A man in Indonesia killed his neighbour for persistently asking why he wasn’t married, police said.

Parlindungan Siregar, 45, attacked Asgim Irianto, 60, a retired civil servant, with a piece of wood around 8 pm on 29 July, the Straits Times reported. The incident took place in Tapanuli Selatan in northern Sumatra.

Assistant police commissioner Maria Marpaung said on 31 July that Mr Irianto ran out after Siregar attacked him but fell down after he was hit on the head. Siregar continued hitting him until their neighbours intervened.

They took Mr Irianto to a local community health centre but he died on the way.

Siregar was arrested shortly after and admitted to plotting his neighbour’s murder, Ms Marpaung said. She added: “He was determined to beat Mr Asgim to death because of the frequent taunts about his single status.”

Police said the neighbours didn’t share a particularly cordial relationship. They would argue over their chickens going into each other’s coops.

Last month, a man in Indonesia allegedly stabbed his friend to death after they got into an argument over which came first, the chicken or the egg.

The suspect, identified only as DR, stabbed Kadir Markus from Muna Regency in South East Sulawesi province at least 15 times after they got into a heated argument over the riddle on 24 July.

A wooden cargo boat, identified as ‘Godbless Dickson’, laden with cargo and over 64 passengers and crew exploded, and burst into flames leaving 20 dead in Bayelsa waterways.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt on Thursday that the tragic incident occurred on Wednesday along the Ezetu 1 community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa.

ASP Musa Mohammed, the Police Spokesman in Bayelsa told NAN correspondent on telephone that 20 people have been so far confirmed dead, while rescue efforts by the Marine Police unit were still ongoing.

The ill-fated cargo boat laden with farm produce from the rural settlement was en route to Swali market in Yenagoa.

Mr Ogoniba Ipigansi, Chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Bayelsa Chapter, also confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with a NAN Correspondent on Thursday.

He said that a rescue team of the union, consisting of two-speed boats, had been dispatched to the scene to assist the passengers on board.

He said that the exact number of casualties was yet to be ascertained, as the rescue was still underway and several people on board yet to be accounted for.

A speedboat operator, Mr Augustine Amayoro, who participated in rescue efforts, said he rescued 10 persons from the scene, leaving other passengers stranded in the nearby fishing camp.

NAN gathered that the wooden cargo boats were exempted from the state government’s ban on night navigation on waterways.

Due to the slow pace of navigation, the cargo boats set sail a day ahead of the targeted weekly market days of Thursdays when farm produce flood the Swali waterside in Yenagoa.

Meanwhile, Chief Target Segibo, Chairman of Southern Ijaw LGA, who bemoaned the loss of 20 persons in the incident, described the disaster as regrettable.

He called for concerted efforts by stakeholders to strengthen safety regulations in the marine transport sector. 

The Lagos State Government has demolished an illegal shrine constructed close to a main road at Moshalasi Bus Stop, Ile Epo in Iyana Ipaja.

A 2.58-minute video of the demolition was shared by the State Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab on Wednesday.

Wahab explained that the shrine was removed by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps after repeated stop-work notices were ignored and personnel from the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency were physically assaulted.

He warned that the state government would no longer tolerate any form of environmental nuisance in state parks and gardens.

Wahab noted that anyone found guilty would be prosecuted.

The commissioner’s statement read in part: “After several stop-work notices served and physical assault on the personnel of the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps earlier today removed the Shrine constructed close to a main road at Moshalasi Bus Stop, Ile Epo in Iyana Ipaja.

“The Lagos State government is again warning everyone to desist from constituting any form of environmental nuisance on the State parks and gardens as this will be met with prosecution.”

The Nigerian Army high command has broken its silence over the killing of a protester by a soldier in Zaria, Kaduna State.

Spokesman of the army, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, noted that hoodlums had brazenly attacked soldiers enforcing State government imposed curfew with weapons.

Nwachukwu said, “On August 6, 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call that some hoodlums gathered in Samaru in large numbers, burning tyres on the road and pelting stones at security personnel. The troops immediately mobilised and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the State Government.

“On arrival at the scene, the hoodlums brazenly attempted attacking the troops prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of a 16-year-old boy Ismail Mohammed. The soldier involved has since been arrested and undergoing interrogation at the time of filing this report.

“Saddened by the unfortunate incident, the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja has sent a high-powered delegation led by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Maj Gen Lander Saraso to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.

“The deceased was buried according to Islamic rites with senior military officers of the Nigerian Army in attendance.”

In Kano, a number of street beggars have urged the leaders of the current nationwide demonstrations to pause their actions for the sake of humanity.

Baba Haliru, a 70-year-old beggar from Rigiyar Zaki, shared with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the protests have made survival increasingly difficult.

Haliru described how many beggars depend on their daily income to support their families, but the protests have hindered their ability to earn.

He lamented, “We have not eaten anything in our household of 14 for two days in the last four days except water.

”For God’s sake, please reach out to those who organised the protests to end them by negotiating with the government.”

Other vagrants echoed Haliru’s feelings, urging for the cessation of the demonstrations and the complete removal of the curfew.

Read this also: Bakare Slams Politicians for Profiting While Asking Nigerians to Sacrifice

Malama Mario Kabiru of Hotoro quarters said: “We have run out of foodstuffs and we can’t go out to buy more.  We don’t have money, and the situation is unbearable.”

Malam Isa Musa from Dorayi quarters also urged the government to implement policies that address the needs of senior citizens lacking support.

He urged, “We are begging because we have no one to support us. Since the curfew was introduced, we have not eaten anything in the last three days with our families.

”We can’t continue like this; kindly let the protests stop.”

News Agency of Nigeria

A 6.9-magnitude earthquake followed by a 7.1 tremor struck off southern Japan on Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said.

Tsunamis of up to one metre were expected to arrive or have arrived in some coastal areas in Kyushu and Shikoku islands, broadcaster NHK reported.

The first quake struck at a depth of 33 kilometres (20 miles) followed by a second one nearby at a depth of 25 kilometres, the USGS said.

The Japanese government set up a special task force in response to the quakes, according to a statement.

Sitting on top of four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, Japan is one of the world’s most tectonically active countries.

The archipelago, home to around 125 million people, experiences around 1,500 jolts every year and accounts for around 18 percent of the world’s earthquakes.

The vast majority are mild, although the damage they cause varies according to their location and the depth below the Earth’s surface at which they strike.

Still, even large quakes usually cause little damage thanks to special construction techniques and strict building regulations in the world’s number four economy.

On New Year’s Day, at least 260 people died after a massive earthquake hit the peninsula, including 30 “quake-linked” deaths as well as those killed directly in the disaster.

The January 1 quake and its aftershocks toppled buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure at a time when families were celebrating the new year.