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25 killed in Rivers illegal refinery explosion

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No fewer than 25 persons have lost their lives following an explosion from an illegal oil tapping point in Omoku, Ogba/Egebema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

It was learnt that the incident occurred on Sunday morning, after the youths allegedly broke a pipeline belonging to one of the multinational oil firms operating in the areas, and began using jerrycans and buckets to scoop fuel when the tragedy struck.

 A source who pleaded anonymity said while 25 persons were feared dead, many suffered varying degrees of burns and were receiving treatment in different hospitals in the area.

 She said, “It is a very terrible incident. Imagine the death of 25 people in such a time. We learnt some youths bust a company pipeline.

“If you go to the General Hospital and other private clinics in Omoku, you will see many of the injured people scattered all over the place in both government and private hospitals taking treatment.”

 Another source who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said the inferno occurred as a result of attempts by suspected oil thieves to light mosquito coils.

He disclosed, “The leakage was from an obsolete pipeline belonging to one of the oil companies operating in the area.

Speaking, the chairman of Niger Delta Youth Movement, ONELGA chapter, Emeka Ukwuosah, advised youths in the area to engage in meaningful activities and shun illegal oil bunkering.

Ukwuosah said, “Let me join in condemning the illegal oil bunkering going on within ONELGA. We are also calling on the security agencies to be up and doing and check what is happening within that circle.

 “Secondly, we are also calling on the multinationals that own the oil facilities to overhaul their aging facilities to forestall such incidents.”

 On his part, the Assistant Secretary of a vigilante group in the area, Onelga Security Peace Advisory Council, Emeka Agbabere, blamed the incident on illegal oil bunkering.

Agbabere said the vigilante group, the Community Development Committee and the youths were directed by a monarch in the area to put a stop to illegal oil bunkering activities there.

He however expressed dismay that despite their repeated campaigns for the youths to stop illegal bunkering, they paid a deaf ear.

He stated, “We proclaimed that they must put a stop to it and this is the aftermath of it. When they busted the pipeline, fire engulfed immediately and 19 of them died instantly and about 12 in two different hospitals.”

When contacted, spokesperson of the state police command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said she would find out and get back to our reporter.

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report on Tuesday.

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Crime

Court Rules Nnamdi Kanu Has Case to Answer in Terrorism Trial

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The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), must face trial in his ongoing terrorism case.

Delivering the ruling on Thursday, Justice James Omotosho dismissed Kanu’s no-case submission, stating that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence linking him to terrorism-related activities. The judge ordered Kanu to open his defence on October 8, 2025.

According to Justice Omotosho, the prosecution’s exhibits and witness testimonies raise “serious allegations” that merit a full trial.

In a separate directive, the court also ordered the President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to constitute a special medical team to evaluate Kanu’s current health condition. The judge mandated the committee to submit its report within eight days.

The court instructed that the medical panel, consisting of 8 to 10 members including a cardiologist and a neurologist, must assess whether the Department of State Services (DSS) medical facility is adequately equipped to manage Kanu’s health needs. The committee is also empowered to use any medical facility in the country during its investigation.

Justice Omotosho further directed that the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Abuja, be included as a member of the committee. Based on the committee’s findings, the court will determine whether Kanu should be transferred to the National Hospital for further treatment.

The trial continues amidst growing public and international attention surrounding Kanu’s detention and the broader implications for the separatist movement he leads.

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Crime

Man allegedly kill grandparents over food

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A 30-year-old man, Mutawakilu Ibrahim, has been arrested for allegedly stabbing his grandparents to death after a quarrel over food.

The Kano State Police Command spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa said the incident was reported on Thursday morning, September 25, 2025, at Kofar Dawanau Quarters in Dala Local Government Area.

According to him, the suspect attacked his grandfather, 75-year-old Muhammad Dansokoto, and grandmother, 65-year-old Hadiza Tasidi, with a knife during the altercation.

“The victims were rushed to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano, where they were confirmed dead by medical personnel,” Kiyawa stated.

“Their corpses were later released to relatives for burial in line with Islamic rites.

”The police said the suspect, believed to have been under the influence of intoxicants at the time of the attack, is now in custody.

Kiyawa added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, has directed that the matter be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Homicide Section, for further investigation.

“The suspect will be charged to court upon completion of the investigation,” the statement concluded.

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Crime

Kidnappers shoot victim over insufficient funds in bank account in Delta

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A victim of kidnap was shot in the leg by kidnappers for failing to have sufficient money in his bank account.

The kidnappers said the shooting is to teach him a lesson.

This was even after they had already withdrawn two million naira from his bank account.

According to the Delta Police Command’s spokesperson, Bright Edafe, operatives have arrested three suspected kidnappers, who confessed that they collected N2 million ransom from their victim and still shot him.

The suspects, identified as Chukwuebuka Nka, Uche Okechukwu, and Somto Chukwuma, allegedly shot the victim in the leg after discovering he did not have enough money in his account.

According to the statement, the arrests followed a distress call that a young man had been kidnapped from his residence in Ogwashi-Uku.

Edafe said operatives tracked the suspects to a bush in Ogwashi-Uku, where the victim was rescued with a gunshot wound.

According to him, investigations led to the arrest of Chukwuebuka Nka and Uche Okechukwu in Anambra State, where the victim’s white Toyota Venza was also recovered.

He added that, based on the suspects’ confessions, operatives raided their hideout in Agidiase village, Ogwashi-Uku, and arrested the third suspect.

The suspects then led the police to their hideout, where their operational vehicle and a network jammer circuit device were also recovered.

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