Lifestyle

Three nights Nigeria will not forget

Published

4 months ago

November 22, 2025

A hostel at Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi State, where bandits kidnapped 25 students, killing the vice-principal in the process.

ON three different days across three different states, Nigeria was pulled into the same widening circle of sorrow. A candlelit church was attacked in Eruku, Kwara State, on Tuesday.

Twenty-five schoolgirls were abducted from Maga, Kebbi State, before sunrise on Monday.

Brigadier General Musa Uba was ambushed and killed on the penultimate Friday in Borno.

Separate tragedies, yet bound by a single grim echo, the reminder that the country still walks through shadows long after midnight should have passed.

The night Eruku held its breath

Tuesday evening in Eruku began like a gentle hymn. Inside Christ Apostolic Church, candles flickered, voices blended in prayer, and worshippers leaned into the soft comfort of faith. The warm glow, the lifted hands, the familiar rhythm; all of it felt like a small pocket of peace. Then the doors burst open.

The first gunshot tore the hymn in half. Panic rippled through the sanctuary. Mothers threw themselves over their children. Candles toppled, casting frantic shapes across the walls. Screams clashed with the thunder of gunfire. Two worshippers fell dead where they stood. The pastor and several congregants were dragged into the night.

Eruku has lived on edge ever since. People speak in lowered tones now, as though the night itself leans in to listen. Some recall the sting of shattered glass against their skin; others cannot shake the memory of the ratatat of gunfire blending with the wails of women and children. The church remains suspended in its trauma; pews overturned, hymnals abandoned, dust settling softly on memories too heavy for anyone to lift.

Yet as dusk falls each evening, Saturday Vanguard learnt that villagers still gather near the church, candles cupped carefully in their hands. They form gentle circles of prayer, their flames trembling but refusing to die.

A day earlier, in the early hours of Monday, another darkness was unfolding hundreds of kilometres away.

At Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, the girls slept in their hostel, unaware that their world was about to break open. They dreamed simple teenage dreams: assignments, parents, school gossip, futures that still felt close enough to touch.

Then came the motorcycles. The gunmen slipped through the fence with ruthless confidence. They stormed the hostel, jolting the girls awake with shouting, torchlight, and the cold bite of fear. Twenty-five were seized and dragged into the night. A vice-principal who tried to stop the attackers paid with his life.

Now the school carries an eerie silence. Beds remain rough and unmade. Notebooks sit untouched. Slippers rest beside bunks that should belong to giggling, restless teenager girls. The air itself feels held in place, waiting for footsteps that do not return.

Parents sit outside their homes long past midnight, whispering their daughters’ names into the wind. Some clutch photographs until the edges fray. Others rock gently in silence, trapped in the slow ache of suspended time. In Maga, every second feels like an eternity stretched thin by hope and fear.

The fall of a soldier

And then there was the tragedy of the penultimate Friday, the loss of Brigadier General Musa Uba in Borno.

He was a soldier who believed leadership meant stepping into danger, not standing behind it. He carried the burdens of his men with quiet dignity, moving through each mission with the calm resolve of someone who understood both the cost and necessity of courage.

But the ambush that claimed him was swift and merciless. He was taken alive. Days later, the country learned that he had been killed.

In his home, his uniforms still hang where he left them. His boots sit by the doorway, their silence almost accusatory. His family moves through the house like people navigating sacred ground, touching his belongings with careful, trembling hands.

Among the ranks, his name is spoken with reverence, a reminder of the sacrifices that rarely make headlines but shape the fragile space between safety and chaos.

A nation holding its breath

Nigeria feels like a nation holding its breath. Three days, three states, and one sorrow that stretches across the map like a single unbroken thread. In Eruku, a farmer startles at every slamming door, his nerves still raw from Tuesday’s terror.

In Maga, a mother has not slept since Monday, her thoughts circling endlessly around the daughter who never came home. In Borno, a widow moves quietly through her house, her gaze lingering on medals she cannot yet bear to hold.

Across the country, nights have grown heavier. Parents walk their children to school with wary eyes fixed on distant horizons. Communities stay awake longer than they used to, listening for rustles in the dark that might signal danger. Even soldiers move differently; tighter, more deliberate, as though the air itself has changed.

And yet, beneath all the fear, something stubbornly human refuses to fade.

The heart that refuses to stop beating

In Eruku, neighbours now escort each other home from evening errands, their footsteps forming a quiet shield. In Maga, young volunteers sweep through bushes and backroads, driven by nothing but determination and the aching need to bring the girls home. In Borno, soldiers straighten their backs in honour of the commander they lost, carrying his courage like a torch through the shadows.

Grief is here, heavy and undeniable, but resilience has arrived with it, rising from the belief that sorrow cannot be the final sentence in Nigeria’s story.

When the sun returns

One day, Eruku’s congregation will sing again without checking the doors. One day, the daughters of Maga will return, perhaps; older, changed, but home. One day, Brigadier Uba’s family will speak his name with steady voices instead of trembling ones.

For now, the night stretches on; long, uncertain, thick with memory. But dawn is already on its way. Slow, deliberate, unyielding. And when it breaks, Nigeria will rise once more, scarred but unbroken, carrying both the weight of these three days and the quiet, stubborn hope that simply refuses to die.

Source: Vanguard News

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Lifestyle

World Sleep Day: Doctors advise adults to sleep seven to nine hours daily

Published

9 hours ago

March 13, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Medical experts have advised adults to get between seven and nine hours of sleep daily to maintain good physical and mental health.

A Consultant Family and Lifestyle Medicine Physician, Dr Moyosore Makinde, gave the advice on Friday in Lagos while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria to mark World Sleep Day.

Makinde, who is also the President of the Society of Lifestyle Medicine of Nigeria, said adequate sleep plays a vital role in maintaining overall wellbeing, productivity and long-term health.

The 2026 World Sleep Day, themed “Sleep Well, Live Better,” is dedicated to raising awareness about sleep’s critical role in human health and encouraging individuals to adopt healthier sleep habits.

Makinde explained that recommended sleep duration varies by age, noting that while adults require fewer hours, infants and children need longer sleep periods for proper development and overall well-being.

Citing World Health Organisation stipulations, Makinde recommended seven to nine hours of restorative sleep for adults above 18, explaining that infants and children required significantly longer sleep duration.

She decried the high level of sleep deprivation among the populace, noting many people failed to get adequate sleep daily, a situation she warned could negatively affect health, safety and well-being.

Makinde said the fast pace of modern life often left little time for rest, urging Nigerians to deliberately prioritise sleep by creating time for proper rest, relaxation and recovery daily.

She attributed sleep deprivation to multiple factors, including health challenges, lack of time, social media addiction, poor sleeping environments, unhealthy sleep positions, and demanding daily schedules aimed at survival.

According to Makinde, prolonged sleep deprivation increases risks of accidents, judgment errors, workplace mistakes, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, overweight, and certain cancers, including breast and prostate.

“Sleeping well in order to live better is not a myth. Sleep remains one of the most powerful yet often neglected pillars of health and well-being in modern society.

“To maintain good health, adults should have seven to nine restorative hours of sleep per day.

“Infants require up to 16 to 17 hours of sleep, while pre-school and school-age children need up to 13 hours and 12 hours, respectively, for proper brain development,” Makinde added.

According to her, sleep is as important as the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.

“It is a natural state of rest and a period when the body repairs itself physiologically, restoring energy, strengthening immunity and supporting overall bodily functions.

“Amid the hustle and bustle of work, study and business, particularly in Lagos, Nigerians need to prioritise sleep.

“In doing so, we are also prioritising our health,” she said.

Contributing, a psychiatrist and therapist, Dr Maymunah Kadiri, described sleep as “an integral part of mental well-being,” stressing its critical role in maintaining psychological balance.

Kadiri, also Medical Director of Pinnacle Medical Services, explained that good sleep improved concentration, enhanced brain performance and contributed positively to overall cognitive functioning and emotional stability.

She noted that adequate sleep supported cognitive processes and helped reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, making it an essential component of maintaining good mental health.

According to her, healthy sleep goes beyond hours spent in bed, noting that it involves adequate duration, good sleep quality that is uninterrupted and refreshing, and a consistent sleep schedule.

“Sleep significantly benefits mental health. During a good night’s sleep, the brain gets rest and all the nutrients it needs.

“A person who enjoys long-term good sleep develops improved stress resistance. Brain function improves, and the risk of cognitive disorders is significantly reduced over time.

“Sleep has a direct impact on mental health and its quality. It helps process emotions and alleviates stress as well as negative feelings,” Kadiri said.

NAN

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Lifestyle

Comedian Broda Shaggy hospitalised after alleged shooting

Published

9 hours ago

March 13, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Popular comedian, skit maker and social media influencer, Samuel Perry, popularly known as Broda Shaggy, has been hospitalised after he was allegedly shot in the Sango-Ota area of Ogun State, PUNCH Metro has learnt.

It was gathered that the incident occurred under the Sango-Ota bridge on Sunday afternoon.

Although the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear, a police source who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter said the content creator sustained the gunshot injury while filming a comedy skit at the location.

According to the source, Broda Shaggy was immediately rushed to the Blooming Care Hospital in the Alakuko area of Lagos State, where he received initial treatment.

“He was shooting a skit under the Sango-Ota bridge when he sustained a gunshot injury. We don’t have details on how it happened yet, but his crew members who were present quickly rushed him to the hospital,” the source said.

The source added that medical personnel at the hospital administered first aid upon his arrival.

Further findings by PUNCH Metro, however, revealed that he was later referred to Duchess Hospital in the Government Residential Area, Ikeja, where he is currently recuperating.

Efforts by our correspondent to reach both hospitals were unsuccessful, as calls made to the contact numbers listed on their social media pages did not connect. A text message sent to them had yet to be replied to as of the time of filing this report.

When contacted on Thursday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the development, noting that the police were alerted by the hospital.

“The hospital contacted the police to report that a gunshot victim had been brought to their facility. Detectives and a patrol team were immediately mobilised to the hospital, where they discovered that the victim was a skit maker and social media influencer popularly known as Broda Shaggy.

“He was seen on a stretcher with an injury to his thigh. The location of the incident is in Sango-Ota and not within our jurisdiction, but the investigation is ongoing,” she said.

When contacted for further clarification, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, said the incident had not been reported to the police in the state.

“The incident was alleged to have occurred in Ogun State, but it was not reported,” he said.

Broda Shaggy’s manager, Olufemi Oguntamu, also known as Penzaar, did not respond to calls made to his phone. A text message sent to him had yet to be replied to as of the time of filing this report.

PUNCH Metro recalls that in October 2024, a popular content creator, Afeez Ojesanmi, popularly known as Salo, was reportedly robbed of his jewellery and shot around the Lekki axis of Lagos State.

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Lifestyle

Nollywood actress Sarah Martins apologises for roadside cooking

Published

3 days ago

March 11, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Nollywood actress Sarah Martins has formally responded to the Lagos State Government’s warning regarding her recent public cooking activity, clarifying that the event was an emotional reconnection with vulnerable children rather than a deliberate breach of environmental laws.

The response comes after the Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on Saturday, cautioned the actress against cooking on public roads, warning that she risks arrest and prosecution if she continues the practice.

In an open letter posted on her Instagram handle on Sunday, Martins, the founder of the Sarah Martins Golden Heart Foundation, sought to set the record straight, stating that the meal was prepared in a controlled environment.

“I would like to respectfully clarify that I did not cook on the walkway or on the main street.

“The meal was prepared in front of the King’s Palace under the supervision of security personnel, and the activity took place very far from the main road, ensuring that it did not obstruct movement or create any public nuisance,” she wrote.

Explaining the motivation behind the act, the actress described it as a response to the pleas of street children she frequently encounters.

“The visit was simply born out of an emotional moment. I had deeply missed the bond I share with the vulnerable street children in that area,” she explained.

“As I occasionally drive past that axis, the children often plead with me to come back and cook with them like I used to. On this particular day, I decided to spend some time with them and prepare a meal, purely to reconnect and create memories with the kids who have always shown me genuine love,” she added.

The actress offered an apology to the state government for any perceived impropriety, saying, “My brief return to that location was never intended to create any form of public nuisance, but simply to share a heartfelt moment with children who have continued to ask for my presence.

“However, if my actions were perceived as inappropriate in any way, I sincerely apologide. I hold the laws and environmental standards of Lagos State in the highest regard.

“Going forward, I will ensure that all cooking activities are carried out strictly within the charity kitchen provided for the foundation.”

In her response, Martins also expressed gratitude to Seyi Tinubu, the President’s son, noting that his donation of a charity kitchen was specifically intended to ensure her feeding programs are conducted in a proper and organised environment, which she said her foundation remains committed to using.

PUNCH Online reports that Martins was arrested in October 2025 by KAI officials while she was cooking on a road median in Lekki, seizing her equipment.

The Lagos State Government defended the operation, with Wahab stating that the actress had engaged in unauthorised activities on public infrastructure in contravention of environmental and sanitation regulations.

While she previously claimed to have received ₦20 million from his office, Seyi Tinubu reportedly denied making the donation personally, saying some friends, moved by compassion, had raised funds to help her secure a proper space for her charity work, but stressed that he did not support any act that violated Lagos State laws.

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