A mother and daughter have died after a suspected grizzly bear attack in the Canadian province of British Columbia, their family has announced.

The women – identified as Jennifer Balcarras, 48, and her daughter Selah Reed, 20 -were reported missing on 1 November when they did not return from what was supposed to be a short afternoon walk, the family said.

Their remains were found in a trail area in Bella Coola, according to the BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS), which said evidence at the scene “suggested an animal may have been involved”.

Conservation officers are working to track down any bears involved.

Balcarras’ remains were found on Monday and Reed’s on Tuesday during search efforts by conservation officers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Jeff Tyre, an inspector with the BCCOS, said it was not yet clear if more than one was potentially involved in the women’s deaths.

He added that any captured bear would be assessed and if it is found to have been involved in the attack “it will be dispatched in accordance with provincial human-wildlife conflict response guidelines to protect public safety”.

Balcarras and Reed were “two peas in a pod” who “got along really, really well” and shared many hobbies, Balcarras’ brother, Josh Balcarras, said

“When Jenny hiked, Selah was right there beside her,” he said.

Balcarras had recently moved to Bella Coola to pursue a new career and begin a new chapter in her life, according to an online fundraiser to help the family with funeral costs.

Grizzly bears are listed as a species of “special concern” under federal legislation, and are an important part of the British Columbia landscape, according to Environmental Reporting BC.

Between 10,000 and 13,000 grizzly bears are estimated to live in the province, according to the province’s Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, which has classified them as vulnerable.

According to the ministry, conflicts between bears and humans are “relatively rare” unless the animals are startled or protecting their cubs and food.

But there have been a number of attacks in British Columbia in recent years.

A grizzly bear injured two hikers in the McGregor Mountain area in October 2025, one of whom died later due to critical injuries. The bear was later found dead.

The following month, a bear attacked a school group – also in the Bella Coola area – injuring 11 people.

The BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) has said that reports of grizzly-human conflicts have risen since the province introduced a ban on hunting grizzly bears for sport in 2017.

“With no hunting pressure, grizzlies and humans will increasingly occupy the same spaces with inevitable consequences,” the BCWF’s executive director Jesse Zeman said at the time.

The court of appeal in Abuja has dismissed an appeal seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INE) to recognise the Kabiru Turaki-led interim national working committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the appeal on Wednesday, upholding the judgement of the federal high court in Abuja delivered in July 2026.

The panel was presided over by Ugochukwu Ogakwu, with Laja Balogun and Ruquayat Oremei Ayoola as the other members.

The appeal was filed by the Adolphus Wabara-led board of trustees (BoT) of the PDP faction.

In July, the federal high court in Abuja dismissed a suit seeking to compel INEC to recognise the Turaki-led interim NWC of the PDP.

The judgement was delivered by Salim Ibrahim, the presiding judge.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1159/2026, was filed by Wabara, former senate president; Muazu Babangida Aliyu, former governor of Niger state; Jerry Gana, former minister of information; and Olabode George, former deputy national chairman of the PDP.
Other plaintiffs are Maryam Ciroma, former minister of women affairs; Zainab Maina, former minister of women affairs and social development; Dame Esther Uduehi, a member of PDP BoT; and the PDP itself.

INEC was the sole defendant in the case.

The plaintiffs sought an order directing the INEC to publish on its website the composition of the party’s interim NWC led by Turaki, as forwarded to the commission by the national executive committee (NEC).

They asked the court to determine whether, by virtue of the provisions of Article 32 of the PDP constitution, INEC was obligated to recognise the interim NWC as forwarded by the NEC.

Reacting to the court of appeal judgement, the Turaki-led PDP faction said it had instructed its lawyers to approach the supreme court to seek justice.

In a statement signed by Ini Ememobong, the faction’s spokesperson, the Turaki-led PDP said the party must remain an opposition party and not become an “appendage” of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“While we respect the judgment of the court, we are determined to take our quest for justice anchored on truth to the apex court in the land. It is our belief that no matter how deep the truth is buried, if those seeking it are persistent in digging, it will one day resurface,” the statement reads

“We have instructed our lawyers to immediately file an appeal before the Supreme Court, in the hope that justice will eventually be done.”

Ahead of next year’s general elections, the United Nations has demanded violence-free polls, warning the Nigerian electorate against allowing the elections to become sources of violence and instability.

The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the management of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Wednesday. He also urged Nigerians to see the election as a democratic process to promote peace, national cohesion and development.

Simão emphasised that the UN recognised the enormous responsibility facing INEC, particularly amid the security challenges confronting Nigeria and other countries in the West African sub-region.

Announcing that the UN would maintain a presence during the electoral process to encourage positive conduct and support an atmosphere conducive to peaceful participation, he said: “We are here, pleased to give you moral support, that you are not alone in facing this mammoth task.”

Simão clarified that the UN would not participate as an election observer because it had no mandate to undertake election observation.

He stressed, however, that the outcome of Nigeria’s 2027 elections would have implications beyond its borders, particularly for democratic stability, regional integration and peace in West Africa.

According to him, peaceful elections in Nigeria could encourage other countries in the region, while instability could have wider consequences.

Earlier, INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan had disclosed that its technology-enabled verification exercise had identified about 1.5 million questionable voter registration records, with more than 1.27 million confirmed invalid and removed from the National Register of Voters.

Amupitan insisted that the Commission’s efforts to sanitise the National Register of Voters and address identified irregularities that could undermine the credibility of the electoral process had led to the identification of about 1.5 million questionable registration records.

He further explained that more than 1.27 million records had been confirmed invalid and removed from the database as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.