A man, Samuel Akoade, has been arrested by the Ondo State Police Command for allegedly hacking his mother, Olufunke Akoade, to death in Ore, Odigbo Local Government Area of the state.   The incident occurred around 5pm on Sunday, August 16, 2026, in the Powerline area of Ore, according to a report by PUNCH. The police said the deceased was found at her residence in a pool of blood after sustaining deep machete injuries. A machete suspected to have been used in the attack was recovered at the scene. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed the arrest on Monday, saying the suspect initially fled before police operatives from the Ore Division apprehended him. “The suspected assailant, initially identified simply as Samuel, was reported to have fled the scene before the arrival of the police. However, following sustained efforts by the operatives, Samuel Akoade was subsequently arrested and taken into police custody,” Jimoh said. The victim’s remains have been deposited at a mortuary, while the suspect remains in police custody. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Akure for further investigation. The Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, directed that the circumstances surrounding the killing be thoroughly investigated and that anyone found culpable be brought to justice.

At least 15 Hindu devotees have died in two separate incidents in eastern India during the holy month of Shravan.   Eight people were killed in a hotel fire in Tarapith, West Bengal, while seven others died in a stampede at the Ashok Dham temple in Lakhisarai district, Bihar. The victims of the hotel fire had travelled to Tarapith to pray to Shiva on the final Monday of Shravan, a sacred month that draws large crowds of worshippers. West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed condolences to the victims’ families. The cause of the fire had not immediately been established. In Bihar, 19 people were injured when a stampede broke out at the Ashok Dham temple. District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said the crush was triggered by rumours that an electric pole had fallen on devotees inside the temple. Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as “heart-wrenching” and announced compensation of 400,000 rupees ($4,180) for each victim’s family. Deadly stampedes are a recurring problem at major religious gatherings in India, often linked to challenges in crowd management. In 2024, 120 people were killed during a religious gathering in Uttar Pradesh.

African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its handling of the August 15 Osun State governorship election, saying the electoral umpire’s performance was “not to be applauded”.   Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Okonkwo questioned why the uploading of polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal was suspended around 8pm on election day. “I am not congratulating INEC whatsoever for what happened in Osun State,” Okonkwo said, arguing that the commission should explain why the results upload was halted. He said the development created apprehension among voters and opposition parties, adding that people had to go to collation centres to follow the process. Okonkwo nevertheless praised Osun voters for what he described as their resilience during the election and urged opposition parties to prepare for the 2027 general election. “The performance of INEC is not to be applauded. It is to be questioned,” he said. The ADC chieftain also described his party’s performance as commendable despite its candidate, Najeem Salaam, finishing third in the election. According to the figures reported by Channels Television, incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party won with 511,067 votes, ahead of APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. Salaam received 17,180 votes. The election marked another term for Adeleke, who was first elected governor of Osun State in 2022. Contemporary reporting also confirms that Adeleke contested the 2026 election as the Accord Party candidate, while Oyebamiji represented the APC. Okonkwo said the ADC had contested without the advantages available to the governing party or the federal government, but maintained that the election demonstrated the strength of opposition politics. He further congratulated Osun residents for what he called a decisive outcome and said the result could offer lessons for the 2027 elections. However, his comments about INEC focused on the transparency of the results transmission process, particularly the temporary halt in uploading results to IReV.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it obstructs Washington’s efforts to reach a deal with Iran over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.   Trump made the warning on Monday while speaking to Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, amid parallel discussions between the US, Iran and Oman over future navigation arrangements through the waterway. “If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump was quoted as saying. Iranian and Omani officials have reportedly held talks for weeks, with Iran’s foreign ministry saying on Monday that the two countries were working towards a joint declaration on maritime navigation. The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the wider conflict in the Middle East. Iran effectively closed the waterway at the start of the war on February 28, severely restricting traffic through one of the world’s most important energy routes. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the strait should come under US control. On Friday, he said he could declare the waterway part of US territory, a position Iran strongly rejected. Before the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz was regarded as an international waterway and carried a substantial share of global energy shipments and other commodities. Trump also called on Iran to surrender, telling Yingst that Tehran should “put up the white flag of surrender”. The US president said he was not rushing to reach an agreement despite the political pressure surrounding the war ahead of America’s November midterm elections. Trump further claimed that his administration maintains a direct back-channel with officials of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, describing them as “good poker players” while saying they were “dying”. Oman borders the southern side of the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran lies to the north. Any agreement affecting navigation through the waterway could have significant implications for regional security and global energy supplies.