International

Mali: 25 civilians killed in convoy ambush – Army

Published

1 year ago

February 9, 2025

359 Views

Malian Army late Saturday confirmed that insurgents killed at least 25 civilians and injured 13 others in an ambush of a military-escorted convoy near northeastern city of Gao on Friday.

The army’s death toll differed from a local official’s account of the incident, which said that up to 56 bodies were recorded at the hospital in Gao, and that there was also an unknown number of military casualties.

It was gathered that the attackers struck near the village of Kobe, around 30 km from Gao in a region where groups linked to Islamic State and Al Qaeda have been active for over a decade, destabilising Mali and its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger.

According to the army in a statement, no fewer than 19 assailants were killed when soldiers retaliated and pushed them back.

The army, however, did not mention military casualties.

The insurgencies took root in Mali’s arid north following a Tuareg separatist rebellion in 2012.

The Islamist militants have since spread to other countries in the impoverished central Sahel region south of the Sahara.

A Gao resident, speaking to reporters said deadly attacks have become so frequent that the military organises near-daily escorts.

The violence is said to have killed thousands of people, displaced millions, and spurred a string of military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger between 2020 and 2023.

Related Topics:Ambush Army Civians Killed Mali

Up Next

Saudi Introduces New Visa Policy Affecting Nigerians

Don't Miss

BREAKING: Two die, after Plane crashes into bus in São Paulo Brazil

Click to comment

International

Mojtaba Khamenei named Iran’s supreme leader

Politicians and institutions issued pledges of loyalty to the new supreme leader, whose wife, son and mother also died at the start of the U.S.-Israeli air onslaught according to Iranian state media.

Published

9 hours ago

March 9, 2026

OCHEFA

16 Views

• Photo : People hold placards with an image of Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in Tehran. Majid Asgaripour/WANA via REUTERS.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei 56, a Shi’ite cleric with a power base among the security forces and their vast business empire, has been declared the new Supreme Leader of Iran.

Iranian state media reports on Monday that large crowds in several cities rally behind the new leader, waving Iranian flags and holding portraits of his father Ali Khamenei, killed by strikes on the war’s first day.

In Isfahan, state TV reported the sound of nearby explosions from apparent airstrikes as loyalists gathered in the historic Imam Square, chanting “God is the Greatest”

In Tehran, a eulogist could be heard singing: “Either death or Khamenei, our blood leads to paradise.”

Politicians and institutions issued pledges of loyalty to the new supreme leader, whose wife, son and mother also died at the start of the U.S.-Israeli air onslaught according to Iranian state media.

“We will obey the commander-in-chief until the last drop ⁠of our blood,” a defence council statement said.

Iranians reached by telephone were divided, with supporters of the authorities hailing the choice as a declaration of defiance and opponents fearful it would dash their hopes for change.

“I am so happy that he is our new leader. It was a slap in the face to our enemies that thought the system will collapse with the killing of his father. Our late leader’s path will continue,” said university student Zahra Mirbagheri, 21, from Tehran.

International

President Tinubu Approves 65 Ambassadors for Postings [Full List]

President Tinubu has directed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately commence the induction programme for the ambassadors-designate and High Commissioners.

Published

4 days ago

March 6, 2026

OCHEFA

43 Views

• President Bola Tinubu. Credit: X

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the postings of 31 career and 34 non-career ambassadors to various countries and the United Nations.

The Senate confirmed the ambassadors-designate last December.

Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President(Information and Strategy), confirmed the postings, on Friday.

NON CAREER AMBASSADORS / HIGH COMMISSIONERS

1. SENATOR GRACE BENT: LOME-TOGO
2. SEN. ITA ENANG: SOUTH AFRICA
3. IKPEAZU VICTOR: SPAIN
4. NKECHI LINDA UFOCHUKWU: TEL-AVIV, ISRAEL
5. MAHMUD YAKUBU: QATAR
6. PAUL OGA ADIKWU: THE VATICAN CITY HOLY SEE
7. VICE ADMIRAL IBOK-ETE EKWE IBAS: THE PHILIPPINES
8. MR. RENO OMOKRI: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
9. HON. (ENGR.) ABASI BRAIMAH (FMHR): BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
11. MRS. ERELU ANGELA ADEBAYO: PORTUGAL
12. BARR. OLUMILUA OLUWAYIMIKA AYOTUNWA: TOKYO, JAPAN
13. RT. HON. UGWUANYI IFEANYI LAWRENCE: ATHENS, GREECE
15. BARR. CHIOMA PRISCILLA OHAKIM: WARSAW, POLAND
16. AMINU DALHATU: UNITED KINGDOM, UK
17. LT. GEN ABDULRAHMAN BELLO
18 DAMBAZAU: BEIJING, CHINA
19 .HON. TASIU MUSA MAIGARI: GAMBIA
20. OLUFEMI PEDRO: AUSTRALIA
21. BARR. MUHAMMED UBANDOMA ALIYU: ARGENTINA
22. LATEEF KAYODE ARE: USA
23. AMB. JOSEPH SOLA IJI: RUSSIA
24. SEN. JIMOH IBRAHIM: UN PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE
25. FEMI FANI KAYODE: GERMANY
26. PROF. ISAAK FOLORUNSO ADEWOLE. OTTAWA, CANADA
27. AJIMOBI FATIMA FLORENCE (F): AUSTRIA
28. MRS. LOLA AKANDE (F): SWEDEN
29. AYODELE OKE: FRANCE
30.YAKUBU N. GAMBO: SAUDI ARABIA
31. SENATOR PROF. NORA LADI DADUUT: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
32. BARR. ONUEZE CHUKWUJIKA JOE OKOCHA SAN: DUBLIN
33. DR. KULU HARUNA ABUBAKAR: TUNIS, TUNISIA
34. RT. HON. JERRY SAMUEL MANWE: PORT OF SPAIN, T&T

CAREER AMBASSADORS / HIGH COMMISSIONERS

AMB. NWABIOLA EZENWA CHUKWUMEKA: COTE D’IV/OIRE
BESTO MAIMUNA IBRAHIM: NIAMEY-NIGER
MONICA OKWUCHUKWU ENEBECHI: SAO TOME, STP
AMB. MOHAMMED MAHMUD LELE: ALGIERS-ALGERIA
ENDONI SYNDOPH PAEBI: OUAGADOUGOU-BURKINA FASO
AHMED MOHAMMED MONGUNO: CAIRO EGYPT
AMB.JANE ADAMS (NEE OKON) MICHAEL (F): KINGSTON-JAMAICA
AMB. CLARK-OMERU ALEXANDRA (F): LUSAKA-ZAMBIA
CHIMA GEOGGREY LIOMA DAVID: BAMAKO-MALI
AMB. ODUMAH YVONNE EHINOSEN: MALABO –E/GUINEA
AMB WASA SEGUN IGE: BEIRUT, LEBANON
RUBEN ABIMBOLA SAMUEL (F): ROME, ITALY
AMB.ONAGA OGECHUKWU KINGSLEY: MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE
AMB.MAGAJI UMAR: KINSASHA, DR CONGO
AMB.MUHAMMAD SAIDU DAHIRU: NEW DELHI-INDIA
AMB. ABDUSSALAM HABU ZAYYAD: DAKAR-SENEGAL
AMB SHEHU ILU BARDE: ACCRA GHANA
AMB.AMINU NASIR: ETHIOPIA
ABUBAKAR MUSA MUSA: N’DJAMENA, CHAD
AMB. HAIDARA MOHAMMED IDRIS: THE HAGUE-NETHERLANDS
AMB.BAKO ADAMU UMAR: RABAT-MOROCCO
AMB. SULU GAMBARI OLATUNJI AHMED: MALAYSIA
AMB.ROMATA MOHAMMED OMOBOLANLE (F): TANZANIA
AMB. SHAGA JOHN SHAMAH: BOTSWANA
SALAU, HAMZA MOHAMMED: TEHRAN, IRAN
AMB.IBRAHIM DANLAMI: KENYA
IBRAHIM ADEOLA MOPELOLA (F): COTONOU-BENIN
AMB.AYENI ADEBAYO EMMANUEL: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
AMB.AKANDE WAHAB ADEKOLA: BERNE-SWITZERLAND
AMB. AREWA (NEE ADEDOKUN) ESTHER (F): WINDHOEK-NAMIBIA
AMB.GERGADI JOSEPH JOHN: LIBREVILLE-GABON
AMB. LUTHER OGBOMODE AYO-KALATA (F): SIERRA LEONE
DANLADI YAKUBU NYAKU : KHARTOUM-SUDAN
BELLO DOGON-DAJI HALIRU: BANGKOK, THAILAND

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already received agrément from the United Kingdom for the High Commissioner-designate, Ambassador Aminu Dalhatu. Similarly, France has sent the agrément for Ambassador Ayo Oke.

The Ministry has also conveyed the nominations of the other 62 designated envoys to all the countries concerned, including a request for their agréments in line with standard diplomatic practice.

President Tinubu has directed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should immediately commence the induction programme for the ambassadors-designate and High Commissioners.

Business

BPP Saves FG N1.1trn Public Sector Procurements

While speaking on beneficial ownership, the BPP DG harped on the need to ensure transparency and to, among others, weed out those he called same and multiple bidders.

Published

4 days ago

March 5, 2026

OCHEFA

90 Views

Photo: Director -General of BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, during a courtesy call on the Registrar-General/CEO of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, March 5, 2026.

The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) revealed that in the last 12 months, it saved 1.1 trillion for the government in view of its implementation of a robust price intelligence mechanisms.

The Director General of the BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, disclosed this today during a courtesy call on the Registrar-General/CEO of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, to strengthen collaboration in order to support the present administration’s agenda for a trillion-dollar economy.

Dr. Adebowale recalled the long-standing collaboration between the two agencies which dates back to 2008 and therefore applauded the reforms being implemented by the Commission.

Adebowale remarked that the two agencies have a critical role to play in the efforts being made to realize a trillion dollar economy.

While speaking on beneficial ownership, the BPP DG harped on the need to ensure transparency and to, among others, weed out those he called same and multiple bidders.

While highlighting BPP’s reforms, Adebowale stressed the need for robust enforcement measures to ensure compliance and accountability by professional bodies whose executives often overstay their tenure of office in contravention of the code of corporate governance.

In his remarks, the Registrar-General highlighted CAC’s reform initiatives which are in tandem with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda, especially Item 7 that harps on digitization and innovation.

The CAC boss, who enjoined the BPP to utilize the Commission’s globally acclaimed Beneficial Ownership Register to enhance their operations, also asked for collaboration on capacity development between the two agencies.