Abductors of A’Ibom NYSC members demand fresh N200m after receipt of N13m (Vanguard)
Kidnappers of eight Akwa Ibom State graduates, abducted in Zamfara State on their way to Sokoto State for the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Orientation Camp, have demanded an additional N200 million as ransom, after collecting N13 million earlier paid by the victims’ families.
The victims, who were kidnapped on August 17, have spent 26 days in the kidnappers den.
Meanwhile, frustrated families have resorted to fasting and prayers on the fate of their children. Read more
Nigerian artiste MohBad dies at 27 (Leadership)
Nigerian artiste, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Alabama, a.k.a. MohBad, has passed away on Tuesday at the age of 27.
The former Marlian Record signee’s demise has left fans and the music community in mourning.
The announcement was made public by music executive Ovie, who shared the devastating news on his social media platform on Tuesday. Read more
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: One dies as truck falls on Otedola bridge (Vanguard)
One person, a yet-to-be-identified young adult male, was reportedly killed in a lone accident, yesterday, involving a truck with an unknown registration number at Otedola Bridge, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, after falling off the bridge.
The accident resulted in gridlock for long hours, as motorists were directed to use alternative routes to avoid being caught in the traffic.
According to the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Authoritily, LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the accident occured when the truck driver was descending the hill from Mobil filling station, inward Otedola Estate while trying to avoid collision with another vehicle. Read more
Banky W, Obanikoro’s son get another opportunity as tribunal nullifies victory of Labour Party rep (DailyTrust)
Olubankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W and Ibrahim Obanikoro, son of former Defence Minister, have expressed hope of regaining victory following the verdict of the State National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The Lagos State Tribunal had nullified the victory of the Labour Party candidate, Thaddeus Atta victory; and ordered a rerun for the Eti Osa Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
According to the ruling of the Tribunal, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct a supplementary election in the 32 polling units of Eti-Osa within 90 days. Read more
Lagos Assembly confirms Sule-Akibu as commissioner-nominee (Nation)
Lagos State House of Assembly has confirmed Mr. Tolani Sule-Akibu as a commissioner-nominee.
His name was one of the 18 sent by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in the second list. But his confirmation was stepped down because the lawmakers could not reach an agreement whether to confirm him or not.
However, during plenary yesterday, the lawmakers gave their consent to his nomination. The plenary was presided over by Deputy Speaker Mrs. Mojisola Meranda (Apapa I). Read more
Lagos sensitises residents to COVID-19 vaccination (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has sensitised residents of the state to the role of vaccination in safeguarding human health and the community, saying that one of the safest ways to curb the spread of COVID-19 is by taking the required dosages of the vaccine.
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Health District III, Dr Monsurat Adeleke, stated this during an enlightenment session on the health benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine and the flag-off ceremony of the administration of COVID-19 vaccines for residents of Epe and environs on Monday.
Supported by the Chairperson of Epe Local Government, Princess Surah Animashaun, the ceremony was part of the sensitisation and enlightenment programmes of Lagos Health District III and efforts by the council chairperson in promoting community health. Read more
Assembly summons LAMATA over non-use of Yoruba in train broadcast (Guardian)
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday asked the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to appear before it over its refusal to add Yoruba to languages it uses for announcements in its train service.
The House noted the importance of Yoruba language for passing information to passengers on the trains since it would help some of them, especially new users, easily understand what to do.
The House further noted that since 2017 when the bill on compulsory teaching of Yoruba language in schools was passed, the state had made conscious efforts to encourage the use of the language in public places ,adding that this should be sustained.It, therefore, invited LAMATA to appear and explain the reasons behind its refusal to adopt the use of the language. Read more
Gunshots as robbers invade Ologuneru community in Ibadan (Vanguard)
Sporadic gunshots rent the air, yesterday, as dare-devil armed robbers invaded Owalla community in Ibadan, Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State. Three people were seriously injured during the attack.
The robbers swooped on the community around 2:45a.m., yesterday, and started breaking windows and burglaries of buildings with dangerous weapons.
Though men of the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun responded early to the distress call made by a chairman of the landlord association in the area, who preferred anonymity, the hoodlums had attacked two houses leaving some people injured. Read more
Emily Eavis explains how Glastonbury 2023 was powered entirely by renewable energy for 1st time (NME)
Emily Eavis has explained how Glastonbury was powered entirely by renewable energy for the first time this year.
Organisers previously confirmed ahead of this year’s festival that it would be run entirely using renewable fuel.
Now, Eavis has spoken further in a new interview about how they managed to achieve such a feat. Read more
“Batgirl” directors call movie’s cancelation “the biggest disappointment of our careers” (EW)
DC’s “Batgirl” movie was gone in a flash, and now, the film’s directors have reflected on their canceled project.
“It’s the biggest disappointment of our careers,” Adil El Arbi told Insider. “There’s still a feeling of unfinished business,” Bilall Fallah said.
After filming was almost completed, “Batgirl” was abruptly pulled from Warner Brothers’ release schedule, supposedly as the result of a cost-cutting strategy that allowed the studio to cite the unreleased $90 million-film as a tax write-off. There are no plans for the movie to be released. Read more
Murder, She Wrote is coming back for a film version a year after Angela Lansbury’s death (Mirror)
Murder, She Wrote is set to get the big screen treatment. A film reboot of the beloved show Murder, She Wrote is said to be in development at Universal Pictures, though the project has reportedly been affected by industry strikes.
The news comes almost a year after the death of Angela Lansbury, who played sleuthing author Jessica Fletcher in the original TV series – which ran from 1984 to 1996. The actor later reprised the role in four films that aired on TV.
It has now been announced that the character is set to return in a film reboot of the acclaimed show, which was primarily set in the fictional town of Cabot Cove in Maine. The news was shared at a film festival by its screenwriters. Read more
Oscars: ITV announced as new home of Academy Awards ceremony in the UK (Standard)
ITV has taken over from Sky as the new home of the Oscars ceremony in the UK.
The 96th Academy Awards will be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles into living rooms across the UK through ITV1 and ITVX next March.
It is part of a new multi-year agreement with Disney Entertainment that will see future Oscars ceremonies made available across ITV platforms and programming, it was announced on Tuesday. Read more
Hundreds buried in mass graves as Libya reels from devastating flooding (AlJazeera)
Emergency workers uncovered hundreds of bodies in the wreckage of Libya’s eastern city of Derna, and it is feared the toll could spiral, with 10,000 people still reported missing after floodwaters from Storm Daniel smashed through dams and washed away entire neighbourhoods.
More than 1,000 corpses were collected, including at least 700 that have been buried so far, the health minister for eastern Libya said. Derna’s ambulance authority put the current death toll at 2,300.
Footage showed dozens of bodies covered by blankets in the yard of one hospital. Another image showed a mass grave piled with bodies. More than 1,500 corpses were collected, and half of them had been buried as of Tuesday evening, the health minister for eastern Libya said. Read more
Aerosmith postpones farewell tour after Steven Tyler damages vocal chords (AS)
Long-running rock band Aerosmith is pressing pause on their newly launched farewell tour. In a statement shared Monday night (September 11), frontman Steven Tyler reveals he’s been ordered to a month of vocal rest.
“I’m heartbroken to say I have received strict doctor’s orders not to sing for the next thirty days,” says Tyler. “I sustained vocal chord damage during Saturday’s show that led to subsequent bleeding. We’ll need to postpone a few dates so that we can come back and give you the performance you deserve.”
The postponement affects six dates of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted band’s Peace Out Tour, including performances in Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Raleigh, and Washington D.C. Read more
Man accused of stealing Nick Kyrgios’s Tesla after pointing gun at tennis star’s mother asks for case to be dropped (ABC)
Lawyers for a man accused of stealing a Tesla car owned by tennis star Nick Kyrgios have asked the ACT Magistrates Court to abandon the case, because police have taken too long to produce the full brief of evidence.
The 33-year-old man, who remains in custody, was arrested in May after he allegedly stole the car from Kyrgios’s mother at gunpoint.
According to documents tendered to the court, Kyrgios was able to help police track his car
through an app on his phone, leading to the man’s arrest after a short pursuit by officers through Canberra’s northern suburbs. Read more
Awoniyi wins Nottingham Forest’s POTM, GOTM awards (Punch)
Super Eagles striker Taiwo Awoniyi has won the Player of the Month and Goal of the Month Awards for the month of August at Nottingham Forest.
The PUNCH reports that Awoniyi was among those shortlisted for the Premier League Player of the Month award for the month of August.
The 25-year-old striker has scored three times totalling 184 minutes in four games for Nottingham Forest this season, stretching his impressive scoring run from last term to seven consecutive Premier League matches — the third African player to do so after Mohammed Salah and Sheyi Adebayor. Read more
Luis Rubiales: Ex-Spain FA president ordered to give testimony by judge investigating World Cup kiss (Sky)
Luis Rubiales has been ordered to give testimony to a Spanish judge investigating the incident in which the ex-Spain FA president kissed a player at the Women’s World Cup.
Judge Francisco de Jorge ordered Rubiales to answer his questions on Friday at Spain’s National Court in Madrid, according to court documents seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Rubiales kissed Spain player Jennifer Hermoso during the awards ceremony after Spain beat England to win the title last month in Sydney, Australia. He said she had consented to the kiss, but Hermoso has denied that. Read more
David Brooks: Wales goal “special” after cancer ordeal, says Bournemouth forward (BBC)
David Brooks says it felt special to score his first goal for Wales since recovering from cancer.
The 26-year-old was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021 but was given the all-clear in May 2022.
He scored his first international goal in nearly three years to help Wales beat Latvia 2-0 in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier on Monday night. Read more
Nike slated for controversial Carlos Alcaraz post after Novak Djokovic wins US Open (Express)
Fans are mocking Nike for claiming that tennis was entering a Carlos Alcaraz ‘era’ in a controversial post. The sportswear giant sponsored the Spaniard and made the statement after he defeated Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon. But the remark is coming back to haunt them following Djokovic’s victory at the US Open, where he lifted his 24th Grand Slam crown.
Djokovic made history on Sunday when he became the first player in the Open Era to reach 24 Majors. The Serb defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-3 7-6(5) 6-3 in the final to lift his fourth title at the US Open, five years after his last.
It means that the 36-year-old has won three of the four Majors in a single season for the third time – also doing so in 2015 and 2021. His only defeat came at Wimbledon where he lost to Alcaraz in an epic five-set final. It was the first time in a decade that Djokovic lost a match on Centre Court. Read more
New UFC champion Sean Strickland tapes up belt after breaking it within hours of win (Mirror)
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland had to use sellotape to fix his world title belt just hours after pulling off one of the upsets of the year.
The wildly popular fighter, who has admitted to previously identifying as a neo-nazi, was a monstrous underdog priced at almost 4/1 to beat legendary champion Israel Adesanya on Saturday night at UFC 293 in Sydney. But after dropping his rival in the first, Strickland ended up cruising to a relatively comfortable points win.
However, he clearly celebrated his victory a little too well as he arrived home with one of the side plates of the belt hanging from its leather strap. Strickland then took to social media to share his solution – putting tape over the valuable gold that makes up the sport’s biggest prize. Read more
Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. arrested in NYC, charged in woman’s assault (UPI)
Houston Rockets guard Keven Porter Jr. has been arrested in New York City and charged with assault and strangulation, authorities said Monday.
An NYPD spokesman was quoted by media outlets as saying Porter, 23, was placed into custody early Monday after police responded to a 911 call from a hotel in the city and determined that a 26-year-old woman had sustained an injury to her face and neck.
“A preliminary investigation on scene determined that a known individual struck her multiple times upon her body and placed his hands around the neck,” the spokesman said, adding the woman was taken to a hospital for evaluation. Read more