Reasons Why people who drowned should be buried at river bank — Traditionalist

Published

12 months ago

April 28, 2024

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A traditionalist, Ifagbenusola Popoola speaks to TEMITOPE ADETUNJI on why people who drown should be buried at the riverbank

“Firstly, in Yoruba cosmology, everything is believed to be alive. There is nothing like nonliving things, rivers, trees, animals, air, and even houses are considered alive. That’s why rivers have deities like Osun, Iyemoja, Oya, and Oba.

“Every body of water has its spirit, so if someone dies in a river, it’s believed the river’s energy is disturbed and needs to be calmed to ensure peace in the community. Yoruba tradition strongly believes in performing a ritual and burying the person by the river bank to prevent the spirit from affecting others in the community.

“If rituals aren’t performed, the river’s spirit might follow the corpse into the community, causing trouble known as “Akufa.” This means the spirit could draw others to the river, risking their lives until the ritual is performed to stop it.”

Soldiers should arrest civilians wearing military uniform, not assault them – Nigerian Army official

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2 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), Major Gen. Gold Chibuisi, has told Nigerian soldiers what to do to civilians dressed in military uniform.

Speaking during a chat with journalists on Saturday night in Abuja, Chibuisi also said that it is against Nigerian law for non-military personnel to wear military uniforms.

According to him, soldiers must act professionally and lawfully when handling such cases.

He, however, revealed that many soldiers had been sanctioned for assaulting Nigerians who wore military camouflage.

Chibuisi said: “I’m surprised that in most briefs we give in our programmes, we always talk about this uniform issue because it keeps recurring.

“It’s against the law of the land. If you are not in the Armed Forces, please don’t use our uniform, whether you love it or not.

“But that is one part of it. Let people stop it. The other part is what we do, what our troops do when they see somebody dressed in a military uniform.

“You are supposed to just get the person to remove it, arrest the person and hand him over to the police, basically for prosecution.

“All these other things that come with it are not right. And we are doing sensitisation on them.

”Those that we find and there is evidence that they did that, we always sanction them sternly. And we will continue to do that.”

Kidnappers attack Shanono community in Kano

Published

2 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

Kano

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Armed kidnappers attacked Shanono Local Government Area late Saturday night, attempting to abduct a prominent businessman and his two children.

According to eyewitness accounts, the assailants stormed the town around 2:20 a.m., heavily armed with guns and other dangerous weapons. Residents reported hearing continuous gunfire near the victim’s residence as the kidnappers tried to seize him and his children.

However, the businessman and his children managed to escape the attack, frustrating the kidnappers’ efforts. One of the victims was injured during the incident and has been rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.

This latest attack comes less than ten days after gunmen invaded Faruruwa town, also in the Shanono area, where they killed two people and abducted another.

Confirming the incident, the Chairman of Shanono Local Government Area, Hon. Abubakar Barau, through his spokesperson, Comrade Ammar Shanono, said security operatives have been deployed to the area to investigate the attack and ensure the safety of residents.

Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies as efforts to track down the perpetrators continue.

Fresh explosion kills over five persons in Rivers

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2 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Ekwutos Blog

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At least five persons lost their lives in an explosion in a residential area in Omoku, headquarters of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government of Rivers State, on Saturday.

Fyneface Dumnamene, an environmentalist and executive director of the Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre, confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday.

It was gathered that the blast was said to have occurred in one of the rooms in a residential area used for storing illegally refined petroleum products.

According to Dumnamene, the occupants of the residence where the explosion occurred usually buy illegally refined kerosene and other products, store them, and resell them to members of the public.

The statement partly reads, “The incident occurred in the late hours of Saturday, April 26, by about 11 am, killing five persons, four females and one male, burnt beyond recognition.”

The Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, also confirmed the incident and casualties.

She explained the cause of the explosion.

According to her, “What really caused the fire was that a resident brought a cooking stove to the place and was preparing noodles, which ignited the fire.

Recall that in March two explosions rocked Rivers State.

The first explosion was at the Trans-Niger Pipeline at Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State. The second was at a pipeline manifold in the Omwawriwa community, Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Thereafter, President Bola Ahmed Tinubudeclared a state of emergency in Rivers, suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and appointed retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas as administrator on March 18, 2025.