2 suspected cultists nabbed during supremacy clash in Lagos (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested two suspected cultists in connection with a supremacy clash in the Ijanikin area of the state.
It was gathered that the cultists used sophisticated weapons during the clash, prompting residents and passers-by to run for safety.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement on Sunday that the suspects were arrested following a distress call by residents.
Adejobi said, “Police operatives attached to the Ijanikin Division on July 25, 2021, around 11am, arrested two suspected cultists at Oto Awori, in the Ijanikin area of the state. Read more
Kidnappers In FCT Begin Collection Of Ransom Through Banks (DailyTrust)
Kidnappers operating in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are becoming more daring by the day as they have started collecting ransom from their victims via bank accounts contrary to their usual style of receiving cash, Daily Trust reports.
Last week alone, Daily Trust reported two kidnap operations by armed men on Tungan Maje community in the outskirts of the city. The marauders returned to the community, on Wednesday, after they had abducted six persons from the area a day earlier.
Other FCT suburbs such as Kuje, Bwari and Abaji have experienced staggered spike in incidences in the last few months.
While such kidnappers usually release their victims after collecting cash payments, a new trend suggests that they are devising new means of getting the ransom amounts. Read more
Fallen 40-ft container causes gridlock in Lagos (Guardian)
It took the intervention of men of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to control traffic and put urchins at bay yesterday when 40-feet container heading to Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Isolo Industrial Estate, Lagos, fell off the truck in Iyana-Isolo, Lagos.
The incident happened a few days after The Guardian reported the menace of unlatched containers on roads, which made it a leading cause of accidents and deaths in Nigeria.
Though no life was lost or injury recorded in the incident, which involved the container without a number plate, it led to a gridlock in the area. Read more
Experts worry as 221 inbound passengers test positive in 3 weeks (Punch)
No fewer than 221 out of the 11, 671 international inbound passengers tested positive for COVID-19 in three weeks.
Also, the rate of recovery among those infected with the virus dropped by 69.77 per cent within one week.
Virologists, who spoke to The PUNCH on Sunday, described the figures as disturbing.
They particularly expressed concern about the sharp increase in the rate of COVID-19 positive cases among passengers coming into Nigeria. Read more
Gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, as travellers return from Sallah break (Vanguard)
Road users plying Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, on Sunday, experienced heavy traffic gridlock inbound Lagos State, occasioned by travellers entering the axis after the Sallah celebrations.
It was learnt that the traffic gridlock was heightened by the ongoing construction activities on the expressway.
The traffic snarl as gathered, was heavier at Lotto, Aseese, Ibafo and their environs as a number of man hours were lost on the road.
Despite the joint efforts by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, the Nigeria Police, the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), and sister agencies, the traffic gridlock was said to have stretched to neighbouring towns at press time. Read more
Baptist school students: Kaduna bandits collect N50m ransom, hold back 87 students (Punch)
Twenty-eight students of the Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna were released on Sunday after spending 20 days in bandits’ den.
Those who regained their freedom were among the 121 students, who were abducted when bandits invaded the school on July 5.
The PUNCH gathered that the bandits released the students after collecting N50m as a ransom. Read more
“Lawyer” detained over failure to meet bail conditions (DailyTrust)
A middle aged man, Edu Oluwasesan Joseph, who claimed to be a lawyer has ended up in a Correctional Service Centre for failing to meet bail conditions imposed on him by an Ilorin magistrates’ court.
The defendant (Joseph) was called to the Nigerian Bar in September, 1999, as Edu Oluwasesan Jelili but was disrobed by the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee sometime in 2008, Chairman of NBA, Ilorin, Abdulganiy Bello, told Daily Trust, and was therefore dragged to court on a one-count charge of impersonation contrary to Section 179 of the Penal Code.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Zaccheous Folorunsho, prayed the court not to admit the defendant to bail.
But the defendant’s counsel, Barrister Salako, prayed the court to discountenance the submission of the prosecutor, saying his client would provide reliable sureties if granted bail. Read more
Beans, tomatoes, rice record 253%, 123%, 51% price hike (Punch)
The cost of food items in Nigeria has been recording significant increases in the past one year.
A survey carried out by our correspondents in markets across Lagos, Ogun and Federal Capital Territory showed that staple food commodities have witnessed astronomical price hikes.
Findings showed that within a one-year period, the cost of 50kg of beans rose by about 253 per cent, a basket of tomatoes leaped by 123 per cent, while the price of 50kg of rice rose by 51.48 per cent.
Other commodities such as bread, garri and onions also witnessed sharp increases in their prices during the period under review. Read more
Emir of Bichi sets up c’ttee for daughter’s wedding to Buhari’s son (DailyTrust)
The Emir of Bichi in Kano, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, has constituted a 145-man committee to coordinate the wedding ceremony of his daughter, Princess Zahra Ado-Bayero and President Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf Buhari.
Bichi emirate’s spokesperson, Lurwanu Malikawa, stated this in a statement yesterday.
Malikawa explained that the committee is also saddled with the responsibility of organising the scheduled Emir of Bichi’s coronation as well as presentation of staff of office by the Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
He said the wedding ceremony is scheduled to take place on August 20, 2021, and the coronation on August 21, at the Bichi Emir’s palace. Read more
“The Walking Dead” film with Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes will be ‘worth the wait’ (Metro)
The Walking Dead creator Rick Kirkham has vowed that the upcoming Rick Grimes film will be ‘worth the wait’ following a string of delays.
After the trailer for the AMC show’s season finale was released during Comic-Con 2021, an update was given on the status of the Andrew Lincoln-led movie, which will definitely arrive before 2032.
‘Andrew Lincoln is amazing, I miss seeing Andrew Lincoln running around as Rick Grimes,’ Kirkham teased. ‘I can’t wait until we’re filming this thing and then this thing’s coming out, it’s gonna be awesome.
‘Everybody’s working very hard to make this thing as good as it can be. All I will say: we don’t want a bad Rick Grimes movie. Read more
Flooded London hospitals ask patients to stay away (BBC)
Two London hospitals have asked patients to stay away after their emergency departments were hit by flooding on Sunday.
East London’s Whipps Cross and Newham hospitals urged patients to use other A&Es for urgent care, and ambulances are being redirected.
Torrential rain has caused severe flooding in homes, roads and stations.
The London fire brigade said it had taken about 300 flooding-related calls in the space of a few hours. Read more
Man accused of trying to assassinate Mali president ‘dies in custody’ (France24)
A man accused of attempting to stab Mali’s interim President Assimi Goita last week has died in hospital while in the custody of security services, the government said in a statement on Sunday.
Goita, a special forces colonel who orchestrated two coups in the last year, escaped unharmed after the assailant tried to stab him during prayers at a mosque in the capital Bamako on Tuesday.
Security agents threw a man into the back of a military pickup truck, video obtained by Reuters showed, as Goita was ringed by bodyguards.
“During the investigations … his state of health deteriorated,” the statement said. He was taken to hospital, where he died, it said. Read more
US civil rights activist Robert Moses dies at age 86 (AlJazeera)
Robert Parris Moses, a United States civil rights activist who endured beatings and jail while leading Black voter registration drives in the American South during the 1960s and later helped improve minority education in mathematics, has died at age 86.
Moses worked to dismantle segregation as the Mississippi field director of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the civil rights movement and was central to the 1964 “Freedom Summer” in which hundreds of students went to the South to register voters.
Moses started his “second chapter in civil rights work” by founding in 1982 the Algebra Project, which included a curriculum Moses developed to help poor students succeed in maths. Read more
Tunisia PM sacked after violent Covid protests (BBC)
Tunisia’s president has sacked the prime minister and suspended parliament, after violent protests broke out across the country.
Thousands of protesters, angry at the government’s mishandling of Covid-19, had flooded onto the streets and clashed with police on Sunday.
President Kais Saied announced he would take charge with help from a new prime minister, saying he intended to bring calm to the country.
But opponents branded his move a coup Read more
10 killed, 44 injured as bus swerves off highway and crashes in Croatia (RT)
Ten people have lost their lives and at least 44, including children, have been injured, after a bus traveling from Germany swerved off the highway in Croatia after the driver apparently briefly fell asleep.
The incident took place early on Sunday morning. The bus was traveling along a highway linking the Croatian capital of Zagreb to the Serbian border when it suddenly swerved off the road and overturned. Photos published on social media show the bus lying on its side on a roadside.
Police said the bus had Kosovo license plates and was traveling a regular route from Frankfurt, Germany, to Kosovo’s capital of Pristina, south of Serbia. Read more
Akwa United whip Jigawa 3-0 to keep maiden NPFL title in sight (DailyTrust)
Akwa United have inched closer to their maiden Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) title with a 3-0 thrashing of Jigawa Golden Stars in the week 35 match played yesterday at the Nest of Champions in Uyo.
Friday Ubong opened the scoring for Akwa United in the second minute of first half added time, Charles Atshimene doubled the lead in the seventh minute of the second half before Brazilian import Wisdom Fernando sealed victory with the third goal in the 89th minute.
And to ensure they don’t lose sight of Akwa United, Nasarawa United also drubbed hapless Sunshine Stars 4-0 at the Lafia township stadium.
2021 NPFL leading goalscorer, Silas Nwankwo scored a brace in the 11th and 16th minute before Aliyu Abdullahi and Chigozie Obasi scored a goal each the 23rd and 4oth minute to complete the eclipsing of the stars from Akure. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: Tunisia’s Hafnaoui wins shock swimming gold (BBC)
Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui took a shock gold medal in the men’s 400m freestyle on Sunday.
The 18-year-old won from the outside lane after qualifying slowest, but finished with stunning pace to beat Australia’s Jack McLoughlin with a time of three minutes 43.36 seconds.
“I just can’t believe it. It’s a dream and it became true. It was great, it was my best race ever,” said Hafnaoui.
It was Tunisia’s fifth ever gold – and third in swimming.
US swimmer Kieran Smith took bronze at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre. Read more
Asian champions Qatar beat El Salvador to reach Gold Cup semis (AlJazeera)
Al Moez Ali scored twice, making Asian champions Qatar the first team to reach the semi-finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday, holding on to beat El Salvador 3-2.
Abdelaziz Hatim also scored for Qatar, who were invited as guests in the tournament, in the quarter-final clash in Arizona.
Ali opened the scoring in the second minute by capitalising on an El Salvador giveaway.
Just six minutes later, Hatim hammered a right-footed shot into the goal to make it 2-0. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: Keyshawn Davis making most of second chance to pursue medal (BBC)
American boxer Keyshawn Davis was so convinced his Olympic dream was over after a row with national coaches that he turned professional this year.
But he got a second chance last month when he was offered a quota place for Tokyo 2020 and having won his opener, the quest for gold is firmly on.
“The gold medal is the one and only thing that I need to put in my resume. As of right now,” Davis, 22, said after beating Dutchman Enrico Lacruz in the men’s lightweight first round with a unanimous decision on points. Read more
Boxing star Haney blasted for throwing money in air while claiming it ‘took him 2 hours’ to count cash (RT)
American boxing braggart Devin Haney has been blasted for a “bad look” during a pandemic after tastelessly portraying himself throwing money into the air, boasting and lying on a couch as the notes fall on top of him.
In a cash-crazed scene reminiscent of boxing great Floyd Mayweather’s tendency to picture himself surrounded by money, WBC lightweight champion Haney, who once caused controversy by claiming he would “never lose to a white boy in my life”, started the clip with his shirt off inside a house.
The film then cut to stylized, glossy shots of 22-year-old Haney showing off various possessions including a luxury car and watch, trainers and what appeared to be a gun before cutting back to him falling backwards onto a couch strewn with the falling money. Read more
Pop says consistency key to US revival after France basketball upset (RFI)
USA coach Gregg Popovich says his star-studded team must discover more consistency if they are to successfully defend their Olympic basketball crown.
The US line-up suffered their first defeat at the Olympic basketball tournament in 17 years on Sunday, slumping to an 83-76 loss to France in their opening game in Saitama.
It followed an unconvincing series of warm-up games in Las Vegas earlier this month, where Popovich’s side suffered surprise back-to-back defeats to Australia and Nigeria.Sunday’s loss has raised the possibility that the US reign over Olympic basketball which has included three consecutive gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, could be in jeopardy. Read more
