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Seven journalist perish in another auto crash after Anthony Joshua’s tragedy!
It was another sad tale of fatal car crash on Monday, a day Nigeria almost lost Anthony Joshua – British-born former World Heavyweight boxing champion, with reports emerging that the cold hand of death claimed seven journalists in similar circumstances, just hours apart.
Monday’s auto crash, said to have occurred along the Yola–Kumo road, after Billiri axis in Gombe state, reportedly claimed the lives of some staff members of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Gombe, who were returning from the wedding ceremony of a colleague held in the Billiri LGA of the state.
Channels Television, which quoted preliminary reports as attributing the accident to a burst tyre on the bus conveying the victims those who lost their lives to include Zarah Umar, Manager, News and Senior Special Assistant to the governor in the office of the first lady; Manu Haruna Kwami, manager administration, NTA; Isa Lawan, film editor, NTA; and Musa Tabra, a retired manager news.
Others are Aminu Adamu, senior driver; Adams Danladi of StarTimes; and Judith Kutus, information officer with the Gombe State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).
Mohammed Saddam, a member of the rescue team of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, said in a statement that four persons sustained injuries in the accident.
“The victims were taken to Amana Clinic and General Hospital, Billiri, respectively, and later on, both the injured victims and the dead bodies were all conveyed to the specialist hospital, Gombe, on referral,” the statement reads.
Inuwa Yahaya, Governor of the state, while conveying his condolences through Ismaila Misilli, his spokesman, said he received the news of the fatal crash with “overwhelming grief, shock, and deep emotional pain,” adding that the victims were dedicated media professionals.
His words: “This tragedy is deeply painful. We have lost colleagues, partners in progress, and devoted public servants who served with passion and a strong sense of duty. Their absence will be felt for a long time.”
Alhassan Yahya, National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists, who also sent his condolences, described the incident as “a devastating blow to the journalism community, not only in Gombe state but across Nigeria,” adding that the the deceased were committed practitioners who served the public with courage, integrity, and professionalism, noting that “their loss has left an irreplaceable void in our noble profession.”
He added: “On behalf of the National Executive Council (NEC), the entire NUJ family nationwide, and the Nigerian media community, the Union extends its heartfelt condolences to the Gombe State Council of the NUJ and the families, friends, and colleagues of the deceased.
“The NUJ shares in this moment of grief and stands in full solidarity with the bereaved families and the Gombe State media family. We pray that Almighty God grants eternal rest to the souls of the departed and gives their loved ones the fortitude to bear the painful loss.”
Linking the incident to poor infrastructure in the country, Yahya said the incident again underscored the urgent need for improved road safety measures and responsible driving to prevent avoidable loss of lives, especially for professionals, often on the road in the line of duty.
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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