Other News
Russia unleashes wave of missiles on Ukraine as West condemns Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the barrage of missile fire on numerous Ukrainian cities on Monday as a response to “terrorist attacks” on Russian territory and warned that even tougher strikes could come.
Putin’s remarks at a Russian Security Council meeting came as the seven-month-old war saw a dramatic escalation with the targeting of city centres and infrastructure across Ukraine.
The attacks killed 14 people and injured 97 across the country, according to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry on Monday evening. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening address put the toll at 12 deaths and more than 80 injuries.
Read also>>>Twitter Ban Kanye West account
International condemnation was swift, with world leaders using words such as “terrorism” and “war crimes.”
Russia fired more than 80 missiles across Ukrainian cities, the government in Kiev said, with air defence systems intercepting about half of them.
At least 36 were injured in the capital alone and deaths were reported, officials said.
Moscow’s rockets followed a weekend explosion that damaged the strategically important bridge connecting the annexed Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia. Putin blames Kiev for the attack on the infrastructure, which is used to supply Russian troops in Ukraine. Kiev has not taken responsibility.
Putin warned: “In case of continuation of attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our territory, the responses from the Russian side will be harsh – and in their scale will correspond to the level of threat to the Russian Federation.”
The Russian attacks by air, ground and sea, which Moscow’s Defence Ministry said achieved their goals, were an “act of terror” according to Zelensky.
Kiev’s air raid alert was lifted in the early afternoon, after 5 hours and 37 minutes, the longest since the war began on Feb. 24.
City Mayor Vitali Klitschko urged residents to remain cautious.
Ukraine’s capital has been hit by Russian missiles several times since the beginning of the war, although Monday’s was the worst incident of its kind and the first attack on Kiev in months.l
It follows Ukraine winning back territory lost earlier in the war as part of a counter-offensive. Putin’s attempt to change the narrative also comes amid problems with Moscow’s partial mobilization of new troops, with Putin saying on Monday that mistakes must be dealt with.
Russian rocket attacks were also reported in other parts of Ukraine, from Lviv in the far west to areas of the contested east.
Power failed in parts of the eastern city of Kharkiv following three Russian air attacks, with one targeting energy infrastructure, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on the Telegram messaging app.
Parts of Lviv were also without power after damage to energy infrastructure. Ukraine called on all citizens to switch off electrical appliances in the evening to not overload the power grid.
Four deaths were reported by authorities as a result of a missile strike in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region, Mayor Vadim Lyakh said.
“Ukraine cannot be intimidated. We united even more instead,” Zelensky said in his evening video address, which was recorded by a damaged road junction near a Kiev university rather than his well-secured presidential office as is usually the case.
Zelensky said that that there were only civilian targets in and around a park in front of the university and no military installations, which Russia said it had hit.
“The occupiers cannot confront us on the battlefield and that is why they resort to this terror,” Zelensky said.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities as having “no military purpose.”
“They once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people,” Biden said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated the alliance’s support for Ukraine after speaking to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Stoltenberg “condemned Russia’s horrific [and] indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine” while UN Secretary General António Guterres was “deeply shocked” and India said it was “deeply concerned.”
European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter: “These indiscriminate attacks on civilians are war crimes.”
After the latest escalation in the war, Group of Seven (G7) leaders plan to hold a video call with the Ukrainian leader on Tuesday.
Four deaths were reported by authorities as a result of a missile strike in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk in the Donetsk region, Mayor Vadim Lyakh said.
“Ukraine cannot be intimidated. We united even more instead,” Zelensky said in his evening video address, which was recorded by a damaged road junction near a Kiev university rather than his well-secured presidential office as is usually the case.
Zelensky said that that there were only civilian targets in and around a park in front of the university and no military installations, which Russia said it had hit.
“The occupiers cannot confront us on the battlefield and that is why they resort to this terror,” Zelensky said.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities as having “no military purpose.”
“They once again demonstrate the utter brutality of Mr Putin’s illegal war on the Ukrainian people,” Biden said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated the alliance’s support for Ukraine after speaking to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Stoltenberg “condemned Russia’s horrific [and] indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine” while UN Secretary General António Guterres was “deeply shocked” and India said it was “deeply concerned.”
European Council President Charles Michel said on Twitter: “These indiscriminate attacks on civilians are war crimes.”
After the latest escalation in the war, Group of Seven (G7) leaders plan to hold a video call with the Ukrainian leader on Tuesday.
Zelensky meanwhile had spoken to a number of leaders including Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
In further justifying Monday’s barrage, Putin claimed there had been three Ukrainian attacks on the Russian nuclear power plant in Kursk.
He also accused Ukraine of shelling the nuclear power plant occupied by Russian troops in the Zaporizhzhya region annexed by Moscow.
Despite his leader’s comments, Russian parliamentarian Yevgeny Popov told the BBC: “We’re not going to attack civilians in Ukraine, we’re not going to attack people.”
The UN General Assembly is currently deliberating on Russia’s recent annexations of parts of Ukraine in defiance of international law.
A Delta State High Court in Effurun has ruled in favor of the Registered Trustees of the Neo-Black Movement of Africa, awarding them N30 million in damages in a libel case against popular Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji.
The lawsuit, with Ese Kakor, Felix Kupa, and Mayor Onyebueke as claimants, resulted in the court ordering Ikeji to pay N300,000 in litigation costs.
Presiding Justice Roli Daibo-Harriman delivered the verdict in Suit No: EHC/210/2021 on Monday.
Additionally, Ikeji was instructed to publish a retraction of the libellous statements on her blog and in national dailies.
Furthermore, Ikeji has been restrained from making further damaging publications against the claimants.
The Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) took the legal action against Linda Ikeji after she allegedly failed to retract and apologize for a defamatory article published on her blog on October 19, 2021.
The article reportedly labeled the NBM of Africa as a dreaded cult group, black axe, and criminal organization, prompting the claimants to seek N1 billion in damages and an unreserved apology to be published on Ikeji’s blog and in two national newspapers.
Justice Daibo-Harriman, in her ruling, deemed the terms “dreaded cultist group,” “black axe,” and “criminal organization” used in the Defendant’s publication as defamatory.
Kelvin Agbroko, Counsel to the Claimants, emphasized that the ruling “Will serve as a lesson to bloggers that it is not every item you publish. It is good to verify information before making a publication.”
He said, “NBM of Africa is a legal organisation duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. The publication made by the Defendant against my client has been cleared that it was a damaging publication.
“NBM is good to go, we are going to take all necessary steps to enforce the terms of the judgment against her. It was an erudite judgement that is all-encompassing and will be difficult to fault.”
Ese Kakor, President of the NBM of Africa, revealed that the legal proceedings regarding the case had been ongoing for approximately two years.
Kakor expressed his dismay at Linda Ikeji’s actions, stating, “What Ikeji did was just to sell in a bid to defame the character of NBM of Africa. It is very wrong.”
He advised other bloggers against following similar steps, cautioning that they may also face litigation for defamation.
Kakor clarified that the NBM of Africa has no association with cultism, black axe, or criminal activities, emphasizing that it is a well-registered organization.
In a shocking turn of events, Gihan Mbelu, the esteemed chairman of Victoria Garden City in Lagos’s bustling Lekki area, was found lifeless inside his vehicle.
His sudden demise has prompts police inquiry into the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death.
The 42-year-old financial luminary and venture capitalist was found unconscious in his opulent C300 4Matic vehicle around 10:10 am on Friday, April 26, 2024.
According to report, Mbelu was swiftly transported to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, where a doctor on duty confirmed his unfortunate demise.
Meanwhile, concerned individuals took it upon themselves to examine his vehicle, which had been running for hours at the spot where it was parked.
The post reads “Concerned by the discovery, some of the people in the area, upon close observation of the vehicle, found Mbelu in it.
“While some people speculated that the 42-year-old man might be sleeping, some other persons, who were bent on ascertaining Mbelu’s true state, reportedly made frantic efforts to wake him up but it proved abortive.
“In a bid to rescue Mbelu, it was learnt that he was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital where he was reportedly confirmed dead by one of the doctors on duty.
“Mbelu’s corpse was said to have been deposited in the hospital’s morgue. The case was also reported to the police for an investigation to commence to ascertain the circumstances surrounding Mbelu’s death.”
Prior to his demise, Mbelu was married to Eloho, a distinguished tech entrepreneur, former investment banker, and private equity investor. Together, they are parents to two daughters.
In response to the news, Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the state police command, affirmed the incident on Saturday, April 27, disclosing that an investigation has been launched into the matter.
In the aftermath of the escape from its Suleija facility in Niger State, the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) has disclosed the successful recapture of three escaped inmates.
Despite these efforts, 106 inmates are still on the run.
Abubakar Umar, an Assistant Controller and spokesperson for the NCoS, dismissed rumors circulating online suggesting that 50 inmates had been apprehended, clarifying that only three had been recaptured.
He said “Aside from the 10 earlier recaptured, three more have been recaptured. So, we are on the chase of 106.”
He further dismissed reports from television sources alleging over 8,000 escaping inmates nationwide.
He clarified that following heavy rainfall damaging parts of the Suleija facility, at least 119 inmates had escaped.
During a visit to the facility, Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, underscored the urgency of relocating the correctional center from its current urban location.
He noted that the facility, originally designed for 250 inmates, was accommodating 499 individuals prior to the incident.
He said; ”Obviously, it was a force majeure. There was a storm and there was a breach of the outer wall of this facility and some of the inmates escaped.
“Of course, we have been able to retrieve about 10 out of the 119. So we have 109 at large and the manhunt is presently ongoing. We will do everything possible to make sure that everyone is brought back”.
Additionally, the Service (NCoS) announced its intention to publish the identities of the escapees at a later time.
Kwara-based Catholic School Shines In 2024 UTME: 30 Students Score Above 300
Fuel Crisis: No End In Sight As NNPC, IPMAN Fight Dirty
Vigilantes Slain, Village Heads Abducted In Kaduna Attack
Subsidy Removal, Currency Reforms Vital For Economic Revival – VP Shettima
Another Premium Under-Bridge Apartment Uncovered In Lagos
SYNLAB Nigeria Champions Industry Standards, Coordination
Sahara’s Tonye Cole resigns from GPHCDA
Niger Delta Avengers: President Buhari Reads riot Act …considers the carrot and stick option
Adeosun: We are investing in infrastructure to grow the private sector
Oando opens ultra-modern petrol station in Lagos
Shell launches Nigeria campaign on energy efficiency
