Northern leadership under the aegis of Arewa Consultative Forum, has warned President Bola Tinubu to avoid going into war with Niger military junta.

The group gave the admonition while calling for a dialogue to resolve the issue in a statement issued by its General Secretary, Murtala Aliyu, on Friday.

According to ACF, military deployment and intervention to phase out the coup plotters in the Niger Republic will not guarantee peace and stability in the ECOWAS sub-region.

The statement reads in part, “ACF, however, views with concern the unfolding events in Nigeria’s immediate neighbour, the Republic of Niger, and the potential impact on the region.

“The measures being contemplated should have taken into consideration the historical antecedents and mutual interests of the two countries and weighed the consequences of the use of military force.

“While the ACF recognises the ECOWAS position to bring pressure to bear on the perpetrators, nevertheless the military option shouldn’t be a prerequisite for Nigeria’s and the Community’s continuing efforts to enthrone democracy in the region in the 21st century.”

ACF noted that though military intervention might yield a temporary solution, the result will come with repercussions for Nigeria as a leader and the regional body.

“To this end, ACF notes that while it supports the position to restore democratic rule in Niger, it calls on the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government under the able Chairmanship of President Bola Tinubu, that it should toe the path of dialogue and diplomacy and certainly not force, in resolving the current impasse in Niger in the interest of peaceful coexistence with our brotherly neighbour and stability of the ECOWAS region,” it added.

Punch

Trucks filled with goods going into Nigeria are currently stranded at the Jibia side of the Nigeria-Niger Republic border.

This is coming after the federal government shut down all land borders with Niger Republic following the toppling of the Mohamed Bazoum-led government by soldiers.

A PREMIUM TIMES reporter who was at the border on Friday counted more than 30 trucks lined on both sides of the highway from the Niger Republic axis.

There were also trucks lined up on the road from the Nigerian side, hoping to be allowed into Niger Republic.

The acting comptroller general of customs, Bashir Adeniyi, said the vehicles would not be allowed into or out of the country for now.

“We’ve trucks coming from Nigeria that can’t go to the other side (Niger Republic). A good number of them are inside Katsina…if you can turn your cameras, you’ll see what we’ve also there (stranded trucks)…”

There were several drivers and assistants sitting under a tree a few steps away from where the trucks were parked.

“We’re in a dicey situation. I came here before the official closure of the border but before I could get clearance, they (border officials) said they received signal from Abuja to close all borders,” Hannafi Lawal, a stranded driver at the border, told our correspondent.

He said he had spent all his ‘feeding money’ as Friday was his fourth day at the border.

Another stranded driver, Ghali Bala, said he would appreciate if the two countries put an end to the issue.

“We are not part of their politics; we’re drivers struggling for what to eat. We have all our papers because this is our route. We’re not bringing illegal goods into the country. Why do we have to suffer because of some people?” Bala, who is from Zangon Daura in Katsina State, said.

He said he is in contact with his family through phone but would appreciate if he is allowed into Nigeria with his truck.

Musa Hashim, another stranded driver, echoed similar sentiments.

Sanctions

Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) is sanctioning Niger Republic after the coup.

Rising from an emergency session in Abuja, ECOWAS ordered military leaders in Niger Republic to reinstall Bazoum or face military action.

The relationship between Niger and the ECOWAS is deteriorating by the day as the deadline for military action against the military junta ends in a few days.

PT

S&P Global Ratings on Friday revised its outlook on Nigeria to stable from negative, citing the government's recent reforms which the credit ratings agency believes could benefit the country's growth and fiscal outcomes if delivered.

The agency also affirmed its rating for Africa's largest economy at 'B-/B'.

Nigeria's new president, Bola Tinubu, has embarked on some fiscal reforms, which he hopes will kick-start growth and attract foreign investors into a country that has suffered chronic dollar shortages, making it difficult for companies to thrive.

"Nigeria's newly elected government has moved quickly to implement a series of fiscal and monetary reforms, which we believe will gradually benefit public finances and the balance of payments," the ratings agency said in a statement on Friday.

On Monday, Tinubu said Nigeria has saved over 1 trillion naira ($1.32 billion) in just over two months by scrapping a popular but costly subsidy on petrol and unifying the country's multiple exchange rates.

Tinubu's reforms have been welcomed by investors, but unions say the reforms have led to soaring costs when inflation has been in double-digits in Nigeria since 2016, eroding savings and incomes.

The World Bank has said it expects Nigeria could save up to 3.9 trillion naira this year alone from reforms but warned of growing short-term inflationary pressures.

S&P's sovereign analyst Frank Gill said last month that the ratings agency was closely watching Nigeria ahead of its review on Aug. 4 and added that recent reforms were positive signs.

In February, S&P had maintained Nigeria's credit rating at "B-/B" but changed its outlook to "negative". Rival Fitch affirmed the West-African country at 'B-' in May.

Reuters

Maryam Isa, an orphan based in Keke Community of Kaduna Millennium, has been in a relationship with her boyfriend, Aliyu Jibril, for months, hoping to marry him someday.

Maryam lived under the care of her mother’s elder sister and grandmother after losing her biological mother years back. Her family struggled financially.

As the relationship between Maryam and Aliyu grew stronger, her family became uncomfortable when Aliyu failed to send his family members for a marriage talk, as requested by Maryam’s family.

Maryam’s family asked Aliyu to pay N20,000 as part of the money to indicate interest in marrying Maryam, following the Hausa tradition. However, Aliyu couldn’t provide the N20,000.

After about 30 days without a response from Aliyu and his family, Maryam’s parents asked him to stop dating her, as they believed he was not capable of marrying her. Despite objections from their families, the lovers continued to meet secretly.

Maryam’s relatives suggested that since Aliyu couldn’t afford to marry her, he should step aside for other suitors.

To intervene and find a solution, the matter was taken to the Danbushiya village head’s palace. The village head invited both families for a discussion. Aliyu expressed his love for Maryam but couldn’t provide the requested amount.

Realizing the situation, the village head cautioned Aliyu to leave Maryam alone. However, the lovers persisted in their relationship, leading the palace to report the matter to the Millennium Police Station for official intervention.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Lawan Abdullahi provided a permanent solution by interviewing both lovers and their families. Both Maryam and Aliyu expressed their willingness to marry each other, despite financial constraints.

He (DPO) further asked of the young man’s character and both parents confirmed he was of good behaviour and hardworking but his only challenge was the lack of money to pay the dowry as requested by the girl’s family.

His parents were also not financially able to support the wedding preparation at that moment.

Upon hearing Aliyu’s predicament, the DPO generously decided to contribute N53,000 as part of the dowry, agreeing with the families that Aliyu could marry Maryam if he provided N51,000 as the remaining dowry amount.

The DPO’s gesture garnered attention, and after news of the dowry payment went viral within the small community, other little donations poured in to support the couple.

Hafsat Abdullahi, the bride’s mother’s elder sister, expressed her happiness and gratitude for the DPO’s assistance, praising his kind-heartedness.

“We only took the matter to the police station for the lovers to be separated since he (groom) cannot afford to pay the dowry only for the DPO to intervene. This made us happy,” she said.

Maryam Isa, the bride, also expressed her happiness and gratitude for the DPO’s intervention, in making it possible for her to marry the love of her life.

The wedding Fatiha was conducted at the palace of the village head on 19th July 2023, a day after the dowry was paid, with some imams within the community in attendance.

He’s a blessing to us – Community leaders

Village head of Danbushiya community, Muktar Haruna, who officiated the wedding, described the DPO as a blessing to the community.

He praised the DPO for his efforts in finding solutions to domestic violence and ensuring the safety of residents.

The community further commended the DPO for engaging in community policing, building trust between the community and the police.

He explained that since he (DPO) came to the community less than two months ago, security has improved in the Millennium City area as they now have an Armoured Personal Carrier (APC) vehicle, donated by the State Commissioner of Police, M.Y. Garba, patrolling the area.

He also mentioned a recent incident where a woman sought for divorce at the police station because her husband failed to provide a ram to be slaughtered during the naming ceremony of their newborn baby. The DPO, out of generosity, provided a ram for the woman to save the marriage from collapsing.

Corroborating the Village Head, Umaru Yakubu – who serves as Secretary at the palace of the village head, stated that they had never seen a police officer using his money to assist poor members of society.

“Everybody was surprised to see a policeman removing such an amount to pay for dowry for people that are not related to him. This is commendable,” he added.

He explained that the community is now peaceful and the couple too are living happily following the DPO’s intervention.

Another resident of Danbushiya, Ibrahim Maiturare, also described the DPO as a good man. He said the DPO hardly collects money as bail for minor offenses, as he made it clear that bail is free for such cases.

“Since the man came to the station, people are happy even though he doesn’t condone criminal cases brought to the station, he handles such professionally by taking the suspects to court within the period stipulated by law,” he said.

He noted that the DPO stopped his men from harassing innocent residents at the police station and within the community.

Efforts to speak with the DPO about his generous acts were unsuccessful as he declined to comment.

But the State Police Command Public Relations officer, Mohammed Jalige, equally described CSP Lawan as a hardworking and nice officer who always promotes the community policing strategies of the police force in the community.

He also described him as an advocate of due process and operationally sound, adding that “we must commend his efforts for what he has been doing in the community.”

Daily Trust

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian drone disables Russian warship near Russia's Novorossiysk port

A Russian warship was seriously damaged in an overnight Ukrainian naval drone attack on Russia's Black Sea navy base at Novorossiysk, the first time the Ukrainian navy has projected its power so far from the country's shores.

The port, which handles 2% of the world's oil supply and also exports grain, temporarily halted civilian ship movement before resuming normal operations, according to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium which operates an oil terminal there.

Russia's Defence Ministry said a Ukrainian attack by two sea drones had been repelled in the waters outside the base and that the drones had been destroyed. It made no mention of any damage in its short statement.

A Ukrainian intelligence source said the Olenegorsky Gornyak, a Russian Navy landing ship with around 100 Russian servicemen on board, had been hit by a sea drone carrying 450 kilograms of TNT.

"As a result of the attack, the Olenegorsky Gornyak received a serious breach and currently cannot conduct its combat missions," the source told Reuters, adding that the operation had been carried out by Ukraine's Security Service and the navy. "All the Russian statements about a 'repelled attack' are fake."

Video footage verified by Reuters showed the Olenegorsky Gornyak being towed to shore by a tug, listing heavily to its port side.

Andriy Ryzhenko, a retired Ukrainian Navy captain and naval consultant, estimated the sea drones had travelled 740 km (460 miles) from their likely launch area to Novorossiysk, which would amount to a significant increase in their range.

"It was the first time ... the Ukrainian navy projected power so far away," he said.

A source with knowledge of the port's operations said a large Russian naval vessel had to be towed ashore because it could not move under its own power after being damaged.

The source, who did not name the vessel, said oil and grain loadings were still taking place at the port, which resumed normal operations hours after the attack.

Ukraine referred to the Olenegorsky Gornyak without directly claiming responsibility for the attack.

"We have open information that it is indeed damaged," said Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the southern military command said, adding "it is absolutely legal to destroy the potential of the enemy in time of war."

The Kremlin referred questions to the defence ministry, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Ukrainian source shared a grainy video that looked like it had been shot from the top of a maritime drone that sails right up to the side of a large vessel before the video abruptly cuts out and turns to pixels.

"Another Russian ship is teetering, undermining the aggressor's security reputation in the Black Sea waters," Ukraine's foreign ministry said on X, previously known as Twitter, adding that one of its compartments had flooded.

Andrei Kravchenko, a Novorossiysk city official, said on the Telegram app that the Olenegorsky Gornyak was one of two ships that had "instantly reacted" to fend off the Ukrainian attack.

RISING BLACK SEA TENSIONS

Russian social media users had reported hearing explosions and gunfire near Novorossiysk on Friday morning.

"Tonight, the armed forces of Ukraine attempted to attack the Novorossiysk naval base with two unmanned sea boats," the Defence Ministry said in its statement.

"In the course of repelling the attack, the unmanned boats were visually detected and destroyed by fire from the standard weapons of the Russian ships guarding the outer waters of the naval base."

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium which loads oil onto tankers in Novorossiysk said its facilities had not been damaged and that oil loadings continued onto tankers which were already moored.

The port is one of the biggest in the Black Sea, and a major terminal for the export of oil and oil products. The Caspian Pipeline Consortium is the main exporter of Kazakh crude oil.

Exports of Russian and Kazakh oil from Novorossiysk average around 1.8 million barrels per day, or about 2% of global oil supply.

Britain's military intelligence service said last September that Russia's Black Sea Fleet had relocated some submarines from the Crimean port of Sevastopol to Novorossiysk, probably because of the increased threat of Ukrainian long-range strikes.

Retired Ukrainian Navy captain Ryzhenko said the drone video suggested the Russian vessel had been taken by surprise.

"Open windows were visible with the lights on inside. No sailors on the top deck (were) looking for a possible threat. This drone just hit in the middle and caused significant damage to this ship," he said.

"This is quite a serious signal to Russia that other attacks can be conducted and for them it will be unsafe to keep vessels even in Novorossiysk."

Tensions in and near the Black Sea have escalated since Russia last month withdrew from a deal allowing the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports. Russian drones and missiles have since repeatedly struck Ukrainian port facilities and grain silos on or near the Black Sea.

Ukraine sank Russia's flagship, the cruiser Moskva, in April 2022 and said in June last year that it had hit a Russian naval tugboat with Western-supplied anti-ship missiles.

The Ukrainian source did not mention other attacks on warships, but said Friday's hit was the latest in a string of successful operations by the security service, including sabotage operations on Russia's bridge to occupied Crimea last year and last month.

The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces had also repelled an attempted Ukrainian attack on Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, using at least 13 aeroplane-like drones. It said there were no casualties or damage.

** Blasts in Crimea, officials report Ukraine drone attack

Explosions were heard near the bridge linking Russian-occupied Crimea to the Russian mainland early on Saturday, Russian-appointed officials reported, saying the blasts were linked to a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian tanker.

Russia's sea rescue service in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk said tugboats were dispatched to help the tanker, which was damaged and unable to operate on its own.

"We can say that the tanker is damaged in the (Kerch) strait, only on the south side," Russia's Tass news agency quoted the rescue centre as saying.

"They will deal with it now on whether to take it under tow or not. It is standing at anchor for the moment. The machine room suffered some damage, not too badly."

Russia-installed officials in the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014, said the latest explosions had nothing to do with the bridge, which has come under serious attack twice in the 17-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine, which rarely comments on attacks on Russian targets, made no official statement on the incident.

Traffic was halted for a time on the bridge, the third such stop in the past 24 hours, but later resumed.

"Once again, there was no direct attack on the Crimea bridge and there was no explosion in the immediate vicinity," Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the Russia-installed governor of Crimea, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

Advertisement · Scroll to continue

Ukraine's UNIAN news agency said three explosions had been reported in the area.

Ukrainian news reports and pro-Russian officials in occupied parts of Ukraine said Ukrainian drones had attacked a tanker vessel in the Kerch Strait operating under a Russian flag and identified as the SIG.

One Russian-appointed official in Ukraine's southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, Vladimir Rogov, posted an audio clip in which the vessel had requested a tow from tugboats.

Rogov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, posted pictures of what he described as shattered fixtures and equipment inside the vessels.

The ship, he said, had been supplying oil to Russian troops in Syria.

The bridge, completed by Russia in 2018, four years after Moscow annexed the peninsula from Ukraine, has been subjected to two major attacks in the 17-month-old Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the most recent one occurring last month.

Ukraine has claimed responsibility for the attacks only indirectly.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Kiev loses over 43,000 troops in botched counteroffensive — Russia’s top brass

The Ukrainian military has lost over 43,000 troops and about 5,000 items of military hardware, including 26 combat aircraft and 25 Leopard tanks since it launched its counteroffensive, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Friday.

"The Ukrainian army’s losses in combat operations already exceeded 43,000 personnel in June-July since the Kiev regime launched its so-called offensive," the spokesman said.

These figures do not include those wounded and foreign mercenaries evacuated to Ukrainian military hospitals and abroad, and also the personnel eliminated as a result of high-precision strikes by Russian long-range weapons in rear areas, the general said.

In addition, Russian forces have destroyed about 5,000 various Ukrainian armaments since the start of Kiev’s counteroffensive, he said.

"Over 4,900 items of the Ukrainian army’s various armament, including 26 aircraft, nine helicopters, 1,831 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, among them 25 German-made Leopard tanks, seven French AMX wheeled tanks and 21 American Bradley infantry fighting vehicles have been destroyed at the frontline," the spokesman said.

The enemy has also lost 747 field artillery guns and mortars, including 76 US-made M777 artillery systems, and also 84 motorized artillery guns from Poland, the United States, France and Germany, the general reported.

Kiev’s aborted counteroffensive

As the Russian Defense Ministry reported, the Ukrainian army has been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4. Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Ukrainian troops had failed to achieve success in any of the frontline areas. At a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg on July 23, the Russian leader said that Kiev’s counteroffensive had failed.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov admitted in an interview with CNN that the counteroffensive was falling behind schedule, explaining this by a shortage of ammunition and air defense systems. Ukrainian Air Force Spokesman Yury Ignat pointed to Russia’s electronic warfare supremacy as one of the causes of Kiev’s stalling counteroffensive.

** Russian air defenses intercept 15 US-made HIMARS rockets in Ukraine operation

Russian air defense forces intercepted 15 rockets of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and shot down 28 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Friday.

"During the last 24-hour period, air defense capabilities intercepted 15 rockets of the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system," the spokesman said.

In addition, Russian air defense systems shot down 28 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Svatovo and Lisichansk in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Donetsk, Soledar and Volnovakha in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the general reported.

Reuters/Tass

I don't believe that President Bola Tinubu does not know the implications of his warmongering stance against Niger Republic. If he did not know, at least the Realists in his team must have worked out the implications by now. It has grave religious and ethnic downside.

There is a school of thought encouraging him to go on this warmongering stance.

These people including the Oduduwa Republic adherents, the Biafrans, Asari Dokubo and the Ijaw nation, the Bokists, and many other inchoate splinter groups who would move 'to their tents' and declare their own nations when the Tinubu cataclysm erupts.

No nation goes to war on behalf of Neocolonialists and other parasitic world powers to enforce democracy. What happened to the principle of 'Non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations' which the Western nations studiously adhere to. Why is Mr President crying louder than the bereaved?

The other tactics to secure votes and win an election not the same or even worse than a coup d’etat?

I think the usual platitudes should just have been mouthed by our President and then leave the people of Niger to sort themselves out.

He has stopped electricity flow to Niger.

Does he not know that we supply electric power to Niger Republic in exchange for their not constructing a Dam on their own end of the River Niger, which would have completely ruined the lives of millions of Nigerians and which will put the Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro dams out of business?

The electricity we supply is a small price we pay for the Nigeriens not to dam the said River.

He should  have consulted with General Yakubu Gowon who would have explained the depth of Nigeria's relationship with Niger starting with the reign of President Hamani Diori.

Finally, the arms dealers like vultures are locked in on this threat of war. The biggest arms dealers are the same countries encouraging ECOWAS to go to war on behalf of democracy that they do not practice. They are yearning for a large scale war in Africa, which will depopulate us and hand the region over to them F-O-C without the rigours of colonisation.

The President should not start what he cannot finish.

When it comes to near-death encounters, some tales can be quite literally unbelievable — even if they really did happen.

U/sintemp recently asked the people of Reddit, "In what unusual way have you almost died?" Wow, these are some pretty wild stories — chilling, even. See for yourself:

1. "By inhaling a cracker. I got pneumonia and was hospitalized. I don't eat those crackers anymore."

—u/EchoLynx

2. "I was digging a hole because I could — kid stuff. I only remember waking up and it was dark. I had apparently hit an underground electric line. No one knew. I was there for hours. I got up, went inside, and ate dinner. This was in the early 1980s. I pissed my pants and felt weird for a day or two. I never told my parents because I thought they’d be mad."

—u/BadLuckEddie

3. "When I was born in 1995, one of my lungs was filled with amniotic fluid. The doctors went in to drain it and inadvertently tore it instead. Then they proceeded to tear the other one in an attempt to fix the first one. My mother remembers two doctors getting into an extremely heated verbal argument over this. Doctor 1 thought he could treat me at the current hospital I was in. Doctor 2 knew that I would die if I wasn’t transferred to a better equipped emergency center. They were in such disagreement that Doctor 2 literally had to sneak me out after Doctor 1’s shift was over. Obviously, it worked. I turned out to not just make a full recovery, but I left a LOT of people scratching their heads because my body never developed scar tissue from all of that. My lungs work 100%."

—u/Ohlookitsyouagain

4. "I was born with a collapsed lung. The nurse noticed my heart was beating in the wrong place and said something. They had to dart my chest right then and there to relieve pressure on the lung. I still have a scar and it cut part of my lower pectoral muscle one one side, but I'm still alive."

—u/FaAlt

5. "In 2005, I attended the Boy Scout National Jamboree. Due to the sheer number of attendees and a heat index that reached upwards of 120°F, water was difficult to obtain until you reached the parade grounds. I became severely dehydrated to the point where I actually stopped sweating. Upon arriving at the parade grounds, there were fire trucks spraying us to cool us down. A bit of water from a fire hose landed in my bottle and I saw it foam up. In my delirium, I thought they were spraying us with soapy water. The next thing I knew, I was being carried across the grounds by multiple soldiers to a medical field tent. A woman asked me my name and it took me close to two minutes to register her question. From there, I was taken to an emergency tent where, after five failed attempts to find a vein with a needle for an IV, I was finally able to receive an IV drip. I went through 3 water bags before having to pee. From my experience, nearly dying of dehydration is far from fun."

—u/Ryanisreallame

6. "I was assisting at a target practice in the military when a trainee misfired. I got saved by my Kevlar helmet, but the force of impact pushed my head backwards and fell into the ground with so much force that I got a concussion. Next thing I know, the drill instructors are tearing that trainee a new one while I'm looking at a beautiful blue sky hearing shouting far away."

—u/CommieWhacker14

7. "I almost got crushed in a pin setter at the bowling alley when I was working on the pin table. I was lazy and, as the manager, I didn’t think anyone would turn it on but me. I was wrong, and it was a mistake I only made once."

—u/HappyHubby33

8. "I was pushed off a dock by a bully and almost drowned in front of a lifeguard who was yelling at me to stop faking. I was 9 or 10 years old and I couldn't swim. The town had a population of less than 800 and only had one lifeguard, and I was at the beach 3-5 days a week because of my family, so they knew I couldn't swim. My brother ended up pulling me out and resuscitating me himself. The lifeguard pretended she didn't notice."

—u/ModularArchive

9. "I fell 65 feet onto concrete at an indoor rock climbing facility. I was climbing up one of the easier walls to take a break from the more difficult ones I had been doing, and halfway up my climb the person holding my rope had disconnected from my rope. When I reached the top, I gave the signal that I was coming down, and I let go of the wall. I think I passed out as soon as I realized what was happening, although several friends also remember me shouting 'Look out!' I woke up on the ground and was rushed to the hospital. I was stabilized and spent two weeks in ICU and another six in hospital wards. I underwent five surgeries and several more weeks of physical therapy. My injuries include a shattered pelvis, a shattered left elbow, two broken ribs, a punctured left lung, a lacerated spleen, and permanent nerve damage on my left side. Fortunately, I was not paralyzed, and after a long recovery I'm able to lead a normal life with only a few permanent symptoms."

—u/dfieldhouse

10. "I fell down a mountain. My clothes and skin were torn badly, one of my pack straps was broken, and, while nothing felt broken, I felt like I had been beaten by baseball bats for a week. When I entered the hospital, I was bleeding from every orifice and couldn't eat or drink. For a CAT scan, they dumped 1.5 liters of a dye that, as it turns out, I was severely allergic to. I next woke up with a technician sobbing into my face and a doctor who looked like he just ran a marathon holding te shock paddles. I was informed of the allergy and was told I had died. I had to swear to the very upset technician that I'd always tell others I had such a severe allergy."

—u/Gurpguru

11. "I was sitting in a chair on my deck on my 35th birthday, hanging out around a fire with our neighbors after a cookout. Our deck has a towering, full-growth oak tree overhead. About 30 minutes after sitting down, a 25-foot branch falls from 60 feet in the air and lands squarely on my shoulder. Oddly enough, it broke my radial bone near my wrist. This tree branch scraped my neck when it hit, that’s how close it was to ending me. The cast comes off in a week."

—u/cschneider27

12. "When I was a kid, I accidentally almost choked myself by having my head sticking out of the car window. My hand accidentally hit the button that made the window roll up."

—u/East_Dog7971

13. "I almost died at a diner when I was 8, choking on a mozzarella stick that no one could get out until a doctor came to help me."

—u/FunkyFrog420

14. "I woke up during the night choking on my own acid reflux. I could not breathe anymore, and I felt like I was not gonna make it."

—u/bambagico

15. "I was 14 and pitching in baseball, and I took a line drive to my temple. It gave me a shattered skull and some internal bleeding. Apparently, if it struck more half an inch in either direction, it likely would've killed me."

—u/nwaterman44

16. "My stomach veins exploded. It was like something out of a movie, with blood pouring out of my mouth. I don’t recommend it. I'm still traumatized."

—u/pancakesquest1

17. "I was at camp, and there was a zipline-esque 'ride' simply called 'The Swing.' You were harnessed in, slowly lifted up via attached rope by your fellow campers, and when you were high enough you detached your carabiner and freely swung back and forth. The first time I ever did it, I was somehow strapped in the wrong way. The moment they started lifting me I felt discomfort around my neck and I yelled out, "It hurts my neck" and the staff on site didn't think anything of it. Moments later, I felt like my head was going to pop off, and I somehow wasn't alarmed when one of the counselors started screaming for the campers to stop pulling me up and to slowly let me down. As I descended, the pressure on my neck eased up and I was basically gasping for air. Long story short, I almost had my head popped off on the ol' swing ride."

—u/Party-Veterinarian60

18. "I went skinny dipping in a lake at night with a group of people while extremely drunk. I suddenly got out of the water and immediately passed out. If I hadn't gotten out at that moment, I probably would've drowned before anyone would have noticed, since it was pitch black outside."

—u/Speculative_sparrow

19. "Measles. I caught it on a vacation to Hawaii with my parents. It has a two week incubation period. My parents had a wedding to go to, and I assured them I would be fine on my own. I woke up on the couch fully delirious on day two.I went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and I see my face covered in red spots. I called my emergency contact in the area. They came over to see my condition and tried to take my temperature, but I broke the thermometer because I was under six or seven blankets, shaking uncontrollably. They called my parents. I passed out, but I remember my dad arriving. He scooped me up without a word and rushed me to the hospital. I woke up a few days later and heard that I had a temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit and was severely dehydrated. If I hadn't been brought in when I was, I would've died the next day. I was one of only seven cases in the US that year, and the entire state of Michigan had to get a booster shot because of me."

—u/Accomplished-Leg-149

20. "A tooth abscess. The infection traveled up my face and started under my eye, and it was going to my brain. During the hospital stay, not only was a possible brain infection trying to kill me, but the doctors overdosed me on morphine and gave me an antibiotic I was allergic to, twice. My mom tore that place apart."

—u/Intelligent-Jelly419

These stories have been edited for length and clarity.

BuzzFeed

A Hungarian man temporarily became a rich man, after the company he worked for accidentally paid him 367 times more than he had actually earned. And when the employer asked for the money back, he refused to pay.

The unnamed man, who hails from Hungary’s Somogy County, briefly worked for a company in Kaposvár but his employment was terminated during the trial period. For his short stint at the company, he stood to earn 92,549 forints, which amounted to 238 euros ($260). But in a feat of incredible generosity, his employer wired him 367 times that amount.

Actually, it was just a huge mistake caused by the fact that the man had provided an Austrian bank account, so the salary had to be paid in the local currency, euros. Only instead of converting the forints to euros, they sent the lucky man 92,549 euros instead.

Soon after realizing the mistake, the Hungarian company contacted its former employee and asked him to return the money that had been accidentally wired to his bank account. However, the man said that he did not have access to the Austrian bank account anymore, so he couldn’t wire them the money back. Only that obviously wasn’t the end of it, and a subsequent police investigation found that the man had extracted some 15,500 euros in cash from his Austrian account through an ATM in southern Hungary and transferred it to another bank account.

With the help of the Kaposvár District Prosecutor’s Office, the company managed to freeze the Austrian bank account of the accused and arranged for the money to be transferred back to its own bank account. According to Hvg.hu, it has recovered around 72,000 euros so far, but hopes to eventually receive the full amount wired to its former employee.

As for the accused, he has been charged with unlawful appropriation and risks a huge fine.

Last year, we featured the similar story of a Chilean man who accidentally received 268 times his salary and vanished without a trace to avoid paying it back.

Oddity Central

President Bola Tinubu’s move to allow the nation’s currency to weaken has contributed to combined losses of $385 million at six of the nation’s biggest companies.

Airtel Africa Plc reported the biggest loss among the top Nigerian companies for the quarter ended June 30. The local units of Nestle SA and Mondelez International Inc. reported losses for the first six months of the year after revaluing overseas loans and letters of credit as the local currency depreciated 40%.

Tinubu, who took over late-May, has introduced a raft of measures to attract overseas inflows. Apart from weakening the naira, the government has also ended a fuel subsidy that cost $10 billion last year, more than tripling the pump price of gasoline and causing a jump in food prices. Accelerating inflation is eroding demand for consumer goods from chocolates to beer.

The naira’s devaluation is reverberating across the continent and beyond. Earnings at Bharti Airtel Ltd., India’s second-largest wireless phone operator, missed analysts’ estimates by 44% after accounting for one-time foreign-exchange loss of 34.2 billion rupees ($413 million) in Nigeria. Meanwhile, local units of MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s biggest mobile-phone company, and Unilever Plc reported a drop in profits.

Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc lost

68.7 billion naira after devaluing its foreign-exchange rate to 756 naira per dollar from 461 naira in Dec. 31.

The devaluation has also increased expenses of imported raw materials, according to Cadbury Nigeria Plc. “Consumer spending power has really reduced and that has affected sales volumes of companies,” Ogaga Ologe, finance director at the unit of Mondelez said in an interview.

Cadbury also raised prices helping it increase revenue by 28%, Ologe said, adding that continued price increases have started to threaten sales volume.

Bloomberg

British multinational drugmaker and biotechnology company GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK) said Thursday it is drawing the blinds on its Nigerian subsidiary after a “strategic intent” to consider other favourable business options.

GSK’s operations in Nigeria will no longer involve commercialising its prescription drugs and vaccines, meaning its activities in the country now entail the distribution of its pharmaceutical products through a third party only.

“The Haleon Group has also separately informed the Board of its intent to terminate its distribution agreement in the coming months and to appoint a third-party distributor in Nigeria for the supply of its consumer healthcare products,” the company said in a note to the Nigerian Exchange.
The decision cuts GSK’s ties of more than half a century with Africa’s largest economy, where it commenced business in 1972 through its precursor, Beecham Limited.

That partnership has birthed a broad range of top-of-the-line products from consumer brands like Ribena, Lucozade, Macleans and Sensodyne to popular medicines like Panadol and Andrews Liver Salt, which many Nigerians have developed an affinity for.

“Today we are briefing our employees whom we will treat fairly, respectfully and with care, meeting all applicable legal and consultation requirements,” the company assured.

GSK said it is holding talks with advisors who will inform shareholders of the next course of action and will work out a quick cash distribution and return of capital to shareholders, excluding GSK UK, if the Securities and Exchange Commission sanctions the plan.

The release fell on the same day GSK Nigeria published its half-year 2023 financials showing a plunge by almost half in revenue to N7.8 billion from N14.8 billion a year ago.

Earlier this year in March, Unilever, another British consumer product powerhouse Unilever announced an end to the production of its homecare and skin-cleansing products, notably Lux, Sunlight and Omo, saying “These categories are margin dilutive and the exit is part of the company’s aim to make its operation in Nigeria competitive and profitable.”

PT