Alleged Money Laundering: EFCC declares Mompha wanted (DailyTrust)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a social media celebrity, Ismaila Mustapha, popularly known as Mompha, wanted.
It was learnt that the commission took the decision after Mompha, who had been facing charges for alleged money laundering to the tune of N6 billion, defied a court order.
Sources at the EFCC headquarters told Daily Trust that Mompha travelled to Dubai with a new international passport against the order of the court.
The EFCC had, in June, arraigned the celebrity before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Ikeja Special Offences Court, Lagos.
The commission, on January 12, charged him and his company, Ismalob Global Investment Ltd, for N6bn money laundering. Read more
Lagos businessman bags 2 years imprisonment for stealing N18m (Guardian)
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Lagos Special Offences Court, Ikeja, yesterday, sentenced a cryptocurrency trader, Shola Henry, to two years imprisonment for stealing N18.460 million.
The judge found him guilty of stealing in a charge brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
While delivering judgment yesterday, Justice Taiwo gave the convict an option of fine in the sum of N2 million.
The convict was arraigned alongside his company, Henry Enterprise Concept on an amended seven-count charge, bordering on obtaining money under false pretenses and stealing by the EFCC. Read more
Lagos man tricks baby-mama, disappears with three-year-old twins (Punch)
A mother, Bolatito Adeniyi, has accused her erstwhile lover, Mayowa Oke, of tricking her and disappearing with their twin children, Taiwo and Kehinde.
Speaking to our correspondent on Wednesday, the 25-year-old said her former boyfriend called off their relationship two months after she became pregnant.
She said, “Mayowa (Oke) never rendered any financial support throughout the period of my pregnancy. I was staying with my parents at Irewan in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, till I gave birth through caesarean section. Before the caesarean section, my mum was staying with me in the hospital and it was my dad that paid the medical expenses.
“When my mum called Mayowa’s mother to show support, she never showed up. We also called Mayowa; he showed up twice and never dropped any money. So, it has always been me, my parents and sister taking care of the children till they became one-year-old when their father started visiting them. Read more
Man dies as LAGBUS rams into building (Vanguard)
Tragedy struck, Tuesday night, in Falomo area of Ikoyi, Lagos, as a LAGBUS rammed into a building on Alfred Rilwan road, killing an unidentified man.
Another occupant of the building, which collapsed due to the impact of the incident, was still receiving treatment in the hospital at press time.
Vanguard gathered that the LAGBUS with number plate KSF 397 KX, was coming inward Falomo, at about 11.10 pm, when the unidentified driver lost control, causing it to veer off its lane.
In the driver’s bid to control the bus, it rammed into the building, on the other side of the road. Read more
Gunmen kill NAN correspondent’s father, abduct rector, niece (DailyTrust)
Gunmen on Tuesday night attacked Manchok in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State and killed the father of the NAN correspondent in Kaduna, Mr Daniel (Dabo) Yatai.
They also abducted the Rector, Federal School of Statistics, M. Amos Magbon and Brenda Friday, a final year student of Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya.
A brother of the rector, Innocent Magbon, said the gunmen had reached out to the family asking for N15m ransom.
Also, a brother of Friday, Joseph Yatai, said the abductors contacted the family and demanded the same amount.
The attack came barely three weeks after two ad hoc staff in charge of distributing treated mosquito nets were killed along the Zangang-Zankan road in the local government area. Read more
PDP’s Trustees board sets up committee to reconcile Wike, Atiku, others (Vanguard)
The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set up a committee to reconcile its Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers.
Former lawmaker and member of the board, Sen. Abdul Ningi disclosed this while briefing newsmen at the end of the BoT meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ningi, who did not disclose the time frame for the committee, said it was expected to interface between warring factions so as to restore peace.
“We have set up a committee to interface between warring factions, particularly the acrimony brewing between the presidential candidate and Gov. Wike. Read more
Insecurity: Senate holds closed-session with service chiefs (Guardian)
The leadership of the Senate is meeting behind closed doors with service chiefs over the lingering security situation in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that present at the meeting are the Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lt.- Gen. Faruk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff; Vice Adm. Awwal
Gambo, and Chief Air Staff; Air Marshal Oladayo Amao.
Others are the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba; the Director-General of Department of State Services (DSS) Yusuf Bichi; the Commandant General of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps Dr Ahmed Audi and the Director General National Intelligence Agency (NIA); Ahmed Abubakar. Read more
Youth pastor, father remanded for illegal banking (Punch)
A youth pastor at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Ademola Jayeoba, and his father, Emmanuel Jayeoba, have been arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
Ademola and Emmanuel were arraigned before Justice Nicholas Oweibo on two counts bordering on illegal banking activities.
The charges read, “That you, Wales Kingdom Capital Limited, sometime between October 2019 and December 2020 in Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did carry on banking business without a valid licence….
“That you, Adewale Daniel Jayeoba, Emmanuel Jayeoba and Wales Kingdom Capital Limited, whilst being directors of Wales Kingdom Capital Limited sometime between October 2019 and December 2020 in Lagos, knowingly consented to the carrying on of banking business without a valid licence by the company.” Read more
Batgirl directors ‘shocked and saddened’ as film cancelled in post-production (Metro)
The directors of the now-cancelled Batgirl have spoken out about their disappointment that the film has been cancelled while in post-production.
Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah say they are ‘shocked and saddened’ that their DC Extended Universe flick was axed, but say they are ‘privileged’ to have worked on the film.
Batgirl, which starred Leslie Grace as the titular character and would have seen Michael Keaton return as Batman, was due to begin streaming on HBO Max later this year, with filming already completed.
But on Tuesday it was announced that Warner Bros. had made the decision to cancel it, with the directors reportedly learning the news while in Morocco celebrating Adil’s wedding. Read more
Chrissy Teigen and John Legend announce pregnancy (BBC)
Chrissy Teigen has announced that she is expecting her third child with her husband, singer John Legend, almost two years after suffering a miscarriage.
The US model, aged 36, shared an Instagram post showing herself visibly pregnant, saying she was feeling “hopeful and amazing”.
“Joy has filled our home and hearts again,” she added.
In September 2020, she lost a baby, whom the couple had named Jack, after suffering complications and bleeding.
The TV presenter has said that experiencing the miscarriage was “the greatest pain I could ever imagine”. Read more
Toronto Film Festival: Emily Bronte movie ‘Emily’ to open platform competition (THR)
The Emily Brontë movie Emily, with Sex Education breakout Emma Mackey playing the author in the movie from writer-director Frances O’Connor and U.S. distributor Bleecker Street, will open the Platform competition sidebar at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
TIFF unveiled 10 features with world premieres for the festival section where international films outside the Hollywood studio orbit compete. This year’s selection includes Brazilian director Carolina Markowicz’s Charcoal, Daniel Goldhaber’s environmental activists thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline and two Canadian titles: Anthony Shim’s Riceboys Sleeps and Stephane Lafleur’s Viking.
“We launched Platform to shine a brighter light on some of the most original films and distinct voices at our festival. Now in year seven, it’s become a true home for international auteurs on the rise,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a statement.
An international jury to be shortly announced will pick the Platform Prize winner. Previous jury members include Claire Denis, Béla Tarr, Brian De Palma, Mira Nair, Riz Ahmed and Jia Zhang-ke. Read more
‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ to close BFI London Film Festival (UPI)
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will close out the upcoming BFI London Film Festival, the festival said Wednesday.
The closing night gala, which will take place on Oct. 16, will serve as the highly anticipated film’s European premiere.
The film is directed by Rian Johnson (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and will serve as a sequel to his critically acclaimed 2019 murder mystery Knives Out.
The Lionsgate-produced film saw critical and financial success, grossing over $300 million at the box office on a $40 million budget. Read more
Beyoncé removes Kelis sample from Renaissance track after Milkshake singer’s comments (HuffPost)
Beyoncé has removed a sample of Kelis’ song Milkshake from her new album Renaissance after the singer took issue with its inclusion.
Last week, Beyoncé unveiled her long-awaited seventh solo album, which has already become her most acclaimed release to date.
However, prior to the album’s release, Kelis revealed she was unhappy to discover that one of Beyoncé’s new songs, Energy, featured a sample of her hit Milkshake.
Posting on her food Instagram Bounty And Full, Kelis commented: “My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all three parties [Beyoncé and producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo] is astounding. Read more
New report shows major gender disparity in UK dance music (NME)
A new report has highlighted a major gender imbalance in UK dance music.
The Progressing Gender Representation in UK Dance Music report, spearheaded by BBC Radio 1 DJ Jaguar Bingham, found that only 5 per cent of dance hits are by women.
It also found that less than one per cent of dance music played on UK radio was made by a female solo artist or all-female band and they were under represented at music festivals.
The study analysed 22 festival line-ups from 2018-2022 and found the gender split considerably favoured male artists, with the average percentage of female and non-binary acts comprising just 14 per cent of the line-ups in 2018. Read more
Congo asks UN mission spokesman to leave amid unrest (ABC)
Congo’s government has requested that the spokesman for the United Nations mission in Congo leave the country, saying he has made inappropriate statements amid demonstrations against the presence of the U.N. peacekeepers.
Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula wrote to the U.N. mission, known as MONUSCO, saying he considers that the current tensions between the U.N. and the population are due to the indelicate and inopportune statements by U.N. Congo spokesman Mathias Gillman.
“The Congolese government considers that the presence of this official on the national territory is not likely to promote a climate of mutual trust and serenity so essential between the Congolese institutions and MONUSCO,” the statement said.
“The Congolese government would greatly appreciate if arrangements are made for Mr. Gillman to leave the territory as soon as possible.” Read more
Taribo, Koulibaly slam Napoli boss over AFCON comments (Punch)
Former Super Eagles players and new Chelsea signing Kalidou Koulibaly have faulted Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis over his plans to stop signing African players unless they agreed to not take part in the Africa Cup of Nations, The PUNCH reports.
De Laurentiis said on a Wall Street Italia talk show that he would never have Napoli players available for the AFCON.
“I told them, lads, don’t talk to me about Africans anymore!” he said.
“I love them, but either they sign something confirming they’ll back out of playing the Africa Cup of Nations, or otherwise between that tournament, the World Cup qualifiers in South America, these players are never available!
“We are the idiots who pay salaries only to send them all over the world playing for others.” Read more
Nigeria Rowing team battles U.S., Ukraine, 65 others at ICF Caneo Sprint in Canada (Guardian)
A team of six athletes, two coaches and some officials of Nigeria Rowing arrived in Canada, Tuesday, to battle with rowers from 67 other countries in the 2022 ICF Caneo Sprint Championship.
The team includes four Para-Canoe athletes, Bosede Omoboni, Ayomide Ehinmore, Adeniji Olowoniyi and Temitope Olasupo. Two able athletes in the squad are Michael Moses and Goodness Foloki.
Coach Fortune Olayiwola is in-charge of the para-athletes, while coach Abel Omaga is handling the able athletes.
The 2022 ICF Caneo Sprint championship, which started in Canadian city of Halifax on August 3, will end on August 7. Read more
Ikpeba fears for Osimhen’s career (Sun)
Former Nigeria international, Victor Ikpeba has appealed to Victor Osimhen to stay away from controversies in his promising career.
The Prince of Monaco stated this during an interview with Comfort 95.1 FM.
Napoli and Super Eagles star, Osimhen has recently been grabbing headlines for the wrong reasons, following disagreements with his family and training ground bust up at Napoli. Ikpeba has urged Osimhen to calm down and focus on his career.
“Human beings are different. I remember when my time as a professional footballer many years ago, I had my personality and character. I was very outspoken but had respect for senior players. Read more
Premier League clubs to stop taking knee before every match (Guardian)
English Premier League football players will no longer take the knee before every match in the upcoming season, confining the anti-racism gesture to selected games, a statement said Wednesday.
“We have decided to select significant moments to take the knee during the season to highlight our unity against all forms of racism, and in so doing we continue to show solidarity for a common cause,” club captains said in the announcement on the Premier League website.
The Premier League said it supported the captains’ decision, and would elevate anti-racism messaging as part of its “No Room for Racism” campaign — words that already feature on players’ sleeves.
Premier League players began taking the knee at the start of every game in June 2020, when the season resumed following a Covid shutdown, a month after the killing in the United States of George Floyd. Read more
Lionesses send letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss urging more girls football in schools (Mirror)
England’s victorious Lionesses have sent a joint letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss urging the next Prime Minister to ensure their UEFA European Championship win is “just the beginning” for women’s football.
Sarina Wiegman’s side beat Germany 2-1 in extra-time on a historic evening at Wembley on Sunday evening to lift the major trophy in front of their home fans. And players have now signed a joint letter to the two Conservative leadership candidates outlining their hopes for change moving forwards.
In the powerful letter, the squad called for all girls to be able to play football at schools moving forwards and to have a different experience to they did growing up.
The letter, signed by all members of the squad and released on social media, read: “Dear Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, Read more
Cori Gauff praises Naomi Osaka for opening up about mental health (TennisWorld)
Cori Gauff has praised Naomi Osaka for opening up about her mental health issues as she feels the Japanese has helped other athletes in certain ways with that move.. During last year’s French Open, four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka opened up about battling depression and anxiety.
Since then, Osaka has become one of the biggest advocates for athletes’ mental health. Osaka is one of the most popular female athletes in the world and her speaking about her mental health issues made it easier for others to open up and seek help.
“Watching her with mental health made a lot of athletes take a step back and realize that it’s OK to put certain things above our sport,” Gauff said, per The San Francisco Chronicle. “I feel like we were used to being told that was wrong.
So, it was nice to see her and Simone Biles put mental health first. I’m glad that she’s a representation of tennis, a representation of our sport. I always like seeing her. When I lost to her in Cincinnati (last year), I told her, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’” Read more
Williams confirms multi-year deal with Albon, who agrees! (F1i)
Williams Racing announced on Wednesday that Alex Albon with remain with the British outfit in 2023 and beyond.
Albon will thus embark on a second season with Williams, having joined the Grove-based outfit at the start of 2021.
“It’s really exciting to be staying with Williams Racing for 2023 and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve as a team in the remainder of this season and next year,” commented the Anglo-Thai driver.
“The team is pushing hard to progress, and I am really motivated to continue this journey and further develop our learnings together.” Read more