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President Kennedy’s Assassination: US releases thousands of secret files

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n this file photo taken on April 11, 2013, a student walks past a copy of Aaron Shikler’s official portrait of Kennedy which hangs in the White House during a preview of an exhibit devoted to the assassinated US President John F. Kennedy at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP

US authorities released thousands of secret files Wednesday on president John F. Kennedy’s assassination, a case that still fuels conspiracy theories despite the official conclusion he was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald.

The CIA and FBI files show US investigators spread their net wide and deep to find out if Oswald conspired with others in the November 22, 1963, murder that shocked the world.

Documents show they chased down myriad leads from Soviet intelligence to African communist groups and the Italian mafia.

They also show the extensive US efforts to spy on and influence the communist government of Fidel Castro in Cuba, which Oswald had contacts with and which Kennedy had sought to overthrow.

The 1,491 documents, many of them lengthy reports, were posted on the JFK Assassination Records page of the National Archives, which already has tens of thousands of record listings related to Kennedy’s death and the investigation that followed.

Kennedy’s assassination has long given rise to numerous conspiracy theories that do not accept the official verdict that Oswald worked alone when he shot Kennedy as the young president was rolling through the streets of Dallas, Texas in a convertible limousine.

Some believe Oswald, a communist sympathizer, was put up to it by Cuba or the Soviet Union.

Others believe that anti-Cuba activists, possibly with support in US intelligence or the FBI, had Kennedy killed.

And still, others believe his political rivals could have been at the root of the assassination.

‘Sinister Conspiracies’ 

In this file photo taken on November 08, 2013, a 1964 historic federal law enforcement photo of the post JFK assassination shows FBI agent Robert Frazier reenacting the JFK assassination near its original location at the Texas School Book Depository building in Dallas, Texas.Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP

Four years ago, former President Donald Trump was legally bound by a 1992 law to release the information held back by US intelligence on the subject.

The law requires all government records on the assassination be disclosed “to enable the public to become fully informed.”

Trump declassified more than 53,000 documents in seven tranches, taking the portion of the entire assassination archive available to the public to 88 percent, according to the National Archive.

But Trump left thousands of others under wraps on national security grounds.

This year, President Joe Biden pledged to honor the law, but he too came under fire in October when the White House postponed more releases.

Biden said at the time the delay was necessary “to protect against identifiable harm to the military defense, intelligence operations, law enforcement, or the conduct of foreign relations.”

The White House is now under pressure to complete reviews of the documents before the end of 2022, when they have to be released, unless the government can provide reasons for holding them back.

Philip Shenon, an expert in the Kennedy Assassination dossier, wrote in an article published by Politico on Wednesday that there are probably documents that will never be released for security reasons.

“So long as the government continues to keep some documents hidden, it will only further promote the idea that sinister conspiracies about Kennedy’s death have a basis in fact,” he said.

“Today, QAnon, which the FBI has deemed a domestic terrorism threat, has embraced JFK conspiracy theories,” Shenon added, referring to the US conspiracy movement that has in recent years crept into the mainstream.

Shenon estimated that 15,000 assassination-related documents remain classified, most of them from the CIA and FBI.

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Tragedy strikes Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Five die, eight injured in fiery multiple crash

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It was a night of sorrow and devastation in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, as a horrific multiple-vehicle crash along the Ibadan axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway claimed at least five lives and left eight others injured in a fiery chain collision involving trucks, tankers, and smaller vehicles.

The accident occurred at about 10:00 p.m. on Friday around the Satguru Maharaji Ji Village axis, just before the Ibadan Toll Gate, throwing the busy highway into chaos as flames and thick smoke engulfed the scene.

The crash involved six trucks, including gas tankers and trailer units, two Toyota Hilux vans, and two cars, according to emergency officials who described it as one of the most severe road accidents in recent times on the corridor.

Eyewitnesses said the tragedy began when one of the trucks reportedly suffered brake failure and rammed into another vehicle ahead of it, triggering a chain reaction that quickly escalated into a multi-vehicle inferno.

In moments, several vehicles were trapped in the blaze, while terrified motorists and bystanders watched helplessly as the fire spread across the expressway.

Eight persons were rescued alive with varying degrees of injuries and were immediately rushed to nearby hospitals for urgent medical attention.
Confirming the incident, the Chairman of the Oyo State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, said the crash was caused by brake failure which spiralled into a massive fire outbreak.

“Upon arrival, we discovered that the accident involved six trucks (gas tankers and trailer trucks) and two cars, resulting in a fire outbreak,” he said.

“Five persons were recovered dead, while eight others were rescued and handed over to the team of the Federal Road Safety Corps led by SRC Adegbite from Toll Gate, Ibadan, for further medical attention at the nearest hospital.”

Firefighters eventually brought the inferno under control after hours of operation, while security operatives and traffic officials worked to clear wreckage and restore movement on the busy expressway.

Normalcy has since returned to the road, but the tragedy has left behind a grim reminder of the dangers of mechanical failure and unsafe haulage on Nigeria’s busiest highway.

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Family Horror in Daura as Woman, 20, Allegedly Beats Grandmother, 97, to Death

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A deeply disturbing incident has left residents of Daura Local Government Area, Katsina State, in shock after a 20-year-old woman allegedly killed her 97-year-old grandmother during a family dispute.

The Katsina State Police Command confirmed that the tragic incident occurred at about 7:00 p.m. on June 12, 2026, following an argument between the suspect and her paternal grandmother at their residence.

According to preliminary investigations, the disagreement escalated into violence when the young woman allegedly struck the elderly victim on the head with a wooden chair. The blow reportedly left the nonagenarian severely injured and unconscious.

The victim was later discovered in a pool of blood after the suspect’s father reported the incident to the Sabon Garin Daura Police Station. Police operatives immediately rushed to the scene and evacuated her to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention.

Despite efforts by medical personnel, she was confirmed dead by a doctor shortly after arrival.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Command, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, said the suspect was arrested in the course of investigation and had reportedly made a confession to the crime.

He added that the suspect remains in custody and will be charged to court upon the completion of investigations, assuring that justice would be served in accordance with the law.

The command also appealed for calm among residents, reiterating its commitment to a thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.

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Photos: Midnight Fire Razes 20 Ibadan Shops, Destroys ₦200m Goods

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No fewer than 20 shops were razed while goods valued at over ₦200 million were destroyed after a midnight fire gutted a shopping complex in the Dugbe area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

The inferno, which started around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, affected the Nigerian Postal Service shopping complex located beside the Dugbe General Post Office.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent on Sunday that the fire was allegedly triggered by an accident involving a Lexus saloon car.

According to residents, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle while travelling from the Queen’s Cinema axis towards Iyaganku.

The vehicle was said to have rammed into a giant billboard situated in front of the Nigerian Railway Corporation station in Ibadan before somersaulting and splitting into two.

Witnesses said the rear part of the vehicle, reportedly carrying a Compressed Natural Gas tank and back tyres, detached and rolled into the shopping complex, where an explosion occurred, igniting the fire.

The blaze razed about 20 shops dealing in stationery, computer accessories and clothing materials, leaving traders counting heavy losses.

Men of the Oyo State Fire Service were, however, able to prevent the fire from spreading to the General Post Office and adjoining buildings.

The occupants of the Lexus reportedly escaped unhurt.

Although some eyewitnesses alleged that the occupants were heading towards the Ring Road area before the crash, authorities had yet to officially confirm details surrounding their identities and movement as of the time of filing this report.

When our correspondent visited the scene around 8 a.m. on Sunday, firefighters and security operatives were still at the complex battling the aftermath of the inferno as smoke billowed from sections of the affected structure.

Shop owners and residents gathered at the scene, lamenting the destruction of goods and property.

One of the affected traders, Kingsley Chioma, said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Iyaganku Police Station assured victims that efforts were underway to apprehend the driver.

“We lost goods worth millions of naira to the fire. The DPO assured us that the driver responsible for the incident would be arrested,” Chioma said.

As of the time of filing this report, officials of the Oyo State Fire Service and the police had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

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