Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s lobbyist, Karl Von Batten, has deleted a social media post in which he announced that United States President Donald Trump had appointed him as a commissioner to a White House presidential commission.

The post was published on the verified X account of Von Batten’s firm, Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C., where checks now show that the post is no longer available.

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Von Batten’s firm had earlier announced that Trump appointed its managing partner as a commissioner, attracting attention in Nigeria because of Von Batten’s political activities and his links to Atiku.

However, Sunday Dare, one of President Bola Tinubu’s media aides, subsequently downplayed the significance of the appointment.

Dare said the appointment was to the Commission on Presidential Scholars, an education panel administered by the United States Department of Education.

According to the presidential aide, the commission has no responsibility for American foreign policy, national security, diplomacy or relations with Nigeria.

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The clarification came amid attention surrounding Von Batten, a Washington-based lobbyist and managing partner of Von Batten-Montague-York, L.C.

The firm was hired by Atiku to strengthen his reputational standing in the United States.
Von Batten has also been actively pushing for the release of US law-enforcement records concerning alleged links between President Tinubu and drug trafficking.

The development has now taken a fresh turn following the deletion of the social media post announcing the reported Trump commission appointment.

The reason for the deletion has not been stated publicly in the information available.

A 37-year-old Nigerian woman has reportedly gone missing in Doha, Qatar, about 72 hours after arriving in the country from Lagos.

The woman travelled aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1408 on Tuesday and reportedly communicated with her brother, Jonathan Jibo, via WhatsApp shortly before the aircraft landed.

However, her family lost contact with her after she arrived in Doha.

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The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Michael Achimugu, said on Saturday that the airline had confirmed through CCTV footage that the woman arrived safely, collected her luggage and exited the airport terminal.

Achimugu said, “I have confirmed, via the airline, that CCTV shows your sister arrived safely, picked her bags, and exited the terminal.”

He added that further checks were being conducted to determine whether the woman subsequently reached the hotel she had booked before travelling.

According to Achimugu, the checks had been slowed by public holidays but were expected to establish whether she arrived at the hotel and whether she was transported there using the hotel’s pick-up vehicle.

He explained that every Qatar visa booking must be tied to a specific hotel reservation, adding that Discover Qatar would verify the hotel details and confirm whether the woman checked in.

“In some cases, passengers arrive at the hotel booked, and then leave quietly. DISCOVER QATAR will check to confirm the name of her hotel, and whether your sister did, indeed, get to the hotel,” he said.

The NCAA official also disclosed that he had informed the airline about concerns over possible human trafficking and forced labour.

He said confirmation from the hotel would help determine the next course of action.

“If she did not arrive at the hotel, a manhunt would ensue. It is easy to track people once they have arrived in Doha,” Achimugu said.

He, however, clarified that the matter was not within his official purview and that he was assisting the family.

The woman’s brother, Jibo, had earlier raised the alarm on Friday, saying it had been more than 48 hours since he last had contact with his sister.

He said she was visiting Doha for the first time and had no friends there, adding that her accommodation had been arranged and paid for months before her trip.

Jibo said the person assigned to pick her up from the airport had waited for her but could not locate her, despite being informed by the airline that she had collected her luggage.

He further disclosed that his sister had worked at Lagos airport for almost 12 years and was expected to resume work in Doha a few weeks after her arrival.

“Till now I can’t reach her phone, online, I don’t even know what went wrong,” he wrote.

He also appealed to the Nigerian Embassy in Doha and other relevant authorities to assist in tracing her.

In a further update on Saturday, Jibo said his sister’s details had been forwarded to the Nigerian President in Doha and subsequently to the Nigerian Embassy in Qatar.

He said the family was hoping to receive an update from the embassy on Monday, noting that the embassy does not operate during weekends.

The family is now awaiting the outcome of checks to establish whether the woman reached her booked hotel and what happened after she left the airport terminal.

Panic broke out in the Mandate Market area of Ilorin, Kwara State, after a fire engulfed parts of a shopping complex in the early hours of Saturday.

No fewer than 12 shops were affected in the inferno, which occurred opposite Alkad Filling Station at about 1:14am.

The shopping complex, which contains about 40 shops, was already engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived at the scene.

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The spokesperson for the Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Adekunle said the fire service immediately deployed two fire appliances after receiving the distress call, while personnel of the Federal Fire Service later joined the operation.

According to him, the combined effort of the firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to other shops and nearby properties.

“Despite the prompt intervention of the firefighters, 12 shops were affected, largely due to the late notification of the incident,” Adekunle stated.

He said preliminary findings suggested that a power surge might have triggered the fire.

Adekunle explained that some people sleeping near the shopping complex reportedly heard a loud combustion sound shortly after electricity was restored.

“The exact cause of the incident remains subject to further investigation,” he added.

The Chief Fire Officer, Alabi Muhammed, commended the firefighters and the Federal Fire Service for their response and collaboration.

Muhammed urged business owners to ensure that electrical installations were carried out by qualified professionals and that electrical appliances and power sources were properly monitored.

He also stressed the need for residents and business owners to report fire outbreaks promptly.

“Early notification gives firefighters a better opportunity to contain incidents before they escalate and cause extensive damage,” Muhammed said.

The incident occurred just two days after another fire outbreak affected a residential building behind the Industrial Training Fund in the Asa-Dam area of Ilorin.

The Thursday fire affected three bedrooms in a building comprising three-bedroom flats and a room-and-parlour self-contained apartment.

The Fire Service said the blaze had spread significantly before firefighters arrived but was eventually contained, preventing it from reaching an adjoining block of apartments.

A power surge was also suspected in that incident, although the exact cause had not been conclusively established.

The Kwara State Fire Service consequently urged residents and business owners to regularly inspect and maintain their electrical installations and immediately alert emergency responders whenever a fire outbreak occurs.