At least five people lost their lives, while 20 others are missing after two boats collided and capsized in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

The accident, which occurred on Monday evening, involved speedboats carrying passengers returning from a burial.

According to eyewitnesses, most passengers were not wearing life jackets when the collision happened.

The Delta State Police Command confirmed the incident, with the command’s spokesperson, Edafe Bright, stating that six survivors were rescued with injuries and are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Warri.

“This is a tragic accident, and we are working with marine units and local divers to locate the missing passengers,” Bright said.

A resident, who gave his name as Emmanuel Okoro, described the scene as chaotic. He said, “People were screaming for help. Some managed to swim to shore, but others disappeared beneath the water.”

Rescue operations are ongoing as authorities and local volunteers search for the missing victims.

The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has expressed their concerns in Nigeria, saying despite the Muslim-Muslim ticket at the Presidency since the 2023 presidential election that brought in President Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima, Muslims have been politically marginalised.

The Council noted that despite the general belief that the ticket would favour the Muslim community more, the reverse is the case, as millions of Muslims are politically marginalised under the current administration.

In his remarks on Monday at the Pre-Ramadan Lecture, SCSN President Sheikh Abdurrasheed Hadiyyatullah reminded the federal government that the country’s socioeconomic hardship was becoming unbearable and urged a solution be proffered without further delay.

“We have seen Nigerians vote for people of the same Islamic faith into the Presidency without turning the country into an unceasing battlefield, but we have not seen justice and equity done to all communities, irrespective of their faith. Millions of Muslims are politically marginalised in many

parts of the country despite their numbers and the constitutional demands for justice, and we see a nation growing in indifference over Muslim grievances. As we speak, we are witnessing an alarming and crude attempt to muscle South West Muslims out of their rights to organise legitimate mechanisms that will assist them in improving how they live with fellow Christians as members of families and communities.

“A fair assessment of the journey so far will recognise that we succeeded in achieving some of our goals and have failed to achieve others. We have demonstrated the power of faith in our search for good leaders, although we are yet to see this reflected as much as we had hoped in the form of

improved levels of integrity at all levels; a fairer economic system which rewards hard work and protects the poor from increasing pauperisation; and a safer environment where the life and property of the citizen are protected as is demanded by Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala) and our Constitution”.

He said the SCSN stands in solidarity with their brothers and sisters in the South West and advises those who think they can divide the Nigerian Muslim Umma to find other mischief to engage themselves.

“The Umma looks up to us for guidance and assurances that their faith will not be sacrificed on the altar of political opportunism and greed. Many Muslims are being encouraged to think they have been betrayed to vote for this administration. Our task is to assure them that our intentions and goals were honest and that we were products of deep faith and fear of the punishment of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.

“We must demonstrate beyond all doubt that no understanding exists between us or any administration that injustice, indifference and insensitivity to avoidable hardship will be tolerated.

We must live above board, elevating Islam’s intrinsic value to the point that it distinguishes between good and bad leaders, between an informed citizenry and a gullible population, between a clergy that serves and fears only Allah and one that serves the leaders of the day.

“We must remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice for the Muslim and the non-Muslim because this is our fundamental responsibility and the only basis for peace in our country. Remember and respect its most profound values as we prepare for the Holy Month of Ramadan.

“The unity of the Umma should not be sacrificed, and, as we are aware, the disunity of the Umma is most threatened when the Ulama become agents of division and friction between Muslims. As Muslims, we are facing cynical attempts to distance us from each other to weaken us further.

“We have survived many of these attempts, but more will be made. We can create a solid and united Nigerian Muslim community, but we must resist threats from partisan politics, corruption and the weaknesses of our political processes. We should remain alert and admit genuine mistakes, and correct them. Insisting that the Muslim community in Nigeria has a right and a duty to organise itself and compete for its interests, however, is not, and cannot be a mistake.

“We shall closely watch all political processes and stand for what we believe is in the best interests of all Nigerian Muslims. To be effective in doing this, every Muslim who has or wishes to take responsibility or obligation to influence the decisions of Muslims must be pre-eminently knowledgeable, honest and courageous enough to put these values at the disposal of the Ummah”. He said.

The Shari’ah Council frowned at the socioeconomic situation in the country, saying, “Nigerians are experiencing severe economic hardship, exacerbated by some government policies. The removal of fuel subsidies has led to soaring costs of living, with food, transportation, and essential goods becoming increasingly

unaffordable.

“The depreciation of the Naira, high inflation, and stagnant wages have further eroded purchasing power. The Council has consistently advised the administration to adopt policies to address the hardship. However, it is alarming that, within a short period, the government has introduced multiple new taxes and tariffs, including increased telecommunications tariffs (50%), FOB charges (4% of imports), NPA tariffs (15%), ATM charges (100%), and additional proposed electricity tariff hikes. The Council remains steadfast in advocating for easing the draconian policies to protect the interests of the poor.

The Council said, “For over two decades, the Council has played a pivotal role in addressing insecurity and ethno-religious crises in Nigeria. It has engaged major national security stakeholders, the security and intelligence community, and other strategic actors in the last year. These engagements contributed to the formulation and

implementation of a one-year non-kinetic strategy to address insecurity, especially banditry.

However, despite some progress, the Council is deeply concerned by recent developments, especially revelations that government-owned weapons have fallen into criminal hands and the Auditor-General’s report to the Senate on the disappearance of 3,907 rifles from the police armoury, with no consequences. These developments require urgent and decisive action by the government. ”

Meanwhile, the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Abubakar Badaru, Speaking to newsmen on the sideline of the pre-Ramadan lecture, said the country is progressing in addressing insecurity, stressing that the government is committed to providing security at all levels.

The SCSN President added, “The Supreme Council for Shari’ah has been a longstanding partner in the progress and development of our nation. For over two decades, the Council has

actively contributed to Nigeria’s political and socio-economic development, with the unity of the Ummah as the cornerstone of our efforts.

As a religious body, one of its core objectives is the realisation of a prosperous Ummah and an economically, socially, educationally, and politically viable country. Despite our nation’s formidable challenges, we remain steadfast in contributing to its success. ”

The Presidency has said that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, should stop behaving like a child and move on with his life, having failed the Senate screening to be in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s cabinet.

Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga, says Nasir El-Rufai is disappointed for being left out during the President’s ministerial appointment.

In August 2023, the Senate withheld El-Rufai’s confirmation as a ministerial nominee, citing security reports.

With the fallout of the ministerial appointment, El-Rufai has recently become critical of the Tinubu administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Monday, El-Rufai claimed that President Tinubu himself rejected him as a Minister, not the Senate.

“After serving for eight years as governor of Kaduna state, I had my plans. The President publicly appealed to me to put my plans on hold, and through two months of negotiations, we finally agreed that he would nominate me as minister, and there were certain conditions I attached to that. Along the line, the president changed his mind or something else.

“I think along the line, the President changed his mind or something else. Please don’t believe the story that the National Assembly rejected me. The National Assembly had nothing to do with this; the President didn’t want me in his cabinet, so he changed his mind. I don’t care whatever it is, and I’ve moved on.

“Since I’ve moved on, I’ve not said a word, I’ve not granted an interview, I’ve not commented on the government, but it is within my right as a founding member of the All Progressives Congress to ask why the party isn’t functioning,” he said.

But speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, Onanuga said that even though the former FCT minister worked hard for Tinubu’s emergence as president, he must move on from the disappointment of not being made a minister.

He said: “I will pity former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai; he feels hurt that he was not made a minister.

“It has been long since the cabinet was formed in August 2023. I think it is time for him to move on. He cannot continue to behave like a child, as if someone stole his bread… crying over spilt milk, as we say.”

While acknowledging that it is not out of place for El-Rufai to feel aggrieved, having worked hard for Tinubu’s election, Onanuga said that the President is not denying his efforts.

“It is natural for him to feel bad that he has been excluded. I think the president has acknowledged in a recent tribute to him that Nasir did a lot in installing President Tinubu, and if he is not there, it doesn’t mean he will bring down the roof,” he said