Over 10 People Shot Dead As Gunmen Attack Popular Bar In Benue

No fewer than 10 people have been shot dead after unknown gunmen attacked a popular bar near the Okada Office in Akpehe, Makurdi, the capital of Benue State.

DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS learnt that the gunmen, believed to be suspected cultists, stormed the area at around 8 pm and opened fire on patrons at the bar, leaving more than 10 people dead and several others injured.

The area has since been deserted, as the gunmen continued to fire indiscriminately.

BREAKING: Court Finds Gospel Singer Osinachi’s Husband Guilty Of Culpable Homicide

The husband of the late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, has been found guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the artist on April 8, 2022.

Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Wuse Zone 2, found Nwachukwu guilty while delivering judgment in the trial of the husband brought before court by the Office of  Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF).

The Federal Government arraigned the defendant on a 23-count charge bordering on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children,spousal battery, among others.

Having found the deceased gospel singer’s husband guilty, the court will shortly deliver it’s verdict in the case.

Details later

JUST IN: New Pope Emerges May 7

Catholic cardinals will meet on May 7 to start voting for a new pope, the Vatican announced on Monday, a week after the death of Pope Francis.

So-called “Princes of the Church” under the age of 80 will meet in the Sistine Chapel to choose a new religious leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.

The date was decided at meeting of cardinals of all ages early Monday, two days after the funeral of Francis, who died on April 21 aged 88.

The Church’s 252 cardinals were called back to Rome after the Argentine’s death, although only 135 are eligible to vote in the conclave.

They hail from all corners of the globe and many of them do not know each other.

But they already had four meetings last week, so-called “general congregations”, where they began to get better acquainted.

Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, 83, a former head of the Italian bishops’ conference, said there was a “beautiful, fraternal atmosphere”.

“Of course, there may be some difficulties because the voters have never been so numerous and not everyone knows each other,” he told Italy’s Corriere della Sera newspaper.

The Vatican on Monday closed the Sistine Chapel, where voting will take place under Michelangelo’s 16th-century ceiling frescoes, to begin preparations.

So far there are few clues as to who cardinals might choose.

“I believe that if Francis has been the pope of surprises, this conclave will be too, as it is not at all predictable,” Spanish Cardinal Jose Cobo told El Pais in an interview published on Sunday.

Francis was laid to rest on Saturday with a funeral and burial ceremony that drew 400,000 people to St Peter’s Square and beyond, including royalty, world leaders and ordinary pilgrims.

On Sunday, about 70,000 mourners filed past his marble tomb in the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome, after the “pope of the poor” opted to be buried outside the Vatican’s walls.

– Bookmakers’ odds –

With conflicts and diplomatic crises raging around the world, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who under Francis was secretary of state — the pope’s number two — is for many the favourite to succeed him.

British bookmakers William Hill put him slightly ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, the Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila, followed by Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson.

Next in their odds come Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, Guinea’s Cardinal Robert Sarah, and Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.

While Francis’s efforts to create a more compassionate Church earned him widespread affection and respect, some of his reforms angered the Church’s conservative wing, particularly in the United States and Africa.

Roberto Regoli, a professor of Church history and culture at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, told AFP that the cardinals would be looking “to find someone who knows how to forge greater unity”.

“We are in a period in which Catholicism is experiencing various polarisations, so I don’t imagine it will be a very, very quick conclave,” he said.

Bassetti, who is too old to participate, said however he thought it “will not be long”.

Some 80 percent of the cardinal electors were appointed by Francis — though that is no guarantee they will pick a successor in his likeness.

Most are relatively young, and for many it is their first conclave.

– ‘We need a courageous leader’ –

The vote is highly secretive and follows strict rules and ceremonial procedures. The process could take several days, or potentially longer.

There are four votes per day — two in the morning and two in the afternoon — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority.

Fewer than half of those eligible to vote are European.

“The future pope must have a universal heart, love all the continents. We must not look at colour, at origin, but at what is proposed,” Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga from the Central African Republic told the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.

“We need a courageous leader, a bold one, capable of speaking forcefully, of holding the helm of the Church steady even in storms… offering stability in an era of great uncertainty.”

Patrizia Spotti, a 68-year-old Italian visiting Rome for the 2026 Jubilee holy year, told AFP Monday she hoped the new pontiff “will be a pope like Francis”.

It was a difficult time for Catholicism, she said.

“Churches are empty. And the Church itself has made mistakes, all the scandals with the children,” she said, referring to the widespread revelations of clerical sex abuse.

AFP

Annie Macaulay confirms divorce from 2Baba

Actress Annie Macaulay publicly confirmed her divorce from musician Innocent “2Baba” Idibia during the 17th Headies Awards ceremony held on Sunday night.

The movie star, who had been silent on the matter for months, finally reacted while co-presenting the award for Best Afrobeat Singer of the Year alongside Farooq Oreagba, popularly celebrated as the “King of Steeze” from the 2024 Ojude Oba festival.

While introducing herself on stage, Annie stumbled over her married name before quickly correcting it, signalling her return to her maiden name.

“Annie Idi… Oh! Sorry, Annie Macaulay. Hey, single ladies!” she said, prompting cheers and applause from the audience.

The confirmation follows signs earlier this year when Annie reappeared on social media in March — nearly two months after 2Baba announced their separation — and signed off with her full name, Annie Uwana Macaulay, notably dropping Idibia.

Annie and 2Baba, who have two children, officially ended their marriage in January 2025 after the singer publicly disclosed their split.

Since then, 2Baba has proposed to Edo State lawmaker Natasha Osawaru and introduced her to his family and kinsmen in Benue State, fueling speculation about an impending wedding.