News

By Iyabo Adebisi

Oyo State Acting Governor, Chief Adebayo Lawal, has paid a condolence visit to the family of Mr Ojo Peter, an online media journalist, who was killed by suspected armed robbers in Ibadan.

Chief Lawal, who visited the wife and children of the deceased in Ibadan, expressed sadness over the unfortunate incident that claimed the publisher’s life.

The Acting Governor, who was accompanied by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, Commissioner for Public Works and Transport, Hon. Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola and the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ, Oyo State Chapter, promised that government would give its support to the family. 

He equally solicited the support of journalists in the state to stand by the family of their late colleague to find comfort in this time of grief.

While addressing the family, the Acting Governor said: “At this juncture, I have to pray that the Lord will comfort and be with you.

“Ojo Peter was a professional and he left us at his prime, though he had the prospect to become a better person in life.

“As a government, we know the efforts he put into his work when he was still alive and we appreciate that. That is why we have a lot of his colleagues here to condole with the family.

“Whatever support that can be offered would be looked into and we will get back to the family.

“I also want to challenge all journalists here today to help this family to come out of grief quickly, and the way to do that is to stand by the family.”

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Foreign

At least 15 people, including four journalists working for the International media, are reported to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.

Reuters said one its cameramen was killed in the attack at Nasser Hospital. The other three are reported to have worked for Al Jazeera, Associated Press and NBC.

Several people were killed in an initial strike, and others in a second which happened as rescuers attended the scene, the Hamas-run Civil Defence said.

The Israeli military and the prime minister’s office said they had no immediate comment.

Footage shows smoke rising up from the main hospital in southern Gaza.

In one video as a doctor holds up bloodied clothes to show journalists, there is another strike.

Reuters news agency said its cameraman, Husam al-Masri, was among those killed. The others are said to have been Mohammed Salameh working for Al Jazeera, Mariam Abu Daqa a journalist with the Associated Press, and photographer Muath Abu Taha, employed by the American TV Network NBC.

BBC/Adebukola Aluko

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