Chidinma recants, denies killing Ataga (Guardian)
The prime suspect in the alleged murder of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, Chidinma Ojukwu, yesterday denied killing the late Ataga.
Ojukwu had earlier in the video played before a Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) narrated how she drugged and stabbed Ataga to death.
But at the resumed watching of the recorded video footage of her confessional statement, Ojukwu denied killing Ataga.
In the video footage of the confessional statement, she said she doesn’t know who killed the deceased, noting that by the time she got back, she saw Ataga on the floor and she quickly picked up her things and left because she was scared.
She said: “ I don’t know who entered, I just picked my things and left because I was scared.” Read more
WAEC announces plan to release certificates with results (Punch)
The West Africa Examination Council has announced plans to make its certificates available to candidates of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination once their results are released.
The Head of National Office, Patrick Areghan, made this known on Tuesday at a luncheon organised by the exam body in Lagos.
He also noted that the digital certificate set to be launched on Thursday, October 20, 2022, applies to those who wrote the exams between 1999 till date, adding that the preceding years would be considered much later.
According to him, the new the digital certificate cannot be tampered with or falsified, just as it would send fakers out of the market. Read more
PDP kicks as Wike endorses Sanwo-Olu for second term (Guardian)
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, yesterday, scored his Lagos counterpart, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, high in performance, commending his tenacity towards bringing development to the nation’s economic capital.
Wike, who was a special guest at the 2022 National Women’s Conference, with the theme: “Spring Forth, Stand Out” in Lagos, announced an N3 million donation on behalf of Rivers women.
Reacting to the apparent endorsement of Sanwo-Olu by the Rivers helmsman for another term of four years in office at next year’s general elections, the state Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a statement by its publicity secretary, Hakeem Amode, said it would have expressed disappointment if Wike had attended any event with a speaking role without his “usual rant of a drowning man who will clutch to a straw.”
Amode said: “I only wonder how Governor Wike, who didn’t support Jandor and at the same time, couldn’t stop him from picking the party ticket in Lagos despite his supposed might within the PDP, would apportion to himself the decision of generality of Lagosians in the forthcoming election. Read more
Court remands guard for stoning man to death (Punch)
A 37-year-old security guard, Michael Pius, who allegedly hit a man’s chest with a stone, was on Tuesday, remanded by a Lagos State High Court at the Tafawa Balewa Square, over alleged murder.
The defendant, who was arraigned on one count of murder, was dragged before Justice Yetunde Adesanya.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the defendant and the deceased, Paul Assigno, were arguing over an issue which degenerated into a scuffle, as Pius stoned the victim to death.
When the case was called for arraignment, the Lagos State prosecutor, Olayemi Shofolu, announced his appearance, while Alexander Oshogba appeared for the defendant. Read more
Police kill 3 suspected robbers in Benue (Independent)
Operatives of the Benue State Police Command have killed three suspected robbers during a gun duel at Afia in the Ukum Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement issued late Sunday, the State Command spokesperson, Catherine Anene, said that the officers from Ukum, who responded to a distress call, engaged the suspected robbers in a gun battle.
Anene said, “On 14/10/2022 at about 0230hrs, a distress call was received from Afia, Ukum Local Government Area, that armed robbers were robbing within the area.
“A patrol team was deployed to the area swiftly. On reaching the scene, the robbers engaged the police in a gun duel. Read more
Burna Boy’s ‘Last Last’ exceeds 100 million views on YouTube (Vanguard)
Grammy award winner, Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu professionally known as Burna Boy has had his song ‘Last Last’ make another enormous step forward as it surpassed 100 million views on YouTube.
The singer’s 2022 hit single ‘Last Last’ off his ‘Love Damini’ album which was released on the 13th of May 2022 has grown to become one of the biggest songs on the continent in 2022.
The heartbreak song has exceeded 100 million views on YouTube, joining “YE” and “On the Low” among tracks that have attained this milestone, where it peaked at Number One on Apple Music Nigeria Top 100 and Number Four on Turntable Top 100.
It also enjoyed impressive success reaching a Number 4 peak on the UK Singles Chart and a Number 44 peak on Billboard Hot 100. Read more
Rivers, Delta monarchs berate FG for not visiting flood victims (Guardian)
Obi of Ogbaland in Rivers State, Nwachukwu Nnam Obi, has expressed displeasure over the delay by Federal Government interventionist agencies to visit flooded communities in Orashi region to assess the impact of flooding.
Also, the traditional ruler of Idjerhe Kingdom in Delta State, Monday Whiskey, expressed grave worry over the devastation in the Niger Delta region, lamenting that monarchs and their subjects have been displaced due to Federal Government’s inability to tackle flooding, particularly in Delta and Rivers states.
Obi of Ogbaland claimed that despite the devastation in Ogba/Ebema/Ndoni Council and the Orashi region of the state, the Ministry of Humanitarian Services and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had not visited.
Obi made the claims when the Rivers Taskforce on Flood Management visited him to sympathise with him. Read more
Nollywood Actress Halima Abubakar quits acting (Independent)
Nollywood actress Halima Abubakar has announced the end of her acting career as she battles an undisclosed illness.
Her management team announced this on Monday via her verified Instagram page.
Expressing gratitude to all her fans, she said she appreciated them for their love and prayers.
The statement read “Halima Abubakar quit acting. We are so grateful for all the prayers. God bless you all but as from today, she will no longer act. It is her wish. We love you all. Thank you for the support. She is so downcast. She really did love acting. Thank you”.
The ailing actress has been embroiled in several scandals over the years, including the recent spat between herself and Apostle Suleiman. Read more
OnlyFans model Courtney Clenney pleaded for help from Miami cops before killing beau (NYPost)
The OnlyFans model charged with fatally stabbing her boyfriend during a fight in April pleaded with authorities to help her, according to newly released bodycam footage of an incident two days before the killing.
Courtney Clenney, 26, was hit with a second-degree murder charge in the death of Christian Obumseli after the couple got into a volatile fight on April 3. Clenney’s legal team has argued the social media influencer who has 2 million Instagram followers and had a once thriving OnlyFans business only killed her beau in self-defense.
Clenney can be heard saying on footage recorded by a City of Miami police officer and obtained by WSVN, “[He was], you know, stalking me.
“I want a restraining order against Christian Obumseli.” Read more
Lewis Capaldi announces 2023 release date for highly anticipated second album (Metro)
Lewis Capaldi has announced the release date for his highly anticipated second studio album, weeks since releasing his latest single Forget Me, which was his first new music in almost three years.
The 25-year-old dropped his new track in September, without any promotion leading up to it after the death of Queen Elizabeth II aged 96.
Now, fans are begging for more, but it won’t be long to wait.
His new album, Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent, will arrive on May 19 2023. Read more
Record turnout as early voting starts in Georgia (BBC)
A record number of voters turned out in the US state of Georgia on the first day of early voting, with the state the site of several key races in the November midterm elections.
Almost double the number of people – 131,000 – cast their ballots than in the same period of the 2018 midterms.
The figure nearly matches the number of voters on the first early voting day of the 2020 presidential election.
Georgia is home to some of the country’s most closely-watched races.
The midterm elections on 8 November will determine seats in the two chambers of Congress – one-third of those in the Senate and all in the House of Representatives – as well as some governors and local officials. Read more
Russian Commander: ‘Tense’ situation for troops in Ukraine (VOA)
Russia’s new commander in Ukraine says the situation in the southern Kherson region is “very difficult” as Kyiv forces wage an offensive to retake southern and eastern areas that Moscow illegally annexed last month.
“The situation in this area is difficult. The enemy is deliberately striking infrastructure and residential buildings in Kherson,” Russian air force General Sergei Surovikin told the state-owned Rossiya 24 television news channel on Tuesday, according to Reuters.
Surovikin’s comment seemingly acknowledged Russia’s plan to evacuate civilians ahead of Ukraine’s offensive to reclaim Kherson, one of four regions under Russian control.
He called Tuesday for an “organized, gradual displacement” of civilians from four towns on the Dnipro River, a 2,200-kilometer-long river that bisects Ukraine. Read more
Biden rallies supporters around abortion rights ahead of midterms (AlJazeera)
US President Joe Biden has called on Americans concerned with reproductive rights to vote for Democrats in midterm elections, promising to push a bill in Congress that would protect the right to abortion nationwide if his party wins next month.
Biden said in a speech on Tuesday that he would sign legislation early next year codifying Roe v Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that had ensured a constitutional right to abortion, if Democrats retain control of the House of Representatives and expand their majority in the Senate.
“Folks, if we do that, here’s the promise I make to you and the American people: The first bill that I will send to the Congress will be to codify Roe v Wade, and when Congress passes that, I’ll sign it in January,” Biden said.
The conservative majority on the top court in the United States overturned Roe in June, igniting outrage among abortion rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers. Read more
Boris Johnson favourite to replace Liz Truss among Tories as 55% want her gone (Metro)
Boris Johnson exited Downing Street in disgrace just last month – but more than a few Tories now want him back, a new survey has claimed.
A YouGov report reveals only two in five (38%) Conservative members want Liz Truss to stay in office as her short premiership is mired by self-confessed ‘mistakes’.
One in three (32%) think Mr Johnson is the person to take the reigns – despite around 60 resignations forcing him out when he finally admitted he knew about sexual misconduct claims surrounding MP Chris Pincher.
This scandal followed others like Partygate, the Owen Paterson debacle and his controversial flat refurbishment. Read more
Cement firm Lafarge pleads guilty to supporting IS (BBC)
French cement maker Lafarge has pleaded guilty in the US to supporting the Islamic State and other terror groups.
The firm agreed to a $777.8m (£687.2m) penalty for payments it made to keep a factory running in Syria after war broke out in 2011.
Prosecutors said it marked the first time a company had pleaded guilty in the US to aiding terrorists.
Lafarge said it “deeply regretted” the events and “accepted responsibility for the individual executives involved”.
The cement manufacturer, which was bought by Switzerland’s Holcim in 2015, said their behaviour had been in “flagrant violation” of Lafarge’s code of conduct. Read more
Quadri battles Kallberg in WTT opener (Punch)
Reigning African table tennis champion, Quadri Aruna, will begin his quest to win the second World Table Tennis European Summer Series 2022 when he takes on Anton Kallberg in the round of 32 at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion, Macao, China, The PUNCH reports.
Kallberg is currently ranked 20th in the world, while Quadri is six steps ahead of the Swedish table tennis player.
Quadri and Egyptian trio Hana Goda, Dina Meshref and Mariam Alhodaby are the four Africans featuring at the tournament.
The 33-year-old, who lost 3-0 (11-4, 13-11, 11-7) to Japan’s Harimoto Tamakazu in the third round of the 2021 edition in Doha, will be aiming to improve on his placement at the event, on the back of his African title win in Algeria in September. Read more
Flamingos hit quarterfinal, face free-scoring USA (Guardian)
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, The Flamingos, will face USA in the quarterfinal of the ongoing India 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Flamingos, yesterday, secured their passage to the quarterfinal with a 2-1 victory over Chile in Group B.
While Nigeria face USA in the first quarterfinal match on Friday at 12 noon, Germany will square against Brazil at 4:00pm.
USA defeated Morocco 4-0 yesterday to top group A, scoring 13 goals and conceding just one in three matches. Brazil spelled the host, India, 5-0.
The Nigerians, who lost their opening match 1-2 to Germany, defeated New Zealand 4-0 on Friday before eliminating the Chileans yesterday at the Kalinga Stadium.
The team coached by Bankole Oloworooke, who needed a win or draw in yesterday’s encounter to ensure qualification to the knockout stage, got off to a brilliant start in the 4th minute, when stand-in captain, Blessing Emmanuel, struck. Read more
Nigeria vs Chile: 5 talking points from clash (Punch)
Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s football team on Monday defeated Chile 2-1 in the third match of Group B at the Kalinga Stadium to book their place in the quarter-finals of the ongoing U-17 Women’s World Cup finals in India.
Stand-in captain Blessing Emmanuel scored an early goal for Flamingos in the fourth minute, following an assist from Opeyemi Ajakaiye to give Nigeria the lead.
Bisola Mosaku added the second in the 82nd minute to guarantee Nigeria a place in the last eight despite Rovemer Tali converting a late penalty for Chile.
The win earned the Flamingoes a place in the quarter-finals, with a date against the United States on Friday. Read more
Chelsea confirm huge injury blow with N’Golo Kante sidelined for four months, ruling him out of World Cup (Metro)
Chelsea have confirmed N’Golo Kante will be sidelined for four months after undergoing surgery on his hamstring.
The France midfielder featured in Chelsea’s opening two games of the season but has been plagued by the injury since August, suffering a further setback earlier this month.
After visiting a specialist, the decision was taken for the 31-year-old to undergo an operation which will now rule him out of the World Cup.
A statement from Chelsea on Tuesday night read: ‘N’Golo Kante has undergone an operation on his hamstring injury. Read more
Jurgen Klopp responds to Man City anger as Liverpool boss tries to clear up ‘misunderstanding’ (Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes his pre-match comments around Manchester City’s spending power have been misinterpreted but says he is fine with the two clubs not being “best friends”.
Klopp stated last week before Sunday’s 1-0 win over Pep Guardiola’s men at Anfield that “nobody can compete with City” when it comes to spending in the transfer market and said the backing from their Abu Dhabi owners – similar to that of other state-owned clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United – is an obvious advantage that is impossible to ignore.
On Monday, it was widely reported that Klopp’s comments were viewed dimly in the corridors of power at the Etihad. City were reported to have taken offence to the Liverpool manager’s answer to a press conference question which came on the same weekend of a fiery game at Anfield that saw the Reds boss sent off for the first time in seven-year career on Merseyside.
Klopp says he is fine with not having a friendship with City but claimed his words were taken the wrong way by those at the Etihad. Read more
Karim Benzema explains why he chose Real Madrid over Manchester United transfer (MEN)
Four La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues and two Copa del Rey successes, life has been pretty kind to Karim Benzema since his 2009 switch from Lyon to Real Madrid.
Add that to Monday night’s claiming of the Ballon d’Or for the 21/22 campaign, it’s been a euphoric spell for one of the world’s most clinical centre forwards, and Manchester United will perhaps rue their efforts to sign him 13 years ago.
Fresh off a superb season with Ligue 1 side back in 08/09, Benzema hit the net a whopping 23 times in 47 outings, as Claude Puel’s side finished third in a side containing Hugo Lloris, Mariljem Pjanic and Juninho.
But it was United who were heavily interested in bringing the forward to the Premier League, as well as European powerhouses of the late 2000s AC Milan, with Madrid then entering the race. Club president Florentino Perez was the biggest factor in the move, as Benzema sealed a €41 million transfer to Spain later that year. Read more