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UN Chief Says Retaliatory Spiral In Middle East Must End

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UN Chief Says Retaliatory Spiral In Middle East Must End—-UN Secretary-General António Guterres has again appealed to all parties involved in the Middle East crisis to de-escalate the situation, saying the retaliatory spiral in the region should end.

Guterres made the appeal in a statement following reports of alleged Israeli strikes inside Iran near a nuclear power station on Friday.

“The Secretary-General condemns any act of retaliation and appeals to the international community to work together to prevent further development that could lead to devastating consequences for the entire region and beyond.

Echoing those concerns, UN atomic energy agency chief Rafael Grossi urged extreme restraint from all sides after more than six and a half months of war in Gaza that have fuelled fears of a wider regional conflict.

 IAEA can confirm that there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites” and Director-General Grossi “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a tweet.

It said this following unconfirmed media reports that possible drone strikes had targeted the Iranian province of Isfahan, which is home to nuclear facilities and military garrisons.

In Geneva, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) also urged all parties “to take steps to de-escalate the situation” rapidly.

“(We) call on third states, in particular those with influence, to do all in their power to ensure there is no further deterioration in an already extremely precarious situation,” said OHCR spokesperson Jeremy Laurence.

In Gaza, aid teams offered new insight into the dangers faced by Palestinian civilians – particularly pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers – as a result of the wanton destruction of vital medical equipment and widespread dehydration, malnutrition and fear” among Palestinians.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Dominic Allen, Representative for the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) for Palestine, said that there were indications that the number of complicated births is nearly twice what it was before war erupted.

“There is absolutely an increase in the numbers,” he said, adding that before the war, around 15 per cent of births required some form of emergency obstetric care.

“Today, some doctors have reported a doubling of what they previously had dealt with, and this is due to malnutrition, dehydration and fear, which impact the pregnant woman’s ability to give birth safely and carry their baby to full term safely,” the UNFPA official said.

Allen described his latest mission to Gaza to assess the impact of Israeli attacks on healthcare at embattled hospitals in the north, central and southern governorates.

It was clear that the last remaining hospitals in the enclave – including its second largest, Nasser Hospital – are “clinging to life themselves whilst they are a lifeline for the pregnant women of Gaza”,  Allen said via video link from Jerusalem.

“What I saw, it breaks my heart…It’s indescribable. What we see there is medical equipment, purposefully broken, ultrasounds – which you will know is a very important tool for helping ensure safe births – with cables that have been cut, screens of complex medical equipment like ultrasounds and other with the screens smashed. So, purposeful, wanton destruction in the maternity ward,” he added.

Before intense Israeli bombardment began in response to Hamas-led terror attacks across southern Israel on  Oct. 7, Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis had a maternity ward which UNFPA teams have supported and supplied for years.

In order to be fully functional again, the hospital will need reconditioned water and sanitation services and repairs to damaged electricity generators, at a bare minimum.

“But, I stood beside the warehouse (where) we delivered supplies many months ago and it was literally burning; there’s so much work to do in terms of trying to re-establish that lifeline,”  Allen said.

The UNFPA mission, which began on Monday  April 8 and ended this Wednesday, was carried out in partnership with the UN World Health Organisation (WHO), the UN aid coordination office, OCHA, and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The objective was to visit around 10 hospitals in Gaza, among them Al Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza, which was “overwhelmed with trauma patients” and not supporting maternity care.

At Emirati Hospital in the south of the enclave,  Allen recounted meeting the medical director of the facility who said that “he no longer sees normal-sized babies.”

Turning to Rafah and continuing fears of an Israeli incursion, the UNFPA officer underscored the “great sense of fear” hanging over the more than 1.2 million people sheltering there.

“There is a palpable fear from the Gazans who I spoke with – the midwives, doctors, pregnant women, my fellow colleagues, who are in Gaza…Right now it’s a haven for 1.2 million Gazans; it’s not a safe haven, but it’s a haven at least.”

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SHOCKING !! Oluyin Of Iyin-Ekiti In DSS Net Over Alleged Suspicious Demand for Governor’s Used Chair

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SHOCKING !! Oluyin Of Iyin-Ekiti In DSS Net Over Alleged Suspicious Demand for Governor’s Used Chair

 

The Department of State Services (DSS) has invited the Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti, Oba Adeniyi Adeola Ajakaiye, for questioning after he made a quiet but suspicious demand for the chair used by Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji during a thanksgiving service at Babamuboni Memorial Anglican Church, Iyin-Ekiti.

According to leaked correspondences exchanged between Babamuboni Anglican Church and Oluyin’s Palace, Governor Oyebanji had attended an event on May 31, 2026 at the invitation of Senate Leader, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, an indigene of Iyin-Ekiti few days to the state’s gubernatorial election.

How Oluyin of Iyin-Ekiti Strangely Demanded Governor’s Seat

It was gathered that after the church program, the Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Ajakaiye quietly and specifically requested for the chair which the Governor sat on during the church program.

The church’s Vicar who suspected a mischief by the Oluyin’s palace politely declined the estranged and bizzare request.

According to the church, the decline made Oba Oluyin furious who immediately influenced the untimely transfer of the church’s vicar, Ven. Dr. Samuel Sunday Agunbiade from the church.

The Palace, in a letter addressed to the church , insisted that the governor’s seat be surrendered for “royal custody and appropriate traditional rites.”

In the said letter from the Oluyin-in-Council to the church, they strangely said that “the replacement chair to be commissioned henceforth shall be placed under strict and adequate guard at all times, to avert any future desecration or recurrence of such grave oversight against the sanctity of the stool.”

Meanwhile, the request which has been described as barbaric and bizarre in Nigeria’s political and religious history, immediately raised suspicion and outrage within the community.

The Position of the Anglican Church

The Anglican Church, in its formal reply, rejected the demand, stressing that church property is held in trust under ecclesiastical governance. It further explained that the chair no longer existed, having already been dismantled and incorporated into the altar furnishing.

According to the church, “Consequently, the Church is not at liberty to surrender, transfer, or remove dedicated Church property for external purposes outside the procedures prescribed by ecclesiastical authority.

“As custodians of these properties, we are duty-bound to preserve and administer them in accordance with the doctrine, discipline, and governance of the Church.”

REQUEST FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE CHURCH CHAIR TO THE PALACE nnnnn_040357

Despite the stance of the church to strictly adhere to its ecclesiastical responsibilities and constitutional obligations, the palace persisted.

Outrage in Iyin-Ekiti as Residents React

Residents of Iyin-Ekiti alleged that the monarch’s insistence was not cultural but sinister with claims that the chair might be for ritual manipulation against the governor whom at the time was preparing for his re-election.

They noted that the DSS invitation to the Oluyin underscores how seriously the security agency views the matter stressing that there are sinister motive behind the estranged act.

It was equally gathered that the fallout extended to the church leadership. Ven. Dr. Agunbiade, the vicar who stood firm against the palace’s demand, was transferred under circumstances widely perceived as punitive.

Residents noted that while governors, presidents, and dignitaries have attended church services across Nigeria and Ekiti State in particular for decades, never has a demand been made for their chairs to undergo “traditional rites.”

They described the incident as mischievous while calling for a thorough investigation by the DSS to unravel the mystery and sinister motives behind the bizzare request of the monarch.

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Global Wave of Cyber Intrusions Spares No Sector, but Nigeria’s Banking System Stands Resilient

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Global Wave of Cyber Intrusions Spares No Sector, but Nigeria’s Banking System Stands Resilient

 

By Adesegun Adeshi Gbenga

 

Nigerian banks have moved swiftly to contain the effects of a sophisticated global cyber campaign sweeping across sectors and continents, with industry sources assuring the public that the nation’s financial system remains strong, resilient and secure.

 

The campaign, described by analysts as one of the most coordinated waves of attacks in years, is neither peculiar to Nigeria nor limited to finance. Organisations in telecommunications, healthcare, government, energy, technology and corporate registries across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa have been targeted by the same wave of intrusions, underscoring the borderless nature of modern cybercrime.

 

The data is stark: CheckPoint, a leading international cybersecurity firm, reports a 115 per cent surge in attacks on the global financial sector last year, with organisations worldwide facing thousands of attempted intrusions weekly. The current campaign has been linked to threat actors that have struck more than 35 organisations across several countries and sectors.

 

Despite the onslaught, banking services and digital channels across Nigeria remain fully operational and customer deposits safe. Banks activated their incident response protocols as soon as reports emerged, working closely with regulators, law enforcement and international cybersecurity partners to investigate and strengthen their defences. Nigerian banks operate some of the most advanced cybersecurity infrastructure on the continent, backed by years of sustained investment in protecting customer information and assets. Experts note that resilience in an era of global cyber warfare lies not in immunity from attack, which no organisation can claim, but in the speed and rigour of response, and on that measure the industry has acted decisively and in full compliance with regulatory requirements.

 

The banking public is, however, urged to remain vigilant. Fraudsters often exploit moments of heightened attention with fake calls, text messages and emails. Customers should never divulge personal or banking information, including passwords, PINs, One-Time Passwords (OTPs), card details or Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs), to anyone over the telephone, however convincing the caller sounds; no bank will ever ask for these details.

 

They should also avoid opening suspicious emails, clicking unfamiliar links or downloading attachments from unknown senders. Anyone who suspects foul play or unusual account activity should contact their bank immediately, and only through its dedicated official channels: verified customer care lines, official websites, mobile applications or branches.

 

 

As governments and corporations worldwide race to shore up their digital defences, the message from the Nigerian banking industry is one of calm and confidence: the system is safe, deposits are secure, and the institutions entrusted with the nation’s savings remain watchful and prepared.

 

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