Chieftaincy: Alaafin’s ultimatum an empty threat – Ooni’s aide (Vanguard)
The spokesperson for the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Mr Moses Olafare, has dismissed the 48-hour ultimatum issued by the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, describing it as “an empty threat from a dead empire”.
This followed Oba Owoade’s threat that the Ooni should withdraw the Oluomo of Yorubaland conferred on a business mogul within 48 hours.
Reacting to the threat on his social media page, which was monitored by Vanguard on Tuesday, Olafare described those that issued the threat as “jokers”. Read more
Vigilantes beat, strip female corps member (Punch)
A viral video has shown the moment armed men believed to be operatives of Operation Udo Ga-Achi — also known as the Agunechemba Vigilante Group — stormed a corps members’ lodge in Anambra State and assaulted a female corps member identified as Jennifer Edema Elohor and some of her colleagues.
The video, which was shared by the Haven 360 Foundation on Facebook on Monday, showed the victim, Elohor being beaten and stripped naked, by men wielding guns.
The foundation said the victims were brutalised and subjected to humiliating and sexually degrading threats. It noted that the vigilante accused the corps members of being ‘yahoo people’ and still descended on them despite producing their NYSC identity cards. Read more
Peter Obi warns against vote-buying, says action undermines development (Channels)
A former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has warned against vote-buying, describing it as one of the greatest threats to Nigeria’s democracy.
In a post on his official X handle on Tuesday, Obi said those who purchase votes only do so with the intention of gaining access to public funds, stressing that bribing voters today becomes “a licence to plunder tomorrow.”
According to him, money meant for schools, hospitals, roads, and jobs often ends up in private pockets once such politicians assume office. Read more
Ibadan traditional leaders fault Alaafin’s ultimatum to Ooni (Guardian)
Traditional rulers, Mogajis, Baales, and other stakeholders in Ibadan, on Tuesday, faulted the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, for issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to revoke the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland conferred on Chief Dotun Sanusi, a philanthropist and businessman.
It would be recalled that the Alaafin had, in a statement on Monday, demanded that the Ooni withdraw the Okanlomo of Yorubaland title given to Sanusi.
In a statement signed, the President of Ibadan Mogajis, Mogaji Asimiyu Ariori, and Coordinator of Ibadan Compound Peace Initiative (ICPI), Mogaji Nurudeen Akinade, on behalf of the Ibadan stakeholders, described Alaafin Owoade’s position as an affront on Ibadanland. Read more
NCAA Summons Ibom Air Crew, Passenger (NewTelegraph)
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has summoned Ms. Comfort Emmanson and an Ibom Air cabin crew member, Juliana Edward, for further investigation into a reported incident aboard an Ibom Air flight from Uyo to Lagos on August 10.
NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, disclosed this during a Q&A session at the Emergency National Civil Aviation Security Committee and Stakeholders’ Meeting held Tuesday in Abuja.
Achimugu confirmed he had earlier spoken with Ms. Emmanson and stated that both she and the crew member had been invited for continued inquiry. “They will be here tomorrow (Wednesday),” he said. Read more
Support media with tax incentives, relief on import duties, Soneye urges govt (ThisDay)
Former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), Mr. Femi Soneye, has called on the Federal Government to support the Nigerian media with targeted incentives, including tax reliefs and import duty waivers on essential media tools.
Soneye made the appeal in Abuja on Tuesday after receiving the NUJ FCT Excellence in Corporate Communications Award, conferred on him by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council.
The NUJ leadership, led by Chairperson Grace Ike, alongside the Deputy Chair, Secretary-General, and other executives, described Soneye as a consummate professional who has distinguished himself with tact and excellence in the communications field. Read more
2027: PDP leaders disagree over Jonathan, Obi, Makinde (DailyTrust)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is facing fresh internal divisions as its leaders remain split over whether to field former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, or Oyo State governor Seyi Makinde as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.
Daily Trust gathered from multiple party sources that some leaders, allegedly aligned with Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister Nyesom Wike, are pushing for Obi, while another bloc is rooting for Jonathan, arguing that he is the only figure within the party capable of giving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a serious challenge. A third group has also thrown Makinde’s name into the mix.
Amid the rift, the party inaugurated a 110-member organising committee on Monday, ahead of its 2025 elective national convention. Read more
Sydney Sweeney’s new movie suffers one of the worst box office debuts in history (Movieweb)
Sydney Sweeney might be one of the fastest-rising actresses in Hollywood, thanks to hits like Anyone But You, Immaculate, Euphoria, The White Lotus, and The Handmaid’s Tale, but even she isn’t safe from a box-office dud here and there, as those who watched Madame Web know all too well. Her latest movie was supposed to take the heat away from her controversial American Eagle ad campaign, promoting her “great jeans.” But it’s hard for a movie to act as a diversion when very few people actually saw it. Americana, which also stars Paul Walter Hauser, opened in theaters last weekend, and its box office figures from the opening weekend certainly don’t have great jeans.
Americana might have a great cast and a hilarious trailer, but that wasn’t enough to put bums in seats in US theaters. The movie opened on over 1,100 screens in the US, but raked in a measly $500k from its opening weekend. That’s an average of $436 per screen. Americana is far from the sky-high-budget tentpole film that Lionsgate has previously seen flop at the box office (here’s looking at you, Borderlands and The Crow), but it is still an abysmal opening weekend performance. In fact, it’s one of the worst opening weekends in box office history for a Hollywood movie. Read more
Police officer arrested by ICE agrees to voluntarily leave the country (CNN)
A Maine police officer arrested by immigration authorities has agreed to voluntarily leave the country, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday.
ICE arrested Old Orchard Beach Police Department reserve Officer Jon Luke Evans, of Jamaica, on July 25, as part of the agency’s effort to step up immigration enforcement. Officials with the town and police department have said federal authorities previously told them Evans was legally authorized to work in the U.S.
An ICE representative reached by telephone told The Associated Press on Monday that a judge has granted voluntary departure for Evans and that he could leave as soon as that day. The representative did not provide other details about Evans’ case. Read more
Aubrey Plaza says grief over husband Jeff Baena’s death is ‘always there’ and feels like the Apple TV+ movie ‘The Gorge’ (Variety)
Aubrey Plaza stopped by Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast on her promotional tour for the new Ethan Coen dark comedy “Honey Don’t!” and opened up in detail for the first time publicly about losing her husband, Jeff Baena. The indie filmmaker died by suicide in early January at 47 years old. The two married in 2021 after 10 years together. Baena directed Plaza in movies such as “Life After Beth” (2014) and “The Little Hours” (2017).
“To get it out of the way, people want to see you and see how you are,” Poehler told Plaza at the start of their podcast interview (via Entertainment Weekly).
“They love you, and they want to see you. You had this terrible, terrible, tragic year. You lost your husband. You’ve been dealing with that, and you’ve been looking for all different ways in which to feel and find support. On behalf of all the people who feel like they know you, and the people who do know you, how are you feeling today?” Read more
Ukraine ‘destroys key Russian train’ in massive blow to Putin as ‘nothing left alive’ (Mirror)
A Russian train was reportedly blown up and derailed by Ukrainian saboteurs in a major attack which saw flames tear through the vehicle and thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Forces are said to have hit an area between Tokmak and Urozhaine in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine, following a Ukrainian military operation. Petro Andryushchenko, former adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, claimed “nothing alive was left” as he announced the attack on Telegram. “Yes. It’s burning down. The train. There is no more Russian rail service through occupied Zaporizhzhia,” Andryushchenko wrote.
“Nothing alive was left. Who asked why the Russians were hauling fuel and cars at night? That’s why,” he added. “To avoid such losses. It didn’t work. A unique operation by the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Just great, believe me!” Read more
Kimmel defends Colbert amid cancellation, calls Paramount’s money excuse ‘nonsensical’ (USAToday)
If the defense of late-night is a lost cause, Jimmy Kimmel will go down swinging.
The ABC comic told Variety in a recent interview that the money issues Paramount cited for their recent cancellation of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” were “nonsensical.” Colbert’s show, one of the top-rated programs in the genre, was cancelled permanently earlier this year, with the CBS parent company citing financial difficulties.
Others, however, didn’t buy that explanation, positing instead that Paramount, which was hoping for approval of a merger from the Trump Administration’s FCC, bent the knee to the president to grease the wheels. The merger was approved shortly after the cancellation was announced. Read more
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro says he’s deploying 4.5m militia members in response to “outlandish threats” by US (CBS)
Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro on Monday said he would deploy 4.5 million militia members in response to “outlandish threats” by the United States after Washington raised the bounty for his arrest to $50 million and launched anti-drug operations in the Caribbean.
“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory — militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” Maduro announced on state television.
Official figures say the Venezuelan militia, founded by Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez, contains about 5 million people — though the actual number is believed to be smaller. Read more
AfroBasket 2025: D’Tigers set for showdown with Senegal (Punch)
Nigeria’s D’Tigers, riding high after a flawless 3–0 run in the group stage, are gearing up for a critical AfroBasket 2025 quarterfinal clash against Senegal on Wednesday, 2025, in Luanda, Angola.
Having dominated Group B with victories over Madagascar (77–59), Tunisia (87–66), and Cameroon (99–90), the team is poised to leverage its offensive depth and momentum in this high-stakes match.
Senegal, a five-time AfroBasket champion, secured their quarterfinal spot with a 78–65 playoff win over South Sudan, following a 2–1 group stage record with wins against Uganda (88–53) and Mali (84–70), but a loss to Egypt (91–77). Read more
NPFL: Enyimba explain 22 players’ exit, unveil new stars (Guardian)
Joseph Atule has been saddled with more responsibilities in the new-look Enyimba.
Former African champions, Enyimba of Aba, yesterday, explained that the departure of 22 players from the club is part of the efforts to reposition the team for the battle for the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) this season.
The club officially announced the exit of 22 players from their squad, including Super Eagles B goalkeeper Ozoemena Ani, who has joined Rivers United.
The team said that they have recruited 12 new players to fill the void created by the exit, adding that the aim is to ensure that productive players have enough room to fight in both the NPFL and the President’s Federation Cup. Read more
Angel Reese said her WNBA salary is not even enough to pay for her personal expenses (Basketballnetwork)
When she entered the WNBA, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese was already one of the most popular women’s basketball players in the United States. Despite that, the WNBA salary scale meant that she had to accept a maximum contract of $324,383, which is good for four WNBA seasons to play for the Sky.
With an average salary of $81,096 per season and a $73,749 actual pay check for her rookie WNBA campaign in 2024, the former LSU star made it clear that long after the likes of WNBA legends Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird played overseason during the offseason to augment their incomes, league salary in the WNBA was still incredibly too low.
“I just hope y’all know,” Reese said on Instagram Live, “The WNBA don’t pay my bills at all. I don’t even think it pays one of my bills. Literally. I’m living beyond my means.” Read more
Ferrari confirms worst-kept secret after FIA takes Lewis Hamilton action (PlanetF1)
Lewis Hamilton prepares for his Ferrari debut at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix
Fred Vasseur has confirmed that Ferrari was forced to raise the ride height of its F1 2025 car after Lewis Hamilton’s disqualification at the Chinese Grand Prix.
And he has admitted that the team “lost our way a bit” at the start of the season as it struggled with “quality issues” and execution on race weekends.
Fred Vasseur: Ferrari ‘lost out way a bit’ after Lewis Hamilton DSQ
After falling just 14 points short of champions McLaren in the 2024 Constructors’ title fight, Ferrari took the unusual step of changing its car concept for the final year of the current rules in F1 2025. Read more
Carlos Alcaraz wins Cincinnati Open final after Jannik Sinner retires (AlJazeera)
Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open after top seed Jannik Sinner retired as he was feeling unwell, raising concerns about the Italian’s fitness just days before he is due to begin the defence of his US Open title in New York.
The Spanish second seed snapped the world number one’s 26-match winning streak on hardcourts when his ailing rival signalled he could no longer continue while trailing 5-0 in the first set of the final on Monday.
“This is not the way that I want to win trophies, I just have to say sorry, I can understand how you must feel now,” Alcaraz told Sinner during the presentation ceremony after capturing his third Masters 1000 crown of the season following his success in Monte Carlo and Rome. Read more