News
Israeli Reportedly Killed 80 In Gaza Few Hours After Ceasefire Deal

The health ministry in Gaza says dozens of Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes ahead of a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel has accused Hamas of backtracking on the agreement, with a planned cabinet vote on the deal pushed back.
Hamas says it is committed to a deal, but the BBC’s Rushdi Abualouf hears the group is attempting a last-minute push for the release of one or two symbolic prisoners from its movement.
One attack on a house near the Engineers Union Building in Gaza City in the north of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night killed at least 18 people, Al Jazeera Arabic’s correspondent reported.
The Palestinian Civil Defence also said it retrieved the bodies of 12 people from Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood.
In central Gaza, five people were killed in an Israeli drone strike that targeted a gathering of people in the Karaj area in the Bureij camp.
The death toll, which was counted from dawn on Wednesday, continued to rise as Palestinians returned to shelter in their tents after briefly celebrating news of a ceasefire deal that was reached between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday evening.
“For a couple of hours, people turned this whole area into a stage of celebration, something we are not used to seeing here as this area used to be a stage for funerals for the victims of the war and a space filled with agony and sadness,” said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.
But the ceasefire does not start until Sunday and people in Gaza fear worse is to come before the Israeli bombing stops, Mahmoud said.
“We are expecting a surge in attacks by drones and heavy artillery, and that’s what caused people to end the celebrations after two hours,” he said.
Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, reporting from Gaza City, said intense Israeli attacks there had “extinguished” the joy people felt at the initial announcement of the ceasefire.
“Just hours ago there was an atmosphere of joy and relief among residents here when the ceasefire announcement was made from Doha, stating that it would take effect in the coming days,” al-Sharif said.
“However, immediately after the announcement, Israeli warplanes extinguished that joy for the people – striking hospitals, shelters, and homes with direct air strikes.”
Both Israel and Hamas have publicly acknowledged a ceasefire and captive exchange deal has been reached, although Israel has said some final details are still to be hashed out before the agreement is sealed.
In a statement, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had spoken with Israel’s negotiating team in Doha at dawn on Thursday, who briefed him on disagreements with Hamas related to which Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for captives during the first phase of the deal.
As of January 1, 2025, there are at least 10, 221 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, excluding the unknown numbers of Palestinians taken from Gaza and detained by the military, including Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of north Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, which was destroyed by Israeli forces.
Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, earlier said the ceasefire deal met all of the Palestinian group’s conditions including the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of displaced people to their homes, and a permanent end to war in the enclave.
The exact time the ceasefire is due to start on Sunday is not yet known, though the entire process will be implemented in three phases.
Recall that Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as hostages
The attack triggered a massive Israeli offensive on Gaza, during which more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
News
How I Got Helicopter Idea To Visit Kogi State – Senator Natasha

The embattled Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has disclosed that the idea of using a helicopter as a means of transport for her homecoming rally in Kogi came from her husband.
She also insisted that she broke no law by her actions as the road that led to the venue of the event was constructed by her and the land on which the helicopter landed is owned by her family.
Senator stated this on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television.
It would be recalled that hours before the event, the Kogi State government banned all forms of rallies in the state and declared that all convoys coming into the state must get approval.
However, Natasha circumvented the directives by arriving via helicopter, where she was received by her constituents.
Speaking on Tuesday’s homecoming rally, which coincided with the celebration of the 2025 Eid which is the end of the Ramadan fast, Senator Natasha insisted that it was not a political event as she had always done it even before she became a Senator, adding that it is a way of relating and giving back to her people.
She said she already knew that the state government came up with the restrictions because of her, adding that she wasn’t aware of any security challenge that could have warranted issuing such bans.
Senator Natasha also described herself as a peace-loving and law-abiding individual, contrary to the description by the state government that she is a law breaker.
News
We were kept with hyenas, snakes – General Tsiga recounts kidnap ordeal

Former Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Maharazu Tsiga (rtd), who spent over two months in captivity, has recounted his harrowing experience in the hands of terrorists and kidnappers.
Tsiga revealed that he and other abductees were held in a dense forest surrounded by hills, teeming with dangerous animals. He described his survival as nothing short of divine intervention.
The 72-year-old said: “We were kept with dangerous animals—hyenas, snakes, and scorpions. A day before I was released, just the day before yesterday, while on the mountain where I was staying, we suddenly noticed a hyena circling us, looking for food. And what kind of food? Us, human beings.”
“Throughout our time there, we constantly lived with snakes and scorpions. But the most terrifying experience was how they treated those of us whose ranks they knew. Whenever troops attacked them, they would bring us out and use us as human shields, hoping to get us killed by the military strikes. They wanted us to be hit by the aircraft. But God is merciful.”
“The National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) have said it—the good ones will survive, and ultimately, the bad ones will meet their end.”
Tsiga further narrated a particularly chilling experience involving an unexploded rocket: “During an airstrike, a rocket was fired at the terrorists, but it didn’t explode. Instead, they carried the unexploded rocket and placed it where I was sleeping, hiding it in a way that if I touched it, it would detonate. Yet, by God’s mercy, I survived.”
He also highlighted the kidnappers’ belief that military officers have access to government funds, which led them to attack his home.
“They believe that those of us in uniform are given money by the government. That’s why they tried to break into my house. They couldn’t, so they went to my home in Kaduna and used explosives to destroy it, including the gates.”
Speaking on behalf of the 18 other rescued victims, Tsiga expressed gratitude to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Chief of Defence Staff. He emphasized that security is a collective responsibility.
“We must not assume that the government can do it all alone. Everyone must contribute by providing intelligence and information. The NSA and the CDS are not magicians; they need timely and accurate reports to act upon.”
News
INEC ought to have archived recall petition long ago-Senator Natasha

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on Thursday hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for rejecting a petition to recall her as the lawmaker representing Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The lawmaker, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the electoral umpire should have thrown out the petition long before it did on April 3, 2025.
“I’m a lawyer. I’m a senator and I understand how Nigeria works. For me, the most important thing is this recall process has been stalled.
“I give kudos and credit to INEC even though I believe they should have thrown it away from the get-go.
“I think it was void ab initio because there is no law in the Electoral Act that says a petition should be discarded just because there is no address but again, what if the address is false?”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain argued that most of the addresses provided in the petition for her recall were false because most houses in her district weren’t labelled.
Even though INEC did count 208,000 signatures, I bet you if they had gone into the verification stage, they would have struggled to even have 500 people come out to attest to signing that,” she added.
-
News16 hours ago
Natasha: Kogi PDP hammers Ododo, reiterates unfeigned support for her
-
Economy15 hours ago
SEE Black Market Dollar To Naira Exchange Rate Today 3rd April 2025
-
News23 hours ago
Rivers APC demands Fubara’s probe over ex-HoS allegations
-
News11 hours ago
Just in: “Ignore rumour mongers, there was no time I collapsed “-Wike asserts
-
News11 hours ago
CJ transfers Natasha’s case to Justice Nyako
-
News14 hours ago
Just in: INEC dumps recall petition against Sen Natasha
-
News19 hours ago
Just in: Finally, Trump imposes 14% tarriff on Nigeria oil, others
-
Economy23 hours ago
Naira rebounces against the dollar in parallel market