At least 72 people d!ed during last week’s mass influx of migrants into Spain’s Ceuta enclave, when tens of thousands of people mostly swam around the border post from Morocco, local officials said on Sunday, August

Most of the estimated 60,000 people who rushed into Spain’s north African territory have returned to Morocco since the territory’s largest mass migrant crossing.

“The latest figure that we have is 72,” the government’s delegate to Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, told reporters, when asked about the number of fatalities. The previous toll was 67 de@ths.

Spanish police and troops patrolled the streets of Ceuta on Sunday as the enclave returned to normal after the sudden mass influx of migrants from Morocco.

Only small groups of migrants were still walking around after most who crossed the small border barrier returned voluntarily to Morocco in 48 hours.

The largest migrant rush into the enclave has caused an international crisis for Spain, with European partners criticising Madrid for its immigration policies.

Outside a housing project near Ceuta port, Spanish soldiers detained a group of nine tired-looking migrants who were sitting on the pavement, guarded by troops with an armoured car, an AFP reporter said.

Small inflatable boats from a rescue unit scoured the waters around the border barrier that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, where a new 500-metre (1,640-feet) floating boom reinforced security.

Civil Guard were also taking migrants off a bus to escort them back to the border post to return to Morocco.

Spain has blamed criminal gangs for spreading rumours that a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling on immigration would allow migrants easier passage.

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The Nigerian Army has deployed 86 personnel to the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB), reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to regional peace, security and peacekeeping operations across West Africa.

In a statement released on Saturday, August 1, the army said the troops, deployed as Nigerian Company 5 (NIGCOY 5 ESSMGB), departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja aboard a Nigerian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and arrived safely in Guinea-Bissau to begin their assignment under the ECOWAS mandate.

Before their departure from the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Forward Operating Base in Abuja, the Chief of Operations, Major General Mayirenso Saraso, urged the troops to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and operational excellence throughout the mission.

Represented by the Director of Peace Support Operations, Brigadier General M.M. Idris, Saraso charged the personnel to serve as worthy ambassadors of the Nigerian Army, the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the country by carrying out their mandate responsibly. He also urged them to respect the laws and customs of Guinea-Bissau while maintaining zero tolerance for s3xual exploitation and abuse, substance abuse, indiscipline and the irresponsible use of social media. NigerianBusiness News

The army said the deployment underscores Nigeria’s continued leadership in ECOWAS peace support operations and its longstanding contribution to regional and international peacekeeping missions under ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations.

According to the statement, the latest deployment reflects Nigeria’s strategic role in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and post-conflict stabilisation across Africa through the professionalism and resilience of its peacekeepers.

The ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau was established to support security sector reforms and help maintain political stability following years of political crises and repeated military interventions.

The mission succeeded the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB), which was deployed after the 2012 coup, and forms part of ECOWAS efforts to prevent instability in the country from escalating into broader regional security threats.

Nigeria has consistently been one of the largest contributors to ECOWAS peace operations, providing troops, logistics and leadership for missions in countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

The latest deployment comes as ECOWAS continues to confront growing security and political challenges across West Africa, including military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, as well as persistent insurgency and jihadist violence in the Sahel.

Although Guinea-Bissau has largely avoided the scale of violence experienced in parts of the region, ECOWAS maintains a stabilisation mission in the country to support constitutional order and deter potential security threats.

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Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has said that Catholic Bishops have a long-standing tradition of speaking truth to power and have never been partisan.

His comments come amid a debate following remarks by Cardinal and former Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

Speaking during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Friday, Onaiyekan said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) told President Tinubu during a recent meeting at the State House that the country’s economic situation was taking a heavy toll on poor Nigerians.

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He also alleged that the president was not receiving accurate briefings on the realities confronting the country.

The cardinal said the President is bent on winning the 2027 general election “by all means”, warning that the government’s access to state resources could threaten the credibility of the electoral process.

However, in an X post defending his principal, Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Policy Communication, faulted Onaiyekan’s remarks as being politically motivated.

Bwala said the former Abuja Archbishop was speaking only for Catholics and not for all Christians, adding that the cardinal was “more political than spiritual.”

He also defended Tinubu’s response to the bishops’ assessment of the economy, saying the president’s position was based on facts and statistics.

But in a post on his X handle on Saturday, Shehu Sani, also a public commentator, said the Catholic Bishops had consistently spoken truth to successive governments since the era of military rule.

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“From the era of Military rule and throughout the period of civilian Governments, the Catholic Bishops have a consistent history of telling truth to power.”

He said the bishops had never been partisan in their dealings with political leaders, stating that they had always presented every president they visited with bitter kola instead of olive oil.

“They have never been partisan. Every President they visited, they bring him a gift of Bitter Kola instead of Olive Oil,” Sani wrote.

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