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Curfew imposed as Clash between Hausa-Yoruba youths claim Lives, Injures many in Osun
No fewer than 10 persons were said to have been killed, while 30 others were injured following a clash between some Hausa and Yoruba youths in Ile Ife, Osun State, on Wednesday.
Vehicles were burnt and vandalised by the rampaging youths, while some houses and shops were set ablaze in the clash which forced some persons to flee their areas.
Our correspondent gathered at the scene that the fight was caused by a Hausa man, who allegedly slapped a Yoruba woman believed to be a wife of a Yoruba driver on Tuesday.
It was gathered that the Hausa man had littered the surroundings of the woman’s shop with papers and she complained against it, which resulted in an altercation.
The woman’s husband was said to have taken some of his colleagues to the scene of the fight and they reportedly beat up the man and some of his colleagues there.
This was said to have infuriated some Hausa youths, who reportedly mobilised themselves and launched an attack on some Yoruba persons at the Sabo area on Wednesday.
They were said to have injured some traders, which made the traders and some drivers to also mobilise against Hausa people their attackers.
There was tension in Ile Ife when our correspondent visited the town. An Armoured Personnel Carrier and a police van were parked at the Mayfair Roundabout while most commercial buses refused to take commuters into the area.
A bank worker told our correspondent on the telephone that all banks in the area asked their customers to leave the banking halls, while their gates were shut to prevent hoodlums from using the opportunity of the clash to loot.
Some Yoruba traders, who spoke with our correspondent in the Sabo area, claimed that Hausa leaders alerted security agencies when the crisis broke out.
They claimed that the security personnel the agencies sent were of Hausa extraction, alleging that the operatives aided Hausa youths to set ablaze vehicles, shops and other property belonging to Yoruba traders.
Two Hausa men, who identified themselves simply as Ibrahim and Nuhu, told our correspondent that Yoruba youths looted and burnt shops belonging Hausa traders in Sabo during the crisis.
Ibrahim said, “They stole our goods and burnt our shops. We don’t know what will happen tonight if this can happen in the day.”
Our correspondent saw smokes billowing from some buildings, while some people were seen running away from the area. They claimed that some Hausa youths were shooting arrows from inside some buildings.
Some Yoruba youths were later seen with guns going towards the epicentre of the crisis, threatening to kill those who “wasted the lives of our kinsmen.”
Parents were seen rushing to various schools to pick their children, claiming that Hausa youths were attacking pupils in some schools.
Some pupils were said to have been taken to the Ooni’s Palace from where their parents went to take them.
Majority of the students taken to the Ooni’s Palace were said to have been rescued from Central Elementary School, Ilare, which is opposite the area where the fight broke out.
A source at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital told our correspondent that some of the corpses were taken to the hospital’s mortuary and some of the injured persons were treated there.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Folashade Odoro, did not return calls to her telephone to confirm the incident.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Babawale Afolabi, told our correspondent that men from the command and other security personnel were at the scene to restore peace.
He said, “The NSCDC men are still there and they will remain there to ensure that no fresh clash erupts.”
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, was said to have sent some emissaries to the crisis area.
The media aide to the monarch, Moses Olafare, said, “Kabiyesi was informed about the crisis on Tuesday and he sent some chiefs to address the situation. The misunderstanding was resolved and everybody thought there was no more war.
“But on Wednesday, we heard that they had started fighting again. Kabiyesi contacted the police, the Department of State Services and other security agencies and they responded swiftly.
“ But before the security agents arrived at the place, some persons had started burning down houses and vehicles. Some Hausa persons were rounded up and taken hostage.
“The Ooni of Ife sent some chiefs to rescue those held hostage. I was in the delegation and we rescued over 1,000 Hausa people and handed them over to the Seriki Hausa. This effort doused the tension. Calm has returned to the troubled zone.”
Our correspondent observed at Moro town that an army officer, some armed soldiers and other security operatives were heading towards Ile Ife around 4pm.
Meanwhile, the Osun State Government has imposed a curfew from 6pm to 7am on Ile Ife in order to prevent hoodlums from using the cover of darkness to unleash fresh mayhem on innocent people.
The curfew was announced on the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation Television.
Precision and Heritage: How Fifi Stitches Is Rewriting African Fashion Narratives
A Nigerian-born designer is gradually carving out a cross-continental footprint in contemporary fashion, blending African textile heritage with British technical discipline.
Esther Fiyinfoluwa Adeosun, Founder and Creative Director of Fifi Stitches, is gaining recognition for structured womenswear and bridal couture that reinterprets traditional fabrics through architectural tailoring and precision construction.
Born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Adeosun’s fashion journey began at home, seated beside her mother’s sewing machine. What started as childhood curiosity, sometimes jamming the machine just to understand its mechanics—evolved into a disciplined design practice now operating between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
During an interview with journalists the fifi Stitches once mentioned “I was fascinated by how flat fabric could transform into something structured and meaningful”.
In her Story , early designs made for her family, though imperfectly finished, were worn with pride—an encouragement that laid the foundation for her professional confidence.
Today, Fifi Stitches is recognised for sculpted bodices, controlled tailoring, corsetry construction, and the contemporary reinterpretation of Ankara, Aso Oke, and Adire textiles.
The brand challenges the long-held perception that African fabrics belong solely in ceremonial contexts, instead positioning them within global luxury and modern design spaces.
Adeosun’s training reflects this dual perspective. She studied Fashion Design and Entrepreneurship at the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Development Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, and earned a Diploma in Fashion Design through Alison Online.
In the UK, she undertook industry-focused technical training with Fashion-Enter Ltd and gained fashion business exposure through Fashion Capital UK.
Her technical expertise spans pattern drafting, draping, garment technology, structured tailoring, corsetry, and bespoke fittings—skills she describes as central to credibility in fashion. “Precision builds trust,” she says. “A designer must understand construction as deeply as creativity.”
Fifi Stitches has showcased collections at the Suffolk Fashion Show, Liverpool Fashion Show – FB Fashion Ball, Red Carpet Fashion Event in London, and through editorial features in London Runway Magazine.
The brand has also received coverage in The Guardian Nigeria and Vanguard Allure, expanding its visibility across markets.
Beyond couture, Adeosun integrates community impact into her practice.
She has facilitated garment construction workshops, draping sessions, and introductory training programmes for women and emerging creatives, promoting fashion as both artistic expression and vocational empowerment.
Fifi Stcithes Boss operates between Nigeria and the UK, in order to continue to shape her brand identity.
According to her “Nigeria provides cultural richness and expressive textile traditions, while the UK offers structured production systems, sustainability conversations, and institutional frameworks”.
Looking ahead, Adeosun said she plan to establish a fully structured fashion house spanning Africa and the UK, develop scalable production partnerships, launch capsule collections, and expand independent editorial visibility.
Her broader ambition is clear: to position African textile craftsmanship within global contemporary design conversations—through structure, discipline, and technical excellence.
GTCO Launches “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, Opens Call for Applications
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has announced the launch of “Take on Squad” Hackathon 3.0, reaffirming its commitment to fostering innovation, empowering talent, and supporting the development of technology-driven solutions that address real-world challenges across Africa.
Now in its third edition, the Hackathon brings together developers, designers and entrepreneurs across Nigeria in a collaborative environment to build practical solutions across key sectors including financial services, healthcare, commerce and digital inclusion. Under the theme “Smart Systems: The Intelligent Economy,” participants are challenged to design and build intelligent, data-driven solutions that transform how communities engage with money.
Applications are now open, and interested teams can find full guidelines and registration details on the official portal at https://squadco.com/hackathon.
Speaking on the initiative, Eduophon Japhet, Managing Director of HabariPay, stated: “Today’s dynamic, digitally driven world demands continuous innovation, which is shaping how economies grow, how businesses scale, and how societies evolve. Through “Take on Squad” Hackathon, we are deliberately investing in the ideas and talent that will define the future. Our objective is not simply to encourage innovation, but to enable its translation into scalable solutions that deliver real and measurable impact. This reflects GTCO’s role as a financial services platform that connects capital, capability, and creativity to drive sustainable progress.”
The social coding event remains a cornerstone of HabariPay’s mission to foster creativity and problem-solving among emerging tech talents. Competing teams will leverage Squad’s advanced APIs to create scalable digital tools that address everyday challenges faced by businesses and individuals.
Through initiatives such as this, GTCO continues to position itself at the intersection of finance, technology and enterprise, actively shaping the future of digital transformation in Africa.
About HabariPay
HabariPay Ltd is the fintech subsidiary of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), one of the largest financial services institutions in Africa with direct and indirect investments in a network of operating entities located in 10 countries across Africa and the United Kingdom.
Licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), our goal is to support SMEs, micro merchants, large corporations and other fintechs (Tech Stars) with the tools they need to thrive in an evolving digital economy and expand beyond their current market reach. HabariPay’s solutions include Squad, a full-scale digital payments toolkit to make in-person and online payments simpler, HabariPay Storefront, an e-commerce website to facilitate online purchases, Value-Added Services to help merchants access cost-effective and flexible airtime and data bundles to run their businesses, as well as a switching infrastructure that enables tech-focused businesses to optimise cost and make transactions more efficient.
HabariPay’s contributions to Accelerating Digital Acceptance in Africa have not gone unnoticed–it received Mastercard’s Innovative Mobile Payment Solution Award at TIA 2022 for its innovative payment solution, SquadPOS.
About Squad
Squad is a complete digital payments solution that is reliable, secure, and affordable, making receiving in-person and online payments simpler and convenient.
Thousands of merchants currently leverage Squad’s payment solutions for their daily business operations. Squad’s current products and service offerings include SquadPOS, Squad Payment Links, Squad Virtual Accounts, USSD, and E-Commerce Storefront.
Find out more at www.squadco.com.
Electric 8-Seater Tula Moto Keke Enters Nigerian Market, Targets Higher Operator Earnings
LAGOS — A new electric-powered tricycle with an expanded passenger capacity has been introduced into Nigeria’s urban transport sector, offering operators a potentially more profitable and eco-friendly alternative to conventional petrol-driven “keke.”
The newly launched 8-seater electric tricycle, now available in Lagos with plans for nationwide distribution, features a dual-row seating arrangement capable of accommodating up to eight passengers per trip—significantly higher than the standard three-passenger configuration common across the country.
Promoters of the innovation say the increased capacity is designed to boost daily earnings for operators, particularly amid persistent fluctuations in fuel prices. By running entirely on electric power, the vehicle eliminates dependence on petrol, reducing operating costs and shielding drivers from fuel price volatility.
According to the distributors, the tricycle is equipped with a durable battery system capable of covering extended distances on a single charge, making it suitable for commercial operations across high-traffic routes, residential estates, campuses, and marketplaces.
“The concept is straightforward—enable drivers to earn more while spending less,” a company representative stated. “With higher passenger capacity and zero fuel requirements, operators can maximise each trip without the burden of daily fuel expenses.”
Beyond its cost-saving potential, the electric keke is also said to require less maintenance than traditional models, offering additional long-term savings. Its quieter and smoother operation is expected to enhance passenger comfort and overall commuting experience.
Industry analysts note that the introduction of electric mobility solutions reflects a growing shift toward cleaner and more sustainable transportation alternatives in Nigeria, particularly in densely populated urban centres such as Lagos.
The distributors added that the product is currently available under a limited promotional offer, with delivery options across the country.
For inquiries and purchase: 📞 08153432071
📞 08035889103
Office Address:
📍 Plot 9, Block 113, Beulah Plaza,
Lekki–Epe Expressway,
Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
As transportation costs continue to rise and environmental concerns gain prominence, innovations like the electric 8-seater keke may signal an emerging transition toward more efficient and sustainable mobility solutions nationwide.
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