Author: Tona.Today

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Two National Guard soldiers shot near White House, suspect in custody

Two US National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded Wednesday two blocks from the White House and police said a suspect had been taken into custody.

“Please join me in praying for the two National Guardsmen who were just shot moments ago in Washington DC,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on X.

An AFP reporter near the scene said she heard several loud pops that sounded like gunshots, and then saw people running away from Farragut Square, a popular and busy outdoor area near the White House and a subway station.

Donald Trump, who is in Florida, was quickly briefed on the “tragic” situation, a spokeswoman said.

“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Local authorities confirmed that emergency services responded to and transported three gunshot victims from the area.

Secret Service were seen behind yellow police tape, their guns drawn.

“We heard gunshots. We were waiting at the traffic light and there were several shots, Angela Perry, who was in her car with her two children, told AFP.

“You could see National Guard running toward the metro with their weapons drawn,” the 42-year-old said.

Trump has sent National Guard troops to Democratic-run Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis to combat crime and help enforce his crackdown on undocumented migrants.

Last Thursday a federal judge ruled that Trump’s deployment of thousands of National Guard troops in the US capital is unlawful.

His extraordinary domestic use of the Guard was also challenged by California earlier this year after the president sent troops to Los Angeles to quell protests sparked by the rounding up of undocumented migrants. (Channels)

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Sanwo-Olu presents N4.2tn 2026 budget to Lagos Assembly

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday presented a proposed N4.237 trillion budget for the 2026 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly.

Security was heightened within and around the Assembly complex, with officers from the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps stationed at major entry points.

Members of the state executive council, local government officials, traditional rulers, and other guests attended the session, which was presided over by the Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa.

Sanwo-Olu began his presentation of the budget, tagged “Budget of Shared Prosperity,” at about 1.25 p.m.

During the address before the 40-member House, the governor emphasised that the 2026 proposal was designed to promote shared prosperity and build a Lagos that benefits all residents.

“Our mission remains clear, to eradicate poverty and build a Lagos that works for all,” the governor said.

He noted that the budget is anchored on four strategic pillars: a human-centred approach, modern infrastructure, a thriving economy, and good governance.

If approved, the N4.2tn proposal would represent a major leap in Lagos’ annual spending plan, reflecting growth of over N3tn in five years.

Budget records show that the state’s appropriation has risen from N1.1tn in 2021 to the N4.2tn now proposed for 2026 — an increase of N3.074tn under Sanwo-Olu’s administration.

The budget rose to N1.75tn in 2022, N1.76tn in 2023, and N2.26tn in 2024. By 2025, Lagos surpassed the N3tn mark with a N3.366tn budget ahead of the latest N4.237tn proposal.

According to the governor, the new budget “is reaffirming of our collective belief that Lagos can continue to rise.”

Sanwo-Olu added that the proposal builds on existing development foundations and restated his commitment to completing ongoing projects.

“We remain determined to complete all ongoing projects,” he said. (Punch)

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‘I no longer live in Nigeria’ — Ayra Starr

Afrobeats star Ayra Starr has confirmed that she has officially moved out of Nigeria.

During an online live session, the singer admitted to moving to New York, marking a new chapter in her personal life and career.

Though it has been less than two months since her relocation, the singer says the city already feels like home.

“Moved to New York in less than two months officially, but I’m always in newyork regardless, I’ve always been in New York, I’m a newyorker in my spirit,” she shared.

According to her, the bustling rhythm of New York echoes the familiar chaos and energy of Lagos, the city she grew up in.

“I’m a New Yorker in my spirit, I feel it; New York reminds me so much of Lagos,” she said.

The presence of a large African and Nigerian community in the city, she added, has made the transition feel natural.

“There’s a lot of Nigerians here, there’s a huge African diaspora here so it feels like home.” (Vanguard)

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Ex-Brazil president Bolsonaro begins 27-year jail term

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a failed coup, after he exhausted all appeals.

The brash former army captain who fired up Brazil’s right and reshaped the country’s politics is ending a divisive career jailed in a small room at police headquarters equipped with a TV, mini-fridge, and air-conditioning.

Bolsonaro, 70, was convicted in September over a scheme to stop Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections that included a plot to kill the veteran leftist.

Prosecutors said the scheme failed only due to a lack of support from military top brass.

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal to his sentence earlier this month and, on Tuesday, ruled the judgement was now final, with no further challenges allowed.

The court also ordered a military tribunal to decide whether Bolsonaro should be stripped of his captain’s rank.

Bolsonaro had been under house arrest until Saturday, when he was detained at police headquarters in the capital, Brasilia, for tampering with his ankle monitor using a soldering iron.

Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes said there had been “very serious indications of a possible attempt to flee” during a planned vigil organised by Bolsonaro’s son outside his home.

The justice pointed to the location of the nearby US embassy and Bolsonaro’s close relationship with US President Donald Trump, suggesting he may have tried to escape to seek political asylum.

During a hearing on Sunday in Brasilia, Bolsonaro stated he “experienced a certain paranoia” due to medications he was on and that he had no intention of fleeing.

Earlier, Bolsonaro had claimed he used a soldering iron on the monitoring bracelet out of “curiosity”.

The court ruled Bolsonaro will remain detained in the officers’ room — a secure space for protected prisoners — where he is currently held in Brasilia. (Punch)

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Tinubu orders Police to recruit more officers

President Bola Tinubu has declared a nationwide security emergency in response to escalating insecurity across the country, directing the military and police to immediately recruit additional personnel.

Under the new directive, the Nigeria Police Force is to recruit 20,000 additional officers, raising the total approved recruitment figure to 50,000. The president also authorised the temporary use of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as police training depots, complementing the ongoing upgrade of police training facilities nationwide.

Tinubu further ordered that officers withdrawn from VIP security duties undergo accelerated retraining before deployment to security-challenged areas.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has also been instructed to deploy all trained forest guards to flush out terrorists and bandits operating from forested areas. The agency is to recruit additional personnel to strengthen security across these locations.

The President commended security agencies for their coordinated efforts that led to the rescue of 24 abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi State and 38 worshippers in Kwara State.

He urged them to sustain momentum in rescuing the remaining abducted students of a catholic school in Niger State and other citizens still in captivity.

Tinubu warned that there must be “no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence,” promising full federal support to ensure operational success.

Tinubu called on the National Assembly to commence legislative reviews enabling states that seek to establish state police to do so.

On education and religious gatherings, the President advised states to reconsider operating boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas and urged mosques and churches in vulnerable locations to prioritise security and work with law enforcement.

Addressing herder farmer conflicts, Tinubu emphasised that the creation of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development aims to end recurring clashes.

He urged herder associations to embrace ranching, discontinue open grazing, and surrender illegal weapons, noting that the federal and state governments will collaborate to implement lasting solutions.

The President expressed condolences to families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara states. He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.

He urged Nigerians to remain resilient, avoid fear and despair, and stand united to defend the nation’s freedom and values, assuring that his administration remains committed to national unity and peaceful coexistence. (RadioNigeria)

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Chelsea dominates Barca in Champions League; Man City loses

Chelsea romped to a dominant 3-0 win at home to 10-man Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Pep Guardiola’s much-changed Manchester City went down to their first defeat of the campaign against Bayer Leverkusen.

In a battle between the second-placed sides in the Premier League and La Liga, Chelsea emerged emphatic winners thanks to goals from 18-year-old Estevao and Liam Delap after a Jules Kounde own-goal had given the 2021 Champions League winners a first-half lead.

The visitors played just over half the encounter a player down following captain Ronald Araujo’s dismissal for two bookable offences on the stroke of half-time.

After stalling last time out — Chelsea being held 2-2 by Qarabag and Barca drawing three-apiece with Club Brugge — both sides came into the match at Stamford Bridge looking to get their campaigns back on track.

Victory propelled Chelsea to fifth in the league phase standings on 10 points.

“It’s a big win, especially because the other team was Barcelona,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said.

After two Enzo Fernandez strikes were disallowed for offside, the hosts finally took the lead on 27 minutes.

A short-corner routine ended with Marc Cucurella firing the ball across the box. Pedro Neto’s attempted flick towards goal had the Barcelona defenders tying themselves in knots before France international Kounde inadvertently knocked it into his own net.

The game took a decisive turn in the 44th minute when Araujo received a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Cucurella.

Much of the pre-match build-up centred on talk around the young starlets on both sides, but it was Chelsea’s Estevao who stole the show over Barcelona’s Spain winger Lamine Yamal.

A moment of magic by the Brazilian teen put the game beyond the Spanish champions as he received the ball on the right before beating two defenders and lashing it into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net five minutes before the hour.

“I don’t really have any words to sum up how I’m feeling right now,” Estevao told Amazon Prime. “It really was the perfect night.”

Substitute Delap then put the game to bed in the 73rd minute.

A second defeat has the Catalans down in 15th spot, but Barcelona coach Hansi Flick insisted he was “really positive” about their chances of automatic qualification to the last 16.

“We’ve got players coming back now and there are three games to play and nine points to win,” the German said.

Guardiola surprisingly rested the majority of his stars at the Etihad, with Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Gianluigi Donnarumma all left out of the starting line-up as Man City went down 2-0 to Leverkusen.

A first loss of the campaign for Man City, coming hot on the heels of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle in the Premier League, leaves the 2023 winners on 10 points.

“I take full responsibility, still I think the players that started were exceptional players but we missed something needed at the highest level,” Guardiola said.

“I think playing every two or three days we need to make changes but seeing the result, maybe it’s too much.”

While defeat shall likely not prove fatal to their hopes of reaching the knockout stages, it was a chastening 100th European match in charge of City for Guardiola.

Slack defending allowed Alex Grimaldo the chance to put the away side in front in the 23rd minute, before Patrik Schick glanced in a second half-an-hour later. (JapanToday)

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Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Embalo arrested amid ‘coup d’etat’

Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Embalo says he was arrested while he was inside the presidential palace today.

Also arrested are the chief of staff, General Biague Na Ntan, deputy chief of staff General Mamadou Traore, and the interior minister, Botche Cande.

According to the president, no force was used against him during what he says was a ‘coup d’etat,’ which he says was led by the army chief of staff.

Reporters on the ground say they heard gunfire at the National Electoral Commission headquarters and in the surrounding areas.

The country has been awaiting results from Sunday’s presidential election which President Embalo had said he won 65 per cent of the votes cast.

Embalo’s camp and that of opposition candidate Fernando Dias de Costa have claimed first-round victory in the November 23 presidential election.

Military officers in Guinea-Bissau announced Wednesday they were taking “total control” of the country, the AFP reported.

The officers also suspended the country’s electoral process and closed its borders, three days after the poverty-stricken West African nation’s legislative and presidential elections.

In the early afternoon, General Denis N’Canha, head of the presidential military office, told members of the press that a command “composed of all branches of the armed forces, was taking over the leadership of the country until further notice”.

He read the announcement seated at a table and surrounded by armed soldiers.

The tumultuous West African country has experienced four coups since independence, as well as multiple attempted coups.

N’Canha, in his declaration, claimed to have uncovered a plan to destabilise the country “involving national drug lords” that had included “the introduction of weapons into the country to alter the constitutional order”.

In addition to halting “the entire electoral process”, he said military forces had suspended “all media programming” and imposed a mandatory curfew.

Guinea-Bissau is among the world’s poorest countries and is also a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trade facilitated by the country’s long history of political instability. (Channels)

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Tinubu sends list of three ambassadorial nominees to Senate for confirmation

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of three non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

The nominees are Kayode Aare (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State).

The letter was read during plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

Akpabio has, therefore, directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to review the nominations and report back to the chamber within one week.

This is the first list of ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate by Tinubu since he became the President on May 29, 2023.

There had been calls on the President to appoint ambassadors and high commissioners for foreign missions.

Concerns over the non-appointment of ambassors were reignited in the wake of the threat by

A former Nigerian External Affairs Minister, Bolaji Akinyemi, had argued that, despite internet access to information, diplomacy still required personal ambassadorial contact.

“I believe credible appointments should be made to the vacant ambassadorial posts. We need to fill them,” Akinyemi said during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today in September. (Channels)

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24 abducted Kebbi schoolgirls regain freedom

The twenty-four schoolgirls abducted from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, have been rescued.

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed this in a statement issued on Tuesday.

He said the President commended the security agencies for their efforts in securing the freedom of the victims and called on them to intensify operations to rescue students who are still in captivity.

“I am relieved that all the 24 girls have been accounted for. Now, we must urgently deploy more boots on the ground in vulnerable areas to prevent further kidnappings. My government will provide all necessary support to achieve this,” the statement quoted the President as saying.

PUNCH Online had reported that bandits stormed the school hostel last Monday, abducting 24 female students.

Following the attack, Tinubu ordered the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi to coordinate rescue efforts, commended security agencies for the series of releases but warned that the job was not yet done.

In the days that followed, gunmen struck a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 38 worshippers during a vigil, while another gang raided St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara LGA of Niger State, seizing over 300 pupils and teachers, according to the police and the Catholic Diocese of Kontagora.

The attacks sparked national outrage and renewed calls for stronger protection of schools in rural areas, especially in the North-West, where banditry remains widespread. (Punch)

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Bandits abduct at least eight in fresh attack in Kano

At least eight people have been abducted during a late-night raid on Biresawa village in the Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State, leaving the community and its neighbours gripped by fear and uncertainty.

Locals described the attackers as heavily armed, storming the village between 11 pm and midnight on Monday.

“They came as usual, and from our findings so far, two males and six females were taken away by the bandits. Up till now, there is no news on their whereabouts,” a community source said.

One of the victims’ relatives, Kabiru Usman, recounted that the bandits approached from neighbouring Tsundu village.

“They came on foot, armed with guns. They kidnapped my wife, Umma; my 17-year-old daughter, Fati; my brother’s wife; and two other women. We tried to stop them, but our weapons were no match for them,” he recalled.

Usman added that residents had alerted security agencies after noticing unusual movement.

“Before the attack occurred, we received a report that they were heading towards us, and we notified the police and military in advance,” he said.

Other communities, including Sarmawa, Yan Chibi, and Gano villages, also experienced attacks. A Yan Chibi resident narrated how dozens of motorcycle-riding bandits stormed the area.

“About 50 bandits riding motorcycles came into our community, shooting in the air. We all ran for safety and later discovered that they had abducted some people, mostly women. I can’t tell the exact number, but over 10 people were taken,” he recounted.

A member of the local vigilante group said they had been alerted to the presence of “strange faces” in the area and mobilised in anticipation of an attack.

However, after the abductions, the bandits escaped into neighbouring Katsina State, forcing the vigilantes and residents to retreat.

“Many families have adopted the strategy of not sleeping in their homes at night,” the vigilante added, highlighting the climate of fear that now grips the region following recent attacks in Shanono and Bagwai LGAs.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Kano, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, confirmed the incident, noting that investigations are ongoing and the exact number of abducted victims has not yet been officially determined. (Channels)