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Police Say 2 Officers Killed, Three Injured, Patrol Vehicles Burnt During Clash With Shi’ites In Abuja

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

A violent clash between Nigerian police and members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) in the Federal Capital Territory on Sunday resulted in the deaths of two police operatives, according to the police force.

Additionally, three officers are currently hospitalised and unconscious due to injuries sustained during the confrontation, the police added.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that some armed policemen had fired teargas canisters and live ammunition at IMN members, popularly called Shi’ites, killing an unspecified number of persons and injuring several others during the Arbaeen Symbolic Trek in Abuja.

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The event which started on Saturday, August 24, is to commemorate and mourn the killing of Imam Hussain (AS), who was beheaded at Karbala (in present-day Iraq) in 61 AH, equivalent to 680 CE.

Imam Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Ṭalib (AS) was the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Sayyida Fatima bintu Muhammad (SAWA), as well as the younger brother of Imam Hassan ibn Ali (AS).

SaharaReporters gathered that the police violently descended on the IMN during their procession at the Wuse Market.

A squad of gun-wielding policemen fired teargas canisters and live bullets at the sect in an attempt to disperse the peaceful procession.

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The situation led to commotion in the area as motorists and passersby scampered to safety with several members of the movement sustaining varying degrees of injury.
An unspecified number of the IMN members were reportedly killed but this could not be independently verified by SaharaReporters.

Confirming the incident on behalf of the movement, Sheikh Sidi Munir Mainasara Sokoto in a statement, said those who sustained gunshots injuries had been taken to an undisclosed hospital while they were still compiling the number of those who lost their lives.
“We wish to inform the public that police have attacked the ongoing Arba’een Symbolic Trek at Wuse District in Abuja and killed numerous mourners. While trying to disperse the Arbaeen Trek, the police killed and injured numerous mourners,” he said.

“Presently, security agents are busy arresting the Arbaeen Trek mourners.

“Medical practitioners are attending to those critically injured, and details of those killed, injured, and arrested will be made available to members of the press in due course.”

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However, the FCT police command spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Sunday said two police personnel were killed, three others injured and, in the hospital, while three police patrol vehicles were burnt.

According to her, IMN members attacked a police checkpoint unprovoked. She claimed that they wielded machetes, improvised explosive devices (locally-made bombs in bottles with kerosene), and knives.

According to the police spokesperson, several arrests have been made.

The statement reads in part, “The FCT police command wishes to confirm an unprovoked attack by the proscribed Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as the ‘Shi’ite’ group, on some personnel of the Nigeria Police Force attached to FCT command at Wuse Junction by traffic light, where two (2) police personnel were killed, three left unconscious in the hospital, and three (3) Police patrol vehicles set ablaze.

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“The proscribed organisation attacked the police checkpoint unprovoked, wielding machetes, improvised explosive devices (locally made bombs in bottles with kerosene), and knives.”

“The situation is presently under control and normalcy restored. Further development will be communicated in due course,” the statement added.

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Celebrity boxing: Speed Darlington wants rematch after losing to Portable

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nigerian singer Speed Darlington is calling for a rematch against Portable after losing to him in a celebrity boxing match.

Speed Darlington was knocked out in the second round, and he’s unhappy about the outcome.

In a video, he claimed Portable didn’t deserve the win and the prize money, saying he had plans to use the money to build a swimming pool for his community in Imo State.

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Portable, I want a rematch. E dey pain me say you dey carry all that money dey go. E dey break my heart.

” I want a rematch. It’s so unfair. You have up to two experience before me and you fight. I never enter ring before. I did not come from poverty,” he said.

“You don’t deserve that money. E dey pain me. I want to build swimming pool for my villagers. I need a rematch, Portable”, he said.

According to Speed Darlington, Portable had an unfair advantage due to his experience, accusing him of using supernatural means to win the fight.

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He also claimed he suffered a shoulder injury during the match despite not feeling tired.

Speed Darlington, who wants a rematch, said he needs 30 days to prepare better

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Israel’s remote controlled bulldozers breaking ground in Gaza war

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At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the bulky bulldozer turning up soil at a testing site in central Israel, but as it pulled closer it became clear: the driver’s cabin is eerily empty.

This is the Robdozer, a fortified engineering vehicle manned remotely, and in this case operated from a military expo halfway across the globe in Alabama.

Army engineers and military experts say that the Robdozer — the robotic version of Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer — is the future of automated combat.

The Israeli military has used D9 for years to carry out frontline tasks like trowelling roads for advancing troops, removing rubble and flattening terrain.

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But since war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 and later in Lebanon, the Israeli military has increasingly deployed this robotic version in a bid to enhance its field operations and reduce the risks to its troops.

“The idea is to eliminate the person from the cockpit of the dozer,” said Rani, whose team at the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries developed the Robdozer.

An unmanned D9 bulldozer digs up a field during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025. Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

During the Gaza war, the military has increasingly opted for the unmanned version, which can carry out a full range of tasks “even better than a human”, said Rani, using his first name only for security reasons.

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While such vehicles and other systems are currently operated by humans, future versions could be autonomous, raising ethical and legal concerns over the unchartered future of warfare being shaped by the Israeli military in the Gaza war.

‘Changing the paradigm’
Israel’s increasing use of advanced technology on the battlefield, from air defence systems to a broad range of AI-driven intelligence tools, has been well-documented but also criticised for inaccuracies, lack of human oversight and potential violations of international law.

Analysts say the growing Israeli deployment of the Robdozer reflects broader global trends towards automation in heavy combat vehicles, like remote-controlled personnel carriers that operate much like drones.

An Israeli military official, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, told AFP that the army has been using “robotic tools for over a decade, but in very small numbers. Now it is being used in large-scale warfare”.

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70-hour Chess Marathon: Onakoya reportedly breaks record set by Norwegians

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Nigerian chess sensation and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has broken the chess marathon record of 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds, set by two Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, in June 2024.

Onakoya and his chess partner, Shawn Martinez, are currently aiming to complete a 70-hour chess marathon in Times Square, New York.

The marathon, a four-day non-stop gameplay, started on April 17.

In a post shared on X shortly after surpassing the current record, he expressed fulfillment and called for action to educate and create opportunities for street children in Nigeria.

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For all the dreamers! We’ve officially BROKEN THE RECORD with my brother,” he wrote.

Although the official confirmation from Guinness World Records is still being awaited, Nigerians and chess lovers from different parts of the world have congratulated the chess master on his latest achievement.

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