News
Many feared dead as boat capsizes in River Niger
No fewer than eight persons are feared dead in Friday morning boat accident that occurred near Dambo-Ebuchi section of the River Niger.
The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) confirmed the boat accident involving no fewer than 200 passengers including market women and farm labourers being conveyed from Lokoja in Kogi to the Katcha weekly market in Niger State.
The Head of Media Department of NIWA, Mr Suleman Makama, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja.
He said that the passengers mostly market women and labourers were on their way to the market in Niger State when the boat capsized on the Dambo-Ebuchi sections of River Niger.
Makama said “It’s true that there was a boat mishap on Friday morning involving quite a number of women going to the market in Niger State.
“We are still investigating to ascertain the number of people involved as well as what led to the accident.”
He said that clearance was being awaited from the management before he could issue official statement where details of the incident would be provided.
However, eyewitnesses said that the boat, which belonged to one Musa Dangana, was conveying its passengers to the Katcha weekly market in Niger State.
An eyewitness said eight bodies had been recovered, while search and rescue operations continue to locate the remaining passengers.
NAN reports that the Managing Director NIWA, Mr Bola Oyebanji, recently identified human errors, drugs and disobedience to the rules and regulations as the major causes of most boat mishaps which occurred in the past three years
Oyebanji stated this while fielding questions from the members of the House of Representatives Committee on NIWA who were on oversight function to its the Headquarters on Wednesday in Lokoja.
He reaffirmed NIWA’s commitment to the safety of Nigerians using water transportation .
“Ninety- nine percent of the mishaps on the waterways were a result of human errors; research has shown that the operators are committing avoidable mistakes which shouldn’t have caused havoc,” he said
Oyebanji noted that some of the operators lived on drugs to influence their activities to make them high and eventually make unpardonable mistakes.
He added that some operators were indifferent to following rules and regulations, stressing “imagine wooden boats taking over 150 to 200 passengers at a go, over and above its capacity”. (NAN)
The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s decision that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a decisive ruling, a five-member panel declared that the Court of Appeal lacked the legal authority to determine the party’s leadership matters.
In a unanimous verdict, the highest court in the land stated that the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction over the matter. The panel observed that since the case revolved around the internal leadership structure of the Labour Party, it fell outside the jurisdiction of the courts.
The ruling reinforced the long-standing principle that leadership disputes within political parties should be resolved internally, rather than through judicial intervention.
The Supreme Court stressed that leadership struggles within political parties are purely internal matters. According to legal principles, courts should not interfere in such issues, as they fall under the party’s constitution and governance framework. By upholding this legal doctrine, the apex court reaffirmed that political parties must settle their leadership crises independently.
The Supreme Court upheld the appeal lodged by Senator Nenadi Usman and a fellow appellant, ruling that their claims were valid. Their appeal challenged the earlier judgment, arguing that it was flawed due to jurisdictional overreach. After thorough legal scrutiny, the Supreme Court found merit in their argument and ruled in their favour.
The legal battle also involved a cross-appeal filed by supporters of Julius Abure, who sought to challenge the decision against their leader. However, the Supreme Court dismissed this cross-appeal, declaring it unsubstantiated and lacking merit. The ruling effectively ended the legal contest over the Labour Party’s chairmanship, cementing the judiciary’s stance on non-interference in party leadership disputes.
Bitcoin experienced sharp fluctuations following President Donald Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement, initially surging to $88,000 before dropping to $82,000.
By April 3, it stabilized around $83,000, with the broader crypto market down over 4%. Major altcoins like Ethereum and Solana also declined over 6%, hitting multi-month lows.
Analysts see the tariff news as reducing market uncertainty, potentially attracting institutional investors.
Despite higher-than-expected rates, experts believe the clarity could help Bitcoin regain momentum toward $90,000. Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock, recorded $218 million in inflows on April 2, reversing prior outflows.
Kraken’s Thomas Perfumo challenged the idea that institutional interest stabilizes crypto, emphasizing that volatility signals demand for a scarce asset.
Some analysts viewed the sell-off as an overreaction to trade policy concerns, highlighting Bitcoin’s resilience as a store of value.
With ETFs showing strong demand, Bitcoin’s price may stabilize and rise, though market participants remain cautious, monitoring trade policies and economic conditions.
Violent clashes between pastoralist groups and settled farming communities have long been a challenge in South Sudan.
However, the recent outbreak of violence in the northern Ruweng Administrative Area has further heightened concerns over the nation’s fragile peace. At least 30 people lost their lives after an armed youth group launched a brutal attack on a northern South Sudanese town, according to local officials.
The incident, linked to an escalating cattle raid, saw the town briefly fall under the control of the attackers before security forces regained control.
The violence began when a group of armed youth stole lambs earlier in the week. Security forces quickly intervened, forcing the raiders to retreat. However, instead of dispersing, the group reorganised and launched a more aggressive attack on Abiemnom the following day.
Local Minister of Information, Simon Chol Mialith, confirmed that despite resistance from local youth and security personnel, the town was overrun by the Mayom armed youth. The attack led to significant casualties and destruction before security forces were able to reclaim the town.
On Wednesday, the South Sudan People’s Defence Force (SSPDF) successfully pushed the attackers out, restoring a semblance of calm. However, the scale of the destruction was already severe, with over 40 individuals injured in addition to the fatalities.
Although reports suggest that some of the deceased were members of the armed groups, official confirmation remains pending.
The attack comes at a time of growing instability in South Sudan, with tensions between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar intensifying. This political rivalry threatens to unravel the delicate 2018 peace agreement that ended the nation’s five-year civil war.
Since gaining independence in 2011, South Sudan has struggled with continuous unrest. Despite its vast oil resources, the country remains impoverished, with conflicts like these exacerbating economic and social difficulties.