession has been agreed upon regarding the Enugu International Airport. These reports/stories are utterly baseless and untrue. “At this stage, prospective concessionaires have indeed submitted various proposals, including different durations for the concession. “It is important to emphasise that the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development has not established any fixed duration. “All submitted proposals are currently undergoing thorough evaluation that will eventually be reviewed by the ICRC before it is presented to the Minister for conveyance to FEC for approval. We can confirm that this review process has not been concluded.”

President Bola Tinubu and the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, held a secret meeting during his working visit to Europe. This was, according to The Africa Report, which disclosed that the meeting was at the instance of Governor Fubara. Although presidency sources have not spoken on the report, it was gathered that the meeting, held without Nyesom Wike, a gladiator in the Rivers crisis, was significant as it was the first personal meeting between the two leaders since the state of emergency declaration. Wike, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, is said to be worried over the possible outcome of the meeting. Tinubu’s national broadcast on March 18, cited “months of intense political instability” that had “paralysed governance” and “threatened national stability.” The President appointed a former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice‑Admiral Ibok‑Ete Ekwe Ibas as sole administrator. According to sources, the meeting was aimed to ease the persistent tensions and find a solution to the lingering crisis. The duo reportedly discussed restoring a functional government in the oil‑rich state, officials say. Sources close to the presidency indicated that the meeting explored options for Fubara's possible return to power.

Amid growing expectations for the first Pope of African descent, His Grace, Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja has asked those thinking towards that direction to perish the thought. NATIONAL POST recalls that Pope Francis passed on Monday morning and the process for the election of his replacement will soon commence. There have been hopes that his successor could emerge from one of the African cardinals. However, Archbishop Kaigama had this to say: "We are not praying for an African pope. “We are praying for a good and Holy Pope who will shepherd the people. He can be an African, American, European or Asian." Popular Catholic Priest, Fr Oluoma, who posted the Archbishop’s comment on his Facebook page, added: Una don hear ba. All those agitating and clamouring for an African to be the next pope, you miss the point completely. Popes are not chosen on racial sentiments. “Even if an African becomes the next pope, it will not give Africans any advantage over the others and vice versa. “We will get a new Pope according to God's will. You may not like him, and you don't have to, as long as he upholds the traditions and teachings of the church guided by sacred Tradition and the scripture. “When it comes to electing a pope, there is nothing like emilokan. “Toast to all who Nigeria's Peter Cardinal Okpaleke and other 17 Africans are among the 135 cardinals eligible to elect the next new Pope.” The Cardinal electors of African origin are John Njue (Kenya), Dieudonne Nzapalainga (Central African Republic), Peter Okpaleke (Nigeria), Nakellentuba Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso), Protase Rugambwa (Tanzania), Robert Sarah (Guinea), Berhaneyesus Souraphiel (Ethiopia). Others are Desire Tsarahazana (Madagascar), Peter Turkson (Ghana), Jean-Paul Vesco (Algeria), Cristobal Romero (Morocco), Stephen Mulla (South-Sudan), Fridolin Besungu (DR Congo), Ignace Dogbo (Ivory Coast), Stephen Brislin (South Africa), Arlindo Furtado (Cape Verde), Antoine Kambanda (Rwanda) and Jean-Pierre Kutwa (Ivory Coast).

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has declared that armed Fulani herders who attack the state are Malians and not Nigerians. The governor spoke amid renewed attacks by herdsmen on Benue communities on Tuesday, which left at least 11 persons dead. Alia, while featuring on Channels Television's Politics Today on Tuesday, said the Hausa and Fulani the armed herders speak are distinct from what is obtainable in Nigeria. He added that the attackers who wield AK-47s don't look like the indigenous Fulanis in Nigeria. “We know Nigerians—by our ethnicities, we can identify a Fulani man, a Yoruba man, a Hausa man—we know them. “Even the regular traditional herders, we know them. They work with cows, herding them with sticks. “But these folks, the attackers, are coming in fully armed with AK-47s and 49s. They do not bear the Nigerian look. They don’t speak like we do. Even the Hausa they speak is one sort of Hausa. “It’s not the normal Hausa we Nigerians speak. So it is with the Fulani they speak. There is a trend in the language they speak, and some of our people who understand what they speak give it names. “They say they are Malians and different from our people. But they are not Nigerians— believe it,” he stated.

Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago has ordered the arrest of anyone keeping dreadlocks in the State. The governor, who spoke during a high-level security meeting held at the Government House, Minna, said anyone seen wearing dread-lock hair should be arrested and shaved. At the meeting were the Emir of Minna, ward and district heads, and heads of all security agencies, during which Bago condemned the recent surge in killings and attacks by hoodlums across the metropolis. He then declared: "Anyone found in possession of any weapon, including knives and sticks, should be treated as an armed robber and if killed, the parents must pay for the bullet before releasing the corpse. Anyone keeping dread-lock hair should be arrested and shaved. "Anyone’s house found within Minna selling any kind of illicit drugs should be demolished and occupants arrested. "A Special court would be established under the supervision of the Chief Judge of Niger State to handle thuggery cases for speedy judgement and subsequent imprisonment. "Angwa Daji and Barki Sale areas should be placed on serious security watch. Henceforth, Operation Flush is now directly under the office of Mr. Governor. “Anyone’s vehicle coming into Minna and caught with illicit drugs should be confiscated into government property.” The governor has also suspended the movement of commercial motorcycle and tricycle riders from 6pm to 6am in Minna, the State Capital. “There is immediate curfew for Keke Napep and Okada within Minna from 6pm to 6am," he declared.

Rampaging herdsmen have again attacked a community in Benue State, leaving about 11 persons dead. Governor Hyacinth Alia of the State had cried out that herders were intending to chase out natives and occupy their territories. The latest attack occurred in Afia community, Ukum Local Government Area, barely a week after suspected armed herders massacred over 50 farmers in other parts of Benue. The Ter Ukum, His Royal Highness, Chief Iyorkyaa Kaave, made the disclosure in Makurdi while addressing a security meeting convened to assess the spate of violence in the area. Describing the attack as unprovoked and part of a calculated agenda to displace indigenous farmers, the monarch condemned the continued loss of lives and property in his domain. “As I speak to you, these attacks began on Thursday in Logo and by Good Friday had spread to several communities in Ukum. We are still counting the dead, recovering more corpses and many of our people remain missing,” DAILY POST quoted the monarch as lamenting. According to him, Tuesday’s attack on Afia was particularly brutal, as the armed assailants stormed the community at dawn, firing sporadically at residents and leaving eleven dead on the spot, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries. “These people are different from the Fulani we knew and lived peacefully with in the 1970s and 1980s. "Back then, they would come during the dry season with their families and cattle. "But what we are witnessing now are armed men with AK-47s, attacking our people in their sleep, and returning to occupy their homes,” the monarch lamented, and urged President Bola Tinubu to take decisive action.

The recent Supreme Court judgement on the leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party has invalidated the candidature of Dr George Moghalu, an aspirant for Anambra governorship election, Mr John Nwosu has said. Nwosu, who was an aspirant of the LP for the 2025 governorship election, asserted that the sacking of the Julius Abure-led executive of the party has nullified Moghalu's candidacy. He said this during an interview with journalists in Anambra on Tuesday. According to Nwosu, "the Supreme Court ruling of 4th April, 2025 was definitive. We know who the leaders of LP are.  Its now up to INEC to do the needful for the process to continue. "The primary of 5th April is null and void and the primary of 10th April should be upheld, except of course that the issue of a place holder is extraneous to the established process.  I am a firm believer in due process and rule of law. So I remain in the race for the candidacy. "In the fullness of time there will be clarity and vindication. My appeal is before the party. Once the Easter holidays are over, they will, indeed, make a pronouncement. "The Electoral processes are clear and full of established precedents. Something has to give. I'm a team player.  I hope it does not come to that. But if push comes to shove, I am ready to exhaust all remedies." The Supreme Court had on April 4 sacked the Abure-led executive. However, Abure has continued to cling on to the position. On April 10, the LP under the leadership of Senator Esther Usman Nenadi conducted another primary election where a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Jude Umennajiego was elected candidate.

An explosion, planted by unknown persons, has killed two children in Abakpa community, Kaduna State. The two children, identified as Imam and a six-year-old girl Nasrin, were between the ages of 13 and 11 years. Three others were injured during the explosion, which occurred on Tuesday, adjacent the old site of the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, in Kaduna. It was gathered that security agencies are at the scene of the incident. A resident of the area, who did not want to be mentioned, told DAILY POST that he was taking his bath when he heard the explosion and ran out. “The explosion occurred very close to my house. "So when I heard it, I ran out to see what had happened. I saw one of the affected victims, Imam, and tried to take him to the hospital but he died before we got to the hospital.”

Bandits have killed seven people, including a vigilante member in Ilesha Baruba and Kemanji communities of Baruten and Kaiama Local Government Areas of Kwara State. This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi. He confirmed that the police arrested an informant linked to the bandit network as tactical efforts intensify across affected regions. According to him, "The state police command is investigating two grievous incidents that occurred on Sunday, April 21, 2025, in Baruten and Kaiama Local Government Areas of the state. "At about 2130hrs, suspected armed men, numbering 10, stormed the Ilesha Baruba Motor Park and opened fire indiscriminately at civilians gathered at a nearby relaxation spot. "As a result, six persons, identified as Alhaji Ja'awire, AbdulJabar, Mohammed Nasamu, and three others—lost their lives, while two others sustained serious gunshot injuries. "The deceased have been deposited at the Ilesha Baruba Morgue for autopsy, while the injured are receiving treatment. An investigation has been initiated, and full security measures have been implemented to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice." He added that "earlier the same day at about 1130hrs, a Kemanji-based vigilante group on routine foot patrol encountered suspected bandits within the Kainji National Park area. "In the course of a gun duel, three of the suspected bandits suffered fatal gunshot wounds and a member of the vigilante, Yusuf Samba 'M' was shot and later succumbed to gunshot injury. "Our investigation culminated in the arrest of an informant, who admitted to collaborating with a group of bandits. This individual has proven to be a valuable asset in advancing the investigation."

The Nigeria Customs Service has recorded N1.751 trillion in revenue collection in the first quarter of 2025. The Comptroller General of NCS, Bashir Adeniyi announced the record breaking achievement during a press briefing in Abuja Tuesday. He stated that the service surpassed its quarterly revenue projection in the period under review. On the part of efforts on anti-smuggling activities, Adeniyi said Customs made 201 seizures worth N7.7 billion in Q1 2025. 'We believe the public has the right to know what is happening in the Nigeria Customs. "I am pleased to report N1.751 trillion revenue collection in the first quarter of 2025," he stated.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has accused former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar of scheming to get the party's presidential ticket for the 2027 election. Atiku, who has been PDP flagbearer for two consecutive times, is believed to be nursing same ambition in 2027. The elder statesman, who spoke on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Tuesday, dismissed Atiku's coalition moves. He condemned the former presidential candidate for meeting non-members of the party for coalition talks, while abandoning the key members of the PDP. Bode George was particularly miffed over Atiku's recent visit to former president Muhammadu Buhari. He said, “Those who are now forming mega party, what is the purpose of that mega party. You’re a member of a solid organization, you want to pull out. "You are meeting with Baba Buhari, Is he a member of our party? Have you discussed your mega something with anybody else? Do you think is a private fiefdom? "Is PDP a private company? Nobody owns PDP. You bring it within the party. Let us discuss it. Once it is approved, then you move. You don’t just flip flop because of your personal ambition." On Atiku’s visit to Buhari, the PDP chieftain blasted the ex-vice President for taking his coalition campaign to Buhari, who, according to George, beat him ‘like a little kid’ in the 2019 presidential election. “Look at general Buhari shaking hands with these guys. Is he a member of our party? We presented you against him, and he flopped you like like a little kid, and then you are running there. "And if you look at the congregation of those who visited Buhari, they are all from one side, who are the others from our party? No, it’s not done that way. "In fact, my conclusion was, What is this man trying to do with this mega party? Is he trying to divide Nigeria from the north and then the south?" While reaffirming his stand on zoning, George said: "Is it a private fiefdom? Who was the former president? Was it not General Buhari? Where did he come from? Did he come from Yoruba land or Igbo land? "All we are saying is that we have a system of eight years of presidency in the north and eight years of presidency in the south."

Popular musician, Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi, has brushed aside his rumored death. This came after rumour spread on Monday that the 83-year-old has passed on. However, in a video on Tuesday morning, Obey-Fabiyi dismissed rumours of his death, affirming that he is alive, strong and healthy. In a spirited performance, in Yoruba, English and Pidgin, he described the news as false. “Hello, my name is Professor Ebenezer Obey-Fabiyi. “Satan, you don lose o, Satan, you don lose o, you don pafuka. Na lie lie you dey talk, you don pafuka. “It is fake news that started a few hours ago claiming that I, Evangelist Obey, have passed on to glory. “It is a lie. I am alive, and that is not the word Jesus has written,” Obey-Fabiyi sang.

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, has vowed that genuine members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC), will stop at nothing to kick out any government that brings pain and impoverishment on the masses. The CPC members are loyalists of former president Muhammadu Buhari and have been divided over support for President Bola Tinubu. While some of them are part of the coalition to unseat Tinubu, others are backing the president. However, Lawal told The PUNCH every genuine CPC chieftain who has the interest of the Talakawas— the poor and vulnerable— at heart, will stop at nothing to “kick out any government that brings pain and impoverishment to the people like the Tinubu administration” in 2027. He said, “These guys have given us a reason to come against them because the CPC is a Talakawa Movement. “It’s a movement that has at heart the needs and feelings of the lower class. That is our ideology, which we learned from Buhari. “The primary aim is how to serve the disenfranchised, discriminated people in the society, which this government has taken as a religion to cause suffering and marginalisation. It is as if the sight of a poor person annoys them. So they want to starve them to death. “Now if you are an original CPC person, it will pain you. It will push you into action involuntarily to change this type of system that is out to destroy and marginalise the underprivileged in society. That is what Buhari stands for. That is who we are and what we learned from him.” On Buhari’s blessing, he said, “First of all, we don’t need his (Buhari) blessing. We only needed to tell him what we wanted to do because we were adults. It is also not like we will go and tell Buhari to follow us. Of course, we are mature and intelligent people. “Even if Buhari says, hey, gentlemen, I will join you. It is our responsibility to say, No, Oga please keep off. You are too big for us. We don’t want to involve you. You are part of this government. Please remain there until you are fed up.” He said those still supporting Tinubu were merely scrambling for political appointments.

The Vatican has published the Will of Pope Francis. This came after the Catholic Pontiff passed on Easter Monday morning, throwing the over one billion Catholics and the entire world into mourning. His Will has now been published on the Holy See’s website. The document, titled “Testament of the Holy Father Francis”, is dated June 2022, detailing Pope Francis’s desire to be buried in a “simple” tomb and also the location of the tomb. It reads in full: In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen. As I sense that the twilight of my earthly life is approaching, and with firm hope in Eternal Life, I wish to express my final wishes regarding my burial place. I have always entrusted my life and priestly and episcopal ministry to the Mother of Our Lord, Mary Most Holy. Therefore, I ask that my mortal remains rest, awaiting the day of resurrection, in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I wish that my final earthly journey conclude precisely in this ancient Marian shrine, where I go to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey to faithfully entrust my intentions to the Immaculate Mother and to give thanks for her gentle and maternal care. I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side nave between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the aforementioned Papal Basilica, as indicated in the enclosed plan. The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, and bearing only the inscription: Franciscus. The expenses for the preparation of my burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the appropriate instructions to Msgr. Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Chapter. May the Lord grant the deserved reward to those who have wished me well and will continue to pray for me. The suffering that marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples. Domus Sanctae Marthae, 29 June 2022 FRANCIS

Minister of Works, David Umahi has claimed that President Bola Tinubu has ended the age-long marginalisation of the South-East region. The South-East has been crying of marginalisation since the country’s return to democracy in 1999. They feel they were still being made to suffer from the effects of the civil war, a development that has spiked agitation for Biafra. However, Umahi said Tinubu has broken the jinx of marginalisation suffered by the people of the South-East region in Nigeria’s political and infrastructural landscape. He stated this over the weekend during a civic reception organised in his honour by the Okposi Okwu community in the Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Uchenna Orji quoted Umahi as thanking Tinubu for ending the decades of exclusion through equitable distribution of the dividends of democracy across the six geo-political zones. “The Minister thanked the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for breaking the jinx of marginalisation in the South-East through equitable distribution of the dividends of democracy,” the statement partly read. Umahi also said that his appointment as Minister of Works, a first in Nigeria’s post-independence history symbolized a significant shift in inclusion.

Nigeria President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja. He arrived in the country at 9:50 p.m on Monday after a working visit and retreat in France and London lasting 18 days. The presidential 001 aircraft conveying the President landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. Tinubu was received by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, among others. Tinubu departed Nigeria on Wednesday, April 2, spending some time in Paris, the French capital, before he reportedly proceeded to London two weekends ago. Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, was also among the officials who received the President.

A total of N10 million has been raised in just four days for Quadri Alabi four days after he was released from detention. This was confirmed by human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who accused the police of claiming that Alabi was 18 years old to prosecute him in court, even though he is only 17. Effiong, who is the lawyer to the teenager, had appealed to Nigerians for financial support to enable Alabi and his family relocate to a new location in Lagos. During an interview on Monday with Channels TV, where he and Alabi were both guests, he confirmed that N10m had been raised. He also accused the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Amukoko Division  of subjecting Alabi to an internal police trial, along with Inspector Odigbe Samuel and other officers. He described their actions as part of an “evil, sinister, oppressive, and corrupt scheme” to frame a teenager for armed robbery, instigated by rogue ‘area boys.’ According to Effiong: “The boy sitting next to me, Quadri Alabi, as you know, went viral in 2023 during one of Peter Obi’s campaign tours. “He spontaneously jumped in front of the convoy, raised his hand, and the photo went viral. That moment changed his life. Donations were made, and he gained some popularity. “Unfortunately, with that fame came harassment. Local area boys began extorting him, saying he hadn’t ‘settled’ them. “They even told his mother to buy a cow, cook rice, and throw a feast for the community. When she refused, the threats continued. “This is actually the second time these same individuals, with support from the Amukoko Police, targeted him. The first time, he was quietly detained. “The second time, in January, he was returning home from work when he was arrested by area boys, specifically known as Leggy and Baba Waris, who accused him of ignoring them despite the money he had received from Peter Obi. “They handed him over to the police, claiming he was involved in a street fight. His mother was told the same. She even confronted one of the area boys, who admitted it was about the money. “Shockingly, he was detained for a full week before being taken to court on January 27. The DPO, CSP Ismaila Ulaniro, kept him in custody illegally during this period.”

There is growing outrage across the country as the death toll in the mayhem being unleashed on Benue State climbed to 72. Governor Hyacinth Alia of the State had in a speech during the Easter Sunday mass at the Government House, declared that the state was under siege and losing ground to armed Fulani herdsmen. He told the congregation, “If you hear something, say something, it will enable the security agents to move out there and repel the invaders. “We are under siege as a state, and those who are attacking us must have a face, must have an aim, and must have a drive. "They come, they drag people out, they kill to occupy. This is extremely unacceptable.” It has now been confirmed that at least 72 persons have paid the supreme price. This is following the recovery of 13 more bodies from the attacks on Ukum and Logo Local Government Areas of the state. Principal Special Assistant (PSA) to Benue Governor on Media and Content Creation, Isaac Uzaan, who gave the update, said the bodies were found in both attacked local government areas. Uzaan told PUNCH that 12 bodies were recovered from Ukum and the remaining one in Logo, making the number of fresh recovery 13, while the total fatalities now stands at 72. Recall that many rural communities of Sankera axis comprising three LGAs of Ukum, Logo and Kastina-Ala came under attack between Thursday night and Friday morning, leading to the massacre of several individuals. Meanwhile, Alia has warned politicians who have taken advantage of the security situation to desist, saying it was not the time to do so. “I invite you politicians to stay clear. Don’t be part of those who are attacking us. "We have some machinery in place to dig deeper to let us know who is a culprit, who is involved in the destruction of our state. “A terrorist is a terrorist irrespective of his ethnicity or his religion. Criminality is criminality period! So whoever commits it is a terrorist and he should not be where the living are”, the governor stated.

Pope Francis died of a stroke, causing a coma and “irreversible” heart failure. According to AFP, his death certificate released by the Vatican on Monday showed the cause of death. It could be recalled that the 88-year-old Catholic Pontiff died on Monday morning. The cause of Pope Francis’ death has been identified as a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse. The Director of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene of the Vatican City State, Dr. Andrea Arcangeli, issued the official certification, and the Holy See Press Office released the report on Monday evening. According to the medical report, the Pope had a prior history of acute respiratory failure caused by multimicrobial bilateral pneumonia, multiple bronchiectases, high blood pressure, and Type II diabetes. His death was confirmed through electrocardiographic thanatography. “I hereby declare,” wrote Dr. Arcangeli, “that the causes of death, to the best of my knowledge and judgment, are as stated above.”