The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says preliminary investigation on the death of Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, concluded that the death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and significant bleeding resulting from being struck by the vehicle, assuring that the case will be handed over to the Nigeria Police with a view to further investigating and charging the suspects to court in accordance with extant laws.

NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Ibikunle Daramola, who disclosed this on Sunday at a Press Conference, explained that three of her former schoolmates (all civilians who live outside NAF Base Kaduna); Nehemiah Adejoh, Igbekele Folorunsho and Festus Gbayegun, drove past her on 14 July and wanted to greet her.

“Upon recognising their schoolmate, Arotile, after passing her, Mr Adejoh, who was driving, reversed the vehicle, ostensibly in an attempt to quickly meet up with the deceased, who was walking in the opposite direction. In the process, the vehicle struck Flying Officer Arotile from the rear, knocking her down with significant force and causing her to hit her head on the pavement. The vehicle then ran over parts of her body as it veered off the road beyond the kerb and onto the pavement, causing her further injuries.

Authorities say she would be buried on Thursday, July 23, at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja, in full military honours.

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Foreign Affairs Minister, Onyeama, tests positive for COVID-19

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeoma is the latest public official in the country to contract COVID-19.

Onyeama who revealed this via his Twitter handle on Saturday, narrated that he had felt a slight itch in his throat and followed procedures; getting his samples collected for a COVID-19 test to which he found out he was positive.

He concluded his statement by saying he was “heading for isolation in a health facility and praying for the best.”

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Bandits kill 15 Soldiers  in Katsina

Bandits have reportedly killed 15 soldiers and 3 officers in Faskari, Katsina. The incidence happened in a bloody exchange between the bandits and Nigerian troops, which also led to the elimination of 17 bandits in retaliation.

According to a source quoted in Punch, “The bandits attacked the troops of 72 Para Battalion while on patrol at Shimfida on Saturday. The ambush was bloody as the troops came under overwhelming firepower from the criminals. But the troops were able to resist the bandits killing 17 of them. Unfortunately, we lost 15 men comprising three officers and 12 soldiers.”

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Big Brother Naija season 5 begins

In the face of a pandemic, the popular reality TV show, Big Brother Naija is back in full force for its fifth season.

The show opened its door to contestants late Sunday, introducing 20 new housemates to the public, who will be battling it out for the grand prize of N85M worth of gifts for the next 70 days. 

Due to the peculiar climate,  the show has been tweaked to ensure the safety of participants and personnel, while observing all Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) rules. Hence, the organizers announced that there will be no live audience in its eviction shows and that all participants would undergo a series of tests before entering the house to ensure they are COVID-free. To know more about the new housemates, click here.

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NCDC confirms 556 new cases of coronavirus

556 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Edo-104
Lagos-97
FCT-70
Benue-66
Oyo-61
Kaduna-38
Plateau-28
Osun-19
Akwa Ibom-14
Rivers-13
Katsina-13
Ondo-13
Ogun-6
Kano-5
Nasarawa-4
Gombe-2
Ekiti-2
Borno-1

36,663 confirmed
15,105 discharged
789 deaths pic.twitter.com/ZVso5XHyGG

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) July 19, 2020