After halting their attack on Ruwan Dorowa Village in the state’s Dutsinma Local Government Area, the Katsina State Police Command announced on Saturday that it had defeated 7 suspected bandits.
The operation also resulted in the recovery of 109 rustled animals comprising 61 cows, 44 sheep, 2 donkeys, 1 goat, and 1 dog.
The police Spokesman, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, in a statement, recalled that on January 18th, 2025, at about 0900 hrs, a distress call was received at the Dutsinma Divisional Police Headquarters that some suspected armed bandits, armed with dangerous weapons such as AK-47 rifles, attacked Ruwan Dorowa Village in Dutsinma LGA, Katsina State.
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He said, upon receipt of the report, swiftly, the DPO, in collaboration with the military, DSS, members of the Katsina Community Security Watch Corps and the vigilante, mobilised and responded to the scene.
The team “adopted the bandits in a fierce gun battle,” he observed, which saw the team neutralize seven (7) suspected armed bandits as the rest rushed to the rescue, leaving all the suspected rustled animals in the area.
While applauding the extraordinary gallantry, act of valor, and professionalism of the operatives, the state’s police commissioner, CP Aliyu Abubakar Musa, reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting the safety and security of the public.
Following a last-minute delay caused by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s orders, Israel announced on Sunday that a truce with Hamas had begun in Gaza at 9:15 GMT, almost three hours later than originally scheduled.
During the delay, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed eight people.
A statement from Netanyahu’s office, issued less than an hour before the truce had been set to start at 8: 30 am (0630 GMT), said he had “instructed the IDF (military) that the ceasefire… will not begin until Israel has received the list” of hostages to be freed.
On January 19, 2025, Palestinian prisoners’ families and relatives in the west of Ramallah wait for their release amid the backdrop of Ofer Prison.  , (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
The names of three Israeli women who were later identified as “technical reasons,” as well as the “complexities of the field situation and the continued bombing,” according to Hamas, who eventually published them at around 10:30 am on Sunday.
Israel confirmed that it had received the list and was “checking the details,” before confirming shortly that the truce would begin at 11:15 am local time.
About 30 minutes after the initial truce was announced, and again around 30 minutes later, a plume of grey smoke was visible in AFPTV live images from northeastern Gaza.
The Israeli military confirmed it was continuing “to strike within the Gaza area” following Netanyahu’s directive.
According to Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for Gaza’s civil defense, five people were killed in the north of the country, and 25 were hurt in Gaza City.
Some AFP images showed displaced Gazans flashing the victory sign as they were emigrating from Gaza City’s sheltering areas.
Others, however, saw the delay in the ceasefire thwart their plans to return home.
On January 19, 2025, an Israeli security force vehicle is pictured inside Ofer Prison in West Ramallah.  , (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)
“I was on my way home with my family when we heard the sound of bombing”, said Mohammed Baraka, 36.
“We can’t reach our house, the situation is dangerous.  , I don’t know what to do. I feel frustrated and devastated”.
Three Israeli hostages were exchanged for a first group of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for their release from captivity.
During the initial 42-day truce, militants who took 33 hostages during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 will be able to retrieve them from Gaza.
In accordance with the agreement, Israeli prison cells will be freed for hundreds of Palestinians.
The truce is meant to put an end to the most deadly Israeli conflict in Israeli history, which was sparked by Hamas’s attack for more than 15 months.
It follows a deal struck by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations, and takes effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.
Following the ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas war, people ride in a car emblazoned with a Palestinian flag along a street in Gaza City on January 19, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
In a televised address on Saturday, Netanyahu called the  , 42-day first phase a “temporary ceasefire” and said Israel had US support to return to war if necessary.
 , ‘Playing with our emotions ‘
In Gaza City, shortly after the deal was initially meant to go into effect, people were already celebrating, waving Palestinian flags in the street.
However, as it became clear that some were still having hostilities, the joy faded.
“I’m dying of despair”, said Maha Abed, a 27-year-old displaced from Rafah who had been waiting since dawn for her husband to pick her up and take her home. “He called to tell me we won’t be returning today. The drones are firing at civilians”.
“Enough playing with our emotions — we’re exhausted”, she added. “I don’t want to spend another night in this tent”.
A journalist from AFP’s Deir al-Balah observed dozens of Palestinians gathering in front of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in search of details about the unfolding events, including whether or not they would be able to return home.
Early on Sunday, the Israeli army warned residents of Gaza to avoid Israeli-held territory or its forces.
For your safety, military spokesman Avichay Adraee advised you not to approach the buffer zone or IDF forces on Telegram.
“At this point, moving from the south to the north via Gaza Valley puts you in danger””
Attendees of a rally for the hostages in Tel Aviv the night before had been screened out ahead of the planned exchanges.
Shortly after the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas was scheduled to be put into effect, scores of displaced Palestinians leave areas close to Gaza City where they had taken refuge and along a road in the Saftawi area of Jabalia. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
“I’m really stressed because I don’t know about the situation of Ofer, my cousin”, said Ifat Kaldron, whose cousin is among the hostages.
“Whenever the last hostage crosses the border, I’m just going to be happy,” the hostage said.
 , Long ordeal
Before the released hostages return to their families after their lengthy ordeal, Israel has set up reception centers to offer medical care and counseling.
Israel’s justice ministry had previously said 737 Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed during the deal’s first phase, starting from 4: 00 pm (1400 GMT) on Sunday.
More than 1, 890 Palestinian prisoners would be freed in the initial phase, according to Egypt on Saturday.
At the Gaza border, hundreds of trucks were waiting to enter the country with the all-clear to deliver desperately needed aid.
After the ceasefire is in effect, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced that 600 trucks, 50 of which would be carrying fuel, would enter Gaza each day.
There has only ever been a one-week truce in the war that ended in November of 2023.
In exchange for Palestinian prisoners, hostages held by militants were also freed during that ceasefire.
 , ‘We want it to end ‘
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1, 210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli , official figures.
Of the 251 people taken hostage, 94 are still in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing at least 46, 899 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.
On the day of Trump’s second-term as president of the United States, the truce was set to end.
After months of negotiations with the incoming administration of President Joe Biden, Trump claimed credit for the ceasefire agreement and claimed to have told Netanyahu that the conflict “has to end.” He did this on Saturday in a statement to US network NBC.
“We want it to end, but to keep doing what has to be done”, he said.
In a unique pairing, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and former US president Brett McGurk served as the region’s point person, according to US officials.
The Qatari prime minister announced that Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return to their “residences” under the agreement.
A “permanent end to the war” would be achieved if the second phase of the agreement, according to Biden.
The Board of Directors of the United Bank for Africa Plc, Africa’s Global Bank, today announced the appointment of Mrs. Abiola Bawuah, as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBA Africa. Bawuah will also join the Group Board as an Executive Director, overseeing the Group’s operations across the African continent, outside Nigeria. UBA operates in 19 African countries beyond Nigeria, in addition to global operations in New York, London, Paris and the UAE.
Government officials, private sector leaders and Royal Fathers and Chiefs are some dignitaries expected to attend the final passage ceremony and 41-day prayer of the late Olofin Adimula Oodua of Ado-Odo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Abdul Lateef Adeniran Akanni on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
The event, which will have the Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR and his Deputy in attendance will hold at Alamuwa Grammar School, Ado Odo, Ogun State.
Africa’s global bank, United Bank for Africa, through its UBA Foundation, has been spreading joy across Africa for many years as they continue to give back to the underprivileged in the communities in which they operate.
At the UBA Foundation gardens in Lagos, where the bank is headquartered, a lights up ceremony was held to mark the start of the festive season. The garden lights were activated by UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Kennedy Uzoka, joined by other key management staff and some bank customers.
Uzoka, who is also the chairman of the UBA Foundation, emphasised that giving back was the main tenet of the UBA Foundation. He said, ‘We have over the years, engaged in various activities aimed at appreciating our host communities all around Africa and especially in countries where we operate and so for us, these lights symbolise hope for the future and all the goodness it will bring into people’s lives.
‘it is hard to believe that we have been in this pandemic for almost two years. People have lost friends and family members, and businesses decimated by the effects of the pandemic. There has been a general feeling of hopelessness, but we desire to fill people’s lives with hope once again.’ Continued Uzoka.
The UBA Foundation has been very active in combatting the spread of Covid -19 across Africa as the bank did not waste any time at the start of the pandemic, donating over $14m to its communities across Africa to support the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, the Foundation will be feeding tens of thousands of people across Africa through its annual Foodbank initiative. Food, hygiene products and other gifts items are handed over to those who have less, especially during the festive season.
The CEO, UBA Foundation, Mrs Bola Atta, said that the light-up ceremony was important for the Foundation, adding: “This goes beyond lighting up the Marina and adorning the streets with beautiful colours. It reminds us as an institution of our promise to continue to touch lives and treat our communities with kindness. We are living in challenging times and a little gesture to put a smile on even one face goes a very long way. We should all endeavour to do whatever we can, within our power, to uplift others.”
Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr Kennedy Uzoka; flanked by Executive Director, Chukwuma Nweke; Head of Operations, Alex Alozie; MD/CEO, UBA Foundation, Bola Atta, and other staff members at the 2021 Christmas and New Year Light-Up Ceremony of UBA Foundation Garden, at Marina, Lagos
The Lighting Ceremony, which observed all necessary Covid-19 protocols, was witnessed by members of staff and customers and featured Christmas carols by UBA’s CFC choir and a guided tour around the beautiful UBA Foundation Garden at the Lagos Marina.
UBA Foundation, the CSR arm of the UBA Group, is committed to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which the bank operates, focusing on development in the areas of Education, the Environment, Economic Empowerment and other Special Projects.
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Africa’s leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries, has partnered with DEG, the German development financial institution supporting the private sector in emerging-market countries, to empower an additional 200 entrepreneurs across Africa.
The initiative will fund 200 additional young African entrepreneurs complementing the US$100m Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme that has identified, trained, mentored and funded over 9,000 entrepreneurs from all 54 African countries since 2015. The partnership will also help to scale TEFConnect, the Foundation’s proprietary digital platform supporting African entrepreneurs and provide platform access to an additional 500,000 SMEs. The initiative is co-financed by DEG with 1.5 million Euro from the develoPPP Program funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
