Headlines
Israel kills Iranian Armed Forces Chief Two Days After Appointment
The Israel Defense Force has announced the elimination of Major General Ali Shadmani, the Commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian General Staff.
He was just appointed to the position two days ago by Iranian Supreme-Leader Major Ali Khamenei,
He was appointed after the assassination on Friday of the previous Commander, Major General Gholam Ali Rashid, in an Israeli strike on Tehran.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes that neutralising Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would not escalate the conflict in the Middle East but instead bring it to an end.
Netanyahu made the controversial remarks during an interview with ABC News on Monday, saying that previous U.S. concerns about targeting Iran’s leadership were misplaced.
“It’s not going to escalate the conflict, it’s going to end the conflict,” he said, alluding to reports that the former U.S. President Donald Trump had rejected similar suggestions out of fear of provoking further instability.
The Israeli leader blamed Tehran for decades of unrest, stating, “We’ve had half a century of conflict spread by this regime that terrorises everyone in the Middle East… What Israel is doing is preventing this, bringing an end to this aggression.”
When asked if Israel would directly target Ayatollah Khamenei, Netanyahu responded cryptically, “I’m not going to get into the details, but we’ve targeted their top nuclear scientists. It’s basically Hitler’s nuclear team.”
The interview comes amid escalating violence between the two regional rivals. On Monday, Iran fired another round of missiles at northern Israel, triggering air raid sirens throughout the region.
In retaliation, Iranian state media warned of what it described as “the largest and most intense missile attack in history on Israeli soil.”
As tensions soar, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to defending its sovereignty: “We can only do so by standing up to the forces of evil. We’re doing what we need to do.”
Justice Musa Umar of the Federal High Court Abuja, on Monday, rejected an application by the Federal government to have Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan arrested for failing to appear for the start of her defamation trial.
The government is prosecuting Akpoti-Uduaghan on behalf of Senate President Godswill Akpabio and former Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello.
At the day’s proceeding, the prosecuting counsel, David Kaswe, told the court that the matter was for arraignment but that the defendant was not in court.
Kaswe told the court that he served the charge on the defendant’s counsel which meant that the defendant was well aware of the matter.
The prosecutor prayed the court for a bench warrant to be issued against the defendant for failing to appear in court despite being aware of the charge against her.
“It was this morning that we were able to serve the defendant through her counsel but the defendant is not in court.
“So, it means the defendant is aware of this matter but decided not to appear in court, in the light of this, I apply that a bench warrant be issued against her for failure to attend court to take her plea in this criminal charge,” Kaswe said.
Counsel for Akpoti-Uduaghan, Jacob Usman (SAN), told the court that he found the application of the prosecution strange and uncourteous.
Usman told the court that when he got wind of the pendency of the suit, he called the prosecutor to let him know that his client had asked him to receive the charge on her behalf.
“I was served the charge at 9:15am this morning here in court so how will the defendant know that the matter is coming up when she has not seen the charge?
“I find the application strange and it should be dishonoured, if the defendant has not been served, she cannot be in court,” he said.
He prayed the court to dis-countenance the application as it was made in bad taste.
The trial judge, Justice Musa Umar, asked the prosecutor if he had served the charge on the defendant to which he answered in the negative.
Justice Umar, therefore, said that it was impossible to grant the application of the prosecutor and issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the defendant when she had not been served.
He refused the application for a bench warrant and rather granted the application for substituted service through her counsel which the prosecutor made in what seemed to be an afterthought.
The judge adjourned the matter to June 30, 2025 for arraignment.
The case was not unconnected to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s alleged defamatory comments made during a live television appearance on April 3, 2025.
She allegedly made defamatory comments against Akpabio and Bello including a plot to assassinate her.
Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately launch a probe into the strange circumstances that led to the deaths of some Nigerians, including the likes of Dele Giwa, Bola Ige and Kudirat Abiola, for the sake of giving some closure to the matter.
While speaking with selected journalists in Lagos on Saturday, the renowned author said some Nigerians around the world have and could provide clues to the killings.
Soyinka has been speaking on the occasion of Nigeria’s Democracy Day, which was marked on June 12, 2025, where President Tinubu addressed the joint session of the National Assembly and awarded national honours to some of the heroes of the struggle.
While he praised the national honours, he said there were several omissions of heroes on the list, adding that he believed the honoured participants were a representation of the rest of the people in the struggle.
Soyinka revealed that he will be dedicating his honours to the memory of Late Beko Ransom-Kuti, who he described as a defender of human rights, champion of good governance, and campaigner for democracy, who was detained and jailed several times by the Nigerian military.
He warned that no one should make light of the weight and importance of the June 12 struggle, as many people died, and many others were greatly injured by the military junta, which killed, tortured, and imprisoned Nigerians at the time.
Soyinka’s plea comes after the presidency on Saturday denied it awarded national honours to human rights activist Aisha Yesufu and 35 others.
Names of the heroes of democracy were announced by President Tinubu on Thursday, June 13, as part of the activities marking the 2025 Democracy Day celebration. Only 66 awardees were announced at the joint sitting of the National Assembly in Abuja.
Among the posthumous awardees were a former Chief of Staff, Shehu Musa Yar’Adua; a former NEC Chairman who oversaw the 1993 elections, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu; and the wife of MKO Abiola and martyr of the June 12 struggle, Kudirat Abiola.
The President also granted a posthumous state pardon to renowned environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa and the rest of the Ogoni Nine, three decades after their controversial execution by the Sani Abacha-led military regime.
The nine other activists were also acknowledged for their sacrifices in the struggle for environmental justice and democratic ideals in Nigeria.
“I shall also be exercising my powers under the prerogative of mercy to grant these national heroes a full pardon, together with others whose names shall be announced later in conjunction with the National Council of State,” he said.
Each of the eight was conferred with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON, while Ken Saro-Wiwa was awarded the Commander of the Order of the Niger, CON.
This marks the first time a Nigerian President has officially acknowledged the role of the Ogoni Nine in the national democratic journey and taken steps toward state-led rehabilitation of their legacy.
The Ogoni Nine were prominent members of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), which campaigned against environmental degradation in the Niger Delta caused by oil exploration. Their execution drew global outrage, including Nigeria’s temporary suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations in 1995.
Those honoured alongside Saro-Wiwa include Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera, Felix Nuate, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, and John Kpuine, all executed in 1995 after a military tribunal found them guilty in a trial widely condemned by international human rights groups as flawed and politically motivated.
Source: Channels TV
Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, called on Iranians Friday to unite against what he described as an “evil and oppressive regime”, telling them Israel was engaged in “one of the greatest military operations in history”.
“The time has come for the Iranian people to unite around its flag and its historic legacy, by standing up for your freedom from the evil and oppressive regime,” Netanyahu said in a video statement after Israel struck over 200 military and nuclear sites in the Islamic republic.
“We are in the midst of one of the greatest military operations in history, Operation Rising Lion,” he added.
“As we achieve our objective, we are also clearing the path for you to achieve your freedom,” he said, referring to Israeli strikes that hit targets across Iran, including nuclear sites, killing several top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
“The regime does not know what hit them, or what will hit them. It has never been weaker,” Netanyahu said in his video published shortly after a salvo of Iranian missiles reached Israel.
“Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you,” he said, adding: “This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard.”
Netanyahu also promised that “more is on the way”, having said earlier that Israel’s attack on Iran would “continue for as many days as it takes”.
Iran called the attack “a declaration of war” and threatened to retaliate by opening “the gates of hell” on Israel.
It first sent about 100 drones towards Israel, many of which were intercepted before reaching the country.
The drones were followed by dozens of missiles, some of which caused physical damage in Israeli cities, and injured at least seven people, according to first responders.
