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In Italy, a 75-year-old Roman Catholic priest took his own life after it was announced that he will be transferred from the parish where he had served for nearly 25 years.

On August 12, the body of 75-year-old Catholic priest Lino Zatelli was found in the Italian city of Trento.

Shortly before his de@th, he had learned of his transfer from the parish where he had served for nearly 25 years, reports Tribune Chrétienne.

That morning, the priest was supposed to celebrate Mass at the Church of San Carlo Borromeo, but he did not appear for the service. The sacristan then went to his home and discovered his body.

Shortly before the tragedy, Zatelli was informed that, as part of a diocesan reorganization, he was required to leave the parish to which he had devoted nearly a quarter of a century.

The priest was deeply distressed by this decision and openly told his parishioners: “I never asked to leave.”

A campaign was even organized to demand he stay at San Carlo, with a petition gathering several hundred signatures.

This tragedy also raises the question of the loneliness and suffering of elederly priests, in Italy as well as in France.

Catholic authors note that for a clergyman, leaving a parish after decades of service means not merely a change of ministry but a break the community that had actually become his family and primary social circle.

At the same time, the authors of the publication emphasize that it is impossible to definitively establish the transfer as the direct cause of the su!cide.

The tragedy has, however, once again drawn attention to the issues of isolation, emotional exhaustion, and lack of support among Catholic clergy.

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Amnesty International has said that at least 10, 217 people were killed in attacks by gunmen in Benue, Niger, Katsina, Kebbi, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara States in the first two years of President Bola Tinubu’s government.

In a Monday statement shared on Facebook, the global rights group said Benue State accounts for the highest death toll, followed by Plateau State, where 2, 630 people were killed.

“It is now over three years since President Bola Tinubu assumed office with a promise to enhance security. Instead, things have only gotten worse, as the authorities continue to fail to protect the rights to life, physical integrity, liberty and the security of tens of thousands of people across the country,” Amnesty said.

The organisation noted that in the first two years of the administration, new armed groups have assumed power.

It identified Lakurawa in Sokoto and Kebbi States, and Mamuda in Kwara State, while adding that hundreds of villages have been sacked by gunmen in Benue, Borno, Katsina, Sokoto, Plateau and Zamfara.

Amnesty warned that escalating attacks are causing a looming humanitarian crisis.

“The majority of those displaced in Plateau and Katsina States told Amnesty International that they had to resort to begging to survive daily life,” the group said.

It cited Dangulbi district in Zamfara State, where “farmers have to watch their harvest of sweet potatoes rot because bandits have prevented them from transporting them to the nearest market.”

The rights group said under international human rights law, the authorities have an obligation to protect lives, ensure those suspected of perpetrating the killings are held to account, and provide victims with access to justice and effective remedies.

“Again and again, the Nigerian authorities are failing to live up to these obligations,” Amnesty stated. (The Sun)

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Lagos State Government has announced a three-week traffic management plan for the rehabilitation of Oke-Afa Bridge in Isolo, with motorists to face phased diversions from August 28.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, revealed this in a statement on Monday, saying the rehabilitation would run from Friday, August 28, to Friday, September 18, 2026.

According to Osiyemi, the rehabilitation will be executed in two phases to minimise disruption and maintain traffic flow around the busy axis.

The first phase, scheduled for August 28 to September 11, will cover the outbound Isolo-to-Ejigbo section of the bridge.

“During this period, motorists travelling from Isolo towards Ejigbo will be diverted onto the Isolo-bound carriageway from Pako Roundabout, where traffic will operate in both directions before motorists rejoin the main carriageway at Mobil Filling Station.

“Motorists travelling from Ejigbo towards Isolo will retain access to their route and share the carriageway with Ejigbo-bound traffic between Mobil Filling Station and Pako Roundabout. They will regain full access after reaching the roundabout.

“The second phase will begin on Saturday, September 12, and end on Friday, September 18, covering the inbound Isolo section of the bridge from Ejigbo,” he explained.

Osiyemi said motorists travelling from Ejigbo towards Isolo would, during the second phase, be diverted onto the Ejigbo-bound carriageway from Mobil Filling Station, with traffic moving in both directions before rejoining the main carriageway at Pako Roundabout.

“Traffic coming from Isolo will continue to move freely while sharing the carriageway with Isolo-bound vehicles between Pako Roundabout and Mobil Filling Station, after which motorists will regain full access to the road,” he added.

The commissioner said the bridge would be temporarily closed to vehicular movement as the rehabilitation progresses, urging motorists to cooperate with traffic authorities and exercise patience.

He said the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) would deploy personnel to the area to coordinate traffic and reduce congestion during the construction period.

“An emergency tow vehicle will also be stationed along the axis to promptly remove broken-down vehicles and prevent avoidable obstruction of traffic,” he said.

Osiyemi explained that the temporary closure and traffic diversions were necessary to facilitate the rehabilitation works being undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Works, through the Office of the Federal Controller, Lagos, in conjunction with Messrs. Strabic Construction Limited.

He urged motorists to plan their journeys accordingly and comply with traffic management directives throughout the three-week rehabilitation period.

The state government said the measures were designed to ensure that traffic continues to flow while the bridge undergoes the necessary rehabilitation works.