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Nigeria: Dozens dead or missing after boat capsizes in river

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More than 100 passengers, mostly women, are still missing after a boat capsized on the Niger river. The search and rescue operation in ongoing.At least 27 people died on Friday after a boat capsized in the Niger River in central Nigeria.More than 100 others — mostly women — are still missing, authorities said.

Some 200 passengers were taking the boat across the river — which acts as a border between the states of Kogi and Niger — to a food market when it capsized, Ibrahim Audu, the Niger State Emergency Management Agency spokesperson said. None of the passengers were wearing life jackets.

The final toll is likely to increase, Kogi state authorities warned, as local divers were still looking for the missing and no survivor was found 12 hours after the incident.

Overcrowded boat

“It’s not clear what caused the accident,” Sandra Musa, spokesperson of the Kogi State Emergency Management Agency said.

“It could be from turbulence or from the boat hitting a snag. Boat operators don’t usually have life jackets, so none of the bodies recovered had life jackets on,” she said. Musa added that the age of the boat might have played a role.

Local media reported that the boat was overcrowded.

The Niger River reaches a width of more than 600 meters (almost 2,000 feet) in this part of its course. Authorities said rescuers had trouble finding the location of the boat for several hours after the incident occurred.

Authorities struggle to set safety measures

Drownings from overloaded, capsized boats are common in remote parts of Nigeria where there is a lack of good roads for transport.

Hundreds of people have been killed in similar incidents in recent years.

In June 2023, over 100 people diedwhen a boat carrying around 250 people sank in the state of Kwara.

The country’s authorities have tried but struggled to implement safety measures such as the use of life jackets, regular boat maintenance and refraining from onboarding people above capacity.

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Lagos: Cause of Ijora-Badia explosion revealed

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Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has revealed the real cause of the explosion that rocked the Ijora-Badia area of Lagos on Sunday afternoon, injuring no fewer than 15 people.

According to a statement by the Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, the explosion occurred around 4:10 p.m. inside a mini shop stocked with 25kg gas cylinders.

The shop, located within a bungalow that housed 15 self-contained rooms and seven other shops, reportedly had five gas cylinders at the time of the incident.

Adeseye attributed the explosion to the mishandling of gas, which caused a leak that was ignited by a nearby flame.

“It was a case of poor handling of gas products, which unfortunately allowed gas to escape and come in contact with a flame. This triggered the explosion,” she confirmed.

The resulting fire, she said, was promptly extinguished by a team of firefighters from the Sari Iganmu Fire Station, with support from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and LASAMBUS.

While no fatalities were recorded, 15 persons sustained varying degrees of burn injuries.

Adeseye noted that several victims were treated with first aid on-site, while others were taken to nearby hospitals for further medical care.

She also assured residents that the area has since been secured and normalcy restored.

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Take-It-Back protesters scamper for safety as police fire tear gas during protest in Abuja.

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Officers of the Nigeria Police Force dispersed protesters with tear gas in the Maitama area of Abuja.

The protesters, who had gathered on Monday, April 7, scattered in different directions as the tear gas canisters were fired in their midst.

The protest is part of a nationwide demonstration spearheaded by the Take-It-Back Movement and other civil society organisations.

Key among the concerns raised by the organisers are the alleged misuse of the Cybercrime Act, the worsening economic hardship in the country, and what they described as a “state of emergency” in Rivers State.

The demonstrators carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Stop the Repression” and “Let Us Breathe”.

Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore was also present at the protest ground.

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How I caught lots of people’s wives with big men, governors – Ali Baba

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Veteran Nigerian comedian, Ali Baba, has revealed that he has caught numerous wives of his friends and associates engaging in extramarital affairs with governors and wealthy politicians.

He made this revelation during an appearance on the Outside the Box podcast.

Speaking candidly about the unsavoury activities prevalent among the nation’s elite, the comedian recounted a particular encounter in which he saw the wife of an associate at the residence of a state governor.

He said: “I have been in the houses of a lot of big men—like governors and the rest—and I see wives of a lot of people that I know doing things, and I greet, ‘How are you? How is everything?’

“And then those guys would do their philandering, tap her bum and say, ‘Go back inside, I’m not finished with you,’ and she went back inside. Then I ran into her at an event, and her husband said, ‘Oh, how are you? Meet my wife.’ I responded, ‘Oh madam, it’s a pleasure. I haven’t seen you in five years. Where have you been?’ And she’s like, ‘I’ve been around, good to see you.’

“When she sees me somewhere after, she calls me and says, ‘Ali, thanks,’ I say, ‘It’s okay.’”

Ali Baba’s account casts a sharp light on the often unspoken indiscretions that occur behind closed doors in high society.

Credit: Blaze 91.5 FM

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