At least Twenty-four members of the same family have died after consuming a suspected poisoned meal in North-western Nigeria. The incident which happened in Danzanke village, a remote community in the Sokoto state, was confirmed by the state’s health commissioner, Ali Inname. According to Inname the family mistakenly used fertiliser chemical popularly called “Gishirin Lalle in Hausa” as a seasoning in domestic family cooking instead of table salt. He said medical personnel tried to save the victims’ lives to no avail. “Regrettably, the entire family who ate the meal lost their lives, except two female members, who merely tasted the food and are currently responding to treatment, with very good chances of survival,” Inname said.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has inaugurated welfare flight for soldiers and officers of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) who are proceeding on a pass to and from the theatre of war in the North East.

A special FBI agent Tai, in the Bureau’s San Juan, Puerto Rico office, is believed to be the first Black woman to be chosen for SWAT team training. The newly chosen agent, will be undergoing New Operator Training School (NOTS), a 10-week course that prepares selectees for SWAT field operations, the FBI. If she passes, she will become a probationary member of San Juan Division’s SWAT team — one of the busiest in the nation, the FBI said in a news release. Despite the pressure to successfully become the first Black woman on a SWAT team, Tai’s head remains focused on the first challenge: passing NOTS. The course is aimed at improving an agent’s firearm skills, body movement, and critical thinking during stressful situations. “I’m one of those people where I have a task at hand and I just focus on that task,” she said in the release. “I don’t really think about people looking at me.”

The Kaduna State Government has announced an indefinite postponement of the resumption of schools in the state earlier scheduled for August 9. The postponement is contained in a statement jointly signed by the Commissioner of Education Dr. Shehu Muhammad and that of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan. According to statement, the decision followed advise by security agencies, stressing that military operations are continuing while infrastructure projects are in high-risk areas. The statement read, “The Kaduna State Government commends the military and police high commands for the ongoing security operations against armed bandits across the state. “The government praises the doggedness and courage of officers and troops carrying out air and ground operations around the Kaduna/Niger/Katsina/Plateau and Zamfara boundaries. Kaduna State Government has also requested the military and police high commands to expand the operations to newly identified hideouts.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad has approved the appointment of a new acting Chief Registrar for the Supreme Court. This was disclosed in a press statement by the court’s Director of Press and Information, Akande Festus titled “Supreme Court gets new Chief Registrar”.

The Nigerian Army has said more Boko Haram/ Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) Province terrorists are surrendering to the troops of Operations Hadin Kai in Borno State even as about 56 terrorists have laid down their arms and embraced peace. The Army, in a statement on Thursday by the Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the troops sustained air and artillery bombardments on the enclaves of the terrorists in Sambisa Forest and its environs were responsible for this. He added that 56 terrorists and their families laid down their arms, adding that 18 male fighters of the terrorist groups along with their families including 18 adult females and 19 children on Wednesday surrendered to the troops. The statement was titled, ‘Operation Hadin Kai: Again more terrorists surrender as troops escalate operations across North East theatre’. It read, “More Boko Haram / ISWAP terrorists are surrendering as troops of Operations HADIN KAI, conducting Counterterrorism and counter Insurgency operations in northeast Nigeria escalate ground and air offensive operations against the terrorists.