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A gunman opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening, with US Secret Service agents killing the assailant in a shoot-out during which a bystander was also struck, authorities said.

President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time — on a day when he was working to negotiate a deal with Iran — but was not impacted by the incident, Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.

The confrontation took place just after 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) when a man near the White House security perimeter “pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing.”
“Secret Service Police returned fire, striking the suspect, who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting, one bystander was also struck by gunfire,” Guglielmi said, without giving details on the bystander’s condition.
No Secret Service officers were hurt.

Armed police stand on a blocked street near a crime scene not far from the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2026.

“Thank you to our great Secret Service and Law Enforcement for the swift and professional action taken this evening against a gunman near the White House, who had a violent history and possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure,” Trump said on Truth Social early Sunday.
Multiple US media outlets identified the suspect as Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland, reporting that Best had a history of mental health concerns and had multiple prior interactions with Secret Service members.

Police and security forces swarmed the scene, cordoning off access as National Guard troops blocked an AFP reporter from entering the area in downtown Washington.

“We heard probably 20 to 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they’re gunshots, and then everyone started running,” Canadian tourist Reid Adrian told AFP.

Journalists who were on the White House North Lawn at the time said they were ordered to run and shelter in the press briefing room.
ABC News correspondent Selina Wang had been recording a video for social media when the gunfire broke out, capturing the sounds of the shots as she dove to the ground.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” she said on X.

Trump, 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when an armed man stormed a security checkpoint in a hotel where Trump was attending a media gala.

The man never got close to Trump or the other guests attending the event.
In July 2024, Trump was targeted during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A gunman killed an audience member and lightly wounded the then-candidate in the ear.

A few months later, another armed man was arrested on a West Palm Beach golf course where Trump was playing a round.

“Thank God President Trump is safe,” House Republicans said on X after the Saturday evening shooting.
“Endless gratitude to the Secret Service for their immediate, heroic response. Political violence has to stop.”

Trump has cited security concerns as one of his reasons for building a ballroom at the White House, tearing down the East Wing after taking office again last year.
The $400 million project currently under construction will feature, according to the New York real estate magnate, six floors below the highly secure “drone-proof” ballroom, including an underground military hospital.

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. Arrests building engineer, one other with opioids, cocaine at Abuja, Enugu airports; recovers N2.1billion Tapentadol pills from India

A 63-year-old Chinese grandma Ting Hung Kiong has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) following her attempt to smuggle large consignment of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis into Nigeria.

The female Chinese national who naturalised in Malaysia was arrested on Sunday 17th May 2026 upon her arrival in Nigeria from Thailand via Dubai, UAE, aboard an Emirates Airline flight. She was intercepted by NDLEA operatives attached to the Terminal 2 Arrival Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
Investigation revealed that the suspect travelled from Malaysia to Thailand and subsequently to Nigeria via the UAE with two large travel boxes containing the synthetic cannabis consignment weighing 31.0 kilograms.

During an interview, the 63-year-old suspect who claims she works as a caregiver in Malaysia stated that her daughter sponsored her trip from Malaysia to Thailand and subsequently to Nigeria. She further disclosed that she spent two weeks in Thailand, before she was handed the illicit consignment at the Thailand airport to deliver in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, another major shipment of illicit drug consignment has been recovered at the import shed of the Lagos airport.

Following close monitoring of the consignment by NDLEA operatives since its arrival from India aboard an Emirates Cargo flight, the 29 large cartons containing One Million, Eight Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand, Seven Hundred and Ten (1,825,710) tablets of Tapentadol 250mg, worth Two Billion, One Hundred and Ninety Million, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand Naira (N2,190,852,000) were eventually handed over to the NDLEA by the Customs Service on Friday 22nd May 2026.

In another successful interdiction operation, NDLEA operatives at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu on Wednesday 20th May intercepted a suspect Onyeka Valentine Emeka during the inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sierra Leone via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. When placed under observation, the suspect excreted a total of 185.36 grams of cocaine.

At the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, a 29-year-old building engineer, Babatunde Prosper Afekhide was on Wednesday 21st May arrested by NDLEA operatives while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Abuja via Addis Ababa to Milan Malpensa, Italy. A search conducted on his luggage led to the recovery of 10,280 pills of Tramaking 225mg; Tramadol 200mg and Tapentadol 250mg. The opioids were concealed using foil paper and hidden inside a carton, in a suitcase, obviously to evade detection.
In yet another operation at a courier company in Lagos, NDLEA operatives intercepted 1,174 pills of MDMA (Ecstasy) concealed in bicycle luggage carrier heading to Netherlands; 66 pills of tramadol 225mg hidden in soap container going to the United States and 18 tablets of tramadol 225mg concealed in body cream container heading to the United Kingdom.
In Edo state, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided Igwe community in Owan East LGA where a total of 59 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 489kg and cannabis seeds weighing 9kg were recovered.

While a suspect Isah Sani, 30, was nabbed with 196,000 pills of exol-5 on Wednesday 20th May along Zaria/Kano road, Kano state, NDLEA officers at Seme border, Badagry area of Lagos recovered 59kg skunk from a warehouse in Mowo, Badagry on Tuesday 19th May.

Another operational success was recorded in Ekiti state where NDLEA operatives on Saturday 23rd May raided a warehouse located at N/56, Ikoyi community, Ikole-Ekiti and recovered 1,116 kilograms of skunk, while 54-year-old suspect Ogundana Adebayo Julius was arrested in connection with the seizure.

With the same zeal, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Command Day School, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo state; Girls Secondary School, Amenyi, Anambra; Matazu Model Primary School, Matazu LGA, Katsina; C&S Primary School, Majidun, Ikorodu, Lagos; Alufo High School, Apugo, Enugu; Aramoko District Commercial Secondary School, Aramoko Ekiti; and Government Girls Secondary School, Kurna, Kano state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, NAIA, AIIA, Edo, Ekiti, Seme, and Kano Commands as well as those of DOGI for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to continue to raise the operational bar.

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..promises party chieftains, supporters an unwavering loyalty

A former House of Representatives spokesperson, Hon Zakari Mohammed has emerged the gubernatorial candidate of African Democratic Congress ADC for Kwara state in the 2027 general elections.

Mohammed a frontline politician emerged as a consensus candidate of the party, in Kwara, he was a former Commissioner for Information and Energy is a strong grassroots politician who has at different times actively participated in both state and federal politics.

In a message gratitude to party chieftains and party loyalists, Mohammed thanked them all for the massive support he enjoyed during the primary.

He said:”The overwhelming confidence reposed in me by our national leadership, state leaders, stakeholders, and the teeming members of the African Democratic Congress across Kwara State, in adopting me as the consensus Governorship candidate of our great party, is deeply humbling and profoundly appreciated.

“I sincerely thank every leader and member of the party for this rare demonstration of trust, unity, and commitment to the collective aspiration of building a better Kwara State anchored on justice, competence, accountability, and people-oriented governance.
I particularly commend my colleagues within the Kwara leadership structure of the party for their patriotism, maturity, dedication, and genuine love for Kwara State in arriving at this historic consensus.

“Their sacrifices and determination to place the interest of the people above personal ambition have once again shown that ADC remains a party driven by democratic ideals, inclusiveness, and service to humanity.

“I accept this enormous responsibility with utmost humility and a deep sense of duty. I wish to assure all party members and the good people of Kwara State that I shall not betray the confidence bestowed upon me. By the grace of God, and with the collective support of our people, victory is certain.

“I call on all Kwarans and Nigerians who desire genuine change to massively support and vote for all ADC candidates from top to bottom in the forthcoming elections. The current economic hardship, suffering, and hopelessness imposed on Nigerians under the administration of the All Progressives Congress can only be reversed through purposeful leadership and people-centered governance.

“Our party stands firmly against godfatherism, political intimidation, and imposed leadership. In ADC, the people remain the center of our democratic process.

“Our members, supporters, and voters are our greatest strength and the premium focus of our attention, as clearly enshrined in democratic principles.

“Together, we shall rescue Kwara State and contribute meaningfully to the rebuilding of Nigeria.
Thank you all and may God bless Kwara State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.