News
ECOWAS @50: 11 Countries Arrive Abuja for African Wrestling Championship
ECOWAS @50: 11 Countries Arrive Abuja for African Wrestling Championship
By: Michael Mike
Eleven member states of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are in Abuja for the 13th edition of the Subregion’s African Wrestling Tournament which begins on Thursday, 8th March 2025, to 10th Saturday March 2025.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Director of the ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC), Francis Chucks Njoaguani, said the tournament is part of activities to mark ECIWAS 50th anniversary.
Njoaguani, who is also the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Burkina Faso, said among the 12 current members of the ECOWAS, only Cape Verde failed to show interest in the tournament.
He said: “We have two categories of competition. Member states will compete against one another, first in a round robin elimination series. We’ll do eliminations until we achieve semi-finalists, four semi-finalists.
“On Friday, we will come back to the same field at the Velodrome, and we do individual weight categories. All wrestlers would fight amongst themselves in the same weight categories. So if you have 11 countries that present wrestlers in the 65 category, for instance, they will fight round robin amongst themselves, eliminate each other until we have the four semi-finalists for each of the five weight categories.
“These weight categories include 65 kilograms, which we have dedicated to just the female wrestlers. 65 kilograms and 75 kilograms, those two smaller weight categories, will be for the ladies, and then 85 kilograms, 100 kilograms and 120 kilograms will be for the male categories,” he said.
He added that all the semi-final matches, third place matches, and the final matches to determine gold, silver and bronze medalists for this year’s tournament, would take place on the final day.
He further disclosed that the winner in the team sports would earn $10,000 while the second and third positions would go home with $6000 and $3000 respectively.
He however said: “For each of the individual weight categories, there are also prices. So for the first position of each category, you get $2500, for the second position, you get $1500 and for the third position, you get $1000.
“There will be medals for all the winning athletes, and there will also be certificates of participation for all the athletes and the delegations.
The deputy director at the National Sports Commission, Ikana Mbora assured of the Nigerian government’s support for the tournament, expressing the country’s readiness to host an unforgettable event.
ECOWAS @50: 11 Countries Arrive Abuja for African Wrestling Championship
Crime
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
By: Zagazola Makama
A catastrophic fire has torn through the Kalari settlement in Konduga Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, claiming three lives and displacing over 3,000 people. The blaze, which erupted at approximately 1:00 PM, engulfed three villages, reducing more than 1,500 thatched houses to ashes.
Zagazola Makama gathered that In response to the disaster, the military, along with the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF), mobilized swiftly to provide emergency assistance. Personnel from the 222 Battalion rendered first aid to the wounded and transported the injured to Maiduguri Specialist Hospital via Army ambulances.
The timely intervention of key local officials, including the Chairman of Konduga LGA, a Member of the House of Assembly, and the Commissioner for Environment, ensured immediate relief efforts for the affected families.
This incident comes on the heels of severe flooding that devastated Konduga LGA in September 2024, following the collapse of the Alau Dam. The flash floods from the dam’s collapse also affected Maiduguri and Jere LGAs, displacing an estimated 240,000 people. Many residents are still recovering from that catastrophe, and the latest fire disaster has further intensified the region’s humanitarian crisis.
An Official of SEMA, said the Borno State Government has made an urgent appeal for humanitarian aid to support the thousands affected by both the recent fire and previous flood disasters. Efforts are underway to provide shelter, food, and medical care to those impacted by these successive calamities.
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
Six Die in Taraba Boat Mishap, Nine Rescued
By: Zagazola Makama
A boat accident on the Jole River in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State has claimed six lives, while nine other passengers were rescued alive, the Taraba State Police Command has confirmed.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred on Saturday, April 5, 2025.
According to police sources, the boat was conveying 15 people when it capsized midstream. Rescue efforts led to the recovery of nine survivors, while the bodies of six passengers were later pulled from the river.
The deceased have been identified as Dadi Mallam Dotti (30), Mubarak Abdu (21), Bappa Mallam Dotti (20), Adamu Yayagardi (30), and one Madugu (22), all from Badabdi, Funakaye LGA of Gombe State, of the Terawa ethnic group. The sixth victim was Umar Gambo (34), of Zaura Ward, Damban LGA, Bauchi State, of the Karakare ethnic group.
The boat driver is currently at large, and efforts are ongoing to locate him.
The police sources said that search and recovery operations were conducted in collaboration with local divers and community volunteers.
Six Die in Taraba Boat Mishap, Nine Rescued
Teenager Dies After Ritual Experiment by Native Doctor in Edo
By: Zagazola Makama
The Edo State Police Command has arrested two men in connection with the death of a 14-year-old boy, Okonkwo Obina Emmanuel, following a failed ritual performance in Iyamon Village, Illushi, Ubiaja.
Police sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident was reported on April 2, 2025, by the deceased’s elder brother, Okonkwo Onyenbushi. According to the report, a self-acclaimed native doctor, Amechi Edozunor, in collaboration with one Kelvin Ugru, allegedly performed a charm ritual on the victim to make him “invulnerable to bottles.”
During the ritual, the suspects reportedly struck the boy’s head with a bottle in an attempt to prove the charm’s effectiveness, leading to a fatal head injury.
The victim was rushed to Wisdom Hospital and later referred to Ogbeide Hospital, where he died on April 5, 2025.
The sources said his remains have been deposited at the hospital mortuary for autopsy, while both suspects are currently in police custody pending further investigation.
Teenager Dies After Ritual Experiment by Native Doctor in Edo
VP Shettima Demands More Private Sector Engagement In Healthcare Reforms
BREAKING NEWS: 3 killed And 3,000 displaced as Devastating Fire Sweeps Through Kalari Settlement in Konduga, Borno State
Six Die in Taraba Boat Mishap, Nine Rescued
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