Nigerian and world women’s 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan,on Saturday won the women’s 100m hurdles gold at the New Taipei Athletics Open in Taiwan.

Amusan struck gold ahead of Taiwanese duo Bo Ya Zhang, who settled for second place in 13.17s, and Yi Po-an took third place in 13.37s.

The 29-year-old’s winning time of 12.72s is also a new meeting record, chalking off 0.08s off the previous mark of 12.80s held by Nia Ali, US Olympic silver medalist and former world champion.

Amusan was dominant in the qualifiers for the final, blowing away the field in Heat 2, and continued the form in the final to deliver a swashbuckling race that thrilled the crowd.

She took the lead outright after the fourth hurdle, leaving Zhang behind.

The three-time Senior Africa Athletics Championship winner crossed the finish line before the last competing athlete cleared the final hurdle, to the amazement of screaming spectators.

It is the second consecutive race Amusan will break a meeting record this athletics season, she also broke her meeting record in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the Rabat Diamond League.

She has won three of five races this season, and has not failed to claim a podium finish.

The police command in Oyo state has dismissed claim that one of the schoolchildren abducted in Ahoro-Esiele, Oriire LGA, died while in captivity.

In a statement issued on Friday, the command described the report as false, misleading and designed to incite panic among residents.

The police said neither the police nor any security agency involved in efforts to rescue the abducted pupils had confirmed such development.

“The report is false, misleading, mischievous, and without any factual basis whatsoever,” the statement reads.

The command accused the authors of the report of deliberately using unverified claims and emotional narratives to manipulate public opinion and create fear.

“It is particularly disturbing that the authors of the report deliberately employed emotional narratives, speculative claims, and unverified accounts in a calculated attempt to manipulate public opinion and generate anxiety among residents,” the statement added.

The police said ongoing rescue operations are being pursued with professionalism and confidentiality, warning that the spread of false information could undermine security efforts and inflict further trauma on affected families.

The command cautioned bloggers, social media influencers, online content creators and media organisations against publishing unverified security-related information.

“The indiscriminate sharing of false reports, particularly those capable of inciting fear or causing public disorder, is irresponsible and unacceptable,” the statement said.

The police urged residents to disregard the report and rely only on information released through official channels of the Nigeria Police Force and other authorised government agencies.

The command reiterated its commitment to public safety and assured residents that verified updates on the incident would be communicated as necessary.

Several schoolchildren were recently abducted by gunmen in Ahoro-Esiele, Oriire LGA, prompting a coordinated rescue effort by security agencies.

The police said investigations and rescue operations remain ongoing.

The abductors of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, former Director of Defence Information, and his wife has released a video of the couple in captivity.

It would be recalled that the couple were abducted along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, near Zakin Baure village.

In the four-minute video circulated on social media on Saturday, the wife of the retired general was seen conveying the abductors’ demands.

The demands included the release of three of their members identified as Sani, Aminu and Nasiru, as well as the return of livestock allegedly seized from them.

According to her account, two of the detained individuals were arrested in Jikamshi while the third was arrested in Kano.

She also appealed to the Katsina State Government and leaders of five local government areas to facilitate compliance with the demands to secure their release.

The retired general, who spoke briefly in the video, called for efforts to ensure peace, adding that the abductors had expressed interest in dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

The notorious bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, who operates in parts of Katsina State, had reportedly established communication with the family of the retired general, according to a report by Daily Trust.