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The Abuja Nigeria Lugbe Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints recently visited an orphanage home in Abuja as part of the church’s Light Up the World programmes in 2024.

Members converged at the Hope for Survival Orphanage Abuja to celebrate with the orphans and as part of the church’s Love, Share and Invite activities.  Another highlight of the occasion was the rendition of Christmas songs to the children in the orphanage. 

Other welfare packages were also donated by the members of the church in the spirit of the season and as the church’s contribution towards the welfare of the children in the orphanage home.

Across the world, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is known for its humanitarian activities, and contributing to people’s welfare cutting across all religious lines, and races.

The church is also known for its community services and other humanitarian activities.

Speaking during the orphanage visit, a representative of the church, Barr. Obinna Alaribe said that the visit was part of the church’s end-of-the-year activities where it hopes to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to people, as well as bring the message of hope and love to them.

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has attributed the deaths of “about ten persons” in Sokoto to a secondary explosion following military airstrikes, dismissing claims that the fatalities resulted directly from the strikes.

The Sokoto State Government earlier reported that ten villagers were killed and others injured during the strikes in the Silame Local Government Area.

However, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, clarified during a briefing in Abuja on Friday that the casualties were caused by explosions from a terrorist logistics base targeted in the operation.

“One of the targets was a logistics base of the terrorists in the community, which housed arms caches and other materials. When the munitions hit, it caused a secondary explosion, generating debris that led to the reported deaths,” Buba explained.

He emphasized that the airstrikes directly targeted members of the Lakurawa terrorist group, who were killed during the operation.

“The people who were hit directly by the airstrikes were the Lakurawa terrorist group, and they were burned beyond recognition,” he said.

Buba stated that the strikes were carefully planned, involving human intelligence to confirm the targets before a synchronized operation between the Air Force and ground forces.

“The Air Force carried out precision strikes using precision munitions. Afterward, the land forces moved to the site and confirmed that the strikes had hit the intended targets – the terrorist group,” he added.

While confirming the operation’s success against the terrorists, Buba did not disclose the exact number of casualties, a detail that continues to stir public debate.

Meanwhile, the victims of the explosion have been buried in accordance with Islamic rites.

Air Peace has dismissed reports of a purported plane crash involving one of its aircraft in the Western Sahara region, describing the claims as false, malicious, and misleading.

In a statement issued on Friday in Lagos, the airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Ejike Ndiulo, refuted allegations that the crash resulted in fatalities, including the death of a prominent individual.

“We categorically state that this information is false and malicious. This is a deliberate attempt to spread misinformation and tarnish the impeccable safety record of Air Peace,” the statement read.

Ndiulo noted that the originator of the report has a history of spreading false and alarming information about non-existent tragic events.

The statement further explained that the images circulating with the report are AI-generated and not reflective of any real incident.

“We urge the public to disregard this malicious disinformation and rely on official channels for accurate information regarding Air Peace operations,” it added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the false claim originated from an X user on December 26, alleging that a crash involving an Air Peace aircraft had claimed 50 lives.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, and his two sons, visited President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.

Wike’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, disclosed this via X on Friday.

During his recent maiden media chat, Tinubu had commended Wike for his performance as minister.

Hundreds of passengers have been stranded for two days at the Warri train station in Delta State following the breakdown of a free train service introduced for the festive season.

The incident has led to frustration and disappointment among travelers, with eyewitnesses describing the scene at the station as chaotic and overcrowded. Many passengers have criticized the delay in addressing the issue, blaming it on inadequate maintenance of the train service.

“It’s unfortunate that we’ve been stuck here for two days,” one stranded passenger said. “Maybe because the train is free, they don’t think it’s important to maintain it properly.”

The free train service was launched as a special initiative by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ease travel during the festive season. The programme, which offers free transportation from December 20 to January 5, was initially praised by citizens as a commendable effort by the government.

However, the breakdown at the Warri station has marred the initiative, leaving many passengers stranded and frustrated.

“We appreciate the government’s effort, but this breakdown has caused us more harm than good,” another passenger said. “The authorities need to act fast to fix the train and help us continue our journey.”

As of the time of this report, no official statement has been issued regarding the cause of the breakdown or when services will resume.

Passengers are urging the government and relevant agencies to prioritize repairs and provide immediate assistance to those affected.