Child Molestation: Police arrest 3, govt shuts Enugu school (Punch)
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested three persons over the alleged sexual molestation of a three-year-old girl (names withheld) at Tenderlink School, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu State.
Police investigations showed that the young girl sustained physical injuries and blood stains were observed on her private part after the school bus dropped her at home on Tuesday, November 14.
The girl’s female teacher, the school’s bus attendant and the driver, have been arrested for interrogation.
This was disclosed by the state Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe in a statement issued on Friday, via the command’s handle on X. Read more
Man, 76, rapes, impregnates 16-year-old girl in Ogun (Vanguard)
A 76-year-old man, David Ogunsanwo has been arrested by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) for allegedly raping and impregnating a 16-year-old girl (name withheld) in Abeokuta.
The Ogun State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Adijat Adeleye, confirmed the arrest of the suspect to journalists in Abeokuta on Saturday.
Adeleye said the suspect would be charged to court, adding that her ministry would follow through, to ensure justice is served.
The commissioner, who expressed worry over the increasing rate of sexual abuse cases in the country, appealed to victims to always speak out. Read more
Tinubu’s reforms on course to yield positive outcome — Sanwo-Olu (Tribune)
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured the global investment community of the positive results that will come out of the economic reforms being implemented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Governor Sanwo-Olu gave this assurance on Friday in London when he featured on a live interview anchored on Sky News, a frontline British news channel, saying that President Tinubu took the “courageous step” by ending the fuel subsidy regime, which, he stressed, was a necessity to save the nation’s economy from the edge of catastrophe.
Sanwo-Olu also used the platform to highlight key areas of priority being explored by his administration to drive foreign investment into Lagos. Read more
Liberia polls: Tinubu, Jonathan commends Weah for conceding defeat (Vanguard)
President Bola Tinubu and former president Goodluck Jonathan have hailed Liberian President George Weah, for exhibiting great leadership and statesmanship after conceding defeat of opposition leader, Joseph Boakai, in the just-concluded election in the country.
According to Liberia’s electoral commission, Boakai received 50.89 per cent of the vote after counting votes from more than 99 percent of polling locations, while Weah received 49.11 percent.
In a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu hailed Weah for ‘defying the stereotype’ that peaceful transitions of power are impossible on the continent. Read more
YABATECH honours Zulum, Lady Otedola, graduates 7,717 students (ThisDay)
Yaba College of Technology will on November 23, 2023 in Lagos, confer fellowship awards on the Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Zulum, wife of the former Lagos State Governor and matriarch of the Otedola family, Lady Doja Otedola and a former General Secretary of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU), Comrade Hassan Adebayo Sunmonu, for their immense contributions to education and national development.
The conferment will be at the convocation of a total of 7,717 students for the 2021/2022 academic session on at Philip Adegbile Sports Complex. Read more
Lagos Deputy Gov Hazmat urges informal sector to join hands with govt on service delivery (Vanguard)
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has charged religious bodies, social, and other non-governmental organizations to collaborate with the government in its quest to ameliorate the plights of citizens and bring services closer to them.
The Deputy Governor made this call Friday at the Official Commissioning of the Ultra-Modern Hospital built by the Akoka Branch of the Ansar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria.
Dr. Hamzat noted that no nation develops just by the activities of the government alone, though such activities are very essential, but citizens, religious bodies, charity organizations, and non-state institutions also have roles to play in ameliorating the pains of people and in bringing services closer to the people. Read more
Gov Yusuf approaches Supreme Court over Kano guber seat (Leadership)
Kano State governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, and his political party, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), have decided to approach the Supreme Court over the Friday’s Appeal Court verdict, which affirmed the State Election Petitions Tribunal’s judgement on the March 18 governorship election in the State.
The appellate court had sacked Governor Yusuf from office and instead affirmed the candidate of the rival All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, as the rightful winner of the March 18 governorship election. Read more
We’ll not recognise Osun Acting CJ, NBA tells Gov. Adeleke (Guardian)
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has condemned the removal of the Chief Judge of Osun, Justice Adepele Ojo, by Gov. Ademola Adeleke.
The NBA said in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Akorede Lawal, that it will not recognise Justice Olayinka Afolabi, the Acting Chief Judge appointed by the governor.
Lawal said that the NBA’s position was anchored on the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary. Read more
Cassie settles rape and abuse lawsuit with Sean ‘‘Diddy’’ Combs (FarOut)
R&B singer Cassie has settled her lawsuit with former partner Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs, who she had earlier accused of rape and physical assault.
Douglas H. Wigdor, the attorney for Cassie, whose full name is Cassie Ventura, has confirmed the agreement, which came only 24 hours after the news of the lawsuit was first reported. In a statement, Cassie said: “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Diddy said: “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.” Read more
Taylor Swift says she is “devastated” after fan dies shortly before Brazil Eras Tour show (People)
Taylor Swift is speaking out after a tragedy took place at her latest Eras Tour show.
The singer, 33, shared a handwritten note on her Instagram Story Friday, in which she said that her heart was “shattered” by the death of a fan ahead of her concert at Estadio Nilton Santos in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
One of the event organizers, Time for Fun, announced in a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, that the fan who died was 23-year-old Ana Clara Benevides Machado. In the post, written in Portuguese, they said that Benevides Machado had felt unwell at the venue and was attended to by first responders, before being transferred to Salagdo Filho Hospital, where she died. Read more
White House slams Elon Musk’s ‘abhorrent’ promotion of anti-Semitism (Aljazeera)
The White House has condemned Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of the social media site X formerly known as Twitter, for promoting a “hideous” anti-Semitic conspiracy theory on his platform.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, White House spokesman Andrew Bates criticised Musk for calling an anti-Jewish tweet, which accused Jews of undermining Western civilisation through support for immigration, “the actual truth”.
“We condemn this abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans,” Bates said.
Musk ignited a firestorm of criticism when he praised a post on X, echoing the belief, common among white nationalists, that white people in Western countries are being “replaced” with an influx of immigrants from countries in the global south. Read more
G-Eazy turns drug-dealing villain in trailer for new ‘‘All Souls’’ movie (HipHopDX)
G-Eazy will star as a drug dealer named Silas in the forthcoming film All Souls, and a peek into his performance can be seen in the new trailer.
All Souls is a thriller under the Lionsgate umbrella that tells the story of a young confidential informant, who is sent on an undercover operation to help the police track down their target, Silas (G-Eazy).
As described by Screen Rant, the film is “a look into the United States’ War on Drugs, focusing specifically on those who are forced into working with the police as a result of their own illegal activity.” Read more
Brad Pitt criticised over reported plans to adapt Britney Spears’ memoir (NME)
Brad Pitt has been criticised for reported plans to adapt Britney Spears‘ new memoir for the big screen.
Spears released her book, The Woman In Me, last month, which candidly discussed her career, relationships, 13-year conservatorship and personal experiences. It also contains a number of noteworthy revelations about her personal life, including that she had an abortion while dating Justin Timberlake. The book sold over one million copies in its first week on the shelves.
According to reports by PageSix, Pitt is among the high-profile celebrities bidding for a chance to adapt Spears’s story into a film. Reece Witherspoon was also reportedly interested in the project, according to sources. Actor Margot Robbie has since denied she was interested in the project. Read more
TikTok removes hashtag for Osama bin Laden’s ‘Letter to America’ after viral videos circulate (NBC)
TikTok removed the hashtag #lettertoamerica from its search function after videos about Osama bin Laden’s 2002 “Letter to America” went viral on the platform and were re-uploaded to the social media platform X. Some social media users suggested that the Al Qaeda founder’s document gives an alternative perspective about the U.S.’ involvement in conflicts in the Middle East.
Throughout the week, TikTok users had been sharing the link to The Guardian’s transcript of bin Laden’s letter, which was written about a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people in the U.S. The Guardian took the letter down from its website Wednesday. Read more
1st group of wounded Palestinian children from Israel-Hamas war arrives in United Arab Emirates (ABC)
The first planeload of Palestinian children wounded in the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip reached the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, part of a pledged relief effort by the country to aid 1,000 children.
The group of 15 people, including children and their family members, made it across the Gaza Strip’s Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Friday. They then took a flight from the Egyptian city of El-Arish to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.
Young children lay asleep on their moms’ laps as the plane finally landed at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Some of the seats of the plane were removed to make room for the most critically wounded children, who needed to lie on stretchers. Read more
Super Eagles arrive Kigali ahead of Sunday’s encounter with Warriors (Punch)
The Super Eagles squad arrived in Kigali, Rwanda, on Saturday, for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture against the Warriors of Zimbabwe on Sunday.
PUNCH Sports Extra earlier reported that the delegation of players and officials travelled to East Africa aboard a chartered aircraft that departed from the Victor Attah International Airport Friday night and is expected to touch down in Kigali at dawn, before a two-hour road trip to Butare, the city where the match venue (Huye Stadium) is located. Read more
Erling Haaland doctor gives worrying injury update ahead of Man City vs Liverpool (Mirror)
Manchester City may have to take on Liverpool in a pivotal Premier League clash next Saturday without top scorer Erling Haaland.
In an incident that would have left Pep Guardiola and club fans racked with anxiety, the striker went down clutching his ankle during Norway’s 2-0 home win over the Faroe Islands on Thursday. And he has already been ruled out of his country’s clash with Scotland on Sunday night, which comes just six days before the Reds visit the Etihad.
And team doctor Ola Sand has since said tests will be needed to reveal the extent of the damage. Revealing the 23-year-old is in “considerable pain,” he also claimed Haaland’s foot movement was currently restricted, making it impossible for him to line-up against Steve Clarke’s team. Read more
Pedro calls Mourinho ‘‘a funny man’’ and explains switch from Roma to Lazio (FootballItalia)
Lazio forward Pedro responded to Jose Mourinho’s claims that he’d make a ‘good diver’ and explained why he left Roma to join their bitter rivals.
The 36-year-old Spaniard spent a single season with the Giallorossi from September 2020 to August 2021, scoring six goals and providing seven assists across 40 appearances. After just one year, he terminated his contract with Roma and headed across the river Tiber, joining Lazio.
Pedro has been an important part of Maurizio Sarri’s squad in the Italian capital since his arrival, directly contributing to 30 goals across 101 matches. An experienced leader, he has acted as a reference point for the squad and helped them adapt to Sarri’s demanding 4-3-3 system. Read more
Las Vegas GP: Max Verstappen hits out over Carlos Sainz’s “very harsh” grid penalty after drain damage (Sky)
Max Verstappen has called for an F1 rule change after labelling the grid penalty given to Carlos Sainz for Sunday’s Las Vegas GP “very harsh”, in the wake of the major damage caused to the Ferrari by a loose circuit drain cover.
And following suggestions that other teams may have challenged the matter had stewards not imposed a penalty in line with the regulations, the world champion also said rivals should be excluded from having any say on such issues as “in this political environment we are in of course every team thinks about themselves”. Read more
Matt Wallace reels off 12 birdies to card sizzling 60 in Dubai (RTE)
Matt Wallace shot a stunning third-round 60 at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, registering 12 birdies in the 12-under-par round, including one on each of his last nine holes.
It left the 33-year-old two shots clear at the top of the leaderboard on 16 under, with Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard, yet to complete his third round, his closest rival.
He had been on for a 59 before completing his final hole in four. Read more
World Cup Qualifiers: Uruguay stun Argentina; emotional Diaz double as Colombia sink Brazil (Vanguard)
Uruguay ended Argentina’s 14-match unbeaten streak with a 2-0 victory over the world champions in World Cup qualifiers on Thursday as Luis Diaz scored twice to fire Colombia to an emotional 2-1 win over Brazil.
Defender Ronald Araujo fired Uruguay ahead on 41 minutes before Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez made the game safe with an 87th-minute goal on the counterattack to settle a hard-fought clash at the Bombonera Stadium in Buenos Aires.
It was Lionel Messi and Argentina’s first defeat of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, and their first loss since they were stunned 2-1 by Saudi Arabia at the 2022 finals in Qatar.
“We never felt comfortable,” Messi said after the defeat.
“They’re a physical team that works well and on the counterattack they were very dangerous,” added Messi, praising the work of Uruguay’s revered Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa. read more