Headlines
Katsina Police Confirm Rescue of 30 Abducted Worshippers, 10 Still Missing
The Police Command in Katsina State says it has rescued 30 worshippers abducted from a mosque by suspected bandits.
The bandits attacked the mosque in Jibiya where worshippers had gathered to observe Tahajjud, a midnight prayer said by Muslims during Ramadan.
Some youths and vigilante groups in the town were said to have prepared to engage the bandits in the event of an attack, but the bandits used a different route to gain entry into the town.
The command’s spokesperson, Gambo Isah, resaid the police with the military and other vigilante groups had gone after the gunmen and rescued 30 of the worshippers.
He said after a headcount, they found that 10 of the worshippers are still missing.
“Around 12:30am, gunmen armed with sophisticated weapons attacked the abattoir quarters, on the outskirts of Jibiya LGA. They surrounded a newly built mosque while people were performing Tahajjud. One of them fired a shot which made the worshippers panic,” he said.
“Our men were alerted. The police, military, and in conjunction with different vigilante groups, were mobilised and went after the hoodlums. Luckily, we were able to rescue 30 of the worshippers, and after we conducted a headcount, we discovered that 10 are still missing.
“I can say 10 are still missing. Information at my disposal is that one of the families have been contacted by the criminals. So, in a nutshell, we can say they are presently detained in the hands of these abductors.”
Isah added that the police are making efforts to link up with the family contacted by the abductors.
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
