Owolabi Salis, a politician and lawyer, has become the first Nigerian to travel to space.

Salis was aboard the Blue Origin’s NS-33 mission, which took off from West Texas on Sunday, June 29.

The 10-minute flight, which crossed the Kármán line also had Carl Kuehner, Jim Sitkin, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno Jr., and Allie Kuehner on board.

It reached a peak altitude of 105.2 kilometres.

Salis, before embarking on the trip, said that the mission was “more than just a trip into space”.

He described it as a “spiritual journey, a call to inspire future generations”.

Salis has previously entered the history books as the first Black African to travel to both the Arctic and Antarctic in the same season.

A 45-year-old man, Ndukwe Ogbu, who claimed to be a pastor, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos.

The conviction stemmed from his sexual abuse of his biological daughter on multiple occasions when she was just 14 years old.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe held that the prosecution had proven the three-count charge of defilement, sexual assault, and sexual assault by penetration beyond reasonable doubt.

The court convicted Ogbu based on the testimonies of the victim, a medical expert, and a social worker, all of whom corroborated the allegations.

During sentencing, the judge noted that the convict did not show remorse, as his plea for leniency was based on having other children to care for.

“From the evidence before the court, the defendant is found guilty on all three counts. He is sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on count one and 25 years each on counts two and three. The sentences are to run concurrently and will take effect from December 2019, the date of his remand,” Justice Abike-Fadipe ruled.

The prosecution, led by the Lagos State Government, arraigned the convict in February 2021. The trial began in October of the same year, during which three prosecution witnesses testified, including the survivor, a social worker, and a medical doctor. The defendant testified alone in his defence.

The social worker, Femi Oyeleke, told the court that the matter was brought to his attention by a schoolteacher to whom the survivor had confided. He then reported the case to the police.

The survivor also gave detailed testimony, identifying Ogbu as her father and recounting how the abuse started when she was 14. She said he warned her not to tell anyone, but she eventually informed her teacher.

Ogbu denied all the allegations, maintaining that he was not present at the times stated by his daughter.

He acknowledged living in the same apartment but said the girl had her own room. He told the court that his wife had passed away when the children were young and that the others lived with their maternal grandmother in the village.

A delegation of former executives of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, on Monday paid a solidarity visit to former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, amid the growing security challenges facing Kebbi State.

The visit came on the heels of a brazen attack last Thursday by over 300 armed bandits on a police camp in Makuku village, Sakaba Local Government Area. The attackers, suspected to be cattle rustlers, reportedly carted away eight AK-47 rifles from the police and set a patrol vehicle ablaze after a fierce gun battle.

Security analyst Zagazola Makama, who disclosed the incident in a post on X, said the assailants were moving with stolen cattle believed to have been taken from Niger State and were heading toward Zamfara. Troops of Operation FANSAR YANMA and other security units have since been deployed, with search and rescue efforts underway.

Leading the CPC delegation was Alhaji Umar Shuaibu, former party chairman in Niger State. He was accompanied by Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri (Adamawa), Alhaji Hamidu Haruna (Nasarawa), and George Ikyumbur (Benue), who described the worsening insecurity in Kebbi as deeply concerning and deserving of urgent national attention.

In his remarks, Malami thanked the delegation for their show of support, saying the gesture reflected a shared concern for the well-being of the state and the country at large.

“We are in a defining moment,” Malami said. “The attack on a police facility is not just a threat to security agents, but to the safety and confidence of our rural communities. It is time for unity across political lines to confront this menace head-on.”

He emphasized the need for a united and coordinated response to security challenges, adding that peace and development cannot thrive amid fear and violence.

The delegation echoed similar sentiments, calling for stronger collaboration among state and federal authorities to tackle the growing threats posed by armed groups in the North West region.