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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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Gov Alex Otti visits Nnamdi Kanu in Sokoto prison

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Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor, on Sunday paid a visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

The governor was accompanied by officials of the Sokoto State Government during the closed-door visit.

Nnamdi Kanu was recently moved to Sokoto after he was convicted on terrorism-related charges and handed a life sentence by a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Governor Otti had earlier promised to pursue every lawful and political avenue to ensure that Kanu gets justice. Sunday’s visit is seen as part of ongoing efforts by the Abia State Government regarding his case.

Details of the meeting were not made public as of the time of this report.

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Terrorists abduct bride, bridesmaids in Sokoto attack

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Armed terrorists have abducted a bride-to-be, her bridesmaid, and eight other residents from Chacho village in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State

The Sokoto abduction occurred around 1:30 a.m., according to residents, when the attackers stormed the village. Most of the victims were women, with only one man also taken.
One resident sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment. Villagers told reporters that the bride was preparing for her wedding scheduled for later that morning when the raid struck, plunging the community into shock and mourning.

A community member described the attack as “tragic,” noting the delay in security response. “Security operatives were alerted immediately, but they only arrived about an hour after the bandits had fled,” he said, expressing frustration.

 

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Dangote Refinery to supply 1.5bn litres of petrol monthly

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….Writes NMDPRA, Engages Marketers to Stabilise Fuel Market

Photo caption: L R: Chief Executive Officer, Dangote Fertiliser Limited, Vishwajit Sinha; Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Dangote Petroleum Refinery, David Bird; President and Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Ltd, Aliko Dangote; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, South South Development Commission, Usoro Akpabio, during the visit of SSDC members to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lagos on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced plans to supply one billion five hundred million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) monthly to the Nigerian market in December 2025 and January 2026, a move aimed at ensuring uninterrupted nationwide fuel availability through the festive season and into the New Year.

President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, disclosed the plans at the weekend, noting that the refinery will make available 50 million litres of PMS daily beginning December 1.

“In line with our commitment to national wellbeing, and consistent with our track record of ensuring a holiday season free of fuel scarcity, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery will supply 1.5 billion litres of PMS to the Nigerian market this month. This represents 50 million litres per day. We are formally notifying the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) of this commitment. We will supply another 1.5 billion litres in January and increase to 1.7 billion litres in February, which translates to about 60 million litres per day,” Dangote said.

Photo caption: L R: President and Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Ltd, Aliko Dangote; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, South South Development Commission, Usoro Akpabio, during the visit of SSDC members to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Fertiliser Plant in Lagos on Sunday, November 30, 2025.

Speaking during a visit by the South-South Development Commission (SSDC) to the refinery and the Dangote Fertiliser complex, he stated that the facility currently has adequate stock and is producing between 40 and 45 million litres of PMS daily. He added that the daily supply of 50 million litres should dispel long-standing claims that domestic refineries lack the capacity to meet national demand.

Dangote also revealed ongoing engagement with petroleum marketers to strengthen distribution systems, including expanding the use of CNG-powered haulage.

“Our priority is to ensure Nigeria receives the products it needs. This is not driven by profit motives; it is about guaranteeing the availability of essential energy products. It is similar to the transformation we delivered in the cement sector,” he added.

He further noted that the refinery is progressing with its expansion plan to reach a capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day. More than 100,000 workers are expected to be involved in the expansion of both the refinery and the fertiliser complex. Dangote emphasised that the Group remains committed to its vision, driven by the strong public support for the company’s role in shaping Nigeria’s economic development.

During the visit, the Managing Director of SSDC, Usoro Offiong Akpabio, commended Dangote’s leadership and his continued contribution to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial capability, national energy security and long-term economic competitiveness.

She described the South-South region as Nigeria’s natural energy corridor, with vast crude oil reserves, gas infrastructure, maritime assets, agro-industrial activity and emerging industrial clusters. She noted that deeper collaboration between the region and the Dangote Group could unlock opportunities in product distribution, CNG infrastructure, petrochemicals, agriculture, and employment creation.

Akpabio added that such partnerships would advance the Federal Government’s energy stability agenda and position the South-South as a strategic growth hub for the Dangote Group.

“As the statutory development body for the South-South, SSDC is mandated to drive regional economic development, infrastructure integration, human capital advancement, and private-sector–led growth. In this regard, we stand prepared to support State-level policy and regulatory support for Ease-of-doing-business across our six states. Enabling environments for Dangote Group’s expansion into strategic sectors such as gas processing, agro-industrial value chains, renewable energy, logistics, and export-oriented manufacturing,” she said.

In a letter from the refinery’s Managing Director, David Bird, to the Authority Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, the company reaffirmed its readiness to host NMDPRA officials onsite at the refinery from December 1st to verify and publish its daily supply volumes. The refinery also sought the Authority’s support to ensure unhindered importation of crude, feedstocks and blending components, as well as smooth vessel loading for product evacuation.

“In the spirit of full transparency to the public we are willing to publish our daily production and stock volumes (online and print media),” Bird stated. “We seek the full support of NMDPRA to allow Dangote refinery to import our crude, feedstocks and blending components unhindered as well as support the lifting of our products by vessel. We continue to experience delays in vessel clearance which impacts not only the refinery operations but also our customers, adding unnecessary costs and inefficiencies”.

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