Forty-one people including at least two children are believed to have died when a Russian passenger plane made an emergency landing and was engulfed in flames at Moscow’s busiest airport Sunday, investigators said.

Dramatic footage shared on social media showed Aeroflot’s Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft, land at Sheremetyevo international airport, flames and black smoke pouring from its fuselage.

Passengers could be seen leaping onto an inflatable slide at the front and running from the blazing plane as huge black columns of smoke billowed into the sky.

“There were 78 people including crew members on board the plane,” the Investigative Committee said in a statement, adding it had headed to the northwest Russian city of Murmansk.

“According to the updated info which the investigation has as of now, 37 people survived.”

Another 11 people were injured, Dmitry Matveyev, the Moscow region’s health minister said earlier in the day. Three of them had been hospitalised but they were not in a serious condition, he added. Investigators said they were looking into various lines of inquiry and it was premature to draw any conclusions about the cause of the accident.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had offered his condolences to the victims’ loved ones, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has also ordered a special committee to investigate the disaster.

The jet carrying 73 passengers and five crew members had just left Sheremetyevo when the crew issued a distress signal, officials said.

“Flight Su-1492 took off on schedule at 6:02 pm (15H02 GMT),” said a statement from the airport.

“After the take-off, the crew reported an anomaly and decided to come back to the departure airport. At 6:30 pm, the aircraft made an emergency landing,” it added.

The tabloid newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda quoted one passenger, Petr Egorov, who said: “We had just taken off and the aircraft was hit by lightning…. The landing was rough, I almost passed out from fear.”

The plane sent out a distress signal after takeoff,” a source told Interfax news agency.

“It attempted an emergency landing but did not succeed the first time, and on the second time the landing gear hit (the ground), then the nose did, and it caught fire,” the source added.

Interfax, citing an anonymous source, said the plane had landed with its fuel tanks full because, having lost contact with air traffic controllers, it was too dangerous to dump its fuel tanks over Moscow.

Several flights have been diverted to other Moscow airports or Nizhny Novgorod, some 500 kilometres (310 miles) east of the Russian capital.

The Sukhoi Superjet-100 was the first civilian aircraft developed in Russia’s post-Soviet era and at the time of its launch, in 2011, was a source of national pride.

But it struggled to convince buyers from airlines outside Russia, and several foreign carriers that did buy it have since prefered to cut back its use or phase it out completely, citing its reliability.

The Russian government offered subsidies to encourage Russian airlines to buy the Superjet and Aeroflot became its main operator.

In September 2018, it announced a record order of 100 Superjet-100s.

Source: France24

President, Nigerian Residents Affiliation South Africa, Ben Okoli, says a Nigerian, Mr Okechukwu Henry, from Imo State, was stabbed to demise by unidentified South African robbers.

The NICASA president stated this in a letter to the Consul-Basic, Nigerian Consulate Johannesburg, South Africa.

A replica of the letter was obtained by the Information Company of Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja.

Okoli stated the affiliation was uninterested in sending Nigerians again house in physique luggage because of premeditated and organised crime towards them in South Africa.

Okoli stated, “Tragedy has struck the Nigerian group once more, simply after 4pm on Friday, Might three. Mr Okechukwu Henry was stabbed to dying by unknown native South African robbers.

”The late Henry, a automotive supplier who specialised in used automobiles, lived in Middleburg Mpumalanga Province. Earlier earlier than his dying, some two native guys had indicated curiosity to purchase his automotive – a white VW polo.

”That they had negotiated the worth and agreed to purchase; late Henry had produced all essential paperwork to seal the deal when all of a sudden the native consumers stated they needed to test-drive the automotive first earlier than paying.”

He added that Henry obliged them however insisted he would drive together with them.

”As they drove out, he all of a sudden realised that they have been robbers as they demanded the important thing of the automotive.

”They attacked him and stabbed him a number of occasions; they took the keys however couldn’t handle to drive away the automotive.

“Their motion attracted the eye of individuals round they usually ran away with the keys with out the automotive,” he stated.

In line with him, Henry was rushed to hospital, however it appeared he had died on the scene.

He said that a case of theft and homicide had been opened by the NICASA Provincial chairman in Mpumalanga.

”Your Excellency, the assault on Nigerians has reached an alarming degree and calls for one thing pressing to be completed to stem this ugly tide. Our nationals are beneath assault in South Africa. We’re underneath assault from each angle.

He referred to as on the Nigerian Mission to urgently intervene.

“We not really feel protected, we’ve got develop into like a trophy hunted by all. The Nigerian Residents Affiliation, South Africa, is disheartened by the frequent repatriation of the stays of our pricey residents,” he stated.

Source: The Punch

Boko Haram militants seized a military base in northeast Nigeria for several hours before being themselves ‘dislodged’ by reinforcements, security sources and residents said on Saturday.

Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province faction of Boko Haram in trucks and on motorcycles stormed into the base in the town of Magumeri, around 40 km (25 miles) northwest of Borno state capital Maiduguri late on Friday, May 3, AFP reported.

The militants overran the base, holding it for several hours, and hauling away weapons before they were forced out.

“The terrorists dislodged troops from the base after an intense fight,” a military officer told AFP.

“We lost weapons and equipment to the terrorists but it is not clear if there was any human loss,” said the officer, who asked not to be named.

The militants arrived in the town around 5 p.m. and engaged troops in an hour-long fight before they “gained the upper hand and chased the troops away,” militia leader Gremah Kaka told AFP.

“The insurgents overpowered the soldiers and forced them to flee into the bush,” he said.

Kaka said the jihadists stayed in the base for “more than four hours” before they were dislodged by reinforcements from another base in Gubio, 40 km further north.

A Friday Naija News report cited two sources as saying the military base in Magumeri had been overrun by Boko Haram fighters, but did not attribute the attack to ISWAP specifically, and on Saturday, Sahara Reporters quoted a security source as saying “both soldiers and Civilian JTF [mitilia] members were overpowered as the attack went on” and that “many were killed and an unverified number wounded.”

In a Friday statement, ISIS claimed ISWAP fighters clashed with Nigerian army personnel who were stationed in “Mamri,” likely meaning Magumeri. ISIS claimed 10 soldiers were killed and a four-wheel-drive vehicle, weapons and ammunition were captured. On Saturday, ISIS published images including graphic pictures of dead bodies of what it said were ISWAP fighters attacking “Mamri.”

Citing several unnamed sources in Nigeria, Reuters reported that the ISWAP fighters fled after the military called in air support and reinforcements from Gubio.

A week earlier on April 26, ISWAP fighters attacked Nigerian soldiers in Sabon Gari, near Biu, around 135 km southwest of Maiduguri. ISIS claimed 10 soldiers were killed and another captured. Three days later, security sources told AFP at least five soldiers were killed and around 30 were missing.

The Nigerian military described reporting on Sabon Gari incident as “unsubstantiated” and that the “fake report” was the handiwork of “Boko Haram sympathizers.” Colonel Ado Isa said there were “only minor casualty on own troops,” without specifying casualties.

The Nigerian military rarely comments on the ongoing counter-insurgency operations, and tends to downplay the insurgents’ effectiveness, rarely acknowledging engagements and seemingly understating casualties and equipment losses.

Four days later, the bodies of 14 men were discovered near Monguno, around 100 km northeast of Maiduguri in the Lake Chad area where ISWAP is the dominant insurgent group.

Since then, ISIS has claimed ISWAP attacks in Baga and Malam Fatori, and ISWAP attacks were featured in the weekly ISIS magazine al-Naba.

The jihadist group known as Boko Haram began its decade-long bloody insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 but it has since spread into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military response.

More than 27,000 people have been killed and two million others displaced, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region. On April 30, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism Nathan A. Sales said that the U.S. assesses that Boko Haram and ISWAP “have been responsible for over 35,000 deaths since 2011.”

Boko Haram split into two factions in mid-2016. One, led by long-time leader Abubakar Shekau, is notorious for suicide bombings and indiscriminate killings of civilians. Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi in March 2015, but ISIS central only gives formal backing to the other faction, which it calls Islamic State West Africa Province.

The ISWAP faction, which largely focuses on attacking military and government targets, was led by Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, but in March, audio recordings revealed that ISIS appointed Abu Abdullah Idris bin Umar, also known as Ibn Umar al-Barnawi, as leader. ISIS has not yet made a public statement confirming the change.

The Multinational Joint Task Force, a regional counter-insurgency force comprising personnel from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria, launched Operation Yancin Tafki on February 21 to battle the insurgents. Antigha has said the cross-border operation is aimed at “making islands and other settlements in Lake Chad untenable for Boko Haram Terrorists.”

With reporting from AFP. This post was updated on May 4.

Source: The Defense Post.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye has warned single ladies to avoid marrying jobless men.

Jobless men, he said, have the tendencies to use, dump and abandon such ladies.

Adeboye spoke on Sunday at the May Special Prayer and Thanksgiving service by the RCCG Throne of Grace, National Headquarters Ebute Metta, Lagos.

According to him, a woman should not marry a man that has no work “if not you will be the work.”

He noted it is not sinful for a single lady to politely ask any man proposing marriage whether or not he has a job.

Stating that women are conceived as helpmeets, Adeboye argued only somebody who has a job can be helped.

Adeboye, who spoke through the Assistant General Overseer, (RCCG) Personnel and Administration Pastor Johnson Odesola, said the man is key and the woman has only come to help.

“Whatever the woman does is help.  The man is major director in the house,” he stressed.

He stated taking care of the homes does not rest on the woman alone but the man and the woman who have come to help.

Adeboye blamed lack of proper home training for most of the ills in the society.

“I still remember when I was young. My father will tell me that this name is the name of my father. Don’t spoil the name. So I was scared to do wrong. I could not shake the hand of a lady until I was 23.

“Learning for any child should start from the home and parents should be their child first teachers.

“The wife and the husband are the main teachers who will teach and model godly character to their children,” he stated.

In his sermon, Adeboye, urged all Christians to strengthen their faith, saying there would always be storm in the lives of the believers.

Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Otunba Gani Adams, who was at the service argued religion, is never the problem of Nigeria.

According to him: “It is sad many people believe religion is Nigeria’s problem, but in truth, leadership, not religion is Nigeria’s problem.

“For instance, I am a Muslim by birth. I grew up from a Christian background and as the Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land and culture activist, I also believe in our traditional religion.”

Some suspected bandits have attacked the residence of a former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, in his country home at Bafarawa and killed his security guard, Abdullahi Jijji. The attack came barely 24 hours after the ex-Governor launched a foundation in Abuja named after him which he said would help in proffering solutions to the incessant banditry and kidnapping, particularly in northern parts of Nigeria.

The attackers also abducted his 16-year-old nephew, Abdulrasheed Sa’idu. Confirming the attack, the Director-General, Bafarawa Foundation, Dr. Sulaiman Shu’aibu Shinkafi, said the attack occurred around 9pm on Friday.

He said the gunmen, who arrived in a Commando style, threatened to wipe out Bafarawa and Kamarawa villages, all Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State. Shinkafi added that the bandits, armed with AK-47 rifles came on motorcycles and bought fuel in the town before attacking the house. When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Muhammad Sadiq, said he was not aware of such attack. (Daily Trust)

Source: News Express

The Federal Government has been asked to review the contract of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company for failing to supply power to some communities in Ondo State.

The Senator-elect for Ondo South Senatorial District, Nicholas Tofowomo made the call when he visited the Omotosho Power Plant in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the State.

Ayodeji Moradeyo reports that protests like have become the norm in Ondo South Senatorial District to draw attention of government to power outage in the area, which Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC has failed to resolve.

Even with the location of the Omotosho Power Plant in the area, nothing meaningful has been achieved. This, perhaps propelled the Senator-elect for Ondo South Senatorial District, Nicholas Tofowomo to visit the management of the power plant.

After a closed door meeting with the management, Tofowomo expressed sadness that the people are still expressing erratic power supply

He lamented the inability of successive governments to make the power plant work effectively. The Senator-elect also frowned at the performance of BEDC in providing electricity to the people.

TVC NEWS

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has taken over 214 landed properties owned by corrupt officials in the last three years.

The anti-graft agency recovered the properties, located in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Oyo states and in different cities across the country,  from over 70 individuals and seven firms.

Herald Nigeria gathered that, while 179 properties were recovered through interim forfeiture court orders, thirty-five of the properties have been finally forfeited to the commission while two, including a hotel belonging to Ima Niboro, former spokesman to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, were returned voluntarily.

It was learnt that a former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke; ex-National Security Adviser, Dasuki Sambo; former minister, Iyorchia Ayu; the late Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and a former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu (retd.) were among those who lost their properties to the federal government.

Others were former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, ex-Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda, Col. Bello Fadile (retd.) and a former Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema who had 20 properties under interim forfeiture.

The EFCC recovered three properties, including a seven-storey building under construction in Gudu district, Abuja, belonging to one Emmanuel Ozigi and two others, while six properties located in different parts of Ibadan, Oyo State, were recovered from one Oni Ademola.

Also, five choice properties were recovered from Alison-Madueke; they include a multi-storey building on Banana Island, six flats in Ikoyi and 21 mixed housing in Yaba, Lagos; 16 terrace houses in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and 13 terrace duplexes in Mabushi, Abuja.

There was also a final forfeiture order in respect of buildings in Ikorodu, Agege, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway; Cranbel Court, Citiview Estate, Arepo, which were recovered from Jamiu Anifowoshe and forfeited to the Lagos State Government.

Real estate consisting of seven buildings located on Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja, Victoria Garden City, Ikota, Port Harcourt, Lekki and Utako, Abuja, were also recovered from Obasuyi Osasoghie and forfeited to First Bank Plc.

For other recoveries made by the EFCC, the figures for last year include  141 vehicles; 44 bank accounts; one barge; farmland; four filling stations; two hotels and 47 parcels of land which were considered proceeds of crime.

In this year alone, the EFCC had recovered N3.2bn (final forfeiture) from Amosu who paid N2.2bn; Olugbenga Gbadebo, N190.8m; Solomon Enterprise, N101m and Paul Boroh and 16 others, who coughed up N686.7m cash.

Source: Herald Ng.

– President Buhari has reportedly chosen to select his new ministers himself – The president instead chose a tough stance in selecting new ministers – A governor confirmed that the president has not approached them nor the party for names. President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly kept the selection of his choices for new ministers for his second term in office to himself. According to The Nation, some members of the inner power circle popularly known as ‘Cabal’ went to London to meet with the president but were denied access based on strict orders from him. READ ALSO: Bandits running away from Zamfara to Kaduna, Kano to escape from Army – Buratai It was reported that unlike his first term in office, the president has not asked governors-elect or chieftains of the All Progressives Congress for names as he has adopted a tough approach this time. A top source said: “It seems the President has realised that there are some unproductive members in his cabinet which he ought to offload. “He is keeping the choice of new ministers to himself alone. “His London itinerary was not only kept to himself until the last minutes, he did not allow close associates, strategists and members of his kitchen cabinet to have access to him in London. “Those who went to London came back empty handed. “Only an outgoing minister was allowed access to the President. And the minister was still in London as at yesterday.

“We do not know what informed this sudden change of attitude, but it seems the President is really determined to live up to his promise to leave sustainable legacies in his second term by looking for the right people to serve in his cabinet.” A top government source also said the president has not approached his inner circle for names. “He did not request for nominations from the APC governors not to talk of receiving any list from them. “Some governors attempted to gauge his mood but he was noncommittal. He only kept quiet and allowed the governors to do the talking. “Both the party and the governors have also respected themselves by not putting pressure on him.” A governor said: “The truth is that we have not been asked by the President to make recommendations on ministerial nominees. “We have tried to be careful too because he does not choose our commissioners for us. “I can say that we are really in the dark like other Nigerians.

“Ironically, some of the outgoing ministers run to governors to influence their retention by the President. “We cannot say whether or not the President will consult us.” Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday, May 2, called on President Buhari to end his ‘private visit’ abroad and immediately return home to tackle the deteriorated security situation in the country.

(Legit.ng)