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Flood: UN worried over situation at two Libyan dams as death toll hits 11,300 with 100,000 missing

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The United Nation has expressed worry over the situation at two Libyan dams.

The condition at the dams came following the devastating floods a week ago in Libya.

The UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Sunday said it was concerned about two more dams which were reportedly dealing with massive amounts of pressure.

The dams in question are the Jaza Dam – between the partly destroyed city of Darna and Benghazi – and the Qattara Dam near Benghazi, the OCHA said.

However, there have been “contradictory reports” over the dams’ stability, the UN agency said.

Both dams were in good condition and functioning, according to authorities.

Pumps were being installed at the Jaza Dam to relieve pressure on it, the OCHA cited authorities as saying.

Derna was badly hit after the severe storm last weekend, mainly due to the breach of two dams.

The storm killed thousands of people and thousands more are still missing.

The authorities do not yet have exact figures. The city had about 100,000 inhabitants before the disaster.

Confusion over the death toll continued on Sunday after the OCHA initially spoke of 11,300 dead and a further 10,100 missing.

Additionally, an estimated 170 other people had been killed elsewhere in eastern Libya, according to the UN agency.

The OCHA attributed the figures to the Libyan Red Crescent but a spokesman for the aid group voiced astonishment at the numbers and rejected them.

“The official numbers are issued by the agency authorised by the Libyan authorities,” Tawfiq al-Shukri said.

In a later version of its situation report, OCHA dropped those figures, instead citing the World Health Organisation (WHO) figure of 3,958 people dead and more than 9,000 still missing.

Late on Sunday Othman Abdel Jalil, the health minister in one of Libya’s rival governments, told a news conference that the number of people buried so far was 3,283.

The Libyan official reiterated his call to the media to follow the official numbers which are given daily by the Health Ministry.

“We regret that we saw a lot of statements being made by local officials and some came from international sides during which they gave numbers which can cause panic among the people,” the official said.

He added that he regretted to see that the UN on its site put the number of dead in eastern Libya at 11,300.

“I don’t know where they got this from,” he said. “When I got in touch with them they mentioned it was from the Red Crescent, but when I talked to the Red Crescent they said that did not talk to them.”

The minister said the UN based its report on information coming from a man who claimed to be speaking on behalf of the Red Crescent and that he lived outside Libya.

Conflicting accounts have emerged from Libya, which is divided between warring administrations in East and West.

Earlier in the week, the mayor of Derna had said it was possible up to 20,000 people had died there.

The WHO said nearly 4,000 people who were killed in the floods had been identified.

A group of Libyan data analysts and researchers also said there had been around 4,000 confirmed deaths in a count on Saturday.

A powerful storm dubbed Daniel hit Libya on Sept. 10 after earlier lashing Greece, Bulgaria, and Turkey.

Two dams broke in the mountains above the port of Derna, washing away large areas of the city of around 100,000 people.

Al-Shukri of the Libyan Red Crescent said on Sunday that the search and rescue situation in Derna was “better” now with the engagement of several Libyan and foreign teams.

While he did say that survivors had been hauled up from under the rubble through Saturday, he declined to give specific figures.

Concerns are growing about water safety in Derna.

Detected cases of diarrhea totaled 150 in the city on Saturday due to contaminated drinking water.

But the director of Libya’s National Centre for Disease Control, Haider al-Sayeh, said Sunday that field teams from the centre managed to reduce the cases, and advised locals to avoid well water and use bottled water.

The head of the internationally recognized Tripoli-based government, Abdel-Hamid Dbeibeh, ordered the provision of drinking water to flood-affected areas, his administration said Sunday. His government does not have actual control over the eastern part of Libya.

Abdel Jalil said Sunday that a vaccination campaign has been launched to protect all those living in Derna and working in it, including military, medical staff and journalists.

The minister also announced that a “horrific traffic accident” took place on Sunday which led to the death of four Greek rescue workers who were on their way to Derna.

Abdel Jalil said 15 others were wounded in the accident, of which seven were in critical condition and eight were stable.

He said the Greek team had consisted of 19 rescue members.

In total, the accident killed seven people, as the aid workers’ vehicle crashed into a car carrying a Libyan family, according to Jalil.

The Greek military initially confirmed three deaths late on Sunday night.

Two other members of the rescue team were missing, it said in a statement on Facebook.

Three of the family of five died in the accident, while the other two were seriously injured.

Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011.

Countless militias are still fighting for power and influence in the oil-rich country. The conflict is further fuelled by foreign states. All diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict peacefully have failed.

 

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Supreme Court to rule on ADC, PDP cases Thursday

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The Supreme Court of Nigeria will on Thursday, deliver judgments in two cases involving the leadership crises rocking the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.

According to information on the official website of the court, the matters, listed under “Political Appeals”, have been added to the cause list for Thursday, April 30, 2026.

While judgment in the ADC matter, marked SC/CV/180/2026, has been fixed for 2 pm, there is no time yet for that if the PDP.

 

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Tinubu to reconstitute NHRC board, retains Ojukwu as ES/CEO

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President Bola Tinubu has written the Senate, seeking the screening and subsequent confirmation of fifteen nominees to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

The letter was read by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

The letter seeks the reconstitution of the commission’s board in line with statutory provisions with the list comprising nominees from diverse professional backgrounds, including the media and legal sectors.

Among the nominees are the President, Nigeria Guild of Editors and Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Eze Anaba; and Dr. Salamatu Hussaina Suleiman, who has been proposed as chairman of the board.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Anthony Ojukwu (SAN) is to retain his position as the Chief Executive Officer.

Other nominees include Mrs Roseline Tasha, Ambassador Adam Yubak Baku, ACG Felix Lawrence, Mr. Edmund Chinonye, Mr. Chinonye Obiaku (SAN), Oluwakemi Asiwaju Okere-Odo, Professor Adedeji Ogunji, Kingsley Chidozie, Mohammed Adelodu, Maupe Ogun Yusuf, and Otunba Francis Meshioye as members.

Also nominated are Patience Patrick and Hawwa Ibrahim, listed as members.

The President said the nominations were made pursuant to Section 2(3) of the National Human Rights Commission (Establishment) Act, 2010, which empowers him to constitute the board subject to Senate confirmation.

He explained that the reconstitution of the board was necessary to enhance the commission’s institutional capacity and enable it to more effectively discharge its mandate to promote and protect human rights across the country.

If confirmed, the new board is expected to play a critical role in reinforcing the NHRC’s oversight functions, particularly at a time of heightened concerns over rights protection and accountability in Nigeria.

Following the presentation of the request, the Senate referred the nominations to its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for screening and report within two weeks.

 

 

 

 

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Breaking: EFCC investigates Pastor Jerry Eze over alleged money laundering

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has revealed that it investigated the founder of Streams of Joy International, Pastor Jerry Eze, for six months over suspected money laundering before clearing him.

Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Commission, disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking at the Jerry Eze Foundation Business Grant Award Ceremony in Abuja.

According to him, the probe was triggered by intelligence reports and petitions after the commission observed large inflows of foreign currencies into the cleric’s domiciliary account.

“We work by intelligence, we work by petitions. At some point, I saw there was an account, a domiciliary account. Dollars, pounds were dropping in like raindrops, from Colombia, from America, from Sri Lanka, even from Togo.

“I said who is this man? Yes, I’ve been hearing about his name, I’ve seen his face a couple of times. I never bothered about what he was doing. I knew he was a pastor.

“So they said this one pastor of streams of joy, go and investigate him. So we went to the investigation. We combed the books,” Olukoyede stated.

The EFCC boss said he subsequently invited Eze for questioning after preliminary findings were compiled by investigators.

He added that upon meeting the cleric and reviewing the findings of the investigation, the commission found no wrongdoing.

“So he came to my office. He told me what happens and all of that, and how the money came, what he does, how he has been helping people, and all of that.

“I said, you know what, I didn’t call you here to explain to me. We have already done our work. I called you here to commend you,” he stated.

The remark drew applause from the audience, as Eze, who was present at the event, acknowledged the commendation.

He noted that the commission has a responsibility not only to investigate financial crimes but also to recognise individuals found to have acted with integrity.

The EFCC chairman, however, stated that the agency would continue to monitor financial activities where necessary, stressing that its preventive mandate remains critical in tackling corruption.

 

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