Ataga: I was forced to sign prepared police statement, says Chidinma (Punch)
Chidinma Ojukwu, the alleged killer of the Chief Executive Officer, Super TV, Usifo Ataga, on Thursday, told a Lagos State High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos, that she was slapped and forced to sign statements written by policemen in the state.
Chidinma, who testified in her trial-within-trial as defence witness one, told Justice Yetunde Adesanya that policemen including Assistant Superintendent of Police, Olusegun Bamidele, and Olufunke Madeyinlo, told her to sign statements against her will.
She said Bamidele told her to narrate the statement he wrote to the state Commissioner of Police after tearing the statement she wrote.
Chidinma is standing trial over the alleged murder of Ataga. She is also charged with stealing and forgery alongside her sister, Chioma Egbuchu, and one Adedapo Quadri. Read more
Many escape death as explosion rocks storey building in Lagos (Vanguard)
Business owners and residents of a storey building in Ikotun area of Lagos State have escaped death following an explosion that rocked the building on Thursday.
The intensity of the explosion has also led to the collapse of the building. The incident occurred at about 6.20pm at 17, Obalabi Street, off Governor Road. However, there were no injuries or loss of life.
It was learnt that fire fighters from two different stations immediately attended to the scene after distress calls.
The occupants of the building were said to have escaped to safer places on noticing that fire has erupted from the pent house of the building and this later resulted in an explosion which destroyed property worth millions of Naira. Read more
UNILAG student slumps, dies playing football (Punch)
Tragedy struck on Sunday at the University of Lagos, after a 100 level student of the Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Science, Simon Adokwu, slumped and died while playing football on the premises of the school in Akoka, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Adokwu, after attending church service, went to play football at a field near the University’s Human Resource Development Centre.
The undergraduate was said to be playing football with his colleagues when he suddenly slumped.
In a bid to rescue him, Adokwu’s colleagues rushed him to the medical centre where the doctor on duty confirmed him dead. Read more
PDP holds umbrella day for Atiku, Okowa in Lagos (Sun)
Thousands of Lagos Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and loyalists, yesterday, staged a solidarity walk to mobilise votes for its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa and governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran.
The walk, tagged: “Umbrella Day,” which began from the Lagos State presidential campaign office of Atiku/Okowa at Fadeyi Bus Stop on Ikorodu Road saw PDP loyalists and volunteer groups dressed in various campaign T-Shirts and face caps, walk to the Maryland Tunnel in Ikeja.
The crowd openly displayed umbrellas, PDP symbol and chanted solidarity songs as they went on the walk, led by Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) Chairman, Adedeji Doherty, and other party chieftains
Doherty said the umbrella walk was a symbol of unity meant to demonstrate to the electorate that the party was fully ready and united to give hope to Nigerians if elected. Read more
Pay withheld salaries or risk scuttled academic session, ASUU warns FG (Vanguard)
Members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) Ago-Iwoye, yesterday, took to the street calling on the federal government to pay the withheld salaries of their counterparts in the federal universities.
The lecturers, who were led by the branch Chairman, Dr. Joel Okewale, marched from the mini-campus of the institution in Ago-Iwoye town to the entrance gate, deplored what they described as “brazen show of disdain for education and the intelligentsia” by the federal government.
They expressed worries that the government had stepped up its anti- people and oppressive stance by criminalizing strike action and implementing its ‘no-work-no-pay’ on ASUU.
Okewale who addressed the rally, said government’s self-determined policy of ‘no-work-no-pay’ as well as criminalization of strike action, is alien to the university system. Read more
Maidan: Fear of cholera outbreak looms over open defecation in Lagos community (Guardian)
Residents of Maidan community and parts of Mile 12 in Kosofe Local Council of Lagos State have expressed fear over a possible outbreak of cholera and infectious diseases due to open makeshift toilets set up around the area. The Guardian investigation revealed that more than a dozen makeshift toilets are erected on the riverbanks, where people defecate directly inside the flowing Maiden river.
The affected areas include the riverbank in Ibrahim Sanusi Estate, at Adeyeye street and close to Agiliti pedestrian link bridge.
In fact, at Adeyeye Street, there are about six toilets of that nature ; One has a septic tank, while three other wooden structures are constructed in the area. Residents pay about N100 to use the toilet; bathe there and use water from the same river for laundry. A resident, who called the attention of The Guardian to the practice, expressed fears that if left unchecked it will lead to an outbreak of diseases like they previously experienced in 2021.
The resident said: “Last year, there was cholera outbreak and many people lost their lives. The hospitals were overwhelmed with patients with no bed space that many were put on the floor while receiving treatment. Read more
NANS urges NSCDC intensify efforts at ending illegal bunkering in Ogun (Tribune)
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), has urged the officers and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to step up their operations in order to bring to end activities of illegal oil bunkers in Ogun State.
The students under the auspices of NANS Joint Campus Committee (JCC) Ogun axis and National Association of Ogun State Students (NAOSS), frowned at what they described as the “apparent boldness of these illegal bunkers who now move already subsidised petroleum products in tankers to other countries via the porous border areas around Ogun State”.
This was contained in a statement signed by Comrade Damilola Simeon Kehinde, Chairman, NANS JCC/Ogun axis and Comrade Ogunrombi Gbemileke, National President, NAOSS National, and made available to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja.
The statement read in part: “Students Constituency have remained resolute over time in speaking against aberrations and any developments that are inconsistent with our communal values or detrimental to the sustainability of our collective existence. Read more
IG blames violence, tension on governors (Nation)
Inspector-General Alkali Usman yesterday blamed the rising wave of political violence on some governors. He did not name the governors.
The police boss alleged that some chief executives of the states have been fueling violence since the ban on campaigns was lifted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He spoke at a meeting with Chairmen of all the 18 registered political parties and heads of security operatives at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
The IG disclosed that 52 cases of such politically-motivated, intra and inter-party violence has been recorded across twenty-two (22) states since campaigns kicked-off on September 28. Read more
Keke Palmer reflects on feeling ‘trapped’ as child star: ‘I couldn’t leave my room’ (Metro)
Keke Palmer has revealed she felt ‘trapped’ as a child actor on Nickelodeon.
The star, 29, made her acting debut in 2004 in comedy film Barbershop 2: Back in Business, but she broke into the mainstream thanks to her roles in Nickelodeon shows True Jackson VP and the Winx Club reboot.
Since then, she has gone on to appear in Scream Queens, Hustlers, and Jordan Peele’s Nope.
However, Palmer has recently opened up on the difficulties of being in the spotlight at such a young age, revealing one of her lowest moments during a seven-day Nickelodeon cruise. Read more
Game-changing type 1 diabetes drug approved in US (BBC)
A “game-changing” immunotherapy drug proven to delay the development of type 1 diabetes has been approved by regulators in the USA.
Experts say teplizumab marks a “new era” in treatment, tackling the root cause of the condition for the first time, rather than just the symptoms.
It works by reprogramming the immune system to stop it mistakenly attacking pancreatic cells which produce insulin.
It is likely to pave the way for approval decisions in other countries.
About 8.7 million people have type 1 diabetes worldwide. In the UK the condition affects 400,000 people, including more than 29,000 children. Read more
Heidi Klum, 49, suffers nip slip in latest Instagram post (PageSix)
Heidi Klum freed the nipple on Thursday — and she doesn’t seem to care.
The model, 49, showed off her fit physique in a white bodysuit while posing in a luxury bathroom.
Yet as she flipped her blonde tresses across her face, her top seemed to slip out of place.
“M😁😁D,” the supermodel, who turned off her comments, wrote on Instagram.
While some of her 10.2 million followers might have been shocked to see Klum baring it all, the model has been known to post some steamy content on her social media pages. Read more
Placebo asks fans not to take photos or videos during their shows over ‘disrespect’ to other concertgoers (Metro)
Placebo has asked concertgoers not to use phones at their gig as they plead for people to live in the moment.
The rock legends have been a staple on the scene for decades, with three UK top 10s including the iconic Pure Morning.
Having spent the summer opening for fellow rock gods My Chemical Romance during their UK tour, the band are no strangers to filling venues with fans eager to hear their massive back catalogue of hits.
However their gigs could look slightly different going forward, as the dup have issued a plea to fans not to take photos or videos during their set. Read more
Taylor Swift public ticket sale cancelled amid high demand (BBC)
Tickets to see Taylor Swift live in concert sold so swiftly the general public never even had a chance to buy.
Ticketmaster, the company selling seats to the singer’s US tour, cancelled the public sale on Thursday, citing “extraordinarily high demands on ticketing systems and insufficient remaining ticket inventory”.
It has already sold over two million tickets in pre-sales for select groups.
The company has come under criticism after the demand crashed its website.
“I got so close three or four times and the website broke. It was agonising,” said mum Nancy Abulmagd, one of the fans who had won a lottery to join the pre-sale. Read more
Emily Ratajkowski wants to be with ‘multiple’ men, women amid Pete Davidson fling (PageSix)
Emily Ratajkowski hinted that she’s interested in dating multiple people after being spotted showing PDA with rumored new boy-toy Pete Davidson.
Ratajkowski took to TikTok on Thursday to film herself mouthing the words to audio that stated, “I would be with multiple men, also some women as well. um, everyone’s hot but in an interesting way.”
Several of the model’s fans flooded her comments section to weigh in on her flourishing dating life.
“I mean…ur well on ur way! Brad Pitt, some nyc dj, Pete Davidson, in a span of a couple of months lol and that’s just what we know,” one person wrote, referring to her most recent romances. Read more
Millions without power after Russian airstrikes, Zelenskyy says (VOA)
Ukrainian officials reported fresh missile strikes Thursday in multiple parts of the country, with targets including gas facilities.
The focus of the strikes, by drones as well as missiles, continues to be energy infrastructure, the Ukrainian military said in statement, adding that the attacks stretched from Kyiv to Odesa in the south.
Ukraine says it has shot down two cruise missiles, five air-launched missiles and five Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones, according to Reuters, which said it could not independently verify battlefield reports.
As the first snow fell in Kyiv, officials said utility workers were trying to restore power nationwide after a barrage of Russian airstrikes earlier this week. Read more
Arsenal star, Saka funds 120 life-changing surgeries for Nigerian kids (Guardian)
Arsenal and England star, Bukayo Saka, has helped fund 120 life-changing operations for children in Nigeria. Saka, 21, is preparing to take part in his first World Cup after earning a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad – but that hasn’t distracted him from matters elsewhere.
In co-operation with youth charity, BigShoe, the winger played a crucial role in medical procedures for children suffering from diseases like inguinal hernias and brain tumours in Nigeria.
Speaking on the matter, the 21-year-old said: “I feel blessed to be in a position where I can contribute to making children’s lives easier and better through these surgeries.
“I still feel very connected to Nigeria. For me, it is very important to use my abilities to have a positive impact where I can, and I have to say a big thank you to the whole BigShoe team for making this possible. Read more
World Cup-bound Portugal humiliate Eagles in Lisbon (Punch)
A first-half brace from Bruno Fernandes and two quick goals in the second half from Goncalo Ramos and Joao Mario saw Nigeria fall 4-0 to World Cup-bound Portugal in an international friendly at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, on Thursday, The PUNCH reports.
The Seleção das Quinas, as the Portuguese national team are called, were without Cristiano Ronaldo but still had enough firepower to humiliate the Super Eagles in front of the 50,000 crowds before heading off to Qatar for the World Cup which kicks off on Sunday.
Portugal got the game underway and immediately began to show their superiority as they dictated the tempo of the game.
Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix should have given the Europeans the lead in the opening five minutes following a fine pass from Manchester United Bruno Fernandes but the forward miscued and was unable to connect with the ball giving the Eagles’ defense the opportunity to clear the ball. Read more
Ghana edge Switzerland 2-0 in World Cup warm-up match (Vanguard)
Ghana’s Black Stars continued their preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a convincing 2-0 victory over Switzerland on Wednesday.
The goals were scored within the space of four minutes in the second half by Mohammed Salisu and Antoine Semenyo and will serve as a morale booster for their opener against Portugal next Thursday.
Salisu rose to head in the opener from a corner in 70th minute while Semenyo doubled his side’s advantage in the 74th from a rebound. Read more
How fan’s gift landed Israel Adesanya in trouble in U.S. (Guardian)
Facts have emerged on why Nigeria-born, New Zealand-based former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, United States, on Wednesday. He was reportedly arrested by Port Authority police in the American Airlines terminal for taking brass knuckles through security.
Though, he has been released, a statement issued by Adesanya’s manager, Tim Simpson of Paradigm Sports Management on the incident on Wednesday reads: “Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed off the item and cooperated with authorities.
“He has complied accordingly; with that, the matter was dismissed, and he is on his way home.”
The 33-year-old Adesanya, who lost his title by TKO to Alex Pereira in New York last Saturday, was arrested by Port Authority police in the American Airlines terminal on Wednesday. Read more
Cristiano Ronaldo reveals why he turned down €350m transfer offer (Metro)
Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed why he turned down a €350m (£306m) offer to move clubs in the summer.
It’s been widely reported that Ronaldo has been desperate to leave Old Trafford since the summer, with the 37-year-old linked to many different clubs including Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
The Portugal international also received an enormous offer from an unnamed club in Saudi Arabia, which would have made Ronaldo the highest-paid player in history, but he has now explained why he decided to turn their approach down.
‘It’s true, yes it’s true,’ Ronaldo told Piers Morgan Uncensored about the €350m offer to play in Saudi Arabia for two seasons. Read more
Senegal’s Mane out of World Cup after surgery (BBC)
Senegal forward Sadio Mane has undergone surgery on a knee injury he sustained playing for Bayern Munich and will miss the World Cup.
On Tuesday, Senegal’s football federation said Mane, 30, would miss their “first games” at the tournament.
But a further MRI scan was completed on Thursday that showed surgical intervention was needed.
Mane was forced off during Bayern’s Bundesliga win over Werder Bremen on 8 November.
Bayern have confirmed the player “underwent successful surgery” on Thursday, to attach a tendon to the head of his right fibula Read more