Metro
12 killed as Russian strikes hit Ukraine

Russian strikes battered cities across Ukraine early Friday, killing at least 12 people in a barrage of missiles and drones that hit as Kyiv prepares an expected counteroffensive.
The deadly attack included a strike on a residential building and came days after the leaders of Ukraine and China spoke by phone, with Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly advocating peace negotiations.
“Missile strikes killing innocent Ukrainians in their sleep, including a 2-years-old child, is Russia’s response to all peace initiatives,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
While Russia regularly bombed Ukrainian cities and infrastructure over the winter, the massive strikes had tailed off in recent months.
Kyiv, which was among the cities targeted Friday, had not been hit by missiles in more than 50 days.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the latest barrage and vowed a response to “Russian terror”.
Most fighting is now taking place in the east for control of the industrial Donbas region, particularly the city of Bakhmut, which has been almost completely destroyed.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said strikes on the town of Uman south of the captial Kyiv led to “a total of ten victims,” while the mayor of the central city of Dnipro Borys Filatov earlier reported that two people had been killed.
Ukraine said it had downed 21 of 23 Russian missiles and two attack drones overnight.
Ukraine’s air defence system has been bolstered in recent months by the delivery of Western equipment crucial to the country’s war effort.
In particular, Kyiv received the sophisticated American Patriot systems in April.
While it has not faced missile barrages since early March, the capital was the target last week of an attack by 12 Iranian-made drones, eight of which were shot down without causing any casualties.
China, Ukraine leaders speak
In Uman, a central city of 80,000 inhabitants, a video broadcast by Ukrainian media showed a gutted apartment building, rubble strewn around it.
“An enemy missile hit a residential building. Information about the victims is being clarified,” Zoya Vovk, spokesperson for the regional police, said on Telegram.
According to regional governor Igor Taburets, Uman was hit by two cruise missiles, with one hitting a residential building and the other a warehouse.
Moscow has been seeking allies to confront the West as its war in Ukraine causes immense destruction and suffering but is far from President Vladimir Putin’s goal of capturing control of the country.
Ukraine says it has been preparing for months a counteroffensive aimed at repelling Russian forces from the territory they currently hold in the east and south.
Xi and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s nearly one-hour discussion on Wednesday, which reportedly included Xi advocating peace negotiations, was met by Russian accusations that Ukraine was undermining efforts to end the fighting.
Beijing says it is neutral in the Ukraine conflict and Xi has never condemned the Russian invasion, but the Chinese leader has come under increased pressure from Western nations to step in and mediate.
The Kremlin said Thursday it welcomed any attempt to end the Ukrainian conflict, on Moscow’s terms.
“We are ready to welcome anything that can bring forward the end of the conflict in Ukraine and the achievement of Russia’s goals,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Metro
Tragedy as Building Collapse Leaves Many Feared Dead in Lagos {Photos}

A tragic incident occurred on Saturday morning in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos State, as a building housing a popular local restaurant on Oremeta Street collapsed, leaving many feared dead.
The building was said to have given way at about 8:00 am, causing panic among residents and passers-by. Eyewitnesses reported a loud rumble before the structure came crashing down, trapping several individuals inside.
Emergency responders, including residents and rescue officials, have since commenced search and rescue operations at the site. As of the time of filing this report, the exact number of casualties remains unconfirmed, but several persons are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement regarding the cause of the collapse or the number of victims. However, efforts are ongoing to clear the debris and reach those who may still be alive underneath.
More details to follow.
Metro
Tears, Anguish as Zike Community Buries 51 Victims of Gruesome Attack

Grief hung heavily in the air as the Zike community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State laid to rest 51 of its residents brutally murdered in a pre-dawn attack that has once again cast a dark shadow over the troubled region.
The victims, mostly women and children, were gunned down in the early hours of Monday when yet-to-be-identified assailants stormed the sleepy village, firing indiscriminately. The massacre is the latest in a string of violent assaults that have plagued Plateau State in recent times.
At the mass burial held in the community, emotions ran high as families, friends, and sympathizers wept uncontrollably. Traditional mourners draped in black wailed as the victims’ coffins were lowered into the earth — a harrowing scene that has become all too familiar in the region.
Speaking at the funeral, a visibly distraught community leader, Davidson Malison, described the attack as “disheartening” and lamented the scale of the devastation.
“I can tell you the situation is very disheartening,” Malison said. “We are still searching for more corpses. Something needs to be done to put an end to this.”
The Irigwe women leader, Mary Dikwa, echoed similar concerns, calling on the government to step up its responsibility in securing lives and property.
“They have been killing us in this our community,” Dikwa said in tears. “Several times they will come and attack us. This situation has gone out of hand.”
Monday’s carnage came barely two weeks after another deadly assault left over 50 people dead and several others severely injured, despite repeated reassurances by the government to restore peace to the North-Central state.
Reacting to the renewed wave of violence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered security agencies to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts,” the President said in a statement released by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga. “We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough.”
As the Zike community mourns yet another loss, residents are left clinging to hope — that someday soon, peace will return to their land and they can finally bury their dead without fearing for the lives of the living.
Metro
40 Killed in Fresh Attack on Plateau Community

At least forty people have been confirmed dead following a brutal attack by unidentified assailants on Zike community in Kimakpa, located within the Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area in Plateau State.
According to local sources, the assault took place in the early hours of Monday, with the attackers storming the village and opening fire indiscriminately. Residents, startled by the sound of gunfire, fled in panic, but many were caught in the hail of bullets.
A community leader in Kwall, Wakili Tongwe, revealed that he and a group of vigilantes, along with some security personnel, were on patrol in a nearby community when the assault occurred.
“We were on routine patrol in a different area when the attackers struck. By the time we arrived, they had already done significant damage,” Tongwe said.
He added that while the joint team of vigilantes and security operatives engaged the assailants and eventually repelled them, the casualties were already high. Thirty-six people were confirmed dead at the scene, with four others succumbing to their injuries later in hospital.
Several other villagers sustained gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment in medical facilities nearby.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies in Plateau State are yet to issue any official statement regarding the incident.
This latest massacre comes barely two weeks after a similar attack in the Bokkos Local Government Area of the state, where over fifty people lost their lives in coordinated assaults on several communities.
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