Indian expatriates’ driver drowns at Tarkwa-Bay beach in Lagos

By: Zagazola Makama

A Nigerian driver identified simply as Kingsley has been declared missing after drowning in the sea at Tarkwa-Bay beach, Lagos, during a leisure trip with two Indian nationals on Monday.

Police sources told Zagazola Makama that two Indian expatriates, attached to the Dangote Company in Lekki, reported the incident at the Tarkwa-Bay Police Division.

They stated that the incident occurred around 4:00 p.m. on Sunday when their driver, who conveyed them to the beach for relaxation, entered the water and got swept away by strong currents.

“All efforts to recover his body proved abortive,” a police source said.

Police detectives from the division later visited the scene, and efforts were ongoing to locate and retrieve the body of the deceased driver.

The identity of the victim was yet to be fully established as only his first name was known at the time of the report.

Indian expatriates’ driver drowns at Tarkwa-Bay beach in Lagos

Catholic community lauds DSS, Army for rescuing kidnapped priest, 32 others in Zamfara

By: Zagazola Makama

The Catholic community in Nigeria and beyond has commended the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Army for their successful rescue of Reverend Father Alphonsus Afina and several other kidnap victims held by Boko Haram insurgents and criminal gangs.

Zagazola Malama reports that Rev. Fr. Afina, a Nigerian priest who served in the Archdiocese of Anchorage in Alaska, U.S., from 2017 until 2024, was abducted on June 1, 2025, while traveling along the Liman Kara–Gwoza Road in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

The priest, alongside 10 women, was rescued on Monday during a coordinated security operation by DSS operatives in Borno, with tactical support from troops of the Nigerian Army.
No ransom was paid for the release of the captives.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Diocese, Most Rev. John Bakeni, hailed the professionalism, gallantry, and intelligence-led approach of the DSS and military forces involved in the operation.

Bakeni, who also serves as Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Borno State, described the rescue as “a moment of profound relief and joy for the Church and all lovers of peace and justice.”

“The news of Fr. Afina’s rescue after nearly two months in captivity brought immense joy to the Catholic community, both in Nigeria and abroad,” Bakeni said.

He revealed that Fr. Afina was on his way from Mubi in Adamawa State to Maiduguri when insurgents ambushed his convoy near a military checkpoint. The attackers reportedly launched a rocket-propelled grenade at one of the vehicles, killing one passenger and abducting others.

The bishop called for continued collaboration between security agencies and communities to defeat insurgency and other threats to national peace.

Meanwhile, the DSS in Zamfara State, in a similar joint operation with Nigerian Army troops, rescued 32 kidnap victims from the Shinkafi axis of the state.

Security sources Zagazola that the victims, comprising 27 women and five boys, had spent between two and four months in captivity.

The victims were reportedly rescued from makeshift camps hidden in forested areas and were later handed over to the Zamfara State Government for medical attention and documentation.

The dual rescue operations reflect growing inter-agency cooperation in Nigeria’s ongoing war against terrorism and armed banditry.

Catholic community lauds DSS, Army for rescuing kidnapped priest, 32 others in Zamfara

About 3.7 million People Face Food Insecurity in Nigeria’s Northeast- ICRC Laments

By: Michael Mike

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has decried that across conflict-affected areas of northeast Nigeria, more than 3.7 million people face food insecurity.

It stated that many of them are farmers who once nourished their communities, but years of conflict have displaced families, restricted their access to farmland and disrupted local food production.

According to a statement by ICRC, a community leader in Dikwa, Modu Umar said: “Right now, we face severe food shortages,” adding that some families are forced to walk long distances every day to collect firewood to sell, just to afford food.

“Farming is the only solution to hunger,”

In some communities, insecurity severely limits farmers’ movements. “Some people trek three hours to reach their farms,” a 70-year-old farmer Churi Ibrahim from Gajibo said.

He added that: “By the time you reach your farm, you’re already exhausted, and when you return home, it’s late.”

Despite these challenges, farmers persist. “Even when you’re afraid, you have to go,” said Bintu Konto, a mother of five, insisting that: “If you don’t farm during the rainy season, you’ll have nothing to eat.”

As the lean season begins and food stocks dwindle, the pressure is mounting. “This is when households must start purchasing food, but many conflict-affected families can’t afford much,” Diana Japaridze,
Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office in Maiduguri, said.

She added that: “They’re forced to
drastically limit their intake.”

The ICRC lamented that food insecurity is also fueling malnutrition, especially among children under five and pregnant or
breastfeeding women.

In response, the ICRC supports malnutrition stabilization centres as well as
community education to help families care for vulnerable children; to help address these challenges and promote long-term resilience, the ICRC has initiated an
agricultural assistance programme that supports both rainy and dry season farming.

This year, more than 21,000 farming households have received seeds tailored to local conditions, along with seed
planting tools to reduce labour burdens and improve efficiency.

According to the statement, the support includes both field crops and vegetables, such as rice, maize, tomato and okra, contributing to greater dietary diversity and nutritional value. Farmers are also trained in sustainable farming practices, helping to build local capacity and ensure they can continue even when the ICRC leaves.

It stated that at a systemic level, and in partnership with the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC), the ICRC also recently completed repairs to a key a water source, ensuring continuous water access for the council’s seed testing and greenhouse facilities.

It said nevertheless, the lean season in particular constitutes a significant challenge for the many farmers who cannot produce enough food for their families.“For a large family like mine, sometimes, we don’t even get one meal a day,” a farmer, Churi Ibrahim said.

About 3.7 million People Face Food Insecurity in Nigeria’s Northeast- ICRC Laments