African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, has argued that personnel responsible for maintaining and procuring Nigerian Air Force aircraft should not investigate the crash in Igbokoda, Ondo State.

Recall that the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, registration number NAF 931, crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area, on October 5 during a routine mission from Benin City, Edo State, to Lagos.

The Air Force confirmed that all 25 people on board, five crew members and 20 passengers, died in the crash.

It was reports that Sowore, in a post via his 𝕏 handle on Saturday, said he visited the crash site on Friday.

While calling for an independent investigation, Sowore questioned how authorities handled the crash site and wreckage, arguing the process could undermine efforts to establish what happened.

Sowore insisted that experts should recover and examine all parts of the aircraft to establish the cause of the crash.

He also expressed anger over the loss of life, adding that the incident should not be treated as a routine occurrence.

He said, “Those who are responsible for maintenance, procurements should not be the ones investigating what happened. We should bring outsiders.

“That’s not how to investigate accidents. How it is done all over the world is that every part of that aircraft must be retrieved and pinned back together by experts because if there had been a bomb blast, how would we know?

“Something went wrong, and it’s fundamental. And we are just looking at this and saying, oh, they have visited. No, it’s not a matter of the visitors. It’s a matter of the passengers. People died.”

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM

Violent rioters, many of whom were masked, confronted police at the edge of an anti-austerity march in Brussels. Police responded with water cannons and tear gas.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with police in the Belgian capital on Friday during an anti-austerity march organized by trade unions.

Masked protesters dressed in black threw rocks and other projectiles at police in Brussels. Anti-police slogans echoed through the streets, and similar graffiti covered nearby walls.

An AFP reporter witnessed two buses being attacked after the passengers were evacuated. The rioters smashed the windows and ripped out the seats. Meanwhile, youths set fire to trash cans, rental bikes, and scooters.

According to Reuters, firefighters extinguished several fires, including those on buses.

How did police respond to protests in Brussels?

The police said officers used water cannons and tear gas after young people on the outskirts of the protest targeted them with sticks and bottles.

“Several hundred youths gathered along with the demonstrators,” police said in a statement. “The atmosphere gradually became more tense and there were serious disturbances to public order.”

In a preliminary update, the police said they had arrested approximately 20 people, mostly minors.

Police also said the main trade union march had gone ahead peacefully. Before the rally, union head Bert Engelaar called on rioters to stay away from the protest.

“Those individuals have nothing to do with the message with which thousands of others come out on the streets,” Engelaar wrote on Facebook.

What are the government’s goals?

Chaotic scenes of violence occurred during a demonstration in which between 30,000 and 50,000 people participated. It was one of many nationwide union protests against planned austerity measures.

Belgium is burdened by substantial public debt and a persistent budget deficit. Led by Prime Minister Bart De Wever, the center-right government aims to find €10 billion ($11.2 billion) in savings by the end of its term in 2029.

Rather than imposing cuts in areas like health and hiking VAT, trade unions are pushing for the government to increase taxes on the highest earners.

The clashes in Brussels came after a week of tension in Liege, where authorities banned public gatherings after students clashed with police and vandalized shops. Over 200 people were arrested in Liege, and dozens of police officers were injured.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

Credits: DW.COM

Protesters clash with riot police during a national demonstration against government budget cuts and proposed reforms in Brussels, Belgium, Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

The United States has renewed efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, with American, Ukrainian and European officials meeting in Miami on Friday to explore ways to reach a peace deal before winter.

The latest diplomatic move came as US President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase diesel supplies to global markets, highlighting the growing link between the war and rising energy costs.

US envoy Steve Witkoff said the meeting focused on possible ways to reduce tensions and end the conflict, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In a post on 𝕏 after the meeting, Witkoff described the discussions as “constructive” and said the participants considered ways to achieve lasting peace before winter.

He said the meeting included representatives of the E3 countries, the European Commission, Ukraine, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

According to Witkoff, the discussions covered energy security, grain exports, security guarantees and long-term arrangements to protect Ukraine and Europe against future conflicts.

He added that the officials also discussed Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, economic growth and its possible accession to the European Union.

Witkoff did not confirm whether the talks would continue on Saturday, as initially planned.

The renewed negotiations came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the failure to reach a diplomatic settlement could lead to further escalation.

Speaking to reporters in Lisbon on Thursday, Rubio said the conflict had reached a dangerous stalemate, with the possibility of the fighting spreading beyond Ukraine.

“The other way that stalemates end is through escalation,” he said, warning that neighbouring NATO countries could also be affected.

Rubio maintained that Washington did not believe it could resolve the conflict through military action alone.

“We do not believe that there is a military solution to this conflict,” he added.

The latest meeting followed visits to Moscow and Kyiv last month by Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, as the US administration sought to revive negotiations that have made little progress.

According to Al Jazeera, a source familiar with the discussions revealed that American negotiators had since been working on fresh proposals with Russian and Ukrainian officials.

Trump’s diplomatic push also coincided with an announcement that Russia would increase diesel supplies to the United States and other global markets.

Following a telephone conversation with Putin on Friday, the US president said Russia would immediately supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel, with another 500,000 tonnes expected in November.

The US Treasury Department also announced a temporary licence allowing Russian diesel to reach global markets.

It was not immediately clear whether Trump and Putin discussed the war in Ukraine during their telephone conversation.

Trump has blamed Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries for rising fuel prices. However, the US-Israeli war with Iran has been identified in the report as the main source of disruption to global energy supplies.

European officials have also raised concerns about high energy costs and the conflict’s wider economic effects.

Naija News reports that the renewed diplomatic efforts came amid continued Russian attacks on Ukraine, including a strike on buses in the frontline city of Kramatorsk that killed 30 people.

With winter approaching, concerns are growing over further fighting and attacks on critical infrastructure, increasing pressure on both sides to consider a settlement.

However, major disagreements over territory continue to stand in the way of a peace agreement.

Trump’s previous efforts to broker an end to the war have struggled over Russia’s demand to control all of Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, including areas still under Ukrainian control.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected giving up territory held by his country, warning that Russia could use such areas as a base for another attack.

Russia currently occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory following its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The territorial dispute remains one of the biggest obstacles to negotiations, despite renewed efforts by Washington to bring both sides closer to an agreement.

The Miami meeting also comes as the Trump administration seeks progress on its diplomatic efforts before the US midterm elections in November.

According to Axios, Witkoff and Kushner briefed Trump on their latest proposals during a meeting on Thursday attended by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other senior officials.

Washington is also seeking to arrange broader discussions involving Russia and Ukraine later this month.

The Kremlin has indicated that three-way negotiations could resume in October, although no date has been announced.

Whether the renewed talks will produce a breakthrough remains uncertain, as both sides continue to disagree over territory and the security arrangements needed to end the war.

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

INSTAGRAM