Cybercrime: Absence of forensic analyst stalls Naira Marley’s trial (Punch)
The absence of a prosecution witness, Augustine Anosike, on Tuesday, stalled the ongoing trial of Nigerian singer, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
Anosike, a forensic analyst, is testifying as a second prosecution witness in the case.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is prosecuting the defendant on charges bordering on cybercrime. Fashola was arrested on May 14, 2019.
The musician, ‘Am I a yahoo boy’ singer, was consequently, arraigned on May 20, 2019, before Justice Nicholas Oweibo, but he pleaded not guilty. Read more
#EndSARS Panel Report: Sanwo-Olu invites Falz, Macaroni, CP, others for December peace walk (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has disclosed plans to organise a historic peace walk on December as part of measures to the healing of the state in particular and the country in general.
Sanwo-Olu, who disclosed this on Tuesday, while addressing the media on the outcome of Lekki Toll Gate panel report, at state House, Alausa, Ikeja, specifically, invited Folarin Falana (Falz), Debo Adebayo (Mr. Marcaroni), Dele Farotimi, Temitope Majekodunmi, Segun Awosanya (Segalinks), Adedotun (Just Detoun), Seun Kuti, Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu and Commander of Rapid Response Squad (RRS), CSP Yinka Egbeyemi and others to join him in the “historic” march.
According to the governor: “It is with great sense of responsibility that I address you today on the reactions that have trailed the release of the #EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry Report submitted to me two weeks ago, and how it has played out in public discourse since then.
“I believe and have always been vocal about this that we owe it to you, the people of Lagos, to constantly speak and engage with you. Read more
Court remands man for ‘defiling’ 4-year-old girl in Lagos (Punch)
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of a 26-year-old unemployed man, Mustapha Baba, for allegedly defiling a four-year-old girl.
The Magistrate, Mrs Ejiro Kubeinje, who did not take the defendant’s plea, ordered that he should be remanded in Kirikri Correctional Centre.
Kubeinje, however, directed the Police to send the case file to the state Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.
She adjourned the case until January 25, 2022 for the DPP’s advice. Read more
N7b Libel Suit: I sued THISDAY because they refused to apologise to me – Wike (Independent)
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Tuesday appeared before the State High Court in Port Harcourt, to testify as a witness in a N7 billion libel suit against THISDAY Newspaper.
Governor Wike said he was in court to seek justice and clear his name as a person from the malicious publication by THISDAY Newspaper, which portrayed him as a deceitful, untrustworthy person, who exerts subterranean influences on judicial matters and over court sittings in Port Harcourt.
It will be recalled that Governor Wike had in August 2020 slammed a N7 Billion suit being damages for libel written and published in THISDAY’s Tuesday, June 23, 2020 edition captioned, “With Wike, Obaseki Meets His PDP’S Waterloo; Almost.”
The defendants in the suit are THISDAY Newspapers Limited, Leaders and Company Limited, Davidson Iriekpan, Chuks Okocha and Adibe Emenyonu. Read more
I’ll sanction you, Buhari warns corrupt public servants (DailyTrust)
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to sanction Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fraudulently present new projects as ongoing projects in their budgets.
The President gave the warning while declaring open the 3rd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector.
He also said the Federal Government would sanction those who brought in personnel into the public workforce by illegal recruitment, padded their payroll and retained ghost workers.
‘‘We reduced the cost of governance by maintaining our promise to complete abandoned or ongoing projects commenced by previous administrations and have ensured that MDAs do not put forward new capital projects at the expense of ongoing projects.” Read more
Court sacks Ganduje-led APC Exco in Kano, upholds Shekarau’s faction (Channels)
An FCT High Court on Tuesday sacked the All Progressives Congress (APC) Exco loyal to the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Delivering a ruling on the reliefs sought by Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, Justice Hamza Muazu, granted all the reliefs sought.
The Shekarau faction is seeking a declaration that the Ganduje-led group did not conduct ward and local government congresses.
Recall that parallel congresses were held in Kano, with Abdullahi Abbas emerging as Chairman of the Ganduje-led group and Ahmadu Zago emerging Chairman of the Shekarau-led group. Read more
Lai Mohammed, Keyamo under fire over remarks on #EndSARS report (Sun)
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Ministers of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, and the Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, for discrediting the Lagos State #EndSARS report.
While Mohammed described the report as ‘tales by moonlight, and fake news,’ Keyamo, on the other hand, said the panel lacked the locus standi to probe the military, adding that the report ‘is illegal’.
But the National Coordinator of HURIWA Emmanuel Onwubiko, at a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, said the ministers, by virtue of their positions, abused the rule of law and encouraged human rights violation.
“We believe that part of the reason for insecurity is the ways and manners that some ministers are undermining the rule of law and are abusing their public offices by influencing the President not to confront human rights abusers in the Army and Police. Read more
SFH supports Lagos, Kaduna to avert 17,871 unintended pregnancies (Vanguard)
Nigeria has a rapidly growing population, with current population estimates at over 200 million, out of which about 46 million are women of reproductive age. With a total fertility rate of 5.3, Nigeria’s population is likely to hit 400 million by 2050, becoming the fourth most populous country on earth.
At the current rate, it would take only about 30 years for the population of Nigeria to double itself. Fertility and mortality patterns have resulted in a young population structure, where more than 40 percent of the current population are children under the age of 15 years. Low uptake of family planning is a major factor in the fertility pattern and population growth rate.
The Nigeria government in its effort to improve access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services signed up to the sustainable development goals which include by 2030, ensuring access to family planning information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programs.
The Government of Nigeria is also committed to achieving the goal of a contraceptive prevalence rate of 27 percent by 2024 and working with state and local governments to secure complementary budgets for family planning and reproductive health services. Read more
Tears as prospective corps member killed in road crash is buried (Punch)
Family members and friends of a 24-year-old prospective corps member, Matui Esky, who died in a fatal crash on his way to Katsina State, for the three weeks mandatory orientation exercise, cried uncontrollably as his remains were laid to rest.
The burial service and interment which was held at the Christian Cemetery, Yelwa, Bauchi on Tuesday morning, had hundreds of sympathizers mostly youths in attendance.
Esky, a graduate of Architecture from the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi, was posted to Borno to observe his one-year mandatory national youth service and was on his way to Katsina when he was involved in a ghastly crash last Friday.
In his message at the cemetery, the Regional Church Council Chairman, COCIN Kagadama, Rev. Luka Bitrus, said that the incident has left them in pain and shock. Read more
Banishment of deposed Emir Sanusi unlawful, unconstitutional – Court (Independent)
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, declared that the banishment of deposed Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II from Kano State was unlawful and unconstitutional. Justice Anwuli Chikere, in a judgment, held that the Emirate Council Law, 2019, used by the state government in banishing Sanusi was in conflict with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.
According to Chikere, the constitution of this country is supreme and any law that is inconsistent with it shall be null and void. The judge declared that the former emir had the right to live anywhere, including Kano State, as enshrined in the country’s constitution.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sanusi, who was dethroned on March 9, 2020, had on March 12, 2020, sued the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police and Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS) over what he called “unlawful detention/confinement.” Also joined in the motion with suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/357/2020 are the Attorney-General of Kano State and Attorney General of the Federation as 3rd and 4th respondents respectively.
Although Sanusi was not challenging his dethronement, the former emir, however, sought an interim order of the court releasing him from the detention and/or confinement of the respondents and restoring his right to human dignity, personal liberty. He also challenged the respondents for harassing him and violating his rights. Read more
“Mr Bones 3″: Trevor Noah dragged into Schuster’s racism controversy (TheSouthAfrican)
Leon Schuster’s Mr Bones 3 trailer was recently released and before the news kicked in, South Africans have already started complaining. Many have taken to social media where they discussed the racial undertones that often accompany Leon Schuster movies.
Many South Africans have voiced their concerns over Leon Schuster’s Mr Bones 3 movie which is set to be released in April 2022. The movie comes after people started criticising Schuster for capitalising on movies that ridicule black people.
Schuster also came under fire for his famous use of black face in some of his other works such as Mama Jack and Oh Schucks I’m Gatvol.
In June 2020, Showmax removed a number of his movies from the channel after citing that his content was “racially insensitive”. Just a few years before that, the comedian admitted that his blackface was racist while adding that he would no longer be using it for a comedic effect. Read more
Printing firm called Omicron say they won’t be changing their name (DailyMail)
Bosses of a printing firm named ‘Omicron’ say they will not change the name of their business – despite now sharing it with the latest Covid variant.
Omicron Reprographics has been running for more than 25 years in Canterbury in Kent.
But the small printing shop is now no longer the most talked about ‘Omicron’ in the cathedral city since emergence of the new Covid strain – named after the 15th Greek letter.
Owners Mark Fawcett-Jones and director Dave Loveridge say they have been inundated with calls and messages from surprised customers following the naming of the new variant by the World Health Organisation. Read more
Sweden gets first ever transgender minister (RT)
Sweden has appointed its first transgender member of government, with Lina Axelsson Kihlblom becoming the minister of higher education and research.
Kihlblom, 51, was appointed on Tuesday by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, Sweden’s first female leader.
She described her path to gender reassignment in a 2018 interview for the magazine Icakuriren.
“I was probably not more than three years old when it became clear to me that I ended up wrong. There are pictures of me as a child standing naked in my mother’s high heels and a pink bra,” Kihlblom said. She revealed that she had undergone gender reassignment surgery in a 2004 book titled ‘Will You Like Me Now?’ Read more
Lisa Nandy backs Keir Starmer over Labour reshuffle rift (Guardian)
The new shadow levelling up secretary, Lisa Nandy, has dismissed a rift between Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner, saying the Labour leader had a right to make the calls on how he chose his frontbench.
Nandy said she saw her new role as being “to deliver on the broken promises of the last 11 years” and said there was a “hell of a lot to do” in the department of levelling up, housing, communities, and local government.
Nandy, who was moved to shadow Michael Gove and was replaced by David Lammy as shadow foreign secretary, said she had not spoken to Rayner, the deputy Labour leader, since the party’s reshuffle was announced.
Rayner’s allies have said they were furious that the changes began during a key speech she was giving to the Institute for Government on cleaning up politics in the wake of the scandals over Conservative lobbying. Read more
German court convicts ex-IS member of killing Yazidi girl as part of ‘genocide’ (TimesofIsrael)
A former member of the Islamic State group was convicted by a German court on Tuesday of genocide and committing a war crime over the death of a 5-year-old Yazidi girl he had purchased as a slave and then chained up in the hot sun to die.
The Frankfurt regional court sentenced Taha Al-J., an Iraqi citizen whose full last name wasn’t released because of privacy rules, to life imprisonment and ordered him to pay the girl’s mother 50,000 euros ($57,000).
German news agency dpa quoted the presiding judge, Christoph Koller, saying it was the first conviction worldwide over a person’s role in the systematic persecution by IS of the Yazidi religious minority.
The defendant’s lawyers had denied the allegations made against their client. Read more
Storm Arwen: Northern Powergrid criticised over continued cuts (BBC)
A power company has been accused of taking too long to restore power after Storm Arwen caused outages across the north of England.
More than 20,000 households had a fourth night without power and some said finding information was difficult.
One resident, from Blanchland in Northumberland, said “nobody can get through to Northern Powergrid and the situation is getting desperate”.
Jim Cardwell from the firm said he was “sorry for the disruption”. Read more
Equatorial Guinea deports Cameroonian citizens citing security concerns (VOA)
Equatorial Guinea has begun deporting thousands of Cameroonians who were residing in the country illegally, citing national security concerns. Authorities in the capital Malabo said the Cameroonians fled conflict in western Cameroon, where government troops have been fighting anglophone separatists. Hundreds of those already deported are trying to return to Equatorial Guinea to gather their belongings.
About 40 people in Kiossi, a Cameroonian southern commercial town, want to enter neighboring Equatorial Guinea this Tuesday morning. Among them is Philippe Oyono, a 33-year-old building material shop owner.
Owono said police in Equatorial Guinea forcefully removed him from his home in the town of Bata. He said he was sent back to Cameroon on November 5 alongside 65 other Cameroonians.
He said he is pleading that President Paul Biya of Cameroon raises their concerns with President Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea so that authorities can allow undocumented migrants who have been deported to Cameroon to return to Equatorial Guinea and gather their belongings. Oyono said it is not common for Equatorial Guinea to deport mothers and fathers without their children and merchants without their goods. Read more
‘No world’ where Omicron won’t affect jab effectiveness, warns vaccine chief (Metro)
The head of vaccine maker Moderna has warned that existing jabs will be much less effective at targeting the new Omicron variant than earlier strains of Covid.
Stéphane Bancel’s comments have sparked fresh concerns about the trajectory of the pandemic as more cases of the highly-infectious mutation are found in the UK.
‘There is no world, I think, where (the effectiveness) is the same level . . . we had with Delta,’ he told the Financial Times.
‘I think it’s going to be a material drop. I just don’t know how much because we need to wait for the data. But all the scientists I’ve talked to . . . are like “this is not going to be good”.’ Read more
Lionel Messi’s honest message to Cristiano Ronaldo after winning seventh Ballon d’Or (Mirror)
Lionel Messi has doubted Cristiano Ronaldo ‘s credentials to match his tally of seven Ballon d’Or wins.
The Argentine collected a record seventh title at Paris’ Theatre du Chatele on Monday.
Messi pipped Poland captain Robert Lewandowski to the 2021 crown, with the Paris Saint-Germain star now two clear of Ronaldo when it comes to golden balls.
And the 34-year-old, who has rivalled the Manchester United superstar throughout his career, is confident that no one will equal his sensational seven. Read more
AFCON: Super Eagles coach Rohr confirms he has submitted a 40-man list to CAF (Soccernet)
The German tactician’s future as the coach of the three-time African champions is unclear, but he is carrying on with his work ahead of the biennial tournament next year
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has revealed he has sent a provisional list of 40 players to CAF on the 15th of November ahead of next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Although Rohr role as Nigeria’s coach has become untenable, the former Burkina Faso manager has not allowed doubts over his future to disturb his work.
In a short conversation with Soccernet, the 68-year-old tactician revealed he had sent the list of a 40-man provisional list on the 15th of November as required by CAF, while he is also moving forward with his plan. Read more
Claudio Ranieri backs Watford squad to prove themselves amid injury crisis (WatfordObserver)
Claudio Ranieri has said that he has confidence in his squad amid a worsening injury crisis at Watford.
Ismaila Sarr, Nicolas Nkoulou and Ben Foster have all been ruled out with long term problems, while Emmanuel Dennis is also out for tomorrow night’s visit from Chelsea.
The Italian said he was not going to get upset about the situation and instead is looking for those who will play to prove themselves as Premier League players.
“I’m confident, but of course if I had all my players, it’s better,” said Ranieri. “But the club gave me a very good group of players and now who plays less, it’s the right moment to show how they want to do in the Premier League. Read more
Paralysed jockey Freddy Tylicki sues rider Graham Gibbons for £6m over fall (BBC)
Former Flat jockey Freddy Tylicki’s £6m negligence claim against fellow rider Graham Gibbons has begun in the High Court.
Tylicki is claiming damages for the “life-changing injuries” he suffered when his horse and three others fell during a race at Kempton in 2016.
Tylicki, who is a permanent wheelchair user following the incident, claims Gibbons’ riding was “dangerous in the extreme” during the race, and that he breached the duty of care owed by one jockey to another.
Gibbons denies causation and negligence and his defence is that the fall was a “racing accident occasioned by the horses coming together”. Read more
Nigeria, South Africa to strengthen bilateral relation on youth, sports development (Leadership)
Nigeria’s government and its South African counterpart have harped on the need to evolve sustainable strategies aimed at harnessing the resourcefulness and greatness of the youth of both countries.
Nigeria’s minister of youth and sports development, Mr. Sunday Dare, stated this on Monday when the South African minister of women, youth and disabilities, Ms. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane paid him a courtesy visit in his office, Abuja.
He reiterated the commitment of the two countries towards strengthening the bilateral relationship, saying arrangements have been concluded for the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries with a view to jointly combat the restiveness of youth, cross-fertilize ideas/opportunities, reduce friction amongst them, entrepreneurial development, market development and export marketing for youth among others.
“We have the most resourceful youth population in both countries that have become a great asset. The governments on both sides must have the political will to engage, invest in their skills, create access to credit and finances that will unleash their potential,” Dare declared. Read more
Dennis doubtful for Chelsea clash (Punch)
Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis is a doubtful for Watford’s clash against Chelsea at Vicarage Road on Wednesday (tomorrow), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 24-year-old suffered a knock and was substituted in the Hornets’ 4-2 defeat to Leicester City at King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Dennis was replaced in the 71st minute for Ashley Fletcher.
Speaking ahead of Watford clash against Chelsea, Hornets manager Claudio Ranieri said the Nigerian will be assessed before the Blues’ visit. Read more
Davis Cup Finals 2021: Danil Medvedev hints at Novak Djokovic support during Spain tie (Eurosport)
Daniil Medvedev has hinted that Novak Djokovic was sending him messages of encouragement during a crucial Davis Cup finals tie – and may now owe him dinner.
Djokovic’s Serbia were left nervously watching the final doubles match of the round-robin stage to see if they would progress to the quarter-finals, with a Spain win knocking them out and a Russian Tennis Federation win seeing them advance.
Medvedev was not playing the tie but watched on as Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev won in straight sets to ensure the Russian Tennis Federation topped the group and Serbia qualified as one of the two best runners-up.
“It’s funny, because during the match, we were getting messages from some people in Serbia, let’s call it that, because I won’t say who, and not just me, but a lot of us saying, go ahead, guys, we believe in you,” revealed Medvedev ahead of Russian Tennis Federation’s quarter-final against Sweden. Read more
Carrick in charge of Man Utd for Arsenal clash as Rangnick awaits visa (Independent)
Michael Carrick will stay in charge of Manchester United for their clash against Arsenal this week as interim manager Ralf Rangnick awaits his work visa, the Old Trafford club said on Tuesday.
Rangnick on Monday agreed to join United from Lokomotiv Moscow, where he was the head of sports and development.
But he will not be on the bench when Arsenal visit on Thursday due to legal red tape.
“Ralf Rangnick was announced as interim manager on Monday but, while the club follows the regulatory process around a work visa, Carrick will continue at the helm,” a United statement said. Read more
