Iran Condemns Alleged US Strike on Wedding Ceremony, Says 68 Civilians Killed or Injured

By: Michael Mike

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran has condemned an alleged United States military strike on a wedding ceremony in southern Iran, saying the attack killed or injured 68 civilians and turned a family celebration into a scene of tragedy.

In a statement issued by its Press Department, the embassy said the incident occurred on September 1 at a wedding ceremony in Bandar Kuhestak, Sirik County, southern Iran.

It alleged that U.S. munitions directly struck the site where families had gathered for the private ceremony, resulting in deaths and injuries among civilians, including women and children.

The embassy described the victims as ordinary people who had no involvement in military decision-making and posed no threat to the United States.

It questioned the justification for what it described as a U.S. military attack on a residential location where a wedding was taking place, urging the international community to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Iranian government also linked the reported incident to an earlier U.S. attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh School in Minab, which it said resulted in the deaths of a large number of Iranian children and other civilians.

According to the embassy, reports concerning the Minab attack had similarly pointed to the use of U.S. missiles.

“From the school in Minab to the wedding ceremony in Kuhestak,” the embassy said, “ordinary Iranian people are paying the price of U.S. military aggression.”

The statement also raised questions about the distinction between civilian and military targets, asking what military connection a school or a wedding ceremony could have and what threat children, women and families could pose to U.S. national security.

The embassy’s condemnation comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions and military confrontation between Iran and the United States, with both sides facing international scrutiny over attacks and their impact on civilians.

Invoking international law, the Iranian embassy maintained that Iran did not initiate what it described as the latest aggression and argued that the United States had attacked the territory of a sovereign state.

It cited Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, which recognises the inherent right of states to individual or collective self-defence in the event of an armed attack.

The embassy argued that a country subjected to military attack should not subsequently have its defensive actions automatically characterised as a threat or destabilising conduct.

It nevertheless stressed that the protection of civilians remained a fundamental principle of international humanitarian law and should be applied without discrimination.

“The life of an Iranian child, an Iranian woman, or an ordinary Iranian citizen is no less valuable than the life of any other human being,” the statement said.

The embassy urged the international community not to allow civilian deaths in Iran to become normalised, warning that silence over attacks on civilians could encourage further tragedies.

It said the reported deaths and injuries at the wedding should not be treated merely as another headline in the cycle of war, but should prompt scrutiny of the circumstances and legality of attacks affecting civilian populations.

“A wedding ceremony should never become a battlefield,” the embassy declared, adding that civilians should not bear the cost of military ambitions.

The statement did not include a response from the U.S. government to the allegations.

Iran Condemns Alleged US Strike on Wedding Ceremony, Says 68 Civilians Killed or Injured

UN Women Disowns GADA Fundraising for Women Candidates, Warns Against Misuse of Logo

By: Michael Mike

UN Women Nigeria has disassociated itself from fundraising materials circulated by Gender & Development Action (GADA) in connection with preparations for Nigeria’s forthcoming general elections, saying it neither authorised nor supports the initiative.

The organisation, in a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, said it became aware of materials associated with GADA that used the UN Women name and the branding and logo of the Women Political Participation (WPP) Working Group while soliciting financial contributions for individual female political candidates.

UN Women Nigeria said it was concerned that the use of its name and WPP Working Group branding alongside the fundraising appeals could create the misleading impression that the United Nations agency or the working group endorsed, sponsored or supported the fundraising initiative and the candidates involved.

“As part of the United Nations system, UN Women is bound by the principles of impartiality, independence and political neutrality,” it said, stressing that the UN and its entities do not endorse, campaign for, support or oppose political parties or individual candidates.

The organisation clarified that neither UN Women nor the WPP Working Group had authorised the use of its name, logo, branding or visual identity for fundraising intended to benefit individual political candidates or electoral campaigns.

It also stated categorically that it does not endorse any political candidate or party, nor does it solicit, sponsor or facilitate fundraising for political candidates or electoral campaigns.

According to the statement, the WPP Working Group similarly does not authorise the use of its branding for political fundraising, while GADA’s fundraising activities in question were neither endorsed, sponsored nor supported by UN Women or the working group.

UN Women Nigeria said it had formally communicated its concerns to GADA and requested the organisation to cease and desist from using the UN Women name, logo, branding or WPP-associated visual identity in connection with political fundraising.

It further requested GADA to remove the relevant materials from its online and offline platforms and issue a clarification stating that neither UN Women nor the WPP Working Group endorsed, sponsored or supported the fundraising initiative.

The agency, however, said it valued its partnerships with organisations working to promote women’s political participation in Nigeria, including GADA and other civil society organisations.

It stressed that such partnerships must operate within the principles of impartiality, independence and political neutrality governing the work of the United Nations.

UN Women said its commitment to women’s political participation remained strong, explaining that its programmes were designed to promote women’s leadership and equal representation in governance through non-partisan and inclusive initiatives that support women across political affiliations.

It added that its work did not constitute an endorsement or support for any individual candidate, political party or electoral campaign.

The organisation said it would continue to work with the government, civil society, women leaders, political stakeholders and other partners to create an enabling environment for all women, regardless of political affiliation, to participate meaningfully and equally in political and public life.

It therefore urged stakeholders to ensure that the UN Women name, logo and WPP Working Group branding were not used in any manner that could imply UN endorsement of political fundraising or electoral campaigning.

UN Women Disowns GADA Fundraising for Women Candidates, Warns Against Misuse of Logo

NSCDC Rescues 15 Trafficked Children, Recovers Stolen Rifles, Busts Telecom Vandalism Syndicate

By: Michael Mike

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has rescued 15 trafficked children, recovered three stolen service rifles and dismantled an inter-state syndicate involved in the vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure across Delta and Kano States.

The breakthroughs were recorded by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) in a series of intelligence-led operations targeting child trafficking, illegal arms diversion, internal corruption and critical infrastructure vandalism.

The National Public Relations Officer of the Corps, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.

He said the operations were conducted in line with the zero-tolerance policy of the Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, towards crime, corruption and the destruction of national assets.

On child trafficking, Afolabi said the squad commenced investigation following a petition over missing children in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Investigations, he said, uncovered a syndicate allegedly led by one Anderson Archibong, who posed as an official of an organisation operating a purported “Back to School Project” under the National Council of Child Rights Advocate.

According to him, Archibong allegedly exploited low-income parents before trafficking their children to buyers across the country.

He said 16 children were fraudulently taken in January 2026 and allegedly sold for ₦2 million each.

“Through intelligence-led operations across transit routes, 15 of the 16 children were successfully rescued in Anambra, Imo, Enugu and other eastern transit corridors,” he said.

Afolabi added that three alleged buyers—Joy Julius, Ngozi and Eze Lazarus—were arrested and had confessed to their involvement, while efforts were ongoing to locate the remaining child.

In a separate investigation into illegal arms diversion, CG’s SIS operatives traced a missing AK-47 rifle to a serving NSCDC officer attached to the CG’s Crack Squad.

The officer, CAII Igah Ameh James, was allegedly found to have stolen an assigned AK-47 rifle, with breach number 02028, abandoned his duty post and transported the weapon to Otukpo, Benue State.

Investigators established that James allegedly sold the rifle to a middleman, Abakpa Simon Anthony, for ₦700,000, while Anthony subsequently sold it to an alleged illicit arms buyer, Sunday Akor, also known as IBB, for ₦800,000.

The rifle and two empty magazines were recovered following the arrest of the suspects.

The Corps also uncovered another arms diversion case at its Adamawa State Command following an armoury inventory audit.

Afolabi said the investigation led to the arrest of ASCI Peter Ardo, a former Head of Armoury, and CCA Boniface Lawyer.

He said investigations revealed that between 2018 and 2024, Ardo allegedly removed two unserviceable G3 service rifles, with breach numbers 10S838 and 69112944, from the armoury and sold them to Lawyer for ₦210,000 and ₦220,000 respectively.

The weapons were subsequently resold to a civilian, while Ardo allegedly altered physical inventory registers to conceal the removals and evade detection during routine checks.

Both officers, he said, were in custody after allegedly making full confessions.

Meanwhile, the CG’s SIS has also dismantled a network allegedly responsible for vandalising telecommunications infrastructure in Delta and Kano States.

Afolabi said operatives arrested Henry Dennis while allegedly vandalising an IHS telecommunications tower site in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, where 12 vandalised telecom panels were recovered.

Further investigation reportedly exposed a wider network allegedly involving a scrap-market owner and financier, Yusuf Musa, who is accused of financing the theft operations and facilitating the resale of stolen telecommunications components.

The Corps said financial tracing uncovered suspicious transactions conducted through digital payment platforms, while efforts were underway to obtain search and arrest warrants for other members of the syndicate who remained at large.

The Commandant General commended the CG’s SIS for what he described as its tactical coordination and operational efficiency.

The NSCDC said internal administrative and disciplinary proceedings against implicated personnel had been concluded, while its Directorate of Legal Services had been directed to commence prosecution of the arrested suspects before courts of competent jurisdiction.

The Corps reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vulnerable citizens, safeguarding critical national infrastructure and maintaining integrity and accountability within its ranks.

NSCDC Rescues 15 Trafficked Children, Recovers Stolen Rifles, Busts Telecom Vandalism Syndicate