Major General Abdullahi Mohammed Adangba (rtd)’s passing has left him feeling depressed, according to President Bola Tinubu. Former Undersecretary of State to Presidents Umaru Yar’Adua and Olusegun Obasanjo
President Tinubu’s condolence message was included in a statement released on Wednesday by his media aide, Bayo Onanuga.
General Mohammed, who passed away at the age of 86, left a lasting impression on the security framework of the country, particularly with the establishment of the National Security Organization, the precursor to the State Security Services, the National Intelligence Agency, and the Defence Intelligence Agency.
Read more about Gen. Adangba’s death at 86, the Kwara government, and others who mourn
Between 1975 and 1976, he served as governor of the now-defunct Benue-Plateau State. General Mohammed was described by President Tinubu as a disciplined, loyal, and patriotic officer with decades of distinguished service to Nigeria and contributions to its stability and governance.
The President praised General Adangba’s extraordinary sense of duty, order, humility, and integrity that had a lasting impact on the organizations he served, and those who came in contact with him, particularly in the State House, where he had a significant influence on how the Presidency operated.
He had a character that was exceptional, combining the wisdom of a soldier with the prudence of a statesman.
The President claims that his years at the State House were marked by humility, efficiency, and unwavering support for the Nigerian project.
BBC Radio 1 DJ and new mum Vick Hope tends to keep her romance and family life private – but recently gave rare comments about her new journey into parenting her son Micah
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Vick Hope returned to work hosting the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images f)
Gracing the stage with confidence, beauty and poise at the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards, it is undetectable to those who are unaware that Vick Hope is still in the newborn trenches.
The 36 year old BBC Radio 1 star gave birth to her first child Micah Nwosu Wiles with husband Calvin Harris just 14 weeks ago at the time of the event, but presenting for the star is like slipping back into a pair of old slippers.
However, as she took to the stage to introduce the annual awards ceremony, which this year recognised the Sugababes, Rachel Zegler, Hannah Hampton and Adowah Aboah, she gave fans a candid insight into her new journey into motherhood.
Speaking to the crowd new mum Vick had one request from attendees: “Not to sound like the first person ever to have a child but I am simultaneously so unbelievably in love and I feel like this Superwoman – just pumping in my boobs…
” But also, I have not slept or drank a cup of tea while it’s still hot for 13 weeks, so please be gentle with me. “
Meanwhile, on her first public outing after giving birth, she added:” I tell you what, it is a lot, it’s a lot to be back out for the first time other than a photograph of my placenta, which, to be fair, has been out and about quite a bit already – posted by my husband, who was in utter awe of what the body can do, appreciates that we all come from a placenta and that, frankly, it is magnificent. “
Vick’s DJ husband Calvin Harris did, in fact, share a a photograph of Vick’s placenta on his Instagram to announce the arrival of Micah – alongside a string of candid photos of the gorgeous star in a birthing pool during her home birth, at the couple’s stunning Ibiza estate. One photo even shows a glimpse of a newborn Micah with his parents moments after being born, which Vick cradling him in the pool while new dad Calvin leans over to greet his son.
In the caption, Calvin’s pride was clear as he penned:” 20th of July our boy arrived. Micah is here! My wife is a superhero and I am in complete awe of her primal wisdom! Just so grateful. We love you so much Micah”, followed by three red heart emojis.
While Calvin has littered his social media pages (quite rightly) with sweet snaps of his son, Vick meanwhile has been taking a quieter approach to her social media habits. She shared a few photos in August, giving parents a glimpse into her new life as a mother. Her images included a picture of her placenta, sweet captured images of her cradling baby Micah, as well as the son with Adeline Nwosu and Geordie Nigel Hope, Vick’s parents, as well as impression prints of her placenta.
Our adored baby boy Micah Nwosu Wiles arrived at our home on July 20th in Ibiza, surrounded by love, nature, and chickens.
“We are so utterly besotted with you and we are so utterly besotted with you,” says Micah, “emerging from our little newborn bubble.”
In the meantime, Vick acknowledged that she was cautious about taking a photo for the first time since becoming a mother, something that many mothers will recall and fully understand.
She confessed: ” sort of feel like I’m tentatively emerging in front of all of your beautiful faces, just crawling out of my cave like a little gremlin, having been cocooned away from the world of this just magical newborn bubble for the last three months – covered in bright yellow s**t.”
She continued, “But there was no way I was going to miss this evening, this incredible celebration of womanhood, especially given what my vagina has just done; it’s f**king majestic”?
Following the disgraced former DJ’s arrest for sexual offences against seven women, including four counts of rape, she declared “F**k Tim Westwood” elsewhere in the powerful opening speech. Nick also criticised the “absolute bin fire” of a Handmaid’s Tale situation in the United States of America, as well as the Roe v. Wade bill’s overturning in 2022. We must continue to watch how our rights can be violated, she continued, “Even though we saw the end of a ten-year campaign to decriminalise abortion here in the UK.”
In another instance, she expressed her support for Palestinian women who are currently battling wars in her speech. She continued, “My mother, who was the daughter of a woman who grew up during the Nigeria Biafra Civil War, and who has told me stories of running from bombs, air raids, and salvation, is something very dear to my heart.
“Systemic inequalities, which worsen women’s suffering, make their voices so frequently audible. So I had to take a break from tonight’s action by not standing up for our sisters in conflict zones like Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Palestine.
Vick and Calvin’s relationship and home life have always been very private. The pair started dating in 2022, but they never had a romantic relationship. Only their romantic relationship was revealed when they were seen out and about together.
Continue reading the article.
The pair’s romance reportedly reached new heights after being allegedly engaged later that year. There is a difference between secrecy and privacy, Vick said in a rare interview with You magazine in January 2023 about her and Calvin’s romance. The pair got married in the same month of September.
Vick then went on maternity leave after declaring she was expecting the couple’s first child on her BBC Radio 1 radio show in May 2025. In a conversation with Jamie Laing, she stated that this would probably also be my last week before I took maternity leave. You’re an amazing friend, an amazing person, and you’re going to be an amazing mother, Jamie warmly responded to her. On July 20 of this year, the star welcomed son Micah.
Keeping Up Appearances first hit our screens in 1990 and the BBC sitcom has since become a classic, with fans still quoting the iconic lines to this day – but what happened to the cast?
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Keeping up Appearances stars Mary Millar, Patricia Routledge and Judy Cornwell(Image: Getty Images)
As actress Dame Patricia Routledge – aka Hyacinth Bucket – is laid to rest, what became of the other stars from the hit 90s show?
The iconic performer will be buried today after she her agent announced that she’d died “peacefully in her sleep surrounded by love,” on October 3. The statement read: “Even at 96-years old, Dame Patricia’s passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles. She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world.”
READ MORE: Patricia Routledge’s co-stars and fans pay tribute as Keeping Up Appearances icon diesREAD MORE: Patricia Routledge’s health battles as Keeping Up Appearances legend dies
Thirty five years have passed since Hyacinth Bucket – or Bouquet, as she preferred – first answered her “white slimline telephone with automatic redial”, announcing, “The Bouquet residence, the lady of the house speaking”. Keeping Up Appearances ran from 1990 to 1995 and centred on Hyacinth’s botched attempts to climb the social ladder.
A triumph not only in Britain, the sitcom has won admirers across the globe, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Ireland, and stands as the most exported BBC series ever made
But what happened to the cast once the cameras stopped rolling?
Richard Bucket – Clive Swift
Hyacinth’s ever-patient husband, Richard Bucket (Clive Swift), was far more down-to-earth than his status-seeking wife, once quipping, “It was always ‘Bucket’ until I met you!”. Over the years, Clive starred in a host of other TV shows, including Doctor Who, Peak Practice and The Old Guys. Sadly, the beloved Royal Shakespeare Company actor passed away in 2019 at the age of 82.
He is survived by his three children, one of whom is Gardener’s World presenter Joe Swift. Following his death, onscreen wife Patricia released a touching statement: “Clive was a skillful and inventive actor with wide experience, as his successful career proved.”
I so much admire what he brought to the barely sketched role of Hyacinth’s husband and treasure the memories of our happy collaboration. “
Elizabeth Warden – Josephine Towson
The Buckets’ anxious neighbour, Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Warden, portrayed by actress Josephine Tewson, also contributed to making the sitcom unforgettable, with her nervous tendency to smash Hyacinth’s treasured china.
Comedy legend Josephine, who also appeared as Miss Lucinda Davenport in the Yorkshire-set sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 2003 to 2010. She subsequently performed a one-woman show titled Still Keeping Up Appearances, a reference to her previous triumph, from 2012 until her retirement in 2019.
In 2015, Josephine discussed her experience working on Keeping Up Appearances during an interview with Kent Online, including her working relationship with the show’s lead, Patricia. RADA graduate Josephine disclosed: “I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of her, but nevertheless, she’s very professional and absolutely marvellous to work with.” Josephine died in August 2022, aged 91.
Emmet Hawksworth – David Griffin
Another prominent character in the series was Elizabeth’s brother Emmet, portrayed by David Griffin who joined the cast in season two. David subsequently toured with Su Pollard in The Good Sex Guide and starred in numerous pantomime productions across the country.
Now 82, David is seldom spotted onscreen and little is known about his personal life, apart from the fact he is happily married to his French wife.
Onslow – Geoffrey Hughes
Onslow, Hyacinth’s workshy brother-in-law, proved a persistent thorn in the side of the social-climbing snob’s aristocratic pretensions, representing everything she despised. Played by Geoffrey Hughes, Onslow became series creator Roy Clarke’s favourite character – though Hyacinth would undoubtedly have disagreed.
Whilst Keeping Up Appearances remains his most iconic role, Geoffrey also appeared as Vernon Scripps in Heartbeat and Twiggy in The Royle Family. Tragically, following a battle with prostate cancer in the 1990s and stepping away from acting after the disease returned in 2010, he died in 2012 aged 68.
Daisy – Judy Cornwell
Daisy, Onslow’s other half and Hyacinth’s sister, was brought to life by Judy Cornwell. In stark contrast to her pretentious sibling, Daisy embraced a more relaxed approach to life and found joy in modest pleasures, prompting Hyacinth to frequently dismiss her as “lower class”. Following the show’s conclusion, Judy appeared in other hit programmes including Midsomer Murders and Birds of a Feather.
Yet her most unforgettable performance came as Queenie, Heather Trott’s mother, in BBC soap EastEnders. Beyond her acting credentials, Judy, now 84, has demonstrated considerable literary prowess, authoring multiple successful novels throughout her career, such as Cow and Cow Parsley (1985), Fishcakes at the Ritz (1989), The Seventh Sunrise (1994), and Fear and Favour (1996).
Rose – Shirley Stelfox
Another familiar presence in the series is Shirley Stelfox, who memorably played Hyacinth’s romance-fixated sister Rose, before Mary Millar assumed the part. Despite her brief time on the show, Shirley was a familiar face on television, with roles in Brookside, EastEnders and Family Affairs.
However, she is best remembered for her role in Emmerdale, where she portrayed the beloved character Edna Birch for fifteen years, from 2000 to 2015.
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Tragically, Shirley died in 2015 at the age of 74, just weeks after being diagnosed with terminal cancer.
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Major General Abdullahi Adangba Mohammed (rtd), a former deputy chief of staff to former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, passed away, according to the Kwara State Government.
He was 86 years old when he passed away in Abuja on November 5, 2025, from an enoscar-related illness.
The late General was described by Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq as a “distinct career officer of the Nigerian Army” and a “fine soldier, administrator, and community leader” in a statement.
The governor described the death as a painful end to a promising chapter in Nigeria’s political and military history, saying it was a profound loss for both the Ilorin Emirate and the entire country.
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General Adangba held numerous positions throughout his career, including as the military governor of Benue-Plateau State, the NSO director general, national security adviser, and former presidents Yar ‘Adua’s chief of staff.
Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Emir of Ilorin, expressed regret for how diligently General Adangba supported the less fortunate and served Nigeria.
He described the deceased as a “proud indigene of Ilorin Emirate and a distinguished Nigerian who used his positions, strength, and wealth to protect and advance the heritage of Ilorin Emirate and humanity as a whole.”
Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, spoke highly of the late General’s significant contribution to the university’s founding.
He recalls that General Adangba’s administration and financial support helped to keep the university running in its early years, which was the building where it was originally housed.
General Adangba, a distinguished son of Nigeria, will be greatly missed, according to Prof. Egbewole.
He condoled the families of the late General, the Kwara State Government, the Emir of Ilorin, the University community, and the government.
After supporters held a banner depicting Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis holding a gun to the head of midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, Crystal Palace were charged with misconduct by the Football Association.
The banner read, “Mr. Marinakis is not involved in blackmail, match-fixing, drug trafficking, or corruption,” as it was unfurled during the 1-1 Premier League draw at Selhurst Park in August.
Marinakis has consistently refuted accusations of wrongdoing in connection with these allegations.
There are strict guidelines for messaging that contains defamatory, political, and offensive slogans, despite the fact that the charge was not identified as the banner.
After Tottenham appeared to have triggered a £60 million release clause, Gibbs-White was on the verge of leaving Forest this summer.
However, he agreed to stay at Forest and discussed his decision in an interview with Marinakis.
The teams’ first game on August 24 marked their first since Palace’s multi-club ownership ban saw them be kicked out of the Europa League and into the Conference League. Forest won the competition, instead.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif blamed a third country, India, on October 28 after talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan broke down to extend their fragile ceasefire following deadly border clashes.
In a television interview, Asif claimed that India had “penetrated” the Afghan Taliban leadership. He insisted that was the cause of Pakistan and Afghanistan’s growing tensions.
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He praised the Taliban’s leadership during the Istanbul talks. Asif claimed that Delhi is in charge of the puppet show’s staging and pulling. “India wants to engage in a low-intensity war with Pakistan. They are using Kabul to accomplish this.
The defense minister claimed that India was supporting the Taliban in a bid to defeat Pakistan without providing any proof. But his comments represent a growing attempt by Pakistan to portray its tensions with Afghanistan as the outcome of a growing friendship between the Taliban and India.
Asif claimed that the Taliban was “sitting in India’s lap” as Pakistani and Afghan troops began to clash along the border earlier in the month. Islamabad has claimed, once more, that India is behind the TTP, that it allows anti-Pakistani armed groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and that it is also supporting the Taliban.
The Taliban leadership has rejected the accusation that India has had any role in the crisis between Pakistan and Afghanistan and has denied any responsibility in the TTP’s repeated attacks on Pakistani soil.
The use of India as an alleged shadowy villain by Pakistani leaders like Asif as a “shadowy villain” by Asif, according to analysts, highlights Islamabad’s deep unease over ties between New Delhi and Kabul. New Delhi’s expanding presence in Kabul is a source of deep suspicion for Pakistan, which is wedged between Afghanistan and India.
As Pakistani and Afghan negotiators prepare to meet in Istanbul on Thursday for the next round of talks that Qatar and Turkiye are mediating, India is increasingly the elephant in the room, analysts said.
regional conflicts
One of the first nations to offer assistance on Monday when a magnitude 6. 3 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan was India.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar phoned his Taliban counterpart, Amir Khan Muttaqi, and New Delhi shipped 15 tonnes of food to quake-hit Balkh and Samangan provinces. He claimed that soon supplies would be delivered.
The Afghan Taliban leader’s first visit to India since the group seized power for a second time in Kabul in August 2021 was just a few days after Muttaqi completed his six-day visit.
The visit also underscored a wider re-engagement between India and the Taliban in recent years, capped by New Delhi’s decision last month to reopen its embassy in Kabul.
The Afghan Taliban’s reign of power four years ago has had a significant change in the regional landscape. India had stopped conducting its diplomatic relations in Afghanistan at the time, but Pakistan’s influence in Kabul was widely perceived as increasing.
For years, Pakistan had been the Taliban’s primary patron. The Taliban’s role as a proxy for Pakistan has long been revered by India. When the Taliban was in power and was opposing US forces and Afghan governments, the group and its allies accused them of repeatedly attacking Indian diplomatic posts in Kabul, Jalalabad, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif between 2001 and 2021.
Islamabad’s longstanding doctrine of “strategic depth” is rooted in the military’s desire to wield leverage in Afghanistan and blunt India’s influence in South Asia.
However, the Taliban have acted more amiably toward New Delhi since 2021.
Former member of India’s National Security Advisory Board C Raja Mohan recently stated in his column for Foreign Policy magazine that India has been “cautious, pragmatic, and deliberately quiet” since re-engagement with Kabul since 2021.
This shift, however, has unnerved Islamabad, especially as Pakistan now faces security threats on both its borders.
A flashpoint developed from the April Pahalgam attack, which claimed the lives of at least 26 people in Indian-administered Kashmir and gave rise to accusations of Pakistan-based organizations.
The nuclear-armed rivals’ tensions increased as a result of India’s retaliation two weeks later, which led to a four-day conflict in May.
Five days after a ceasefire, Jaishankar called Muttaqi to express his appreciation for Afghanistan’s condemnation of the Pahalgam attack and to reiterate support for Afghan development.
“Bottomized our long-standing friendship with the Afghan people and continued support for their development needs.” The Indian minister of foreign affairs wrote on his X account, “Discussed ways and means of moving cooperation forward.”
After clashing with India in May, Pakistan also engaged in a weeklong fight with Afghanistan that took place while Muttaqi was visiting India.
After two rounds of negotiations in Doha and Istanbul, Qatar and Turkiye managed to broker a ceasefire. However, at best the state of the peace is.
Deeper anxieties
However, some analysts contend that Pakistan’s worries stem from earlier strategic concerns rather than recent developments in Afghanistan.
Pakistan had anticipated the Taliban would not “create space or vacuum” for India, according to Amina Khan of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, a expectation that hasn’t been fulfilled.
Khan noted that the recent visit by Muttaqi to India resulted in strong statements that were issued not only by the Afghan government but also Indian officials, which led to an increase in Pakistani apprehensions.
In press briefings last month, Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, claimed that Pakistan’s “old practice” was to blame its neighbors for its internal failings while India was closely monitoring the Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions.
Pakistan is upset that Afghanistan’s territorial autonomy is being exercised. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Afghanistan”, Jaiswal said on October 16.
Khan, however, argued that Pakistan should view its relationship with Afghanistan as separate from international ties.
She told Al Jazeera, “Pakistan and Afghanistan have a bilateral relationship, and that should be viewed in complete isolation.” “Similarly, despite the tensions and clashes, India-Pakistan ties should also be viewed independently without including the Afghan factor”.
On October 10, 2025, Indian Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi received a gift of ambulances from Afghanistan’s Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi, India. [Handout/S Jaishankar on X via AP Photo]
competing narratives
Pakistan has long accused India of supporting unrest in its southwestern province of Balochistan, where separatist groups such as the Baloch Liberation Army and Baloch Liberation Front , have fought for secession.
Islamabad cited Kulbhushan Jadhav’s arrest in Balochistan in March 2016 as evidence of India’s meddling. The allegations were refuted and found to be unsupported in New Delhi.
But the Pakistani government has also linked a recent rise in violence across Pakistan – especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, both of which share the country’s 2, 600km-long (1, 615-mile-long) border with Afghanistan – to armed groups operating from Afghan territory.
Islamabad specifically accused the Taliban of providing the TTP, which is frequently referred to as the Pakistan Taliban, with safe havens on Afghan soil. In recent years, Pakistan has claimed a number of deadly attacks on Pakistani soil. Although the TTP and the Afghan Taliban are distinct ideologies, they both share some similarities.
This year, however, Pakistan’s official messaging has increasingly framed both Baloch separatists and the TTP as Indian-sponsored proxies, a rhetorical move intended to tie disparate threats to a single external adversary, analysts said.
Asif Durrani, a former Pakistani diplomat, claimed that Baloch groups’ leaders had “proudly acknowledged” Indian assistance and that New Delhi had allegedly supported the TTP through intermediaries between 2001 and 2021. Pakistan’s claims that India supports the TTP have no public support have been supported by any evidence.
Now with ties with the Afghan Taliban improving, Durrani said India would “be able to manoeuvre in Afghanistan”.
“I don’t believe they are necessarily dictating terms to the Afghan Taliban, but it’s likely to be a case of quid pro quo where Indians will aid them instead of the Taliban looking the other way,” he said.
Strategic reluctance
Ibraheem Bahiss, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Pakistan’s military establishment tends to view Afghanistan primarily through an Indian lens.
“Afghanistan itself is not perceived as an existential threat by the Pakistani security establishment.” However, the notion of a much bigger and potent threat posed by India only makes things worse. And in that context, Afghanistan does become a much bigger concern for policymakers in Islamabad”, he told Al Jazeera.
However, Bahiss added that it was difficult for Pakistan to support its claim that India was supporting separatists from all over the world, including the TTP and the Baloch.
The Baloch groups are on the opposite end of the spectrum because of their secular outlook, he said, despite the fact that TTP and the Afghan Taliban share ideological, social, and language affinities.
“When you claim that India and the Taliban, two entities with a bitter history, are coming together to support two entirely disparate groups, that is not a very believable, cohesive narrative”.
However, Islamabad views the two relationships, which are those between Kabul and New Delhi, as mutually beneficial threats.
Khan reacted to recent accusations by Kabul and New Delhi of supporting “terrorism” as evidence of an emerging, if tacit, convergence of interests, which she referred to as a “marriage of convenience.”
Risk of escalation
Relations between Pakistan and India have been tense despite the ceasefire’s effect in May.
Both sides have exchanged rhetoric and ramped up their rhetoric, including contradictory assertions about aircraft losses.
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh warned in October that any aggression in the Sir Creek area would be met with a “resounding response that will change both history and geography”.
An almost 100-kilometer (62-mile-long) tidal estuary between Pakistan and India’s Rann of Kutch, which the two neighbors have long fought over.
In response to the May conflict’s lessons, Singh instructed soldiers to remain prepared for a “warlike” situation on October 27.
Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir, issued a counterwarning at a passing-out parade at Pakistan’s premier military academy on October 18.
He said that India will bear the brunt of the consequences for the region and beyond for the ensuing escalations. Pakistan would act far beyond the expectations of the initiators if a new wave of hostilities were to be sparked.
Both countries have deployed forces in the Arabian Sea and are conducting major exercises.
Former Pakistani ambassador Seema Ilahi Baloch, who has had informal discussions with Afghanistan, said Pakistan’s unease is worsened by the timing of India’s re-engagement with Kabul.
