A plane with 21 people on board crashed in South Sudan on Wednesday, leaving 18 people dead, including two pilots, South Sudan Eagles Media reported.

It added that three others are in critical condition.

“A plane carrying 21 passengers, including the pilot, has crashed while departing from Unity Oil Field, killing 18 people and leaving three others in critical condition.

“The pilot and co-pilot are among the dead,’’ South Sudan Eagles Media said on X.

Among the passengers were 16 South Sudanese, two Chinese and one Indian, the Eye Radio broadcaster reported, citing multiple sources.

Operated by the Light Air Services logistics company, the plane was reportedly transporting engineers from the Unity oilfield to the capital of Juba.

The plane took off from the oilfield, but its wing broke off, causing it to crash 10 minutes later, an eye witness told the broadcaster. (RIA/NAN)

The Nigerian equities market closed bullish on Wednesday, leading to N364 billion gains for investors.

The positive performance was driven by the release of full-year 2024 financial results from listed companies.

Specifically, the market capitalisation, which opened at N64.

156 trillion, added 364 billion or 0. 57 per cent to close at N64.520 trillion.

The All-Share Index also gained 0.

57 per cent or 591 points, to settle at 104,549.74, against 103,958.75 recorded on Tuesday.

As a result, the Year-To-Date (YTD) return rose to 1.58 per cent.

In spite of the overall positive sentiment, market breadth closed negative, with 38 losers and 27 gainers.

On the losers side, McNichols and Caverton led by 10 per cent each to close at N1.44 and N2.07 per share, respectively.

Thomas Wyatt lost 9.80 per cent to close at N1.84, Veritas Kapital shed 9.79 per cent to close at N1.29 and Consolidated Hallmark Plc dropped nine per cent to close at N2.73 per share.

Conversely, Aradel led the gainers’ chart by 10 per cent to close at N594, Chellarams Plc trailed by 9.98 per cent to close at N5.40 per share.

Stanbic IBTC gained 9.92 per cent to close at N71.45, UPL increased by 9.64 per cent to close at N5.12 and Daar Communications advanced by 9.09 per cent to close at 84k per share.

Trading activity remained robust, as the amount of total value of trade on the Exchange went up by 9.99 per cent.

Investors traded a total of 421.62 million shares in value of N15 billion across 16,256 deals, compared with 542.23 million shares valued at N13.636 billion exchanged in 15,561 deals posted previously.

Meanwhile, Universal Insurance led the activity chart in volume of 33.6 million shares, while Aradel Holdings led in value of N6.3 billion.(NAN)

Amb. Mamman Nuhu, the Executive Secretary, Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), has called for strong cross-border cooperation to end decade-long Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

The cross-border cooperation is a critical component of the revised Regional Stabilisation Strategy (RSS), designed to restore peace, stability and bolster economic transformation of the war torn region.

Nuhu said this in a presentation at the ongoing 5th Lake Chad Governors’ Forum, on Wednesday in Maiduguri, Borno.

He said the challenges bedevilling the region including terrorism, climate change and migration transcended national boundaries, hence, a unified approach to resolve them.

“Challenges such as terrorism, climate change and migration do not respect national borders. To effectively address them, robust cross-border cooperation is imperative.

“These issues affect all countries within the Lake Chad Basin, and require collective action to mitigate their impact on local communities,” he said

The secretary said that emerging security dynamics and the worsening impact of climate change made it clear that regional rather than national approach was essential, as the cross-border cooperation would tackle the challenges.

According to Nubu, the revised strategy will incorporate lessons learned from the first five years of the implementation, aim to strengthen the mechanisms for collaboration between the governments of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger Republics.

Nuhu underscored the importance of local ownership to ensure the success of the strategy, and called for continued leadership by state governors and local authorities in the development and execution of Territorial Action Plans (TAPs).

This localised approach, he said, would ensured that the strategies were not only relevant to the unique needs of each region but also garners local buy-in and commitments.

He said that civil society organisations played critical role in the stabilisation process, as they served as essential bridge builders between local communities, governments and international partners.

“By amplifying the voices of those directly affected by the crises, civil society provides valuable insights into local dynamics, which are crucial for shaping effective and sustainable interventions.

“A significant area of focus for Ambassador Nuhu was the need for a stronger integration of humanitarian, development, and peace-building efforts,” he said.

He stressed the need for a cohesive approach in the second phase of the strategy to address the identified gap in the implementation of its first phase, adding that the approach would ensure that humanitarian aid, development efforts, and peace building programmex were aligned to maximise impact on the communities.

Nuhu pointed out that women were disproportionately affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, particularly through forced marriages, stigmatisation and the challenges faced by children born in captivity.

He said that addressing these issues in a meaningful way was crucial to the long-term success of the stabilisation efforts in the region.

The secretary further called for sustained commitment by government agencies, international partners, civil society organisations and local communities, to ensure successful implementation of the second phase of the strategy. (NAN)