Apprentice mechanic repairing truck killed few weeks to freedom – Eyewitness (Punch)
A yet-to-be-identified apprentice auto mechanic lost his life on Monday, a few weeks to securing his freedom, while working under a containerised truck beside the Chivita Teashop at the Ajao Estate area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the deceased was working under a loaded twin 20-foot containerised truck around 8pm when the jack that raised the truck up slipped and the chassis frame crushed him to death.
During a visit to the scene incident on Tuesday, our correspondent observed the bloodied scene under the truck, while the whole area was deserted. Read more
Mushin residents agonise over refuse heaps, blocked drains (Guardian)
Mushin, Idi Araba and environs in Lagos are plagued with the double problems of overfilled drainages and heaps of refuse waiting to be evacuated.
At the smallest drop of the rain, the streets are littered with household waste materials, plastics, sachet water nylons and bottles, mixed with arid smell from refuse heaps. From Mushin, Lawanson, Ojuelegba through Garibu Musa to Idiaraba, the nauseating sights are the same.
Residents say the drainage channels have been turned into dumpsites, which have gone unchallenged for the past six years. According to shop owners in the area, the negligence of PSP operators and the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in prompt evacuation of refuse has encouraged the continued reckless disposal of waste by the roadsides. Read more
Command to charge 17 hoodlums terrorising Lagos community (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has said 17 hoodlums will be charged for allegedly terrorising and robbing residents of the Orile area of the state of their valuables.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement on Tuesday that the hoodlums were arrested while harassing and dispossessing members of the public of their belongings in different parts of Orile.
Adejobi stated, “In its bid to rid Lagos State of cultism, hooliganism and violent crimes, the Lagos State Police Command has intensified efforts to neutralise various groups of deadly armed hoodlums, cultists and miscreants, who are fond of causing pain and agony to innocent residents of the state. Read more
NAPTIP rescues 135 victims, arrests 86 suspected human traffickers in Kano State (Guardian)
The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), says it has rescued 135 victims and arrested 86 suspected human traffickers in Kano State from January till date.
Mr Shehu Umar, the Commander in charge of NAPTIP in Kano Zone, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday in Kano.
He said that the rescued 135 victims comprised 23 male and 112 female. Read more
COVID-19: Oyo releases calendar for school resumption (Vanguard)
The Oyo State Government, on Monday, announced September 21, 2020, as the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic session for primary and secondary schools in the state.
A statement by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barr. Olasunkanmi Olaleye indicated that the first term of the new academic calendar would run between September 21 and December 18, 2020.
The statement added that the second term of the academic session is expected to run from January 11 to April 9, 2021, while the third term will run between May 3 and July 30, 2021. Read more
Landslide submerges Imo, Akwa Ibom houses, residents flee (Punch)
Three children on Sunday escaped death by a whisker in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, following a landslide which swallowed their kitchen and threatened many residential buildings on Asutan Street.
The children, Aisha Umaru, 9; Yusuf Ibrahim, 6; and Fatima Ibrahim, 5; had barely left the kitchen after preparing their evening meals when the landslide occurred around 8 pm.
The landlord of the affected house, Mr Francis Ikpe, described the landslide as devastating, adding that it was a miracle the children escaped. Read more
Wife seeks divorce over husband’s addiction to gambling (Guardian)
One Fisayo Akibu, a trader, yesterday approached a customary court sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, seeking the dissolution of her 19-year-old marriage to her husband, Abiodun, over his addiction to gambling.
Akibu said her husband puts all his earnings into betting rather than to care for their children.
She said: “Since I married Abiodun in 2001, he has not performed the naming ceremonies rites for our children as expected of him. Worst still, he curses and shouts at me to leave his home. Please, give me custody of my daughter because I don’t trust what will happen to her in his custody.” Read more
Edo carpets Tinubu as Lagos APC defends ex-gov (Punch)
The Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, has said the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, cannot extend his political empire to Edo State.
Osagie expressed confidence that Edo people were determined to end godfatherism in the state.
This was contained in a statement he issued in Benin on Tuesday.
Osagie who was responding to a call by Tinubu for the people of Edo to reject Governor Godwin Obaseki in Saturday’s governorship election, said Tinubu’s call, which was made during a television programme, was part of his plot to expand his political dominance to Edo State. Read more
Only Edo people can decide who governs them – Oyegun (Vanguard)
Former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has denied issuing any statement, verbal or written on the fortunes of the APC or any other party in weekend’s governorship election in the state.
The ex-governor of Edo State, in a statement, yesterday, described the purported statement credited to him in the social media as disgusting, insisting that it could have originated from sick minds and desperate people of criminal orientation.
He said: “My views and statements on the Edo political situation has been consistent.
“I strongly advised against the mistreatment of Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki by the late unlamented National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC and his subsequent forced exit from the APC. Read more
Formidable challenges await as Suga set to take over as Japan PM (Aljazeera)
As Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga spent nearly eight years as the right-hand man to outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Now, as Suga prepares to take the country’s top job in an all-but-guaranteed parliamentary vote on Wednesday, he will need to capitalise on his political deal-making skills and his inside knowledge of Japan’s complex bureaucracy to help him address the country’s formidable challenges.
“Nobody has had as long a tenure as Suga,” Kiyoaki Aburaki, managing director of BowerGroup Asia in Tokyo, told Al Jazeera. “He knows everything. He knows how government works. He knows how sectionalism has previously prevented change. That is a great asset for him.” Read more
‘I recovered but I fear Covid might still kill me’ (BBC)
In India, relentlessly rising case numbers are causing another emergency – serious mental health problems among Covid-19 patients, writes the BBC’s Vikas Pandey.
Rajesh Tiwari, 42, has developed a serious phobia for any screen which is bigger than his mobile phone. He thinks big screens, especially TV sets and computer monitors, are giant creatures who can attack him.
Mr Tiwari began experiencing hallucinations after a long stay in an intensive care unit. In early June he had tested positive for coronavirus and he was admitted to a private hospital as his condition worsened. Five days later he was put on a ventilator.
Mr Tiwari recovered after nearly three weeks in the hospital. But he soon realised that his recovery was not complete. Read more
West Africa bloc fails to reach agreement with Mali military (Aljazeera)
West African mediators have failed to persuade leaders of a military coup in Mali to immediately hand over power to a civilian government.
On Tuesday, leaders of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) met the heads of a military government that, on August 18, overthrew President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, in the bloc’s latest attempt to quicken the transition from military leadership.
ECOWAS imposed economic sanctions after the coup, and said a new president should be appointed by Tuesday. Read more
Trump hails ‘dawn of new Middle East’ with UAE-Bahrain-Israel deals (BBC)
US President Donald Trump has hailed the “dawn of a new Middle East”, amid Israel’s landmark deals with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
Mr Trump spoke as the two Gulf states signed agreements fully normalising their relations with Israel.
The three countries hailed the deals as historic, as did Mr Trump, whose administration helped broker them.
The Gulf states are just the third and fourth Arab countries to recognise Israel since its founding in 1948. Read more
Palestinians protest Arab normalisation deals with Israel (Aljazeera)
Hundreds of Palestinians protested Tuesday in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, denouncing the Emirati and Bahraini normalisation agreements with Israel as rockets were fired into the country.
The deals, brokered by the United States, were signed on Tuesday at the White House, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Bahraini and Emirati officials.
Clutching Palestinian flags and wearing face masks for protection against the coronavirus, demonstrators rallied in the West Bank cities of Nablus and Hebron and in Gaza. Dozens also took part in a demonstration in Ramallah, home of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Read more
Doctor put on ventilator after being reinfected as Spain braces for second wave (Metro)
A Spanish doctor is in intensive care after becoming one of a handful of people confirmed to have been reinfected with coronavirus.
The unnamed medic is currently on a ventilator at Badalona’s Germans Trias i Pujol Hospital near Barcelona after catching the deadly virus for the second time.
He is said to have suffered a mild case of Covid-19 in March, before falling ill for a second time while on a recent holiday.
His condition is serious, but he is expected to survive and make a good recovery, health officials said on Tuesday morning. Read more
Kim Kardashian West joins Facebook and Instagram boycott (BBC)
Kim Kardashian West and dozens of other celebrities have announced they will freeze their social media accounts to protest against the spread of “hate, propaganda and misinformation”.
“Misinformation shared on social media has a serious impact,” Kardashian West wrote in a statement on Tuesday.
The move is part of the #StopHateforProfit campaign which was organised by civil rights activists. Read more
Nigeria could have won ’96, ’98 AFCON titles – Oliseh (Punch)
Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh says the team could have won the 1996 and 1998 Africa Cup of Nations if they had participated in both tournaments.
Nigeria boycotted the 1996 AFCON in South Africa after winning the 1994 edition due to political differences between then Head of State Sani Abacha and South Africa president Nelson Mandela.
The Confederation of Africa Football subsequently barred the Eagles from the next edition in 1998.
Speaking with CAFonline, Oliseh said with the momentum after winning the 1994 AFCON, the team could have gone ahead to win the next two editions.Read more
Iran: Gov’t distances itself from execution of wrestler Afkari (Aljazeera)
Iran’s government has distanced itself from the execution of wrestler Navid Afkari, who was executed over the weekend after being sentenced to death on charges of murder amid widespread criticism.
According to Iranian legal authorities, Afkari killed a security officer during a demonstration in Shiraz in 2018.
On Tuesday, Iran’s government spokesman Ali Rabiei said Afkari’s execution was ultimately a decision made by the family of the murder victim. The athlete’s execution took place on Saturday. Read more
Wilder retains WBC No 1 spot, Whyte drops after Povetkin loss (Vanguard)
Last month’s shocker at Matchroom’s Fight Camp has created a shuffle of names in the WBC’s latest heavyweight rankings.
Dillian Whyte, who coming in was the WBC’s mandatory challenger and interim-champion, was brutally knocked out in the fifth round by Alexander Povetkin. While Povetkin captured the WBC’s interim-title, the sanctioning body president, Mauricio Sulaiman, made it clear that his victory over Whyte did not necessarily make him the new mandatory.
Coming in to the fight with Whyte, the Russian boxer was ranked at number nine in the WBC’s top ten. And the World Boxing Council had sanctioning the fight as a voluntary defense for Whyte. Read more
Manchester United target £28m deal to sign Uros Racic from Valencia (Metro)
Manchester United are targeting Valencia midfielder Uros Racic, according to reports.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already strengthened his midfield options with the £40 million signing of Donny van de Beek from Ajax this summer. But United have also been linked with a move for Thiago Alcantara, with Bayern Munich demanding a €30 million (£27.6m) transfer fee for the Spain international.
United, however, have been put off by the midfielder’s wage demands, which are in excess of £200,000 a week. Read more
Gareth Bale: Tottenham in talks to sign Welshman and closing in on Sergio Reguilon (BBC)
Gareth Bale has scored 33 goals in 85 appearances for Wales
Tottenham Hotspur are in talks to re-sign Wales forward Gareth Bale from Real Madrid, and are closing in on a deal for his team-mate Sergio Reguilon.
Bale, 31, left Spurs to join Real for a then world record £85m in 2013 and has since scored more than 100 goals and won four Champions League titles.
“Gareth still loves Spurs,” his agent Jonathan Barnett told BBC Sport Wales. “It’s where he wants to be.” Read more
Jack Grealish signs new Aston Villa contract and ends Man Utd transfer speculation (Metro)
Jack Grealish has ended months of speculation surrounding his future by signing at new long-term contract and will remain at Aston Villa. The 24-year-old is said to have penned a five-year deal worth £140,000-a-week and puts to bed persistent speculation linking him with a summer transfer to Machester United. Grealish played the lead role in Villa’s survival campaign last season as Dean Smith’s side ensured their top flight status on the final day following a 1-1 draw against West Ham with the club captain scoring what turned out to be the decisive goal. Read more
Dillian Whyte to face Alexander Povetkin in November rematch (BBC)
Dillian Whyte will face Alexander Povetkin in a rematch on 21 November and attempt to position himself for a shot at the world heavyweight title.
Britain’s Whyte was dominating Russia’s Povetkin when they met on 22 August but was knocked out by a vicious left hand.
It cost the 32-year-old a shot at a world title early in 2021 but a rematch clause in the contract will afford him another fight with Povetkin, 41.
Promoter Eddie Hearn says the bout is “must-win” for Whyte. Read more