By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

An explosion in the engine room caused a Russian cargo ship called Ursa Major to sink in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

The vessel, which was built in 2009, was controlled by Oboronlogistika, a company that is part of the Russian Defense Ministry’s military construction operations, which had previously said it was en route to the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok with two giant port cranes lashed to its deck.

The Foreign Ministry’s crisis center said in a statement that 14 of the ship’s 16 crew members had been rescued and brought to Spain, but that two crew were still missing. It did not say what had caused the engine room explosion.

Unverified video footage of the ship heavily listing to its starboard side with its bow much lower down in the water than usual was filmed on Monday by a passing ship and published on Russia’s life.ru news outlet on Tuesday.

Ursa Major
Oboronlogistika, the ship’s ultimate owner, said in a statement on 20 December that the ship, which LSEG data showed was previously called Sparta III, had been carrying specialized port cranes due to be installed at the port of Vladivostok as well as parts for new ice-breakers.

Two giant cranes could be seen strapped to the deck in the unverified video footage.

LSEG ship tracking data shows the vessel departed from the Russian port of St. Petersburg on 11 December and was last seen sending a signal at 5:04 p.m. ET on Monday between Algeria and Spain.

On leaving St. Petersburg it had indicated that its next port of call was the Russian port of Vladivostok, not the Syrian port of Tartous which it has called at previously.

The operator and owner is a company called SK-Yug, part of Oboronlogistika, according to LSEG data. Oboronlogistika and SK-Yug declined to comment on the ship’s sinking.

Spanish news outlet El Espanol said on its website that crew members had been evacuated to the Spanish port of Cartagena and that several vessels, including a Spanish Navy ship, had taken part in rescuing the crew.

It said the vessel had been due to arrive in January 22 in Vladivostok.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The military strike on communities in Sokoto State, Northwest Nigeria, on Christmas Day, resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of property.

Hauwa’u, a young girl, witnessed the devastating moment when her parents and three younger siblings were burned to death in the airstrike by the Nigerian military.

“I see them burning, my mother, my father, and my three younger siblings,” BBC Pidgin quoted her to have said.

According to eyewitnesses, the airstrike, which occurred around 7 am, targeted the villages of Rumtuwa and Gidan Sama in Silame local government.

The attack reportedly killed 10 people, injured six others, and destroyed numerous homes and livestock.

Residents reported that soldiers had surrounded the communities before the airstrike, and later, three aircraft dropped bombs on the area.

One eyewitness, Malam Muhammad, stated that the soldiers prevented people from nearby villages from accessing the affected areas.

Muhammad, who lives near the village where the incident occurred, said “later three aircraft believed to belong to the military came dropping bombs on the place”.

“The soldiers surrounded the communities between 6 a.m and 7 a.m, and shortly after three aircraft began to drop bomb on the residents.”

He added, “It was later when things started to calm down that we approached the communities to see for ourselves what happened but regrettably, military wouldn’t let us go close.”

Another villager Usman Manuga said the incident happened after the Asr prayers.

“After we prayed, we came out. I wanted to go and greet my parents. I heard the people saying, ‘Look, look, look,’ and I came out and saw them with my own eyes.”

“I was there when one of them (the bombs) hit us.”

The Sokoto State Governor, Ahmad Aliyu, attended the burial of the victims and attributed the airstrike to a mistake by the military.

…mourn victims of stampede across Nigeria

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The House of Representatives Minority Caucus has advised the Federal Government to adopt a more realistic approach to tackle corrosive hunger as it mourn those who paid the supreme sacrifice in the Okija, Ibadan and Abuja stampedes.

This was contained in a statement dated December 22, 2024, signed on behalf of the caucus by its Leader, Rep Kingsley Chinda stating that:

“The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives is deeply pained by the unfortunate triple disasters that occurred in Ibadan, Okija, and Abuja which led to multiple deaths, and many injuries during distribution of empowerment palliatives, and other giveaways.

” We are shocked at the severity of the pains, deaths, and injuries that happened at these respective locations while people were gathered to receive foods, and other items to mark the yuletide season.

“As a Caucus, it is saddening that in just few days, we lost about 70 people; including children, nursing mothers, women, and the elderly as a result of stampedes that happened at the distribution points.

” It is heartbreaking, and heartrending that these victims payed the supreme price in search of what to eat. Pathetic, and dehumanizing!

The caucus further stressed that: “Due to biting economic situation that has led to debilitating poverty, and corossive hunger, it is worrying that these terrible occurrences are gradually becoming the norm across the country.

“We are saddened that as a result of harsh economic realities, many people; who have fallen into untoward hardship, and penury throng any, and every empowerment palliatives event in search of what to eat.

“As a result of these disturbing trend, the Caucus strongly appeal to the Federal Government and various intervention agencies to take immediate actions towards increasing, and improving empowerment programmes.

“With the negative global attention these avoidable incidents have generated, we reiterate that the FG and State Governments should do more by ensuring that these palliatives percolate to the right people that need such.

“As we commiserate with the families of those who died at the stampedes, and identify with those who suffered various degrees of injuries, the Caucus calls for proper security arrangements; full-proof crowd management; and appropriate medical services at the venues of distribution of empowerment palliatives by governments, agencies, politicians, religious bodies, social groups, and individuals.