Court orders employer to pay ex-driver N3m over rights abuse (Guardian)
A Federal High Court, Lagos has ordered one Mr. Bernard Imarah to pay his former driver, Roland Ogamune, and his wife, Blessing, N3, million for violating his fundamental privacy rights.
Justice Ayotunde Faji upheld the argument of counsel for the Ogamunes, Mr. Mofesomo Tayo-Oyetibo, that the couple had constitutionally guaranteed rights to privacy and freedom of movement and it was unlawful for Imarah to trample on those rights.
The judge awarded N2 million to Ogamune and N1 million to his wife, adding that this was a case of Imarah’s misuse of his dominant position over his former driver.
Ogamune was Imarah’s driver but resigned voluntarily sometime in December 2017. However, sometime in early 2018, Imarah accused him of stealing expensive alcoholic drinks worth millions of naira kept at his home in Lekki, Lagos. Read more
Yoruba Nation rally: Nigerians slam Lagos police for lying, demand identity of salesgirl’s killer (Punch)
Some Nigerians on social media have criticised the police in Lagos for lying on the cause of death of Jumoke Oyeleke, the salesgirl who was allegedly killed by a stray bullet during the Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos on July 3, 2021.
They called for the identification and prosecution of the policeman who fired the shot.
Agitators for the Yoruba Nation gathered at the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota amid the presence of armed policemen and soldiers on July 3. Read more
Sanwo-Olu seeks better regional economic integration (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged a better integration among the southwestern states and the nation in general to further enhance good governance and economic development.
He made this call during the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Nigeria South-West Zonal Town Hall meeting, hosted by the state government for the validation of the Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) on the ongoing Second Peer Review involving its National Governing Council, APRM National Secretariat, federal, states and local councils in Lagos.
In a statement, yesterday, he said: “We just recently hosted the southern governors and in the platform, governors around continued that interaction that takes to harmonise our views for national development. We are certainly not against the local council, the idea is that Nigeria must get better and we need a framework that works perfectly for Nigeria and for Nigerians. Read more
Nigeria secures release of 100 kidnapped mothers and children (BBC)
The authorities in north-west Nigeria say they have freed 100 women and children – mainly mothers nursing infants – who were seized by bandits.
The group were abducted on 8 June in Zamfara state. Four people were also killed during the incident.
The Zamfara state government said they were released without any ransom being paid, but gave no further details.
The group will now be given medical checks and debriefed before they return to their homes. Read more
Police confirms death of Redeemed Pastor in Owerri (Guardian)
The police command in Imo has confirmed the death of a senior Pastor in Owerri, Thompson Onyekwuru, while trying to separate a fight between a couple in the state.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Mike Abattam, said that the incident occurred at Umukoto Nekede in Owerri, adding that Onyekwuru was a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in the state.
The police, according to News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), said Onyekwuru, 62, was trying to prevent Obumneke Onyemechileuzo from stabbing his wife, Ogechi Onyemechileuzo, during a fight between the couple, before he was allegedly killed. Read more
Delta usher hangs self over allegation of defiling neighbour’s daughter (Punch)
A 45-year-old man, Henry Jegbefume, has allegedly hanged himself in Agbor, in the Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State.
PUNCH Metro gathered the incident, which happened on Saturday, threw the community into confusion.
It was learnt that prior to the incident, the deceased was accused of having carnal knowledge of his neighbour’s daughter.
A source in the community told our correspondent that residents on Iregwa Street, where the deceased lived, woke up to see his remains dangling from the ceiling of his room. Read more
Benue Senator raises alarm over worsening food scarcity in Nigeria (Vanguard)
The lawmaker representing Benue North-West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Orker Jev has raised the alarm over the worsening food scarcity in Benue state and the entire country blaming it on the unending armed militia herdsmen attacks on the farming communities of Benue and displacement of over one million farming populace in the state.
The federal lawmaker warned that the people were now struggling to feed themselves and Nigeria was already in trouble because all parts of the country were feeling the impact of the shortage of food supply from Benue State.
Senator Jev who spoke to Vanguard in Makurdi warned that since the people had been sacked from their ancestral homes by the marauders and could no longer produce foodstuff that were usually distributed across the country there would be hunger in the country thereby worsening the state of insecurity in the country. Read more
Power generation falls below 4,000MW amid gas, trasmission problems (Punch)
Power generation in Nigeria dropped below the 4,000 megawatts mark on Tuesday amid the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The total generation in the country stood at 3,958.7MW as of 6am on Tuesday, down from 4,270.7MW on Monday, according to data obtained from the Nigerian Electricity System Operator.
On Monday, the peak generation stood at 4,611MW, while the lowest generation was 3,732.1MW, the NESO data showed.
The total energy generated on Monday was 100,974.45MW, out of which 99,272.98MW was sent out. Read more
Deaths, traffic violations, others trail Eid-el Kabir celebration (Guardian)
Clerics task government on insecurity, people oriented policies
Pockets of deaths and traffic violations, yesterday trailed the celebration of Eid-el Kabir by the Muslim faithful in Nigeria. The celebration, which was without the usual fun fare, started with Eid prayers at mosques and Eid grounds as early as 9.00a.m., followed by the traditional slaughtering of rams.
Although, the weather was clement, the celebration was low-keyed, devoid of the usual pomp and pageantry because of the hike in the prices of foodstuff, cows, rams and other items needed to celebrate the festival.
Many faithful could not visit fun centres because of the COVID-19 guidelines. Also, many, who usually procure a large number of rams to share with their neighbours in commemoration of the day, opted for cows, while those who could not afford it, went for chicken. Read more
Strife-torn Haiti gets new prime minister (BBC)
Ariel Henry has been sworn in as Haiti’s new prime minister, nearly two weeks after the assassination of the country’s President Jovenel Moïse.
The late president asked Mr Henry to take the job, days before he was gunned down in the capital, Port-au-Prince.
But Mr Henry was in a political tussle with Claude Joseph, Haiti’s interim PM at the time of the attack.
Mr Joseph stepped down on Monday and said Mr Henry’s appointment would pave the way for elections in September. Read more
Hong Kong police arrest another Apple Daily editor under security law (France24)
A former senior editor of Hong Kong’s shuttered pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily was arrested by national security police on Wednesday morning.
A police source told AFP that former executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung had been detained.
In a statement, police said they had arrested a 51-year-old former newspaper editor for “collusion with foreign forces”, a national security crime. Read more
“The Marvels” director Nia DaCosta admits blockbuster sequel is ‘less traumatising’ than past work (Metro)
Nia DaCosta is in the thick of directing the upcoming blockbuster The Marvels, and describes it as ‘less traumatising’ than her previous releases.
The filmmaker will become the first Black woman to direct a Marvel movie with her work on the sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris.
Nia’s currently shooting the anticipated movie in London and has revealed that it’s a welcome break from the harder scripts she’s worked with recently, notably the upcoming reboot of classic horror Candyman. Read more
Berlin opens ambitious new museum in Prussian palace replica (France24)
One of Germany’s most ambitious cultural projects, which will feature collections of African, Asian and other non-European art in a partial replica of a Prussian palace that was demolished by East Germany’s communist government after World War II, is opening to the public on Tuesday.
The Humboldt Forum — located in the heart of Berlin, next to the neoclassical Museum Island complex — was designed by Italian architect Franco Stella and features three replica facades, one modern one and a modern interior. It cost 680 million euros ($802 million).
The project results from a 2002 vote by the German parliament to reconstruct the 18th-century palace. The original was demolished in 1950 and later replaced by East Germany’s parliament building, itself now knocked down. Read more
China floods: Thousands evacuated as rail stations and roads submerged (BBC)
Torrential rain has caused severe flooding in parts of central China, forcing people from their homes and leaving stations and roads submerged.
More than 10,000 people in Henan province have been evacuated to shelters following the record rainfall.
At least 12 people have died in the city of Zhengzhou since the flooding began, authorities there confirmed.
More than a dozen cities have been affected with main roads forced to close and flights cancelled. Read more
Robby Steinhardt dies aged 71 as ‘beyond devastated’ wife pays tribute (Metro)
Robby Steinhardt, a member of the band Kansas, has died at the age of 71 it has been confirmed.
The singer and violinist – full name Robert E Steinhardt – died on Saturday due to complications from pancreatitis, having been at a hospital in Tampa, Florida since May.
Steinhardt’s wife, Cindy Steinhardt, broke the news in a Facebook post on Monday night and paid tribute to her spouse, writing: ‘We are beyond devastated as our lives were about to start a new adventure.
‘Robby just recorded his first solo album with the talented music producer Michael Franklin at Solar Studios. Read more
CAS rejects Ogwumike, Williams’ bid to represent Nigeria in Tokyo (Guardian)
Nneka Ogwumike and Elizabeth Williams will have to wait another three years before actualising their dream of changing their international allegiance to Nigeria, the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) has ruled.
The two Nigerians, who had already played for the United States, applied to the world basketball governing body, FIBA, to change their allegiance to their motherland beginning with the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which begins on Friday.
They were in Nigeria’s provisional squad for Tokyo 2020, but were omitted from the final 12-man squad announced by Coach Otis Hughley announced on Monday. Read more
Nigerian midfielder, Frank Onyeka joins Premier League newcomers Brentford (Vanguard)
Super Eagles midfielder, Frank Onyeka, has joined Premier League newcomers, Brentford in a deal that will see him stay at the club until 2026.
Onyeka, 23, who previously played for FC Midtjylland in the Danish Superliga becomes the first Super Eagles player to play for the club and swells the Nigerian contingent in the Premier League ahead of the 2021/22 season.
A statement on the club’s website confirming the addition reads, “Brentford have completed the signing of Nigeria international midfield player Frank Onyeka, subject to international clearance. A work permit for the 23-year-old was received at the weekend and he has completed a medical. Read more
Tokyo Olympics could still be cancelled, admits head of organising (Metro)
The head of the organising committee for the Tokyo Olympics, Toshiro Muto, has refused to rule out the Games being cancelled, just three days before it is due to officially start.
The Tokyo Games are due to commence on Friday, but Muto admits that things could still change based on Covid-19 cases and talks will be held with organisers if infections rise significantly.
‘We can’t predict what will happen with the number of coronavirus cases. So we will continue discussions if there is a spike in cases,’ said Muto at a news conference. Read more
Falcons clash with commuter in Austria over anti-Buhari comments (Punch)
Players of the Super Falcons confronted a man who accused them of playing for Nigeria despite the atrocities going on in the country inside a train in Vienna, Austria.
A video showed the man, who claimed to be a Nigerian citizen, accusing the players for not speaking out against the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
The Falcons are in Austria on an eight-day intensive training camp as part of the preparation for the forthcoming Aisha Buhari Invitational Women’s Football Tournament.
Team officials explained on Tuesday afternoon that the girls, who had been in the Austrian capital since Thursday preparing for the upcoming international engagements, opted to have a view of the city after their morning training, and decided on public transport to the city centre. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: Poland send 6 swimmers home after selecting too many by mistake (BBC)
The Tokyo Aquatics Centre is the venue for swimming, diving and artistic swimming at the Games
Poland have sent six swimmers home from the Tokyo Olympics after selecting too many by mistake.
Poland initially picked 23 athletes but had to cut that to 17 based on world governing body FINA’s qualifying rules.
Polish Swimming Federation (PZP) president Pawel Slominski has apologised and said he understood the anger of those who have returned home.
“I express great regret, sadness and bitterness about the situation,” he said in a statement. Read more
Jade Jones: The making of double Olympic champion chasing history in Tokyo (BBC)
Jade Jones became a double Olympic champion aged just 23 at Rio 2016.
This is the inside story of how a girl from Flint came to stand on the brink of Olympic history, told through the eyes of her mother Jayne and grandfather Martin.
It was love at first sight.
A young Jade Jones was leaving a swimming lesson with her grandad Martin when she first set eyes on the sport of taekwondo.
Before swimming, she had tried football. And then rugby. Then badminton. Then athletics.
Nothing stuck.
But taekwondo did.”We tried every sport known to man,” says Martin. “I’d buy her the kit and a fortnight later – ‘I don’t like this grandad.’ Read more