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Twelve people have been killed and two others sustained various degrees of injuries in a road traffic crash involving two Volkswagen cars along the Kaduna-Kachia Road in Kaduna State.

The Kaduna State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Andrew Paul Longkam, who confirmed the incident, explained that those killed were eight males and four females, saying that the two females who sustained injuries had been taken to the hospital for immediate treatment.

According to him, “The accident occurred at Doka Village in Southern Kaduna and involved fourteen people, eight males and six females.”

Longkam stated that the victims were travelling in two Volkswagen Golf III cars, one blue, with registration number APP 394 FN, and the other red, with registration number ACN 205 HK, when the accident occurred.

He said the probable cause of the crash was a tyre burst, stressing that none of the occupants, as well as the two drivers, was wearing a seat belt or using any protective gear.

The commander explained that the crash was reported at about 10:20 a.m., while the rescue team arrived at the scene at 10:50 a.m. and joined soldiers and policemen in the rescue operation.

He revealed that the injured victims were evacuated to Rapha Hospital for treatment, while the bodies of those who died were deposited at Idon General Hospital, pending contact with their relatives.

Longkam stated that the two vehicles involved in the crash were later recovered and taken to Kajuru Police Station.

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A 33-year-old Iranian blogger, Soda Ebrahimi Shamsabadi, has been sentenced to death after being convicted of “corruption on earth” over alleged anti-government activities, including insulting Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Shamsabadi was accused of insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, engaging in media and propaganda activities deemed hostile to national security, and cooperating with governments considered hostile to Iran.

According to Iran International, prosecutors also accused her of photographing a site where a missile had struck and sending the image to a Persian-language media outlet based outside Iran.

Shamsabadi, who was raised in Tehran and later lived in Bandar Abbas, has been held at Bandar Abbas Prison since March. She reportedly spent 20 days in solitary confinement.

During the January protests, she used social media to document alleged killings and abuses linked to the unrest. In one post, she said photographs, videos, documents and eyewitness accounts existed to establish what had occurred.

Her final Instagram post, published on February 23, appeared to acknowledge the possibility that she could die.

Addressing her more than 10,000 followers, Shamsabadi wrote that if she were no longer alive, they should know that she had chosen the path she believed in.

Her sentencing comes amid growing international concern over the use of capital punishment in Iran, particularly against protesters and government critics.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has warned that the increasing use of death sentences in Iran is intended to create fear and suppress dissent.

Iran Human Rights says at least 29 people arrested during the January protests have been executed since March. Meanwhile, the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center has documented 950 executions in Iran so far this year.

Rights groups have repeatedly condemned Iran’s use of the death penalty, warning that capital punishment is increasingly being used against political dissidents and protesters.

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Five Islamic clerics have reportedly been abducted by suspected terrorists after attending a special prayer gathering organised for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election at the residence of former Zamfara State Governor and serving Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari in Talata Mafara.

The clerics were reportedly abducted on Saturday, September 12, 2026, shortly after attending the gathering at Yari’s residence, where about 1,000 Islamic scholars were said to have gathered to pray for Tinubu’s victory in the 2027 presidential election.

It was learnt that the victims reportedly include Imam Yahuza, the First Jumma’at Imam in Dogon Madacci; Magawata Abdullahi, the Second Jumma’at Imam in Dogon Madacci; Malam Shehu Dakko; Imam Bala Fagon; and Na’ibi Tasi’u of Tungar Nagudai.

Sources said the clerics had travelled from communities in Bakura and Talata Mafara Local Government Areas to attend the prayer gathering.

Their reported abduction has raised fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in Zamfara, particularly as the incident allegedly occurred in connection with a gathering at the residence of Yari, a former governor, serving senator and Director-General of Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign.

The identities of the abductors and their whereabouts remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.

Security agencies have yet to issue an official statement on the reported abductions as of press time.

Also, the Zamfara State police spokesman, Yezid Abubakar has not responded to messages and calls sent to him seeking his comment.