When a rare total solar eclipse sweeps across North America on Monday, scientists will be able to gather invaluable data on everything from the Sun’s atmosphere to strange animal behaviors — and even possible effects on humans. It comes with the Sun near the peak of its 11-year solar cycle, setting the stage for a breathtaking display: The corona will glow spectacularly from the Moon’s silhouette along the path of totality, a corridor stretching from Mexico to Canada via the United States. Total solar eclipses offer “incredible scientific opportunities,” NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy told a press conference this week about the celestial event. The US space agency is one of the institutions at the ready for the eclipse, with plans to launch so-called “sounding rockets” to study the effects on Earth’s upper atmosphere. Here is a look at what researchers are hoping to learn from the upcoming eclipse:   – Sun’s atmosphere – When the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun and blocks it, the elusive outermost edge of the Sun’s atmosphere, or corona, will be visible “in a very special way,” Melroy said. “Things are happening with the corona that we don’t fully understand,” she said. The heat within the corona intensifies with distance from the Sun’s surface — a counterintuitive phenomenon that scientists struggle to fully comprehend or explain. Solar flares, a sudden explosion of energy that releases radiation into space, take place in the corona as do solar prominences, enormous plasma formations that loop out from the Sun’s surface.   During an eclipse, the bottom most part of the corona — where a lot of this activity occurs — is more clearly visible than when using specialized instruments to block the central part of the Sun, offering a golden opportunity for study, said Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University. Researchers are particularly thrilled about the Sun being near the peak of its 11-year cycle. “The chance we’re going to see something amazing is very high,” Melroy said. – Earth’s atmosphere – The total eclipse also will afford scientists a chance to study changes in part of the Earth’s upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere, important because it affects radio waves used for communication and navigation.   “Disturbances in this layer can cause issues with GPS and communications,” said Kelly Korreck, the eclipse program manager at NASA headquarters. The ionosphere, which is where Earth’s atmosphere meets space, is affected by the Sun, which electrically charges the particles there during the day. NASA’s three sounding rockets will be launched before, during and just after the eclipse from Virginia to measure these changes. The major decrease in sunlight provoked by the eclipse — more rapid and localized than a simple sunset — should allow researchers to learn more about how light affects the ionosphere so they can better predict potential problematic disruptions. – Animal behaviors – Startling animal behavior has been noted during eclipses: Giraffes have been seen galloping, while roosters and crickets can start crowing and chirping. Beyond the drop in sunlight, temperatures and wind — conditions to which animals are sensitive — can also decrease significantly during an eclipse. Andrew Farnsworth, a researcher in ornithology at Cornell University in New York state, studies how eclipses affect birds, using weather surveillance radar to detect birds in flight. During the last total solar eclipse visible from the United States in August 2017, scientists observed a “decline in the number of animals flying around,” Farnsworth told reporters. The 2017 eclipse disrupted the daily activities of insects and birds, but did not trigger usual animal nocturnal behaviors such as birds migrating or bats emerging, the expert said. This time around, birds might be more apt to migrate during the eclipse, given that it’s in April, he said. “These kinds of patterns — they’re important for understanding the ways animals perceive their worlds,” Farnsworth said. – Human wonder – “Eclipses have a special power. They move people to feel a kind of reverence for the beauty of our universe,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told reporters. Researchers studied this feeling of awe in 2017, using data from nearly three million users of Twitter, now called X. Those in the so-called “path of totality,” under which the Moon will fully block out the Sun, tended to use the pronoun “we” (as opposed to “I”) and express concern about other people, according to Paul Piff, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine. “What we’re finding is that experiences that bring about awe… seem to attune people and connect us to one another, to connect us to entities that are larger than ourselves,” Piff said. This year, he plans to study if the experience has any effect on political divisions in society. – Citizen scientists – About 40 citizen science projects are planned around the eclipse, from using a phone app to register the temperature and cloud cover to recording ambient noise during the event. “We encourage you to help NASA observe the sights and sounds around you,” Nelson said. AFP

  The Edo State Police Command, on Sunday, explained why it detained one Christopher Owegie whose wife died at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital on Saturday. A statement by the state Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, noted that Owegie was briefly detained after assaulting the medical doctor who attended to his wife before she died. In the statement made available to newsmen in Benin by Chidi Nwabuzor, the command’s spokesperson, Adegboye said Owogie was kept in safe custody, counselled for about an hour, and released unconditionally. The statement read, “On the 6th of April 2024, one Mr Owegie Christopher was said to have taken his wife, who was in a state of comma, to the UBTH Benin for treatment. “The woman was attended to by a medical doctor, one Dr Osaretin Asemota, who stabilised her condition at a time but she later gave up the ghost while receiving treatment and was confirmed dead by the medical doctor. “The news of the woman’s death enraged her husband, Mr Owegie Christopher, to the extent that he attacked and assaulted Dr Osaretin Asemota and accused him of being deceptive for asking him to buy expensive medicines for his wife when he knew she will eventually die. “He swore to make the doctor go through the same pain he went through.” Adegboye said that the doctor, who was rescued by his colleagues and the hospital security personnel, lodged a complaint against Owegie at the Ugbowo Police Division in Benin. The commissioner explained that the husband was subsequently apprehended, their statements taken while the suspect was kept in safe custody and later released. “The essence of his peaceful safe custody is strategic, proactive and geared towards getting him rid of evil thoughts that may lead him to commit suicide or cause harm to himself and even others as a result of the agony of losing his wife,” he added. The commissioner of police advised citizens to be guided by law in all circumstances and avoid being controlled by negative emotions when dealing with issues, especially in the public space. He also advised those who are on essential services to step up their duties in saving humanity and putting smiles on the faces of people in whom they took oaths to serve. Adegboye appealed to the Association of Resident Doctors at the hospital, who threatened to embark on strike due to the assault, to shelve the plan for the sake of innocent patients in their care. NAN

  The Federal Government has declared Tuesday and Wednesday, April 9 and 10, 2024, as public holidays to mark the Eid-el-Fitr celebration. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Aishetu Ndayako. The minister congratulated all Muslims for the successful completion of the fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. Tunji-Ojo called on them to imbibe and practise the virtues that entail kindness, love, tolerance, peace, good neighbourliness, and compassion, as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him). The statement read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared Tuesday, 9th and Wednesday, 10th April, 2024 as public holidays to mark Eid-el-Fitr celebration. “The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, congratulates all Muslim Ummah for the successful completion of the fasting in the holy month of Ramadan. “Tunji-Ojo calls on Muslim Ummmah to imbibe and practise the virtues that entails kindness, love, tolerance, peace, good neighbourliness, compassion as exemplified by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him). “He urged Nigerians to continue in the spirit of unity in order to improve and achieve peace and oneness in the country. “The minister wishes all Muslim Ummah a happy Eid-el-Fitr celebration and prays that the peace, blessings, and favour of Allah be with everyone and our great nation.”

  The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested a nine-man gang of suspected ritualists under the name of ‘Neo Black Movement, NBM, with one full jerry can of human blood. The suspected ritualists were arrested at a Cemetery in Dutsen Abba Ward along the Zaria -Kaduna expressway. ASP Mansur Hussaini, Public Relations Officer of the Command, confirmed the arrest on Sunday.   Hussaini said their arrest followed a tip-off after a source drew the attention of the service formation that some group of people were sighted at the said cemetery, which in turn Saye Lowcost Division was alerted. He added that those arrested for alleged involvement in ritual activities are, Samson Ezekiel (32), Samuel Francis (27), Usman Nura (34), Gabriel Sheba (23), Haruna Sa’id (37), Bala Lukman (27) and Jabir Rilwan (37). The PPRO explained, “A search was conducted on their vehicle, a Lexus sedan, with registration number RSH 712 CW, where two locally made pistols, one Beretta pistol, two jacket knives, two calabashes and a jerrycan, full of human blood were recovered.” He said the suspected ritualists, comprising the new and old members, were apprehended while initiating the new members, saying the gang confessed to getting the human blood after slaughtering an aged man and disposing of his body along the Jaji military cantonment, in neighbouring Igabi Local Government Area. The suspects also confessed that the man’s vital body parts were dismembered but were taken away by another gang which came from Kaduna. Following the arrest of the seven suspected ritualists along the Zaria -Kaduna expressway, he said that two other suspects were apprehended by the locals, at ABU Congo Conference Hotels, along old Jos road, stressing that they are Austin Ifinju from Ondo State, aged 28 and Yoruba by tribe and Aliyu Ali Yahaya, resident of Hadu Nasko road Abuja, aged 24. Agatu by tribe and a student of ABU Samaru. ASP Mansur Hussaini, Public Relations Officer of the Command confirmed the arrest, explaining that investigations are ongoing.

  Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 14th Emir of Kano, says greed, selfishness and envy are “much greater sins” than unlawful sex, homosexuality and gambling. Sanusi spoke on Sunday as a guest lecturer during a virtual Ramadan lecture titled “Some dimensions of the concept of ibadah”. The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said part of the reason there is a social disorder in the country is that some Muslims forget that they will give an account of their actions before God. He said people observe prayers and fast but keep committing evil “because our hearts are not Islamic”. Sanusi further said a governor of a Sharia-implementing state in Nigeria stole funds and bought a hotel in Lagos. While he did not mention the name of the governor, Sanusi said his state remained a “most serious example of backwardness”. The economist said if leaders were conscious that they would account for the trust bequeathed to them, they would not steal public funds. “On Social order and Ibadah, you know when our hearts are not good, our deeds will not be good,” he said. “We say we are Muslims, we go to the mosque and pray and Allah says prayer stops evil deeds and wrong deeds. Why is it that we go to pray all the time, we fast all the time and then we are committing this evil? “How do you get a Muslim to become a minister or governor and all he is thinking of is how he is going to steal public funds to build a big house for himself or have billions for his children and deny people? “When you know what the prophet has said about leadership. It is a trust and on the day of judgment, it would be a source of bitterness sadness, and regret, for those who do not keep that trust properly. “When you sit down and know that you are going to account to Allah for this wealth, you are going to answer for it, how do you get to that office and steal public funds? This is why you have a social disorder. “We even have had state governors who said they were practising sharia, they were leading the implementation of sharia and they were stealing money and buying hotels. “There was a governor implementing sharia in a sharia state who stole public funds and bought a hotel in Lagos. And he says Allahu Akbar. “Meanwhile, his state was left with no education, with no health care, with one of the most serious cases of security, most serious examples of backwardness. “How do you explain that you have this external religiosity and then you have so much injustice? And that’s why I say the obligations of the heart are far more important than those of the body. “Greed, selfishness, wickedness, envy. These are much greater sins than zina (illegal sexual intercourse), homosexuality, and gambling. The sins of the heart are greater than the sins of the body. We are focused so much on the external things. “The purity of our hearts, the love for humanity, the fear of Allah, the knowledge that we are accountable to Allah, all of that is missing. “What is obligatory on the heart is greater than what is obligatory on the external because this is what Allah works with.” Sanusi also said the misinterpretation of some teachings of Islam “has been the cause of some of the problems that we are facing today”. He encouraged Muslims to serve as examples for those in the coming centuries to look up to.

  The Nigerian Army has dismissed allegation of ethnic bias in the trial of 25 soldiers that were court-martialed in the 82 division, Enugu. The soldiers and one officer were court-martialed for various offences in October 2023. In a statement on Saturday, Onyema Nwachukwu, director of army public relations, said the army is a composite national institution and not an ethnic militia. Nwachukwu was reacting to a report that alleged the conviction of soldiers of southern extraction, while those from the north were freed and reabsorbed into service. He said the report claimed that some aggrieved soldiers who were arraigned before the court martial expressed the concern. He noted that the “misleading report” was being circulated to cause disharmony within the army and by extension the armed forces of Nigeria. Nwachukwu said the report is untrue and aimed at disparaging the current leadership of the army through ethnic and religious bigotry. He explained that the composition of the court martial was not based on regional representation but was diverse, with personnel drawn from various regions of the country. He said the president of the court was of northern extraction while the judge advocate was from the south. He added that 60 percent of the court members were from the south. He said this demonstrated a fair and balanced representation, even though religion and ethnicity are not criteria in the decision making process of the army. “The decision of a court martial is collective and based on evidence presented during the trial,” he said. “The said court martial tried the personnel, irrespective of their ethnic and religious affiliations and the outcome was determined strictly based on the evidence presented. “In espousing the position of the Nigerian Army in the cases mentioned in the report, taking that of Pte. Usman Shonva for instance, wherein evidence revealed that there were other soldiers at the scene of the incident, who also fired their weapons. “Hence, the court, based on this finding among others, reached the conclusion that the shot that killed the dead soldier could have been fired by any of the soldiers at the scene, thus, leading to his discharge and acquittal. “It must be emphasised that the Nigerian Army does not task its personnel (including for court martial membership) on a regional basis in order to achieve national spread. “The Nigerian Army is a composite national institution and not an ethnic militia.” Nwachukwu said the court martial proceedings were conducted in a fair and unbiased manner. He urged the publisher of the report to refrain from peddling misinformation capable of engendering disaffection and disharmony among army personnel, other services and security personnel. “We urge the public to note the true picture and discountenance the false report published by the online media platform,” he said. “Continued spread of the misinformation will only serve the ulterior motive of the author, which is to cause disharmony in the Nigerian Army. “The army is committed to upholding justice, equity and discipline within its ranks, and will continue to ensure that all personnel are treated fairly and in accordance with the law

A member of the Kano State House of Assembly, Halilu Kundila, is dead. Kundila, a member of the All Progressives Congress representing the Shanono/Bagwai State Constituency, died on Saturday at the age of 59. A family source who confirmed the death said that the lawmaker died at his residence on Saturday night following a brief illness. According to the source, the funeral prayer for the deceased lawmaker was held on Sunday morning at Kundila in the Shanono Local Government Area of the state. “The lawmaker died on Saturday night after a brief illness and had since been buried in his hometown, Kundila,” the source said. Among those who attended the funeral prayer were the House of Representatives member, Shanono/Bagwai, Yusuf Badau, as well as some of his colleagues from the state assembly. The late lawmaker is survived by four wives and 17 children.