Former Super Falcons goalkeeper, Bidemi Aluko-Olaseni, has passed away following an eight-year struggle with cancer.

The announcement was made by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), through its official X account, @thenff, late Saturday night.

The post reads, “We are sad to hear of the passing of former @NGSuper_Falcons goalkeeper, Bidemi Aluko-Olaseni after an eight-year battle with cancer.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. May her gentle soul rest in peace.”

Bidemi Aluko-Olaseni, renowned for her exceptional goalkeeping skills with the Super Falcons, left an indelible mark during her football journey.

Beyond national representation, she contributed her prowess to notable clubs like Rivers Angels and Sunshine Queens.

The poignant chapter of Aluko-Olaseni’s life unfolded in 2019 when she revealed her battle with cancer.

She disclosed that the cancer began in 2017 while playing for Rivers Angels in the Nigerian Women’s Premier League.

Faced with the harsh reality of the diagnosis, she underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Unfortunately, the relentless nature of the illness led to her retirement from the sport.

Aluko-Olaseni, who guarded the Falcons’ goal from 2012 to 2013, shared the financial burden of her medical journey, stating the necessity of approximately N5 million for treatment in Nigeria.

Inspector Sa’idu Idiya, serving with the Kebbi Police Command, tragically lost his life in a solo car crash resulting from a tire burst on the Koko-Jega road in Kebbi.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nafi’u Abubakar, confirmed this in a statement released on Sunday.

He said: “On 25/11/2023 at about 1000HRS, there was a lone fatal motor vehicle accident along Koko/Jega road, involving a Police Toyota Land Cruiser with REG. NO. 5465D.

“The vehicle was conveying a team of policemen led by AC CID, Kebbi Police Command, ACP Suleiman Sade and nine others, while on their way to visit a scene of crime at Kendawa village, Dutsinmari District of Koko/Besse Local Government Area.”

The spokesperson recounted that when approaching the NNPC area in Koko, one of the rear tires of the vehicle suddenly burst, causing it to somersault three times into the nearby bushes.

“The scene of accident was immediately visited by a team of Policemen from Koko Division and evacuated the victims to General Hospital Koko for treatment, where one Inspector Sa’idu Idiya of the SCID died as confirmed by a Medical Doctor,” he said.

Abubakar further mentioned that the deceased’s body, along with the other survivors, was subsequently moved to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Birnin Kebbi, for additional medical attention.

The Police Public Relations Officer also offered prayers for the peaceful repose of the late Idiya’s soul in Jannatul Fiddaus.

Following Islamic customs, the deceased was laid to rest thereafter.

Over the weekend, bandits invaded settlements in Zamfara State’s Maradun Local Government Area, where they killed numerous residents and kidnapped at least 30 girls.

One of the abducted females who was able to escape captivity returned with nothing more than her head scarf, a survivor told the BBC Hausa Service in an interview that was recorded yesterday.

On Saturday afternoon, terrorists attacked the settlements of Sakkida and Jambako, killing nearly 20 residents in Sakkida and injuring many more.

According to a villager, who survived the attack, “We woke up peacefully, there was rain and some locals had prepared to go to the farm. Suddenly, there was a report that the terrorists have attacked a neighbouring village, Sakkida.

“The local vigilante, JTF, called the people of Janbako and sought for help. Our volunteers and other community members took up arms and headed to the village.

“There is a hill before you reach the village. Not knowing that the terrorists had laid ambush behind the hill, they opened fire on our people. Today in Jambako, 22 people were buried.

“Security operatives were called but they replied that they cannot come immediately because their armoured personnel carrier was not on the ground.

“The security operatives tried, they chased the terrorists. When they came back, they came with motorcycles that belonged to the terrorists.

“Many people were injured, some were shot, and others were hit with machetes. In Janbako, there were no security operatives stationed there to provide security.”

Another local told journalists that girls were abducted in Gora village while picking firewood in the bush at Daggera, adding that last week, the terrorists killed three locals and abducted another three.

He said: “Now they’ve abducted our girls, over 30. They sent a message that this year, if we want to cultivate our farms in Daggera, we must have a truce with them.

“We’ve been doing that with them, we can’t even count the number of times we entered into such an agreement. We don’t know what to do.”

He alleged that security operatives were yet to go on search and rescue of the abducted Zamfara girls.

According to the BBC Hausa Service, the police in Zamfara confirmed the incident but had no details.

Reacting to the latest attack, Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State, described it as barbaric and unprovoked aggression against innocent people, adding that his administration would not fold its arms and allow criminal elements to unleash terror without repercussions.

“The unfortunate incident came at a time when his government is working hard toward strategizing on how to bring an end to the protracted security problem in the state.

“A directive has been issued to the heads of security agencies in the state to, as a matter of urgency, deploy more security personnel to the affected communities to forestall further destruction of lives and property in the area,” Lawal said in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mustapha Jafaru.

Similarly, soldiers of Operation Hadarin Daji have also killed five terrorists who were responsible for the attacks on the communities. The military found two AK-47 guns, ammunition, and an unknown number of livestock, goats, and donkeys that had been rustled.