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No evidence of Ukraine involvement in Concert Hall attack near Moscow – US
By Francesca Hangeior
United States Vice President Kamala Harris has said that there is no evidence to show that Kiev had a hand in a terrorist attack on a concert hall near Moscow,
Harris claimed in an interview with the ABC News broadcaster that a branch of the Islamic State terrorist group known as ISIS-Khorasan (banned in Russia) was behind the massacre.
“No, there is no, whatsoever, any evidence (of Ukrainian involvement).
“And in fact, what we know to be the case is that ISIS-K is actually by all accounts responsible for what happened,” she said.
She also described the attack as “an act of terrorism.”
“The number of people who have been killed is a tragedy, and we should all send our condolences to those families,” the U.S. vice president added.
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told Sputnik that there was no need to jump to conclusions, commenting on recent U.S. statements about the ISIS involvement in the terrorist attack, as Russian special services were conducting investigations to find those responsible for the incident.
A shooting occurred on Friday evening in the Crocus City Hall concert venue in the city of Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, followed by a massive fire.
A Sputnik correspondent who witnessed the attack reported that at least three men in camouflage had broken into the music hall, shooting people point-blank and throwing incendiary bombs.
The Russian authorities said that at least 137 people were killed in the attack, while Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of RT and the Rossiya Segodnya media group, said the death toll had reached 143 people.
Eleven people were detained in connection with the attack, including four who were directly involved, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said.
All four suspected gunmen were detained in the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Belarus and Ukraine, the FSB added.
The four suspects were charged with terrorism and ordered to be held in pretrial custody until May 22, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court said.
All of them are from Tajikistan and risk a life sentence in prison.
The Moscow-area concert hall shooting became the deadliest attack in Russia in nearly 20 years.
President Bola Tinubu has described the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, minister Nyesom Wike as a performing and dogged technocrat.
Naijablitznews reports Tinubu made this assertion during his maiden presidential chat on Monday.
The president rounded up by saying “I doff my hat for the performing minister.
Watch clip below:
By Gloria Ikibah
Prominent human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has been released after fulfilling his bail conditions.
Farotimi, who had been in custody over allegations of defaming Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola, regained his freedom on Tuesday morning.
He is currently enroute to his home in Lagos.
Confirming the development, activist and politician Omoyele Sowore stated on X, “I am pleased to report that Dele Farotimi is no longer being held in the prison facilities of Ekiti State and is now returning home to Lagos. The struggle continues!”
Earlier, a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti granted Farotimi bail, setting conditions that included a N30 million bond, two sureties (one of whom must be a property owner), the submission of his passport, and a restriction on granting media interviews following his release.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Following the intervention by the National Assembly leadership, the National Assembly Service Commission, NASC, has reversed the appointment of Dr Ibrahim Atiku as Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, DCNA.
The Commission has replaced Atiku with the permanent secretary [Estate and Works Directorate], Engineer Bashir Yero.
This was consequent upon the outcome of a meeting convened Monday night by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, with Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and their deputies in attendance.
Present also at the meeting were the Chairman of the NASC, Engineer Ahmed Amshi, two commissioners from NASC, and some permanent secretaries in the NASS bureaucracy.
THE CONCLAVE learnt that the high-level meeting took place in the Senate President’s residence.
Reports from the meeting said that the chairman of the NASC and his commissioners could not justify the appointment of Atiku when asked by the speaker how the choice of Atiku was arrived at.
THE CONCLAVE reports that it was at that point that the commission chairman sought the leave of the Senate President and the Speaker to ask that the permanent secretaries present should excuse them since they could not be sitting over a matter in which they had personal interest.
Upon their return to the room, after the leadership had arrived at a resolution one way or another, it was agreed that Engr. Bashir Yero of Estate and Works Directorate be appointed the DCNA, while Engr Sanda Liman of Procurement Directorate, be redeployed in Estate and Works.
The newly promoted Ibrahim Atiku [to the position of permanent secretary], as resolved and directed, should be deployed in Procurement Directorate.
The NASC is expected to formalise and/or activate the decision soonest.
Source: CONCLAVE
WATCH moment Tinubu hails FCT minister for his doggedness, sterling performance
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