The Inspector-General of Police Usman Alkali Baba, Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor, and top officials of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, have visited the site of the terrorist attack on a train at Dutse forest in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna.
The two service chiefs were received by the General Officer Commanding one Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
From there, they proceeded to the scene of the attack located about three kilometres away from the expressway.
While the casualty figure is yet to be confirmed, several persons are feared dead.
The incident happened around 7:45 pm on Monday at Dutse village in Chikun Local Government Area, just a few kilometres from the Rigasa train station, which is the last transit point of the train.
The bandits were said to have opened fire, shot sporadically on the train, and later gained access to the train.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the chief of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, is in Ukraine for urgent talks with the Ukrainian government about the safety of the country’s nuclear facilities.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi
In a statement Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said the talks with senior government officials will center on the agency’s plans to deliver “urgent technical assistance to ensure the safety and security of the country’s nuclear facilities and help avert the risk of an accident that could endanger people and the environment.”
Grossi posted a photo of himself on Twitter standing in front of an official UN vehicle on Tuesday, saying he had “just crossed the border into Ukraine to start the IAEA’s mission to ensure the safety and security of the country’s nuclear facilities.”
In the statement, Grossi said that “the military conflict is putting Ukraine’s nuclear power plants and other facilities with radioactive material in unprecedented danger.”
“Ukraine has requested our assistance for safety and security. We will now start delivering it. Ukraine has one of Europe’s largest nuclear power programmes. The IAEA’s presence, where needed to ensure safety and security, is of paramount importance. We are ready to provide the necessary support now,” he continued.
Grossi, who is set to visit one of the country’s power plants during his trip, warned that “there have already been several close calls” when it comes to the country’s nuclear facilities.
“We can’t afford to lose any more time,” he continued, adding that the IAEA’s expertise is needed urgently to prevent a nuclear accident taking place.
Russian forces have occupied Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia, since March 4, and the site of the infamous 1986 accident, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, since February 24.
The watchdog has drawn up “concrete and detailed plans for safety and security assistance” to Ukraine’s nuclear sites, which include 15 nuclear power reactors at four plants as well as the Chernobyl NPP, according to the statement.
Eight of the country’s 15 reactors continue to operate, “including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya NPP, three at Rivne, one at Khmelnytskyy, and two at South Ukraine,” the IAEA said in its latest update posted Monday. The other reactors remain closed for regular maintenance, they added.
Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash
The conflict in Ukraine is going to cause a “significant change in the international order” and will have “prolonged” and “deep” repercussions, according to Anwar Gargash, the United Arab Emirates diplomatic adviser to the president.
Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash
“But I think we do really need to find a political solution. And it starts with a ceasefire and a political solution ASAP. We need to do that because the danger of horizontal or vertical escalation is real,” Gargash told CNN on Tuesday.
The UAE has not condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Gargash said that “the [Middle East] region … is witnessing the sort of upper structure changing, but it has to catch up and it has to catch up by emphasizing, in my opinion, non-political issues.”
Gargash, who previously served as the Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, spoke at the landmark regional meeting in Israel’s Negev desert, where top diplomats from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt, Israel and the United States met to discuss security issues.
At the meeting on Monday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid spoke about the effect the new regional alliance will have on deterring Iran, but Gargash said the “Middle East is not really only about Iran … and Israel.”
“Our whole intention is to find a way of functionally working with Iran … our whole intention is that there is an agenda of stability or prosperity in the region that includes Iran and others.”
Abu Dhabi has worked to improve ties with its regional neighbors, including Turkey and Iran, and normalized relations with Israel in 2020.
“We need to turn the page and start a new page. And that new page is basically reaching out to friends of course, but adversaries also. And to make sure that you know, we rebuild these bridges, we were not going to agree with everything they want to do,” Gargash added.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations meet at Dolmabahce Presidential Office for the peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey
The heads of the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are meeting now in Turkey ahead of the latest round of talks at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations meet at Dolmabahce Presidential Office for the peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey
Russia’s deputy defense minister Alexander Fomin is leading the Russian delegation, which also includes negotiator Vladimir Medinsky, while David Arakhamia is the head of the Ukrainian delegation.
Correction: This post has been updated to more accurately reflect the latest developments in negotiations.
Russia and Ukraine both have “legitimate concerns” heading into the next round of talks in Istanbul on Tuesday, according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Erdogan said it “is possible to reach an agreement that can address both countries’ legitimate concerns,” in a speech before the meeting between the delegations started.
The Turkish President also passed on his “sincerest greetings” to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he called “valuable friends of mine.”
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is attending the current talks in Istanbul between Russia and Ukraine, but is not an official member of the Russian delegation, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.
Roman Abamovich
Abramovich is “facilitating” to “ensure certain contacts between the Russian and Ukrainian sides,” he added.
“In order to hold contacts between the two parties, it is necessary to obtain approval from both parties. In the case of Abramovich, he has approval [of his participation] from both sides.”
Some background: Abramovich, who was sanctioned earlier this month by the UK government along with other Russian oligarchs following Russia’s invasion, has been acting as an intermediary between Russia and Ukraine, shuttling between Moscow, Kyiv, Istanbul, Warsaw and beyond amid a whirlwind of talks aimed at ending the conflict, his spokesman confirmed last month.
On Monday, a source close to the Ukrainian negotiation team told CNN that Abramovich and two Ukrainian peace negotiators suffered minor skin peeling and sore eyes during Ukraine-Russia talks “a few weeks ago” in Turkey, adding the incident was not regarded as serious.
Super Eagles assistant coach, Emmanuel Amuneke has advised the team to remain focused and work very hard to defeat the Black Stars of Ghana in today’s 2022 World Cup qualifying playoffs slated for the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Super Eagles in Abuja
He stated this ahead of the second leg of the 2022 World Cup playoff between both countries.
The first leg ended in a 0-0 draw at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi last Friday.
Amuneke advised Super Eagles to have cohesion in attack and defence.
He said: “The important thing is to have cohesion, knowing when to attack and when to defend without losing the structure of the team.
“Just like us, the Ghanaians also want to go to the World Cup, and just like our players, Ghanaian players also play in Europe. So they are aware from a tactical, technical, individual and team point of view, so we must have that respect for them.
“That means we have to stay focused and work hard. I believe that if we do our jobs, then we can win the game, but we cannot be complacent.”
The Kaduna State Government has confirmed that fatalities were recorded in the terrorist attack on a train along Abuja-Kaduna route on Monday.
The state government gave the confirmation in a statement on Tuesday signed by the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan.
Aruwan, however, did not state the number of death recorded but said dead victims and those injured had been taken to hospitals. The names of the hospitals were not mentioned either.
He said, “Evacuation of passengers on the trapped Kaduna-bound train from Abuja has been concluded this morning by security forces, officials of Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and Nigerian Red Cross.
“Passengers who sustained injuries, and other fatalities, have been moved to hospitals. The passengers were evacuated from different hard-to-reach areas in forests and rocky locations in Audujongom, off the Kaduna-Abuja Road.
“As stated yesterday, the Kaduna State Government is still liaising with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to ascertain the list from the passengers manifest for efficient tracking.”
Aruwan said Governor Nasir El-Rufai commended those who participated in the evacuation and appealed to the hospitals to attend to the victims diligently.
He said the governor also directed the Ministry of Health to be in contact with the hospitals, noting that the government would bear the cost of treatment.
“As of the time of this update, search-and-rescue operations are in progress,” he added.
Abia State governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Mascot Uzor Kalu, has expressed concern over what he described...
