Friday, October 23, 2026

Nigerian actor Francis Duru die at age 57

 

Veteran Nigerian actor Francis Duru has passed away at the age of 57, his family announced on his official Instagram account.

His family made the announcement in the early hours of Friday, October 23, stating that Duru passed away following a brief illness.

"We, the family of Francis Duru, regret to announce his passing following a brief illness. We appreciate your prayers, love, and understanding. May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen," the family wrote.

His passing comes one month after the death of another iconic actor, Olu Jacobs, who died at the age of 84 following a long battle with Lewy body dementia.

Francis Duru, whose full name was Francis Ogide Duru, was a celebrated Nigerian actor and one of the most recognizable faces in Nollywood.

Born on July 27, 1969, in Cameroon to Nigerian parents from Imo State in southeastern Nigeria, he grew up in Cameroon before moving to Nigeria for his higher education.

He built an acting career that spanned more than 30 years in the Nigerian film industry.

Duru studied Theatre Arts at the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, graduating in 1996. His academic background helped prepare him for a professional career in acting and the performing arts. Before establishing himself in Nollywood, he gained experience in stage theater and television, which contributed significantly to his development as an actor.

Duru began his film career with Missing Mark in 1989. His major breakthrough came with the 1995 film Rattlesnake, produced by Amaka Igwe, in which Duru played the character Ahanna. The film established his reputation and opened the door to numerous opportunities in Nollywood.

Over the years, Duru featured in dozens of films, including Blood Money, Nnenda, The Good Husband, Eagle Wings, and Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons.

Beyond acting, he also worked as a film director, producer, writer, master of ceremonies, and television personality.

In 2020, he won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo) at the Best of Nollywood Awards for his performance in Mboputa. He was also honored with the United Nations Ambassador for Peace Award in 2007 for his positive impact on young people.

Duru contributed to the development of Nigeria's entertainment industry through professional leadership and mentorship. In 2010, he served as the interim president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria and held several other roles within industry organizations.

He was married to Adokiye Duru, and they had four children together. In August 2024, the family suffered a tragedy with the loss of their 15-year-old son, Ifeanyi. Speaking publicly about the loss in January 2025, Duru shared that the painful experience had ultimately deepened his faith in God.

BBC    

Woman with Ebola in Nigeria confirmed as wife of Swiss diplomat

Switzerland's foreign ministry has confirmed that the woman who has tested positive for Ebola in Nigeria is the wife of a Swiss diplomat.

The woman, a 42-year-old Ugandan-born national who lives in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, tested positive for the virus on 20 October, becoming the country's first confirmed Ebola patient in more than a decade.

They both travelled to Uganda earlier this month. Her husband is currently in isolation but has not developed any symptoms, according to the Swiss foreign ministry.

The ministry told the BBC that all 25 staff at its embassy in Nigeria were in good health and did not need to isolate.

The ministry said the woman had spent about a week at a private clinic in Abuja with symptoms before her diagnosis.

It believes she contracted the virus while travelling in Uganda, although health authorities have yet to establish the source of her infection.

Uganda borders Democratic Republic of Congo, where some 4,600 have died in the country's most deadly outbreak of Ebola. Two people died in Uganda shortly after the outbreak began in May but it has been declared free of Ebola since August.

The ministry said the decision not to isolate the embassy's eight Swiss and 17 local employees was taken in consultation with Nigeria's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO).

It added that the embassy remained open and operational, with health and safety measures in place.

The woman is receiving treatment in isolation and is showing signs of improvement, according to the WHO.

She returned to Nigeria on 3 October after spending about two and a half weeks in Uganda.

The patient did ​not travel to DR Congo, the Swiss ‌government told Reuters news agency on Friday, contradicting accounts from Uganda.

She developed symptoms four days after arriving in Abuja and sought treatment at two private health facilities before testing positive for Ebola on 20 October.

Health officials are now investigating whether she may have crossed paths with a Kenyan man who died from Ebola and had travelled through Uganda's main airport on the same day.

Investigators are examining whether they could have been exposed through shared equipment or other contact, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Thursday.

Dr Wessam Mankoula, the agency's head of emergency preparedness and response, said this was "one of the possible scenarios", but stressed that no link had been established.

"One of the issues we are currently investigating has been some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport," he told journalists.

The Kenyan man had travelled from DR Congo through Uganda before arriving in Nairobi on 3 October. He died shortly afterwards, becoming Kenya's first recorded Ebola death.

Kenya has since confirmed nine infections, including the fatal case.

Although both patients passed through Entebbe airport on the same day, health officials have not established whether they met, used the same facilities or had any other contact.

Investigators are also examining whether the two infections could have a common source.

The WHO said it was too early to determine where the woman in Nigeria became infected.

"The source of exposure is still not known. The travel history of the patient is still being pieced together," said Dr Patrick Otim, a WHO emergency response official.

He said investigators had struggled to obtain a complete account of her movements because opportunities to interview her were limited while she remained in hospital.

Nigeria's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said it was carrying out genomic sequencing, which could help establish whether her infection is linked to other cases.

"The investigation is reconstructing the full travel and exposure history. Genomic sequencing is given a high priority," said Dr Pavel Ursu, the WHO's representative in Nigeria.

Ugandan health officials previously said the woman had travelled to eastern DR Congo for business.

However, the WHO, Africa CDC and Nigeria's health ministry said they had not received verified information confirming that she had visited the country.

Uganda has maintained that it has no confirmed active Ebola cases and says the woman's travel through the country does not necessarily mean she contracted the virus there.

Meanwhile, Nigerian authorities are tracing more people who may have been exposed to the woman, beyond the 44 contacts initially identified.

Kenya's Health Director-General Dr Patrick Amoth said all nine confirmed infections were linked to the first patient, with no evidence of wider community transmission.

He urged the public to remain vigilant and not panic but warned: "We are not out of the woods".

He said the remaining eight patients were still in isolation and responding well to treatment.

The developments have renewed concerns about the movement of infected people across international borders, particularly between DR Congo and neighbouring Uganda, where thousands cross daily for trade, work and family visits.

Dr Otim warned that the long and porous border between the two countries made it difficult to screen everyone entering or leaving, as many people used unofficial crossing points.

The WHO's regional director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, called for "regional vigilance" and urged countries to strengthen surveillance, investigate infections and protect frontline health workers.

Ebola is a serious viral disease that spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person, or with contaminated objects. It does not spread through the air like flu.

The virus can cause fever, severe weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea, and can be fatal. People are not considered infectious before they develop symptoms.

Health authorities say tracing contacts quickly, isolating suspected cases and providing early treatment are crucial to preventing further transmission.

BBC    

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Video - Nigeria confirms first Ebola case amid regional outbreak



Nigeria has confirmed its first Ebola case since 2014. The patient is a woman who recently travelled from Uganda and later tested positive in Abuja. Health authorities have begun contact tracing, identified 44 contacts for monitoring, and urged healthcare facilities nationwide to strengthen surveillance and infection-control measures as the outbreak spreads across Africa.


Grammy-winning Burna Boy launches first sneakers with Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer-backed On, priced up to $180

 

Grammy-winning Nigerian musician Burna Boy is launching his first sneaker collection with On, expanding his partnership with the Swiss sportswear company into products priced at up to $180. The collection consists of three shoes spanning tennis-inspired footwear, everyday wear and On’s signature cushioned sneaker category.

The Roger Clubhouse BB is priced at $150, while the Cloudtilt Remix costs $170. The most expensive shoe in the collection is the red Cloudmonster BB, which carries a retail price of $180.

The shoes are scheduled to go on sale on Thursday, 22 October, through On’s website and selected retailers. They will be available in unisex sizes.

According to On’s official retail platform⁠, the collection brings together Burna Boy’s music and cultural influence with the company’s sportswear technology. Its product listings describe the range as connecting sport and music while placing Burna Boy’s branding on established On designs.

The launch follows a multi-year partnership announced by On⁠ on 4 September 2025. The company said Burna Boy would collaborate on products and experiences spanning sport, culture and creativity, although the financial terms were not disclosed.


From Afrobeats to global footwear

Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, is one of Africa’s most internationally recognised musicians. The Nigerian artist won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2021 for Twice as Tall and has built an audience extending beyond Africa through recordings, international tours and partnerships with global brands.

His debut footwear collection includes a white version of The Roger Clubhouse, a tennis-inspired shoe bearing the name of Roger Federer. The design has a leather upper, tonal laces, a marble-effect outsole and embroidered On x Burna Boy branding.

The Cloudtilt Remix comes in a dark brown colourway and is positioned for walking and everyday use. The Cloudmonster BB is presented in a bold Sienna red and uses On’s CloudTec cushioning, Helion foam and Speedboard technology.

The collection represents the commercial phase of a partnership that initially introduced Burna Boy as On’s symbolic “Clubhouse President” for its tennis campaign. The original campaign combined tennis with Nigerian-inspired imagery, music and fashion.


Federer’s connection to On

On was established in Switzerland in 2010 by Olivier Bernhard, David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti. The company sells footwear, clothing and accessories in more than 90 countries and is publicly traded in New York.

Federer joined On in 2019 as an investor and “co-entrepreneur”, rather than under a conventional athlete-sponsorship agreement. The retired Swiss player, who won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, has worked with the company on product development, marketing and its tennis business.

Burna Boy’s collection consequently connects one of Africa’s biggest musical exports with a Swiss company seeking to expand beyond specialist running shoes into lifestyle, tennis, apparel and other sporting categories.

On said in September that it was targeting net sales of at least CHF5.6 billion—nearly $7 billion—by 2029. It identified sneakers, running products and apparel as important drivers of that expansion, alongside its planned entry into football and golf.

By Ayodeji Adegboyega, Business Insider Africa

Nigeria’s first Ebola case matches DR Congo strain

Nigerian health officials say test results have confirmed the country’s first case of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is behind a major outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), marking the disease’s first spread to West Africa in the current outbreak.

The case involves a woman who travelled from Uganda to the capital, Abuja, on October 3, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said.

She was tested for Ebola on October 19 after health officials learned she had recently travelled to Uganda, one of the countries affected by the current outbreak. Officials confirmed the positive result on Tuesday.

“We did three levels of tests, but all molecular. The strain was Bundibugyo,” Olajumoke Babatunde, director of the public health laboratory service at the NCDC, said on Wednesday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also confirmed the strain, for which there is neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment.


‘Multi-organ failure’

An unnamed official told the AFP news agency that the woman is a diplomat whose condition has deteriorated into “multi-organ failure”.

Ayoade Alakija, a Nigerian physician who co-chairs a G7 committee for investment in global health, said that it had taken 12 days since the woman fell sick for her to be tested for Ebola, potentially exposing many other people to the infection.

Nigerian authorities have identified 44 contacts, most of them healthcare workers. They include the patient’s husband, a Swiss national, who lives with her in Abuja.

Officials are also tracing passengers who travelled with her from Uganda to Nigeria but do not believe she was symptomatic during the flight.

Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate told public broadcaster NTA that the woman was in isolation and receiving treatment.


Earlier cases

In 2014, the first Nigerian case, detected in Lagos, raised fears the virus would spread rapidly, but it was brought under control within three months, resulting in 20 infections and eight deaths.

That epidemic killed more than 11,000 people across West Africa between late 2013 and 2016.

The WHO says Nigeria is the fifth country to detect the virus in the outbreak, which this past week widened across the continent, with Kenya in the east reporting nine cases since October 6.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya said on X on Wednesday that the outbreak was “no longer one country’s fight”, and that he would hold a meeting of Africa’s health ministers next week to strengthen the cross-border response and review hospital capacity.

The DRC is the epicentre of the outbreak, its deadliest on record.

There have been more than 9,000 Ebola cases and more than 4,000 deaths there since mid-May.