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Death Toll In Philippines Military Plane Crash Rises To 52

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Site of the plane crash. Photo: AFP

Philippine security forces searched among coconut trees on a remote southern island Monday for the flight data boxes of an aircraft that crashed and killed 52 people in one of the country’s worst military air disasters.

The C-130 Hercules transport plane was carrying 96 people, most of them recent army graduates, when it overshot the runway on Sunday while trying to land on Jolo island in Sulu province — a haven for Islamist militants.

The plane “skidded” and burst into flames in a village, killing 52 people including 49 military personnel and three civilians, said military spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo.

Another 51 were injured, most of them soldiers. It was not clear if the pilots were among the survivors.

“This is one of the worst tragic incidents that happened in our armed forces,” Arevalo said.

The three civilians killed were not on the flight and had been working in a quarry, village leader Tanda Hailid told AFP.

They were relatives of Agga Ahaddi, who was lucky to survive the crash. He and his child were outside when the plane ploughed through their house and then a neighbour’s home.

“We ran away, we just left,” Ahaddi told AFP.

Photos of the scene released by the military’s Joint Task Force-Sulu showed the damaged tail and smoking wreckage scattered in a coconut grove.

“We have people on the ground to make sure the integrity of the pieces of the evidence that we will retrieve, most particularly the flight data recorder,” Arevalo said.

“Aside from eyewitness accounts, we are also looking for recordings, radio conversation recordings between the pilot and the control tower.”

Arevalo said the military had secured the crash site and would ensure militants on the island do not disrupt search efforts.

Dental records were being used to help identify the charred remains of victims.

Most of the passengers recently graduated from basic military training and were being deployed to the restive island as part of a counter-insurgency effort in the Muslim-majority region.

The military has a heavy presence in the southern Philippines where militant groups, including the kidnap-for-ransom outfit Abu Sayyaf, operate.

 ‘Worst crash’

Site of the plane crash. Photo: AFP

 

C-130s have been the workhorses of air forces around the world for decades, used to transport troops, supplies, and vehicles.

The second-hand Hercules that crashed Sunday was acquired from the United States and delivered to the Philippines earlier this year.

It was one of four in the country’s fleet and was in “very good condition”, the military said. Two others are being repaired while the third has been grounded following the crash.

“These are all seasoned and experienced pilots, that’s why we are also unable to immediately say how this… (happened),” said Arevalo.

“Even if these (military assets) are not brand new… these are airworthy.”

“This ranks as the worst crash of a Philippine military aircraft,” Jose Antonio Custodio, a military historian and analyst, told AFP.

It was the latest in a series of recent military air accidents in the Philippines.

Last month, a Black Hawk helicopter went down during a night-time training flight, killing all six onboard. The accident prompted the grounding of the country’s entire Black Hawk fleet.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said Monday the incidents would provide “impetus for further modernisation” of the armed forces.

“The whole country is mourning,” he said.

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Alli Campaign Warns Against Fraudsters Collecting NIN, Bank Details

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The campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, has warned members of the public against fraudsters allegedly impersonating the senator and members of his campaign team to obtain sensitive personal information.

The organisation said the suspected fraudsters had been contacting unsuspecting members of the public by telephone and requesting their National Identification Numbers, bank account details and other confidential information.

The warning was contained in a statement issued on Saturday by the Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign organisation, Bisi Oladele.

Oladele described the development as an attempt to deceive members of the public and expose their personal and financial information to possible abuse.

He said, “Neither Senator Sharafadeen Alli nor his campaign organisation has authorised anyone to solicit NINs, bank details, passwords, PINs, One-Time Passwords or any other confidential information from members of the public.”

The campaign organisation urged anyone who receives such calls or messages to disregard them and avoid disclosing personal, banking or identification details until the identity of the caller has been properly verified.

It also cautioned members of the public against transferring money or responding to requests for financial assistance made through unverified telephone numbers, social media accounts or other unofficial communication channels purportedly linked to the campaign.

The organisation warned that sensitive information could be exploited for identity theft, financial fraud and other criminal activities.

It urged victims or members of the public who encounter suspicious calls or messages to report them promptly to the appropriate security agencies.

The campaign organisation said it was taking the allegations seriously and would cooperate with relevant authorities to identify and prosecute anyone found to be involved in impersonation, fraud or other criminal activities using Alli’s name.

It further advised the public to remain vigilant and verify unsolicited requests before responding to them, stressing that information about Alli and his campaign should be obtained only through officially verified communication channels.

The organisation reaffirmed Alli’s commitment to lawful and transparent engagement with the people of Oyo State, maintaining that legitimate political engagement does not require anyone to surrender confidential banking or identity information to unidentified callers.

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LAUTECH Strike: Alli Campaign Organisation Knocks Makinde Over Doctors’ Plight

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The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has criticised the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, over the prolonged strike by resident doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.

The organisation said the strike, which has lasted for more than 30 days, was taking a toll on healthcare delivery and exposing what it described as the government’s failure to adequately address the welfare concerns of medical personnel in the state.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the organisation, Bisi Oladele, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday.

The organisation also expressed concern over the 21-day warning strike issued by the Association of Medical and Dental Officers of Oyo State over unresolved issues bordering on welfare, remuneration and conditions of service.

According to the group, the situation was worrisome because medical workers were being forced to embark on industrial action over issues relating to allowances, residency training funds and salary arrears.

It said the resident doctors were demanding the payment of outstanding Medical Residency Training Fund and six months’ Minimum Wage arrears, among other welfare-related issues.

The organisation said the prolonged strike had negatively affected medical services at the teaching hospital, with patients who could not afford private healthcare allegedly left with the option of waiting for services to resume or seeking alternative treatment.

“The SSACO is concerned about Governor Seyi Makinde’s failure to sit with the striking resident doctors and find a lasting solution to their demands.

“As the strike prolongs, the resident doctors feel maltreated, while the masses bear the brunt of government’s insensitivity.

“Healthcare delivery is a critical service which serious administrations treat with urgency and with the importance it deserves. With this prolonged strike, our resident doctors are feeling maltreated while the masses suffer.

“The medical and dental officers across state hospitals have also served notice of a warning strike. This combination is a signal of government failure in the health sector. It is unacceptable in our dear state,” the statement read.

The group maintained that the situation could worsen if the grievances of health workers were not urgently addressed, warning that further disruption of services could have serious consequences for patients dependent on public hospitals for affordable and specialised treatment.

It challenged the state government to engage the striking doctors and resolve the outstanding issues, accusing the administration of treating their complaints with insufficient urgency.

The organisation further said healthcare would occupy a priority position in Senator Sharafadeen Alli’s Oyo AHEAD agenda, promising improved welfare and working conditions for health workers.

“Health workers and other civil servants will not be denied their entitlements. They will enjoy training and retraining, and they will have facilities to work with,” it said.

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Independence: Alli celebrates Nigeria at 66, seeks support for Tinubu, APC candidates

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The Oyo State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, has urged Nigerians to renew their faith in the country and support President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

Alli made the call in his Independence Day message issued in Ibadan on Thursday to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.

The APC candidate said the anniversary was not only a moment to celebrate the country’s freedom but also an opportunity for citizens to reflect on the sacrifices of the nation’s founding fathers and the responsibility of the present generation to build a better Nigeria.

He urged Nigerians to remain united and patriotic, saying the country’s challenges could be overcome through responsible leadership, collective action and commitment to national development.

Alli also appealed to Nigerians to support the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, saying the government needed the cooperation of citizens to move the country from economic stabilisation to increased production, investment and shared prosperity.

He said, “We must never lose faith in Nigeria. Despite the challenges confronting the nation, our country remains endowed with enormous human and natural resources capable of making it one of the most prosperous nations in the world.”

The former senator particularly urged the people of Oyo State to support Tinubu and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

According to him, having an APC-led government in Oyo State would provide an opportunity for closer coordination between the state and Federal Government in the implementation of development programmes.

Alli said his aspiration to govern the state was driven by a desire to provide purposeful, inclusive and people-centred leadership.

He listed education, security, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, youth empowerment, economic development, workers’ welfare and local government autonomy among the areas his administration would prioritise if elected.

He said the state had significant potential in agriculture, commerce, industry, tourism and human capital, but required deliberate policies to translate those advantages into opportunities for its people.

“We are seeking the mandate to build an Oyo State where our children can receive quality education, our farmers can produce without fear, our young people can find opportunities and our communities can benefit from meaningful infrastructure.

“Our campaign is not about political power for its own sake. It is about service, development and restoring greater confidence in the ability of government to improve the lives of our people,” Alli said.

The APC candidate also called on members of the party across the 33 local government areas and 351 wards of the state to close ranks and work collectively for the success of the party’s candidates.

He urged party members to see the senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly candidates as members of one team working towards advancing the interests of Oyo State.

Alli congratulated President Tinubu, the Federal Government, state and local governments as well as Nigerians on the Independence anniversary.

He prayed for peace, security and prosperity in the country and urged citizens to remain hopeful and committed to the task of nation-building.

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