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A 2-year-old boy, Nakyzi Odums, has been confirmed dead after he accidentally shot himself in a Walmart parking lot while his parents shopped for fireworks.

Odums’ parents left him alone in their vehicle on the afternoon before the 4th of July as they went to purchase fireworks at a nearby stand, reported WALB.

Witnesses said that his parents heard a gunshot and ran to their car and found him with a wound in the chest.

The toddler was rushed to a hospital in Douglas, Georgia, and then to a trauma centre in another state.

On Saturday, July 6, the Douglas Police Department wrote on Facebook that it “regrets to inform the community that the young child who suffered an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 3, 2024, has sadly passed away this afternoon” at the trauma center in Jacksonville, Florida.

“Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident,” the police department wrote.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”

“He was definitely the light and love for his parents Sam Odums and Laileighauna Parks,” his grandmother Candi Brinson wrote. “He smiled brightly, wholeheartedly, loved unconditionally.”

It was not immediately known if the parents would face any charges in connection with the fatal shooting. There were no indications they had been arrested.

Douglas Police Chief Brannen Pruette told The Independent: “You’re allowed to have a gun in the car, but when there’s a child involved, you need to make sure that the gun is secure so that the child doesn’t have access to it.”
 

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Popular Nigerian actress and movie producer, Seyi Edun is celebrating her mother on the occasion of her birthday.

Taking to her Instagram page, Adeniyi Johnson’s wife stated that her mum made her the woman she is today.

She wrote;

”Happy birthday maami, my superhero, Here’s to the woman who made me who I am today, to the most amazing mom ever! May you have all the love your heart can hold, all the happiness a day can bring, and all the blessings a life can unfold. .With all my love, I wish you a very happy birthday and a wonderful year ahead maami ❤️❤️❤️❤️”

See Post Below;

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Nigerian singer, Candy Bleakz, has slammed her female colleagues.

She stated that female musicians in Nigeria don’t support each other.

According to her, no female Nigerian artiste can boast of helping another female artiste.

The ‘Wole’ crooner was featured on the latest episode of ‘The Honest Bunch’ podcast co-hosted by actor, Chinedu Ani Emmanuel, aka Nedu.

“There’s no female artiste in Nigeria right now that you can say has helped bring out another female artiste,” she claimed.

She also spoke about her tomboyish nature and how efforts by her mum to change her failed.

“I’m a tomboy naturally. I’m not doing it for music promotion. My mum had tried to change me but she couldn’t,” Bleakz said.

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Tonto Dikeh

Popular Nigerian actress cum politician, Tonto Dikeh, has spoken about her admiration for the Muslim faith.

In an Instagram post, she shared her daily inspiration from the sound of Muslim prayers, which she described as “the best sound” representing “love, dedication, and God’s beauty.”

She wondered what else she could offer beyond monetary donations to support the mosque.

Tonto Dikeh praised the devotion and intentionality of Muslims, acknowledging her desire to deepen her understanding of the faith.

She wrote;

“I wake up to the best sound everyday for the past 4years…

It’s a sound of love and dedication, the sound of Gods beauty and love..

If I wanted to donate to a mosque what do I give asides money?

God bless every Muslim and more especially every Muslim I hear your prayers. May Allah answer you…..”

“GOD/ALLAH IS LOVE…

I’m deeply touched……

(My biggest prayer is to understand the Muslim faith)

Their dedication and intentionality(if there is a word like this) is worthy of emulation..

(I feel like going over to the mosque now to ask why they didn’t pray today?”)

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Makolo Hassan, the National President of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), has stated that the language the Federal government understands the most is strike.

He said the union and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) would go ahead with their planned strike.

Hassan stated this during an interview on Channels TV, noting there was no going back on the unions’ planned protest billed for today.

He lamented the high cost of living in the country, stressing that if the government cleared the four months’ withheld salaries, the unions would adjust their plan because the other issues are renegotiable.

Hassan said, “Once we put down tools, there will not be light, water and a lot of things will not function in the system, which we have been trying all the while to avert.

“But it seems that the language the administration understands the most is strike. That is why we want to go by the protest first and see what will happen. We know it will affect the university system negatively.

“As it stands now, our members are hungry. Our members are the downtrodden. They live in poverty. And the cost of living in the country is high. If the government says that, what are you asking for? The first in line is the four months withheld salaries.

“By the time I leave here and our members say yes, we have started receiving alert, then we will sit back and adjust because the other issues are renegotiating the agreement of the N50 billion approved to be paid, the inconstancy of the IPPS. Even the IPPS is seemed to have been resolved, technically it’s not completely resolved. But if the four months’ salaries begin to drop then the situation will change.”

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175 students of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, have been expelled by the institution for various offences.

The acting director of University Relations, Dr Saeedat Aliyu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday evening, July 8.

Dr Aliyu explained in the statement that the expelled students were penalised for offences ranging from examination malpractice, theft, using fake results to gain admission, assault, fraud, belonging to unregistered associations and illegal possession of firearms.

The statement read: “This is to bring to the notice of the public that the following one hundred and seventy-five students have been expelled from Kwara State University, Malete, for various offences.

“The approval of the expulsion followed the recommendations of the Students’ Disciplinary Committee SDC, which held sittings between October 2021 and March 2024.

“The expelled students were penalized for offences ranging from examination malpractice, theft, using fake results to gain admission, assault, fraud, belonging to unregistered associations and possession of a firearm.

“The Management of Kwara State University wishes to reiterate its zero-tolerance for all acts of indiscipline as the institution stands firm on producing graduates who are excellent both in character and in learning.”

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A Nigerian woman, Aisha Lawal has spoken about the importance of money in marriage.

Speaking to men, she stated that their understanding girlfriends will change once their basic needs can’t be met in a marriage.
 
“MONEY is very important in marriage. That your understanding girlfriend go change am for you the moment you can’t provide her basic needs as a husband,” she wrote in a post on Monday.

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An unidentified ailment has claimed 12 lives while over 50 persons were hospitalized in the Chessi community in Kulani District of Balanga Local Government Area in Gombe State, Daily Trust reported.  

Dr Israel James and Yakubu Maina told the press that the disease is not cholera, but they have taken blood and water samples to identify the illness

Over 30 patients are currently bedridden with symptoms such as severe headaches, high fever, jaundice, and stomach pain.

The doctors advised the community to report any suspicious symptoms to the health centre established at Chessi Primary School.

Meanwhile, Alhaji Musa Buba, the member representing Balanga North Constituency at the Gombe State House of Assembly, has donated drugs and consumables worth over 1.5 million naira to the people of the Chessi community.

He made the donation upon receiving the report of the outbreak and expressed gratitude to Governor Inuwa Yahaya for dispatching a delegation from the Ministry of Health and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

Patients interviewed, including Habiba Salisu, Aisha Mohammed, and Mohammed Sulaiman, expressed their gratitude to Hon. Musa Buba for providing essential drugs and consumables.

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A 33-year-old banker at Goldman Sachs was dismissed in June 2024 after his bosses found out that he had pleaded guilty in February to the s3xual assault of his niece.

The assault happened on multiple occasions over a period of years, beginning in 2004.

Ronan O’Grady who had been working as a private wealth adviser at Goldman’s London-based offices since 2017, was sentenced to two years in prison late last month for s3xually abusing his niece when she was 6 years old and he was 13, according to Financial Times.

O’Grady pleaded guilty to eight counts of s3xual assault.

His niece, Keely O’Grady, said her uncle touched her inappropriately, made her perform or@l s3x and showed her p*rnography, the Irish news outlet RTE reported.

On at least one occasion, Ronan O’Grady’s friend hid in a closet and recorded some of the assaults on his phone.

The crimes took place in the girl’s grandparents’ home in Offaly, a county just west of the Irish capital of Dublin.

Ronan O’Grady, who had no prior convictions, was given a two-year sentence after the judge in the case took into account the fact that he was between the ages of 13 and 17 when he committed the assaults.

He entered his guilty plea in February and was sentenced last month.

In the interim, however, he continued working at Goldman without informing his bosses of his legal troubles, according to the investment bank.

“Mr. O’Grady concealed these criminal proceedings from us until June 2024, despite being required to disclose them,” Goldman Sachs spokesperson Tony Fratto told The Post.

“His employment ended within days of us becoming aware.”

Fratto added that Goldman managers “were shocked to learn of Mr. O’Grady’s appalling past offenses” and that “he is no longer employed by the firm.”

Sachs added: “Our thoughts are with the victim.”

The crimes to which O’Grady pleaded guilty were committed between 2004 and 2008.

Keely O’Grady, 26, reached out to her uncle on social media when she turned 18 years old and confronted him about what he had done, according to RTE.

“I remember too. I hope you’re OK,” Ronan O’Grady wrote back to his niece, adding that he was “young and stupid” at the time.

Despite the social media messages to his niece, Ronan O’Grady maintained his innocence until the start of his trial.

He pleaded guilty in February.

Keely O’Grady gave an impact statement in which she described suffering from depression, severe anxiety and su*cidal thoughts as a result of the abuse.

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Twenty-five persons have been abducted by bandits in Runka community, Safana local government of Katsina State.

Runka community residents said the incident, which happened on Saturday, led to missing men, women and children who are yet to return after escaping into the bushes to escape being kidnapped

According to Leadership, the bandits struck Saturday night, abducted including women and children before making their way into the bush.

Some Runka residents said the bandits moved from house to house, breaking in and taking occupants without any confrontation.

“One person who was injured when he attempted to escape has been hospitalised.

“The attack is believed to have been facilitated by informants within the community,” Leadership said.

According to the local government chairman of Safana, Abdullahi Sani Safana, who confirmed the incident rescue operation are under as security agencies have been alerted on the attacks.

The Katsina State Police Command has not issued an official statement on the incident.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Safana, told Leadership rescue team had been sent after the bandits. He added that efforts are on to combat the activities of bandits in the state.

The attack followed a su*cide bombing attack in Gwoza, Borno State. Many other parts of Nigeria, particularly the Northern region have been affected by bandits.

According to Amnesty International, over 2,600 citizens of Benue and 50 rural communities were killed by bandits.

Amnesty added that over 80 percent of farming populations in Agatu, Guma and Gwer local government areas were displaced and have access to their farmlands due to the activities of bandits.

“Over 80 percent of farming populations in Agatu, Guma and Gwer West LGA have been displaced, with no access to their farmland or any means of livelihood.” Amnesty International said in its 2024 report on June 27.