By Francesca Hangeoir

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said a drone was launched towards his residence in Caesarea on Saturday after the military reported a drone from Lebanon had “hit a structure” in the central Israeli town.

“A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched toward the prime minister’s residence in Caesarea. The prime minister and his wife were not at the location, and there were no injuries in the incident,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear whether the structure reported hit by the military earlier was his private residence.

The military said three drones had been fired from Lebanon on Saturday and it had intercepted two.

A barrage of projectiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel on Saturday, with sirens blaring across northern Israel at regular intervals.

Lebanese authorities meanwhile said two people were killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday in Jounieh, north of Beirut, in the first strike on the area since Hezbollah and Israel started trading fire last year.

The health ministry said an “Israeli enemy raid” hit a car in Jounieh, with Lebanese state media saying the attack occurred on a key highway linking the capital to the country’s north.

Israel is fighting a war against Hamas ally Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Israel sending ground troops across the Lebanese border last month.
On Friday, the Israeli military said it had destroyed Hezbollah’s regional command centre with an air strike.

Hezbollah said it fired a salvo of rockets at the Israeli city of Haifa and areas to its north.
The group later said it launched “a swarm of explosives-laden drones” at an “air missile defence base” east of the central Israeli city of Hadera.

A tragic incident occurred in the Ipaja area of Lagos State on Wednesday when a young man fell into a canal while allegedly being chased by police officers.

In a post on X.com on Thursday, #Omorhemi, who claimed to be a friend of the victim’s wife, alleged that the police stopped the man on a bike, searched him, and accused him of being a “yahoo boy” due to his tattoos.

Sharing videos from the rescue effort, she wrote, “Yesterday morning, police chased my friend’s husband till he fell into the canal. They took his slippers and money that fell and left when people started shouting. This happened at federal bus stop, Ipaja Ayobo axis. He is currently unconscious at LASUTH. He is still on oxygen.”

“The officers were on mufti. They stopped him on bike, the bike man left. They searched him, insisting he is a Yahoo boy because of his tattoos, and started cocking their guns that they would shoot him. He started moving away, saying he’s not, and they started following him till he ran,” she added.

On Friday morning, #Omorhemi gave an update that the young died.

“He has given up! Yet to tell the wife as of now. I am not pleased to inform you that this young man died in the middle of the night.

“On Wednesday, a few hours after the incident, the wife went to the police station, Area P, to report. The officers told her they were the ones that pushed him. She couldn’t wait and wasn’t stable while still trying to get the husband to receive the best treatment. All hands have been on deck to make sure the man survived, which was why follow-up at the station was not done,” she wrote.

In a statement on Friday evening, the Lagos State Police spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, provided a different account of the incident, stating that the police did not chase or interact with the man, but rather, he ran and jumped into the canal after seeing the police approaching.

Hundeyin wrote, “The police visited the scene and met eyewitnesses on ground who voluntarily gave their statements regarding the unfortunate incident.

“At about 10 am on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, somewhere around Gowon Estate, the young man was a passenger on a motorcycle riding against traffic.

“Immediately they sighted the police approaching in their vehicle; the rider made a sharp U-turn while the passenger jumped off the motorcycle, crossed the road, and ran through the nearby tipper garage.

“People in the garage who saw him running towards the canal and at the same time emptying the contents of his pockets agitatedly warned him about a canal ahead. He did not stop but unfortunately jumped into the canal.”

Hundeyin maintained that the police officers did not interact with the victim or chase him.

He added, “The police officers, startled at his knee-jerk reaction, stopped their vehicle, alighted, and went in the direction of the canal.

“The people around informed the police that the young man jumped into the canal. They all went to look, waited some minutes, and did not see him, upon which the police left, believing he successfully evaded them.

“The police officers did not speak with him, did not touch him, did not chase him, did nothing. The young man simply saw them and bolted.

“Water Tipper Garage, Mosan, Okunola, Ipaja. That is the exact location for those who might wish to visit for verification.”

The spokesperson also expressed condolences to the victim’s family, saying, “May God give his family the fortitude to bear the sad loss. Amen.”

He further assured the public that the police would not tolerate any unprofessional behaviour from their officers.

“Lagosians are assured that #LagosPoliceNG, under CP Olanrewaju Ishola, would not condone any form of unprofessional conduct on the part of its officers,” he said.

There is a looming crisis in Aboh Kingdom, Ndokwa East LGA, Delta state, over the choice of Obi Gregory Oputa (111) as king.

The enthronement of the new monarch has caused sharp division among prominent indigenes of the community.

The four quarters that produce the king are Umu Ogwezi, Umu Ossai, Umu Obi and Umu Ojugbele.

The new monarch, Prince Gregory Oputa, was enthroned as the 20th Obi of Aboh on September 15, 2024.

The Nation gathered that the crisis has pitted Hon Olise Imegwu, former Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Ajieh Ogwu, President General, Aboh community and the four quarters that make up the kingdom against the new king and some prominent traditional title holders in the community.

But the group backing the new monarch including Chief Paul Esumei, Ndanike of Aboh, Chief Ifeanyi Odili, Iyasele of Aboh, Chief Kenneth Odili, Ozeh of Aboh, and Isagba Ajieh of Aboh,  Chief Chris Ogwu, in a statement yesterday, threatened legal action against any individual or group misinforming the public or casting aspersion on the new monarch.

They urged Aboh indigenes to support the new monarch.

According to them, “it is a thing of joy that His Imperial Majesty, Obi Oputa III has emerged in the person of Prince Gregory Oputa and it is our duty as indigenes of Aboh to accord him the respect he deserves as his subjects.

Continuing, “there is no dispute arising from the emergence of the new King, Prince Gregory Oputa as due process was followed before he was crowned as the King amid jubilation by the people of Aboh Kingdom.”

“Those who were interested in becoming the King should know that traditionally, the stool is no longer vacant as all the rites have been performed and it is impossible for us to have two Kings in Aboh Kingdom at the same time.

“We should also bear in mind that it is the exclusive responsibility of the King makers to select who becomes a King in Aboh and they have discharged their functions diligently according to the criteria based on age-long custom and tradition of Aboh Kingdom.

“We have implicit confidence in Obi Oputa III in his ability to take Aboh to greater heights; we are also praying that his reign will usher in a more peaceful and prosperous Aboh Kingdom for us to take our pride of place once again as a revered Kingdom in the world.

“For the few persons who are not residing in Aboh but are committed to sending out messages that there is crisis in Aboh over the Kingship, we advise that you should make efforts to visit home and see the joy on the faces of our people, and also, enjoy the peace that now pervades Aboh Kingdom.

“We also advise those few individuals, their cronies, media houses, including social media influencers, to stop all forms of actions that will cause disaffection in the Kingdom or project our King negatively before the world.

“From now on, legal processes would be instituted against any individual, or organisation that misinforms the public or casts aspersions on our revered Imperial Majesty, Obi Oputa III.

It will be recalled that Dr Olise Imegwu led a protest to Asaba, Delta state capital, denouncing what he described as the imposition of the new king on Aboh indigenes.

Imegwu said due process was not observed in the crowning of the new monarch and challenged the new king to show the world the video of his crowning and who performed the ceremony.