The detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday agreed to consult his legal advisers before opening his defence in the terrorism charges filed against him by the Federal Government.

Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had again urged Kanu to seek proper legal guidance after he repeatedly insisted that the seven-count charge against him was invalid.

Although he had initially refused to proceed with his defence, Kanu eventually told the court he would need to confer with his legal team.

He listed his team as Nnaemeka Ejiofor, Aloy Ejimakor, Maxwell Okpara and Mandela Umegborogu.

The judge subsequently granted an adjournment until November 7, marking the fourth time Kanu has been given an opportunity to open his defence or waive his right to do so.

Kanu had in October sacked his legal team, head by a former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi (SAN), opting to defend himself.

He initially submitted a list of 23 witnesses he intended to call, including the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

He, however, later made a U-turn, insisting there was no need to defend himself as the charges against him were unknown to any valid law in Nigeria.

At the Wednesday’s proceedings, he maintained ths same line of argument, saying no valid terrorism charge existed against him, insisting that the law under which he was being tried had been repealed. He maintained that the prosecution failed to amend the charge as allegedly directed by the Supreme Court.

“The Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act has been repealed. I cannot put up a defence under a repealed law,” he told the court.

The prosecution had closed its case on June 19, 2025 after calling five witnesses, with the court ruling on September 26 that a prima facie case had been established against Kanu. However, he has twice failed to open his defence since then, citing non-availability of documents from former lawyers.

At Wednesday’s session, the Federal Government’s counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), urged the court to enforce its order requiring Kanu to either defend himself or waive his right.

But Justice Omotosho said he would again “bend backward” in the interest of justice to allow Kanu consult lawyers knowledgeable in criminal law.

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A tricyclist has died after a truck crashed into three vehicles at the Ekoro Junction along the Abule-Egba/Command Road in Lagos on Wednesday.

PUNCH Metro gathered from an eyewitness identified simply as Abiodun that the crash occurred in the early hours of the day.

According to him, the trailer lost control and rammed into a tricycle and two other vehicles.

He said the impact of the collision crushed the tricyclist’s head and left two other drivers injured.

Abiodun said, “A ghastly accident occurred this morning, and it was a terrible sight. A trailer lost its brakes and rammed into a tricycle and two other vehicles at Ekoro Junction.

“The trailer crushed the tricyclist’s head, while about three others were severely injured. It was the police and LASTMA officers who came to evacuate the body and rescue the injured.”

Similarly, a police officer privy to the incident but not authorised to speak publicly told our correspondent that the injured persons were the drivers of the two other vehicles hit by the trailer.

The officer added that the tricyclist died instantly due to the impact of the collision.

Confirming the incident in a statement on Wednesday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq, said the crash resulted from brake failure.

According to Taofiq, the vehicles involved were a six-tyre trailer with registration number AGL 514 XD, a Honda Pilot (FST 992 DV), a Toyota Camry (EKY 753 JA), and an unregistered tricycle.

He stated, “Preliminary investigations by security operatives revealed that the accident was triggered by a mechanical brake failure in the fully loaded trailer, whose driver consequently lost control of the vehicle.

“The trailer, in its uncontrollable descent, crushed the tricycle beyond recognition before colliding with a Honda Pilot, vaulting over the median, and smashing into a Toyota Camry and nearby property on the opposite lane.

“Operatives of LASTMA arrived at the scene promptly, rescuing two severely trapped victims after confirming the instantaneous death of the tricycle operator. The scene was cordoned off to prevent secondary incidents and allow for emergency operations.”

Taofiq added that the crash caused temporary gridlock, which was later eased through diversion efforts by LASTMA officers.

Reacting to the incident, the General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, expressed grief, describing the crash as tragic and preventable.

According to the statement, Bakare-Oki stated that the incident could have been avoided if there had been stricter adherence to speed limits.

“Mr. Bakare-Oki extends his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of the deceased tricycle operator and prays for the swift recovery of the injured victims.

“He further admonishes all motorists, particularly operators of articulated and heavy-duty vehicles, to exercise utmost caution, ensure frequent mechanical inspections, and observe all safety protocols, stressing that reckless driving and mechanical negligence remain leading causes of preventable road tragedies in Lagos State,” Taofiq concluded.

Also commenting on the incident, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, disclosed that the truck was conveying beverages and bottled water when it fell on the tricycle that was parked by the roadside.

He noted that the tricyclist lost his life while two occupants of the two vehicles sustained injuries.

“Upon arrival of LRT at the incident scene, a Volkswagen truck registration number AGL 514 XD, laden with beverages and bottled water was found to have fallen on a tricycle AKA Keke NAPEP, at the above-mentioned location.

“Preliminary investigations conducted at the scene of the incident revealed that the truck suddenly suffered a mechanical error (brake failure) while descending the road, and all efforts by the driver to stop the truck proved abortive.

“Unfortunately, an adult male, driver of the tricycle, lost his life to the incident when the truck crashed into the parked tricycle and two other cars with unknown registration numbers,’ Oke-Osanyintolu stated.

Recurring incidents of trailer and truck crushing road users to death across different parts of the country have been on the rise in recent times.

PUNCH Metro reported on Monday that a cement truck crushed a minor to death while causing injuries to three others along the Ilaro-Ibese Expressway in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Similarly, PUNCH Metro reported on October 4 that five people lost their lives after a truck crushed a tricycle at the Alapoka axis of the Papalanto–Ilaro Road, Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.

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Typhoon Kalmaegi has killed at least 140 people and left another 127 missing after unleashing devastating flooding across the central Philippines, official figures showed on Thursday, as the storm headed towards Vietnam.

The typhoon is so far the globe’s deadliest of 2025, according to disaster database EM-DAT. Typhoon Trami, also in the Philippines, sat atop last year’s list with 191 people dead.

Floodwaters described as unprecedented rushed through Cebu province’s towns and cities this week, sweeping away cars, riverside shanties and even massive shipping containers.

The national civil defence office on Thursday confirmed 114 deaths, though that tally did not include an additional 28 recorded by Cebu provincial authorities.

In Liloan, a town near Cebu City where 35 bodies have been recovered, AFP reporters saw cars piled atop each other by floodwaters and roofs torn off buildings as residents attempted to dig out of the mud.

Christine Aton’s sister Michelle, who has a disability, was among Liloan’s victims, trapped in her bedroom as the floodwaters rose inside their house.

“We tried to pry open (her bedroom door) with a kitchen knife and a crowbar but it wouldn’t budge…. Then the refrigerator started to float,” Aton, 29, said.

“I opened a window and my father and I swam out. We were crying because we wanted to save my older sister.

“But my father told me we couldn’t do anything for her, that all three of us might end up dead.”

Chyros Roa, a 42-year-old father of two, said his family was saved by his dog’s barking when water rushed into their home in the early hours, giving them just enough time to reach their roof.

“The current was really strong. We tried to call for rescue but no one came. We were told the rescuers were swept away by the current,” he said.

On Thursday, President Ferdinand Marcos declared a “state of national calamity”, authorising the government to release funding for aid and impose price ceilings on basic necessities.

– ‘Once every 20 years’ –

State weather service meteorologist Benison Estareja told AFP the rains along Kalmaegi’s path were 1.5 times the amount that would typically fall in Cebu for a full November, saying it was something that happened “once every 20 years”.

The “highly urbanised” nature of the most-affected communities around Cebu City had made it even deadlier, he added.

On Wednesday, residents busily cleaning up streets that had been rivers less than 24 hours earlier told AFP they could remember nothing like it.

“Around four or five in the morning, the water was so strong that you couldn’t even step outside,” said Reynaldo Vergara, 53, adding that everything in his small shop in Mandaue had been lost when a nearby river overflowed.

“Nothing like this has ever happened. The water was raging.”

In a radio interview, provincial governor Pamela Baricuatro called the situation “unprecedented”.

Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, meaning heavier rainfall.

– ‘Urgent and dangerous’ –

Kalmaegi windspeeds were increasing Thursday as it headed towards neighbouring Vietnam, where fear was mounting the typhoon could compound the damage of a week of flooding that has already claimed 47 lives.

The typhoon is forecast to make landfall in central Vietnam late Thursday, bringing waves as high as eight metres (26 feet) and powerful storm surges, according to the national weather bureau.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha urged local authorities to treat Kalmaegi as “urgent and dangerous”, calling it “a very abnormal” storm in a statement Wednesday.

Authorities have ordered thousands to evacuate from coastal communities, and in Quy Nhon city — just south of where Kalmaegi is forecast to make landfall — an AFP reporter saw officials knocking on doors Thursday warning people to flee.

Ten typhoons or tropical storms usually affect Vietnam, directly or offshore, in a given year, but Typhoon Kalmaegi is set to be the 13th of 2025.

The Philippines has already reached its average of 20 such storms with Kalmaegi, state weather specialist Charmagne Varilla told AFP, adding at least “three to five more” storms could be expected by December’s end.

Storm number 21 is already on its way, according to the state weather service.

More than 1,500 kilometres to the country’s east, tropical storm Fung-wong is slowly building strength as it heads towards the Philippine’s main island of Luzon.

It could reach super typhoon status before it makes landfall on Monday.

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