Category Nigeria News

Due to her involvement in a documentary about it, an Argentine judge was fired from her position on Tuesday after causing a mistrial in the negligence case against the late football legend Diego Maradona’s medical team.

Julieta Makintach, 48, was removed from her post by a special panel of judges, lawyers, and provincial legislators, and she was barred from any further judicial posts.

After decades of battling&nbsp, cocaine, and alcohol addictions, Makintach was one of the three judges in the now-annulled trial that followed Maradona’s death in 2020.

She recused herself after it became clear she had been interviewed for a case-related miniseries, potentially violating ethical standards.

Two weeks after being knifed, Maradona, 60, passed away from heart failure and acute pulmonary embolism on November 25, 2020.

A day nurse discovered him dead in his bed.

Also read: In the Ecuadoran Prison Clash, four dead and dozens of people were injured.

Maradona’s medical team is facing a lawsuit over his private home’s convalescence conditions.

The football legend’s care in his final days has been called grossly negligent by the prosecution.

If found guilty of “homicide with possible intent,” which means following a course of action despite knowing it could lead to death, the defendants face prison sentences of eight to twenty years.

Instead of using a hospital, Maradona’s doctors’ decision to allow him to recuperate at home with little supervision and medical equipment has been the focus of the case thus far.

Although Makintach had denied participating in any filming for a documentary about the case, footage that was allegedly shared by Argentine media showed her being allegedly interviewed by a film crew the day the trial commenced, Makintach had denied involvement.

As the world observes the 2025 World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu has called for stronger, evidence-based laws to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse.

The First Lady emphasized the need for action supported by research, accurate data, and effective implementation in a statement released on Tuesday, citing the statement’s statement from the 2025 theme, “Strengthening the Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse through Evidence-Based Policy Making.”

Read more about Tinubu’s funeral as Dan Agbese, a veteran journalist, passes away.

She noted that to protect children in their homes, schools, communities, and places of worship, deliberate and data-driven measures must be taken.

She urged stronger collaboration between government agencies, civil society organizations, religious and traditional leaders, parents, and young people, saying, “We as a country, we must ensure that every child grows up free from fear and harm.”

Chief Dan Agbese, a veteran journalist, prose stylist, author, and co-founder of the storied Newswatch weekly magazine, passed away in the presence of President Bola Tinubu.

Agbese, who was the Awan’Otun of Agila town in the Benue State ALD, reportedly passed away on Monday at the age of 81 in Lagos.

President Tinubu described Agbese’s passing as a painful and profound loss for Nigeria’s media industry and the nation as a whole in a statement released on Tuesday by his spokesman, Bayo Onanugu.

The President claimed that Agbese and his Newswatch colleagues helped to set the stage for a new era of investigative and interpretative journalism in Nigeria, changing the way the media is conducted, and establishing ethical and courageous reporting standards.

Dan Agbese was a “institution” as opposed to just a journalist. His pen influenced the perceptions of the public, bolstered democratic discourse, and gave rise to a new generation of media professionals.

He acted with integrity, courage, and steadfast devotion to the pursuit of truth and justice in his service to Nigeria. His influence on the development of the contemporary Nigerian press will endure in perpetuity.

“I’m in mourning along with his family, particularly his wife, his children, and the media community as well. May the noble calling of journalism in our country be guided by his legacy, the President continued.

A Titan of Truth,

The passing of Dan Agbese, a pillar of contemporary journalism in Nigeria and a tireless supporter of a free press, is deeply saddened by his own actions, according to Mohammed Idris, the minister of information and national orientation.

By co-founding the ground-blazing Newswatch magazine, which became a defining institution in our nation’s life, Agbese was a titan of truth whose legacy laid the groundwork for enlightened public discourse, Idris said in a statement on Tuesday.

He, in fact, fought for the principles of courage, intellectual integrity, and unwavering support for press freedom, which are the foundation of a vibrant democracy. He held power accountable and committed himself to the cause of nation-building through his sharp “No Holds Barred” column and lifetime of work.

Agbese’s passing comes at a time when the Tinubu administration is deeply committed to promoting the principles he fought for, including stronger citizen engagement and free speech.

Therefore, I mourn him with both grief and gratitude for a legacy that has profoundly altered the discourse in our country.

His family, coworkers, and the media fraternity all express my sincere condolences.

Dan Agbese was a “giant,” and his significant contributions will continue to pave the way for Nigeria. May his soul be peaceful forever.

Dan Agbese graduated from Columbia University in New York and the University of Lagos, respectively, for degrees in mass communication and journalism. He was also the former General Manager of Radio Benue and the former editor of The Nigeria Standard and The New Nigerian.

Up until April 2010, Agbese was one of the founding members of the innovative weekly news publication Newswatch in Nigeria.

After Tokyo warned Japanese visitors to be cautious in the country amid a diplomatic row, Beijing on Tuesday pledged to “protect the safety” of foreigners in China.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Tokyo might engage in military action in any attack on Taiwan sparked the conflict.

China, which claims Taiwan as a part of its territory and has no intention of removing its democratic island with force, was furious at Takaichi’s comments.

Read more about Japan’s warning about safety amid the Taiwan row.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded to a question about the law-enforcement warning to Japanese visitors.

The comments were made as Masaaki Kanai, the top official in Japan’s foreign ministry for Asia-Pacific affairs, and Liu Jinsong, the country’s top foreign minister, discussed Takaichi’s remarks in Beijing.

Mao claimed that during the discussions, Beijing and Tokyo had reiterated their “strong protest.”

China again lodged a strong protest against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s erroneous remarks about China during the consultations, according to Mao.

Mao added that Tahiti’s statements “fundamentally damage the political foundation of China-Japan relations” and that “takaichi’s fallacies seriously violate international law and the fundamental standards governing international relations.”

After the talks with Liu shortly before 2:00 pm (0600 GMT), Kanai left Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The deserted hostel where 25 schoolgirls were abducted as a result of a deadly attack on a Kebbi secondary school has now been captured in photos.

The chaos left behind after gunmen stormed the dormitory on Sunday night is captured in the images of the now-quiet building, which show scattered belongings and empty bunk beds.

Witnesses claimed that the attackers lacked standing and panicked the neighborhood.

CSP Nafiu Abubakar, a spokesman for the police, noted that Makuku was shot while attempting to protect the girls and that he was abducted and killed.

Read more about Bandits abduct 25 schoolgirls and murder the vice principal in a vicious attack on a Kebbi school.

He claimed that vigilantes, soldiers, and police tactical units have been deployed and are now searching nearby forests for students.

Ahmed Idris, governor’s chief press secretary, claimed that Umar Tafida, Deputy Governor, had been dispatched to assess the situation on the governor’s behalf.

Information Minister Mohammed Idris issued a directive to security agencies to locate and rescue the girls safely, along with the Federal Government’s condemnation of the attack. Residents and parents are concerned as the search continues.

Agbu Kefas, the governor of Taraba State, has issued an Executive Order mandating the payment of all pending pensions, gratuities, and other related entitlements to verified state pensioners.

Yusuf Sanda, the governor’s top press secretary, made the announcement in a statement.

The governor’s commitment to the welfare of retired workers who diligently served the state is reflected in the statement.

“Taraba State must honor those who gave their lives to the public service. Their respect for one another is a moral obligation, according to Kefas, and we must do the same for them.

Read more: Tinubu Tells Judges Justice Must Never Be For Sale.

He added that a special outreach team would be stationed in every local government district, ward, and village to find pensioners who are incapacitated and still alive, to ensure they would be able to obtain their benefits without difficulty.

No administrative bottlenecks were tolerated while the Governor’s office was being given instructions to submit weekly compliance reports, according to the Ministry of Finance.