NewsReel @11am 21-3

OsazuwaAkonedo

Crisis In Benin Royal Family, Queen Says BTC Lied About Peller's Visit  https://osazuwaakonedo.news/crisis-in-benin-royal-family-queen-says-btc-lied-about-pellers-visit/ #Adelaja #Aiseokhuoba #Aisosa #Akenzua #Akpolokpolo #Artefacts #Benin #BTC #Edaiken #Edo #Eheneden #Erediauwa #Ezelekhae #Hamzat #Igbinoghodua #Iroghama #Nowamagbe #Peller #Umogun #Uselu #Ewuare #Habeeb #MOWAA #oba #Obaseki #Palace  #OsazuwaAkonedo  80 Dead As Nigeria Army Says It Repels 5 Multiple ISWAP Attacks In Fatori https://osazuwaakonedo.news/80-dead-as-nigeria-army-says-it-repels-5-multiple-iswap-attacks-in-fatori/ #Abadam #AFN #Arege #army #Borno #Bravo #Duguri #Fatori #Mallam   Nigeria Military Places Citizens On Alert Over Increased Security Threats https://osazuwaakonedo.news/nigeria-military-places-citizens-on-alert-over-increased-security-threats/ #Ajilari #Bola #Borno #Damboa #Iftar #Kofa #Maiduguri #Tinubu #UMTH    Leave Hormuz Now, We Can’t Assure Civilians Safety – US Army Speaks https://osazuwaakonedo.news/leave-hormuz-now-we-cant-assure-civilians-safety-us-army-speaks/ #Aframax #China #Donald #Gulf #Hormuz #Island #Karachi #Kharg #Korea #MarineTrafic #Oman #Strait #Europe #France #Germany #Iran #Iraq #Israel #Italy #Japan #NATO #Putin #Russia #Trump #UAE #UK #US   Nigeria Under Siege, Peter Obi Says As ISWAP Killing Soldiers Almost Daily https://osazuwaakonedo.news/nigeria-under-siege-peter-obi-says-as-iswap-killing-soldiers-almost-daily/ #Bitta #Delwa #Goniri #Igbeti #Kadarko #Kishi #Kogi #Mainok #Ngoshe #Gwoza #Iran #Kebbi #Konduga #Kubwa #Kukawa #Nasarawa #Obi #Ondo #Oyo #Peter #Tinubu #US   We Are Changing The Face Of The Middle East – Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu https://osazuwaakonedo.news/we-are-changing-the-face-of-the-middle-east-israel-pm-benjamin-netanyahu/ #Iran #Israel #TelAviv #Trump #UN #US We’re Waiting US Ground Troops, China, Russia Helping Politically – Iran FM https://osazuwaakonedo.news/were-waiting-us-ground-troops-china-russia-helping-politically-iran-fm/ #Kuwait #Minab #Iran #Israel #Trump #US Foreign #OsazuwaAkonedo  Many Iranian Soldiers Want To Surrender But The Combat Continues – Trump https://osazuwaakonedo.news/many-iranian-soldiers-want-to-surrender-but-the-combat-continues-trump/ #Karachi #Kargil #Lucknow #Gumi #Indian #Iran #Israel #Pakistan #Qatar #Trump #UAE #US   US Govt Orders Citizens Out of Lebanon As Israel, Hezbollah New War Builds https://osazuwaakonedo.news/us-govt-orders-citizens-out-of-lebanon-as-israel-hezbollah-new-war-builds/ #Saida #Israel #Lebanon #Syria #US United States,  Kidnapping; Police Mum Over Allegation DPO Bringing People To Edo Illegally https://osazuwaakonedo.news/kidnapping-police-mum-over-allegation-dpo-bringing-people-to-edo-illegally/ #Tahir #Ugboha #edo #Igp #Okpebholo #Police   Police, Soldiers In Mass Action In Edo Over Rampant Kidnapping https://osazuwaakonedo.news/police-soldiers-in-mass-action-in-edo-over-rampant-kidnapping/   Lawyer States How Omotosho Was Unprofessional, Biased In Nnamdi

Transcript

00:00Queen Noamagbe Awuare II is the fourth wife of Benin monarch, his royal majesty, Oba Awuare II and the queen

00:07is also the biological sister of the Oba's fifth wife, Queen Isosa Awuare II, on Thursday early morning night.

00:15Queen Noamagbe apparently used a proxy TikTok account named Queen Awuare back up and accused the Benin Traditional Council, BTC

00:25of dishonest behavior, categorically stating, the BTC lied that Nigeria prominent social media streamer, Habib Hamzat Adelaja aka Pella was

00:35not authorized access into the palace of the Benin monarch where she accidentally met Pella and gave him a motherly

00:42welcome as the queen of the Oba.

00:44An action, the BTC has alleged she breached the palace protocol, hence, she risked being removed or sent packing from

00:51the palace, according to Queen Noamagbe in the apparent TikTok social media proxy account, Pella's visit to the palace is

00:59a mere cover up, that a lot has been happening behind closed door.

01:02She supported her claim with a document that suggests the Benin Traditional Council was aware of Pella coming to the

01:09palace, and the document dated February 23rd, 2026 indicated that the BTC received and acknowledged the letter of Pella planned

01:17visit.

01:18But, if the BTC actually wrote back to Pella to notify him about the acceptance or rejection of his request

01:25was not stated, this, the president of Iguobasami Movement Worldwide, Asaro Kulchahyamu counted the document and said,

01:33The receipt of letter at any institution registry doesn't amount to approval, however, the moment the letter is received at

01:41our revered palace registry, it's forwarded to the private office of Ober of Benin, His Royal Majesty, Omo Nobun Edo

01:49Uku Akpilokpolo, Ober of Benin will then instruct the Secretary of Benin Traditional Council, BTC to either write formally or

01:59call those seeking for approval of their letters especially as it's related to

02:03royal visitations, those who lured and deceived Pella without the approval of Benin Traditional Council, BTC are the real problem,

02:11for the avoidance of doubts, Queen Noamagbe may not be first Ober wife to be sent packing from the palace

02:18Ober breached of access into the Monarch Palace, the Ober eldest wife, Queen Irogama Ewuare II had been sent packing

02:26from the palace simply because one of the biological children of the Ober entered the palace allegedly in a manner

02:32the Ober did

02:33not like. This was made known in a reactionary public letter issued on December 30, 2025 by Prince Ezelekai Ewuare

02:42II, the Ober's eldest son who is believed to be the next Ober of Benin, according to Prince Ezelekai.

02:49I want to make it very clear, my mother did nothing wrong, six months ago, my youngest brother allegedly barged

02:57into the palace wanting to see his father. Our father wasn't happy with his approach, as a result, my mother

03:04was told to leave the palace.

03:05I would like to use this medium to plead on behalf of your senior children you wouldn't see, your second

03:12son, your third son and your second daughter, please, whatever our father said they did wrong, please forgive and forget.

03:20Time is precious, we want togetherness, not division.

03:23On the issue he had with the Ober over the establishment of the Museum of West African Art, Armed Forces

03:30of Nigeria, AFN has stated that its men resisted and pushed back a group of Islamic State of West Africa

03:37province.

03:38I swap fighters at Malam Fertori area in the Abadam local government area of Borno State early morning on Wednesday,

03:46after the I swap fighters launched a simultaneous five multiple and separate offensive attacks against the troops of the Joint

03:53Task Force, North East Operation Hadamkai.

03:56This, the Nigeria Army supported its press release with a video of dead bodies of the suspected terrorists, some of

04:04whom, according to the military authority, were well-known ISWOP commanders who led other terrorists to carry out the attacks.

04:11Lt. Sani Uba, the media information officer, Joint Task Force, North East Operation Hadamkai in a press release issued a

04:20few minutes ago, noted that Niger Republic Air Force supported in the killing of the terrorists and other defensive-offensive

04:27military actions that finally forced other surviving terrorists to withdraw and flee in disarray.

04:33Accordingly, the press release reads verbatim thus, Troops of the Joint Task Force, North East Operation Hadamkai, OPHK, in the

04:43early hours of Wednesday successfully repelled a coordinated and simultaneous five-pronged terrorist attack on own positions at Malam Fertori

04:51in Sector 3.

04:52The terrorists, who advanced in large numbers on foot and deployed armed drones in a desperate bid to breach the

04:59defenses of locations of troops, particularly along the frontage of Bravo Company from the Daguri general area, were met with

05:06overwhelming resistance.

05:08Having maintained full situational awareness of the battle space, troops had anticipated the attack and deliberately prepared an offensive-defensive

05:17battle designed to decisively defeat and annihilate the assault elements.

05:20Through disciplined fire control, coordinated maneuver and superior tactical execution, the attackers were engaged, disrupted and rooted in disarray, with

05:31no fewer than 80 terrorists neutralized during the engagement.

05:35Additionally, the firefight was further reinforced by precision of close-air support from the air component of Operation Hadamkai, complemented

05:44by rapid strike passes from allied Nigerian air assets, which compounded the pressure on the fleeing insurgents.

05:50Exploitation of the engagement area led to the recovery of a substantial cache of weapons, ammunition and combat enablers, including

05:5952 AK-47 rifles, 8 PKT machine guns, 7 RPG tubes, 5 general-purpose machine guns, GPMGs,

06:08over 3,000 rounds of assorted 7.62 mm ammunition, 21 RPG bombs, 9 locally fabricated IEDs, multiple magazines, communication

06:22radios and components of armed drones deployed by the terrorists.

06:26Despite the scale and intensity of the assault, own troops recorded minimal casualties, with four soldiers wounded in action and

06:34promptly stabilized, while follow-on battle damage assessment of air interdictions remains ongoing.

06:41Significantly, the operation resulted in the neutralization of three high-profile terrorist commanders, namely Malam Abdulrahman Gobara, Malam Bayuram and

06:51Abu Ayyubah, who were key figures in coordinating and leading the failed assault.

06:55Furthermore, several other identified fighters were eliminated.

07:00Nigeria military authority has placed the citizens and residents in the West Africa country on a high alert over increased

07:07security threats in the country, following apparent multiple suicide bombings on Monday in the northeastern state of Borno State, wherein,

07:15the Nigeria police force confirmed 23 people were killed and 108 other persons sustained injuries when bombs exploded.

07:23Almost at the same time at three different locations in Mediguri, the state capital, at locations which included the post

07:31office area, Monday market access and the entrance to the University of Mediguri Teaching Hospital, UMTH during the period of

07:40IFTA, breaking of fast, hours after the Borno State Command of the Nigeria Police Force had reported earlier on Monday

07:48that suspected Boko Haram,

07:49ISWAP terrorists made an attempt to infiltrate into the state capital with sporadic gunshots and explosions at Agilari Cross, Kofa

07:57area of outskirt of Mediguri Metropolitan Council, MMC, and Damboa Mediguri Road in Damboa local government area, and the latest

08:06activities and official reports indicated that the ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists may have advanced and taken some positions closer

08:14to the state capital, this, the Nigeria police force said.

08:18The Borno State Joint Security Operatives has began aggressive patrols within the Mediguri Metropolitan Council and appealed to residents to

08:27alert the security agency for emergency response with contact numbers 080-680-75581 or 080-2-3-4-7-3

08:45-2-9-3.

08:47Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the media information officer of Joint Task Force in the Northeast Operation Haddon Kai in a

08:56press release on Monday, said,

08:58The headquarters Joint Task Force, the headquarters Joint Task Force, Operation Haddon Kai, OPHK, wishes to inform the general public

09:06of suicide bomb explosions that occurred at about 7.05pm on Monday, the 16th of March, 2026, in Mediguri Metropolitan

09:15Council, MMC.

09:17The explosions were carried out by suspected Boko Haram terrorist suicide bombers who detonated improvised explosive devices at three different

09:26locations within the city, namely the post office area, Monday Market Access and the entrance to the University of Mediguri

09:34Teaching Hospital, UMTH, during the period of IFTA, breaking of fast.

09:39The cowardly attacks targeted crowded crowded crowded public areas in an attempt by the terrorists to inflict mass casualties and

09:46create panic within the metropolis.

09:49Troops of Operation Haddon Kai, in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal, EOD, team and other sister security

09:58agencies, responded swiftly to the incident

10:06emergency response teams, including personnel from the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and other medical service providers, promptly evacuated casualties

10:18to the General Hospital, Specialist Hospital and the University of Mediguri Teaching Hospital for urgent medical attention.

10:25Medical teams are currently attending to injured victims of various health facilities.

10:30There may be no doubt that Iran is apparently giving the United States, US a tougher time at the Strait

10:36of Hormuz, holding strong that none of its enemies and their allies will sail their ship through the Strait of

10:42Hormuz, an action that has since made the US President, Donald Trump to make contradictory statements

10:48after the US Army obviously failed in its intimidating military campaign and destruction of the Iran naval base, airport control

10:56tower, helicopter hangars, naval mine storage, missile bunkers and anti-aircraft and ballistic missiles defense system,

11:04with a threat to destroy the oil lifeline of Iran at the Karg Island if Iran continued to block ship

11:10from sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, but yet, as at the time of filing in this report today, Iran

11:16remains deviant to US threat, with close watchers saying,

11:20Iran may not fight a traditional normal naval war with the US Marines who are currently on a high speed

11:26traveling from their base in Japan to the Strait of Hormuz,

11:29of which, over 2,500 of the US Marines and sailors have been redeployed and apparently drawn from the 31st

11:38Marine Expeditionary Unit, MEU, an elite rapid response force,

11:42and the Marines are traveling aboard an amphibious ready group, ARG led by the assault ship USS Tripoli, LHA-7,

11:51an assault ship that can function as a lightning carrier,

11:53carrying F-35B stealth fighters and MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft and the assigned Marines are expected to arrive the

12:02Strait of Hormuz in a week or less than two weeks' time,

12:06but, currently, close watchers said,

12:08Iran is using deviant tactics like GPS jabbing, swarming drones, and underwater mines to keep the US Navy off balance,

12:17an action that may be the reason the US President, Donald Trump initially called on the international communities to help

12:24form an international naval coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,

12:29but some European countries like Germany, United Kingdom, France, Greece, Italy, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO refused,

12:39with some heads of the European countries saying,

12:41The war is not our war. Germany will not participate in any military activity in the Strait.

12:47Any plan to reopen the Strait won't be a NATO mission and that the UK will not be drawn into

12:53a wider war.

12:55No sending France warships to the region until the security situation stabilizes.

13:00Italy's current naval missions would not be extended to the Strait.

13:04No Greece military engagement in the waterway.

13:07Following this, President Donald Trump in a nationwide media chat on Monday, said,

13:13U.S. don't need them, we don't need anybody.

13:16We are the strongest nation in the world, we have the strongest military by far in the world.

13:22We don't need them, but, it is interesting, in some cases, not because we need them,

13:28because I want to find out how they react.

13:30We have been protecting these countries for years with NATO, because NATO is us.

13:35You can ask Putin, Russia President, Vladimir Putin, Putin fears us?

13:40He doesn't fear them, he has no fear of Europe whatsoever.

13:45Meanwhile, Iran's stronghold on the Strait of Hormuz has made energy prices to go higher.

13:51Brent crude has surged to over $105 per barrel,

13:55a 40% increase since the start of the war on February 28th.

14:00There may be no doubt that the year 2026 may not be a year of good record for some men

14:05and women of the armed forces of Nigeria.

14:08AFN has multiple reports and official statements have confirmed that some numbers of Nigeria soldiers have been killed by Islamic

14:15State of West Africa province,

14:17ISWAP, since the beginning of this year.

14:20Thus, the multiple reports suggest,

14:23more than 180 Nigeria soldiers may have been killed in just 73 days into this new year 2026,

14:31which further indicated that an average of 2 to 3 soldiers are being killed daily in Nigeria by the ISWAP

14:38terrorists

14:38who appeared to have increased the daily offensive attacks on Nigeria soldiers since the US-Israel joint war against Iran

14:47began on February 28th, 2026.

14:50Although some close watchers accused the Nigeria military of always downplaying or reporting a very lower numbers of troops casualties,

14:58but, the Nigeria Minister of Defense, General Christopher Moussa stated and confirmed during the week after security chiefs held a

15:07meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tanubu at the presidential villa in Abuja

15:11that a lot of Nigeria soldiers has been lost.

15:14But he insisted that contrary to some reports by the media,

15:18the terrorists and bandits are taking more casualties,

15:21specifically stating,

15:22Their commanders are being killed every day,

15:25we are sure of victory,

15:26and some reports also suggest that the ISWAP terrorists are increasingly using armed drones for asymmetric warfare and high-end

15:34tech-like night vision

15:35in recent attacks on military bases in Nigeria

15:39with some foreigners joining the Nigeria ISWAP fighters to launch a Ramadan campaign

15:44that saw ISWAP overrunning some military bases in Konduga,

15:49Mainik,

15:50Jakana,

15:50and Marte areas of Borno State,

15:52with local media reports stating approximately 40 soldiers were killed,

15:57while ISWAP in a press release claimed to have killed 16 in the initial assault

16:02and another 20 in a subsequent suicide bombing,

16:05on March 4,

16:062026,

16:07at least 14 soldiers were reportedly killed during attacks on military bases in Ingosh

16:13and other parts of Borno State.

16:15Between February 15 and 18,

16:182026,

16:19multiple reports confirmed 8 soldiers were killed and 23 injured at a base in Kroskawa

16:25in the Kikawa local government area of Borno State,

16:28another 6 soldiers were reportedly killed in Bew local government area,

16:33earlier in January 2026.

16:36At least 20 soldiers were killed in an attack on a remote base in Malamfetori,

16:40and 8 others were killed in a separate ambush earlier in the month.

16:44This,

16:45former Nigeria presidential candidate in the last concluded general elections in the West Africa country,

16:52Peter Obi in awarded statement during the week,

16:55said,

16:55our nation is clearly under siege,

16:58and the scale of insecurity is becoming unbearable spreading widely all over the country,

17:03this week alone in Borno State's Ingosh community,

17:07terrorists overpowered soldiers,

17:09killing them and several citizens,

17:11while abducting more than 100 women and children yet our leaders are silent.

17:16Nigerian Army in press release signed and made available on March 14,

17:202026 by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba,

17:24the media information officer of Joint Task Force in the Northeast Code named Operation Hadam Kai,

17:30Israeli Prime Minister,

17:31Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the state of Israel has a lot of organized plans of what yet to be

17:37done in Iran,

17:38specifically saying,

17:39regarding what we will do next in Iran,

17:42we have an organized plan with many surprises to destabilize the regime and enable change,

17:48we have many more targets,

17:49and I will not detail them here,

17:52Benjamin Netanyahu stated this on Saturday,

17:55a day before,

17:56Mojtabakumanei was officially and publicly announced as the Iran's new supreme leader in Tehran's Banak Square on Sunday,

18:03with residents in Middle East reporting with videos that Iran unleashed some numbers of massive waves of Fatah-2 hypersonic

18:11glide missiles straight at Israel shortly after the announcement of the Iran's new supreme leader,

18:18Mojtabakumanei,

18:19many believed to be much more aggressive than his father,

18:22Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,

18:24the announcement of the new supreme leader was made known after days,

18:28the U.S. President, Donald Trump stated that the U.S. will have a complete control of Iran and determine

18:34its leadership,

18:35which in one of the occasions,

18:37President Donald Trump stated verbatim that,

18:40well,

18:40most of the people we had in mind are dead,

18:43we had some in mind from that group that is dead,

18:46now we have another group,

18:47they may be dead also based on reports,

18:50this,

18:51the Israeli Prime Minister,

18:53Benjamin Netanyahu in a nationwide message to the people of Israel on Saturday,

18:57as made available by the office of the Prime Minister,

19:01said countries can now see the hypocrisy of the United Nations,

19:05UN,

19:06following the U.S.-Israel joint war against Iran,

19:09saying,

19:10the war is changing the face of the Middle East and in his words,

19:14Benjamin Netanyahu said,

19:16at the same time,

19:17we brought all of our hostages home,

19:20struck the centers of terrorism in Judea and Samaria,

19:23climbed to the peak of Mount Hermon,

19:25and created buffer zones in Syria,

19:27Lebanon,

19:28and Gaza,

19:29as I promised you two days after October 7th,

19:32we are changing the face of the Middle East,

19:34but we didn't just change the Middle East,

19:37first and foremost,

19:38we changed ourselves,

19:39because after the great disaster of October 7th,

19:42I decided to leave a polar shift,

19:44powerful actions one after another,

19:47proactive and surprising actions,

19:49actions that dramatically change the balance of power between us and our enemies,

19:53the countries around us see the hypocrisy of the UN,

19:56which condemned us without reason in our just war against Iran's murderous proxies in Gaza,

20:02yet that same UN did nothing in the face of the mass slaughter in Iran,

20:07these countries,

20:08which were attacked by Iran,

20:10see the weakness and feebleness of leaders in the West who simply abandoned them,

20:14while Khamenei and his murderers slaughtered tens of thousands of Iranian citizens,

20:19where was the UN,

20:21where were many countries in the West,

20:23and where was the international media that constantly condemns us with fake news,

20:27they were nowhere,

20:29they simply vanished,

20:30together we rose from the terrible massacre of October 7th,

20:34together we repelled our enemies step by step in the war of redemption,

20:38and we struck them hip and thigh,

20:40in Gaza,

20:41Sinwar and his murderers,

20:42in Lebanon,

20:43Nasrallah and his terrorists,

20:45in Syria,

20:46we brought about the fall of the bloody regime.

20:49Iran on Sunday,

20:51officially named and announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's new supreme leader

20:55following the killing of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US.

21:00Foreign Minister of Iran,

21:02Abbas Arachi has said that Iranian soldiers are currently waiting for US ground troops to invade Iran,

21:08saying,

21:08the Iranians are prepared for any scenario,

21:11according to Arachi,

21:13Iran is confident that its soldiers can confront US ground troops and if the United States actually decided to begin

21:20ground troops invasion in Iran,

21:22it will be a disaster for the US because,

21:25we know we can handle them,

21:26adding,

21:27Russia and China are supporting Iran in the ongoing war with the US and Israel politically and otherwise,

21:33and shortly after the Iran foreign minister made this known in an exclusive interview with NBC News Media on Thursday,

21:41the US Secretary of War,

21:43Pete Hexas visited the US Central Command,

21:46CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa area of Florida,

21:50apparently for a high-level briefing and next plan of action discussed with the CENTCOM commander,

21:56Admiral Brad Cooper,

21:57this,

21:58local media in Iran reported on Friday morning that the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,

22:06IRGC,

22:07Brigadier General Ali Muhammad Naimi says the Iranian armed forces are ready for a long war to punish the aggressor.

22:14The war which began last week Saturday,

22:17has led to the deaths of over 1,300 people in Iran,

22:2112 in Israel and 6 US soldiers.

22:23According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society on March 6,

22:282026,

22:29over 1,332 people have been killed in Iran since the start of the war on February 28,

22:372026.

22:38Hengor Organization for Human Rights

22:41In an earlier report in the conflict on March 2,

22:44the Norway-based NGO stated that at least 1,500 deaths,

22:48specifically identifying 1,300 Iranian military members and 200 civilians among the fallen.

22:56While the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, UNICEF confirmed that,

23:02of the more than 1,300 total fatalities, at least 181 are children.

23:08This includes approximately 175 children killed in a single strike at a girls' primary school in the Manab area of

23:17Iran.

23:17Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs,

23:20the official Iranian government agency reported a death toll of at least 1,230 as of March 5.

23:28On the side of Israel,

23:30Magen David Adem, MDA,

23:33Israel's National Emergency Medical Service,

23:36confirmed nine fatalities specifically from a direct ballistic missile hit on a public shelter in Beit Shemesh on March 1.

23:43The Israeli police in an official police report identified nine killed in Beit Shemesh

23:49and have noted that 11 people remain missing as search and rescue operations continued.

23:54Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv confirmed the death of a 102-year-old man who died from a fall while

24:01attempting to reach a shelter during a siren.

24:03Although 10 deaths were confirmed by the Israeli authorities as stated above,

24:09but, some local and international media put the total deaths in Israel at 12.

24:14According to the U.S. Department of War and SENTCOM,

24:18six American service members have been killed so far with 18 other soldiers wounded.

24:22Those killed included Sgt. Declan J. Cody,

24:26age 20,

24:28Captain Cody A. Cork,

24:29a United States President,

24:32Donald Trump in a nationwide broadcast issued a few hours ago over the joint Israel-U.S. military actions

24:39in the sovereign nation of Iran,

24:40has said that many Iranian soldiers are willing to surrender in order to save their lives,

24:45but the offensive U.S.-Israel military war or combat on Iran continued,

24:50saying the joint military operations codenamed Operation Epic Fury

24:55has destroyed hundreds of Iranian targets since the military action began on February 28, 2026,

25:03including the killing of the Iran Supreme Leader,

25:06Ayatollah Ali Khamenei,

25:07and the new joint war against Iran has resulted to the killing of more than 200 Iranian civilians and military

25:14personnel,

25:15with thousands of people injured,

25:17while over 12 persons have been killed so far in Israel with estimated 500 people sustaining injuries

25:24and the war has forced Iran to launch counter-attacks on U.S. military bases in Bahrain,

25:30Kuwait,

25:31Qatar,

25:32and the United Arab Emirates,

25:33UAE.

25:35This,

25:35Iran Foreign Minister,

25:37Abis Arachi had said Iran will not surrender,

25:40stating that,

25:41despite the massive air strikes on Tehran,

25:43Iran's military capability remains intact,

25:46adding,

25:47Iran was able to retaliate faster than it did in the 2025

25:5112-day war,

25:53and that its

25:54mosaic defense

25:55doctrine makes it resilient to infrastructure damage,

25:59Arachi called the killing of Khamenei,

26:01absolutely unprecedented and a major violation of international law,

26:05warning it had made the conflict

26:07even more dangerous and more complicated,

26:10saying,

26:11Khamenei was not only Iran's political leader,

26:14but,

26:14a high-ranking religious leader for millions of Muslims,

26:17even outside of Iran,

26:19across the region,

26:20pointing to protests that had erupted in Iraq,

26:23Pakistan and elsewhere where the leader had followers,

26:26in line with this,

26:28Al Jazeera News Media also reported some minutes ago that Iranian missiles have been seen over Tel Aviv and the

26:35occupied West Bank,

26:36reportedly breaking through Israel's defense system,

26:40with Iran saying it is targeting Israeli military facilities.

26:44In the six-minute nationwide video broadcast,

26:48President Donald Trump called on members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to surrender their weapons or face certain deaths,

26:55saying,

26:55the death of the three American soldiers killed in action will be avenged by taking more punishing actions against the

27:02enemies.

27:03President Donald Trump said there will likely be additional American deaths during the combat mission in Iran,

27:09which he said would continue until the U.S. achieves its objectives.

27:14Combat operations continue at this time,

27:17in full force,

27:18and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.

27:21We have very strong objectives,

27:24he said in a video posted to Truth Social,

27:27without specifying in detail what those objectives were,

27:30according to CNN.

27:32President Trump said nine Iranian ships have been destroyed so far in the Operation Epic Fury.

27:38In an earlier social media post,

27:41Trump said,

27:42I have just been informed that we have destroyed and sunk nine Iranian naval ships,

27:47some of them relatively large and important.

27:49We are going after the rest.

27:51They will soon be floating at the bottom of the sea, also.

27:56President Trump also said during the broadcast that the Iranian people,

28:00United States,

28:01U.S. government under the leadership of President Donald Trump,

28:05has ordered its citizens out of Lebanon with the non-emergency citizens specially warned to avoid traveling to southern Lebanon,

28:11although the U.S. embassy in Beirut never mentioned Israel and Hezbollah possible new war in the Middle East as

28:19the reason for its action,

28:20but there are strong indications that the America government took the decision because of the possible military conflicts in the

28:27region,

28:28according to the U.S. government,

28:29it do not want America's citizens to travel to Lebanon due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, unexploded landmines,

28:38and the risk of armed conflict,

28:40stating that,

28:41some areas,

28:42especially near the borders,

28:44have increased risk,

28:46while information available on Monday indicated that Hezbollah is preparing to resume retaliatory strikes against Israel by rejecting U.S.

28:55ceasefire deal as Israel Defense Forces,

28:58IDF continued airstrikes on Beirut,

29:00this,

29:01a joint press statement signed and made available on Monday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of

29:08Saudi Arabia,

29:09the Foreign Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,

29:12the Federated Republic of Brazil,

29:14the French Republic,

29:15the Kingdom of Denmark,

29:17the Republic of Finland,

29:19the Republic of Iceland,

29:20the Republic of Indonesia,

29:22Ireland,

29:23the Arab Republic of Egypt,

29:24the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,

29:26the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,

29:28the Kingdom of Norway,

29:30the State of Palestine,

29:31the Portuguese Republic,

29:33the State of Qatar,

29:34the Republic of Slovenia,

29:36the Kingdom of Spain,

29:37the Kingdom of Sweden,

29:39the Republic of Turkey,

29:40and the Secretary Generals of the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation described the current action

29:47of Israel in the Middle East as expansionist agenda,

29:50and,

29:51also on Monday,

29:52the Israel Prime Minister,

29:54Benjamin Netanyahu appears before Israeli lawmakers at the Knesset and said Israel don't know what the days might be,

30:01but they're prepared for any scenario,

30:03adding,

30:04if Ilran attack Israel,

30:06Israel will respond with a force Iranian government will never imagined,

30:09Also,

30:10Ilran Observer News Media in a tweet published on Monday,

30:14stated that oil companies around the world are currently advising their staff not to travel to Saudi Arabia,

30:21the UAE,

30:22Bahrain,

30:23Oman,

30:24Kuwait,

30:24and Qatar unless absolutely necessary.

30:27It would be recalled that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has historically involved two major wars which occurred in

30:342006 and 2024,

30:37and yet,

30:38possible new war remains in a state of high tension characterized by a fragile ceasefire and ongoing military operations.

30:45In February 2026,

30:48the Middle East region is currently under a fragile ceasefire that began on November 27, 2024,

30:55yet both sides of Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon frequently report violations.

31:00The 2024 war was triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel,

31:07which,

31:08Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023.

31:13This escalated into a full-scale war in September 2024.

31:18The conflict,

31:19according to local authorities in Lebanon and Israel resulted in over 4,000 deaths in Lebanon and approximately 130 deaths

31:27in Israel.

31:28A U.S. broker seized Nigeria police force under the leadership of the Inspector General of Police,

31:34IGP Kayode Egbetokan has kept mum since her video went viral on social media platforms,

31:41wherein,

31:42allegation of bringing people illegally to settle inside forest in Edo State was made against the divisional police officer,

31:50the DPO who is currently serving at the divisional police headquarters at Uboha community in the Essen Southeast local government

31:57area in the state,

31:59a state that have witnessed rampant cases of kidnappings in recent time,

32:03especially since the beginning of this year,

32:06despite the fact that the Edo State Governor,

32:08Monday Okpabolo,

32:09has executed the destruction of numbers of houses or properties of apparent innocent landlords or people who may not have

32:17direct connection with the crime,

32:19it may be recalled that early 2025,

32:22the governor demolished a residential property on College Road simply because it was linked to a kidnapping gang operating in

32:29the Aduawa,

32:30Ayan,

32:31and Beninouchi Road bypass axis,

32:33even when the building belonged to a woman based in Italy,

32:37just that,

32:38her brother,

32:38Osamede Asimota,

32:40the alleged key leader of the gang,

32:42allegedly used it to coordinate abductions,

32:44this is just one of many properties demolished by the Edo State government over kidnapping in the state,

32:51yet,

32:52records of kidnappings in the state continued to grow higher,

32:55and recent police and military arrests indicated that Edo State is perhaps under siege of foreign invaders

33:02who may have taken over larger part of the state forest to coordinate kidnappings in the state while working with

33:09some of the local residents to perpetuate the criminal act,

33:12it may be interesting to note that,

33:14another set of non-indigenes of the state arrested by the police recently included two persons caught inside the specialist

33:22hospital in Auchi,

33:23the two suspects who are said to be non-indigenes of the state were among the gang of kidnappers behind

33:28the abduction of Dr. Abu Babatunde,

33:31who regained his freedom after his family reportedly paid a sum of 50 million nairas ransom,

33:37after the doctor and his younger brother were abducted on January 2nd,

33:422026,

33:43while opening the gate to their residence along City Pride Road,

33:47Igbira Camp,

33:48Auchi,

33:48and unfortunately,

33:50the younger brother was later found dead on January 5th near the Oli River along City Pride Road,

33:56with police suspecting he was killed by the abductors,

33:59and the alleged illegal settlers who confessed the Ugboha DPO as their facilitator,

34:05are said to be non-Nigerians from foreign countries.

34:08According to one of the vigilantes who caught the illegal settlers,

34:12the arrested illegal settlers in the forest will be taken to the station.

34:16The vigilante member also said the illegal settlers are not Nigerians,

34:21and close watchers said people are brought in and smuggled into Edo forests illegally

34:26and such people may be responsible for the act of kidnapping in the state.

34:30Available records indicated that the kidnapping situation in the state is currently happening almost daily

34:36with numbers of the state residents and indigenes also recorded dead or killed by kidnappers

34:41since Governor Munday Okpebolo came into power.

34:45On the recent arrest of two suspects at the specialist hospital in Auchi,

34:49the Edo State Command Public Relations Officer,

34:53Eno Ikiodom,

34:54the first breakthrough came on 3 February 2026,

34:58operatives of the Auchi Division.

35:00In this write-up,

35:01a legal practitioner,

35:02Njoku Jude Njoku pinpoints some fundamentals in the judgment passed against Mazi Namdekanu,

35:09by Justice James Omotosho which convicted and sentenced the Biafra Republic agitation leader to life imprisonment,

35:16and in this press release the legal practitioner issued in late 2025 entitled,

35:22the 24th of November 2025,

35:25the day evidence ceased to matter in Nigerian courts,

35:28judicial silence,

35:29selective justice,

35:30and media complicity,

35:32described Justice Omotosho as unprofessional,

35:35stating that,

35:36the most dangerous aspect of the judgment delivered by Justice James K. Omotosho,

35:41is not merely that it reached a foreordained conclusion,

35:44but that it did so by deliberately suppressing evidence he already admitted on record in his own court,

35:50thereby converting adjudication into a procedural facade.

35:54This was not an error of law or an oversight of fact.

35:57It was a calculated refusal to engage with material evidence whose evaluation would have fatally undermined the prosecution's narrative,

36:05empasing that,

36:06this case is no longer about one man.

36:09It is about whether courts may openly disregard admitted evidence and still be treated as legitimate,

36:15and whether the media will continue to mask such conduct through silence,

36:19a judiciary that can ignore evidence without explanation has ceased to function as a court of law,

36:25a media that refuses to question that silence has abdicated its public duty,

36:30together,

36:31they place the rule of law itself in existential peril.

36:35Continuing,

36:36in details,

36:37Injoku said,

36:38Once evidence is admitted,

36:40it binds the judge absolutely.

36:42The conduct,

36:43protest,

36:44silence,

36:45or alleged boycott of the defendant,

36:48Mazinamdikano,

36:49is legally irrelevant to that obligation.

36:52Judgment writing is not a negotiation with the accused.

36:55It is a solitary judicial duty anchored exclusively to the evidentiary record.

37:00A judge may reject defense evidence,

37:03but he must first confront it,

37:05evaluate it,

37:05and explain why it is rejected.

37:08Silence is not neutrality,

37:10silence is suppression.

37:12Had Justice Omatosho evaluated the admitted video exhibit of Theophilus,

37:16T.Y.,

37:17Danjuma,

37:18he would have been confronted with the inescapable reality that public calls for communities to arm themselves in self-defense

37:25against murderous violence were not unique to Namdikano,

37:29nor criminalized when made by powerful establishment figures.

37:33Proper evaluation would have compelled the court to accept that Kano's calls for guilt,

37:37guns and bullets in Los Angeles,

37:39USA or during broadcasts were framed as community self-defense against the ravages of armed Fulani killer herders,

37:46not incitement to lawless violence.

37:48Had Justice Omatosho evaluated the admitted video evidence of Governor Hope Uzodinma,

37:55he would have known, because Uzodinma stated it publicly, that neither Namdikanu nor the IPOB had any hand in the

38:02killing of Ahmed Gulag.

38:04That single evaluation would have punctured one of the most politically weaponized allegations surrounding this case.

38:11Had Justice Omatosho listened to his fellow Yoruba kinsmen and Nigeria's intelligence chief,

38:17Adeola Oluwato Sanajayi, whose statements were also admitted in evidence.

38:22He would have been forced to acknowledge that the formation of armed vigilante groups for community defense was openly endorsed

38:28at the highest levels.

38:30Day after the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Monday, Agbonika personally led troops of joint security operatives at the dead

38:37of the night to launch offensive attacks against kidnappers in the forest.

38:41The Commander, 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ahmed Balogun also personally led troops of joint security operatives

38:50to the kidnappers' hideouts and launched massive military clearance and offensive actions against kidnappers.

38:56Both security operations led to the arrest of several suspected kidnappers allegedly caught in the act inside the bush,

39:04with the identities of the arrested suspects indicating that most of the kidnappers terrorizing Edo State are from the far

39:11northern part of Nigeria,

39:13an observation which appeared to have challenged the public policy statement made earlier in January 2026 by the Edo State

39:21Governor,

39:22Monday Okpebholo who stated that many of those involved in the kidnapping surge in Edo State are indigenes of the

39:29area,

39:30saying,

39:30that may be the reason some kidnappers wears face masks,

39:34the Governor made this statement as kidnapping in the state appeared to have become worse in 2026

39:39and very rampant in a manner that indicated that an average of 1 to 2 persons are being kidnapped in

39:45a day in Edo State

39:47as more than 60 persons became new victims of the increasing criminal activities in the state since the beginning of

39:542026,

39:55like,

39:56in January 2,

39:572026,

39:59two brothers,

40:00Dr. Abu Ibrahim Babatunde,

40:01a medical doctor on housemanship and Abu Tahir,

40:05a fresh graduate were kidnapped at the gate of their residence along City Pride Road,

40:10Higbira Camp in Auchi,

40:11the kidnappers initially demanded a 200 million nairas ransom and tragically,

40:16on January 5,

40:17one of the two brothers was found dead,

40:20on January 9,

40:212026,

40:23eight indigenes of a Moga community in the Akoko Edo local government area of the state were abducted from a

40:30hotel along a billow road,

40:31since the start of 2026,

40:34Edo State has experienced a significant surge in kidnappings,

40:38leading to widespread protests of Ikpoma in the Edo Central Senatorial Zone with multiple police rescue operations including the incidents

40:47reported early February 2026,

40:50where police rescued nine victims including five children and a separate group of 14 victims,

40:56this is that,

40:57earlier on January 22,

41:002026,

41:01a farmer named Monday Adaro was kidnapped and later rescued and in late January,

41:06another farmer,

41:08Abraham Udwa,

41:09and his two wives,

41:10Brinda and Anna were abducted from a Goro Amende community but successfully rescued by security forces,

41:16in mid-January,

41:18a Kayfavor and a former student union leader were kidnapped in Edo Central,

41:24troubled by the surge in kidnapping in the state,

41:27residents and students of Ambrose Alley University,

41:30AAU staged a major protest on January 10,

41:342026,

41:36citing,

41:36daily kidnappings,

41:37and the abduction of a university professor and numerous students,

41:42on February 2,

41:432026,

41:44a family of nine was ambushed at Ekoa Beku Ioa Road in Ovia Northeast local government area and the kidnappers

41:51demanded a 260 million nairas ransom for four children and two women still held after five others were rescued.

42:00Posters who are unable to bring the youth to news in a more digital world.

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