Deposit bad naira notes in bank by Monday, CBN tells Nigerians (Punch)
The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed Nigerians to deposit mutilated Naira notes in any bank branch closer to them. The apex bank said this was part of its efforts to improve the overall quality of the Naira notes in circulation. The information was contained in an email message sent by the GTBank to its customers on Friday. Read more
Okorocha reacts to Imo government’s arrest order (Guardian)
The former governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha Friday said the order of his arrest by the Imo State government is “an open invitation to anarchy or fracas in the State” “Nigerians of good tidings should disregard the arrest order,” Okorocha’s spokesman Sam Onwuemeodo said in a statement on Friday. The Secretary to State Government, Uche Onyeaguocha, on Thursday ordered a citizen’s arrest against Okorocha, over alleged assault on a government official. Read more
Dabiri-Erewa urges South African police to speed up trial of policemen linked to killing of Nigerian (Guardian)
The chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has reiterated her call on the South African Police to speed up the trial of four policemen, linked to the death of Mr Pius Abiaziem. NAN reports that the South African authorities noted that four members of the South African police service have been arrested and would be charged to court immediately. Dabiri-Erewa, made the call in a statement issued by Gabriel Odu, the Media Assistant, NIDCOM, in Abuja on Friday.In furtherance to the arrest and trial of the suspects, she urged the South African Police to expedite action in the matter and speed up their trial and of others being tried for offence committed against Nigerians. Read more
Design monthly KPIs for parastatal, agencies, Buhari tells ministers (Punch)
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed ministers to come up with Key Performance Indicators for parastatals and agencies under their ministries which would be evaluated monthly. The Minister of Communications, Dr Isa Pantami disclosed the President’s directive in Abuja when he received a delegation from the National Information Technology Development Agency, an establishment under his ministry. Read more
Police confirms kidnap of Kaduna House of Assembly member (Guardian)
Kaduna State Police Command has confirmed the kidnap of a State House of Assembly member, Hon. Suleiman Ibrahim Dabo, Representing Zaria constituency on Friday. The lawmakers kidnap was coming few days after the abduction and release of three final year students, from Faculty Law, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria who paid the sum of N5.5 Naira as ransom to their abductors. Read more
Shekarau slams Wike over mosque demolition in Rivers (Nation)
The Former Kano State Governor and Senator Representing Kano Central Senatorial District, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has slammed Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike for allegedly demolishing a mosque in Port Harcourt. He described the action as barbaric and totally condemnable. Read more
PSC suspends police recruitment exercise (Punch)
The Police Service Commission has put on hold the ongoing recruitment process into the constable cadre of the Nigerian Police Force, to enable it finalise the remaining stages of the exercise. Mr Ikechukwu Ani, the Head, Press and Public Relations of PSC, who disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja, appealed to the affected applicants to be patient and await further directives from the commission. Read more
UNILAG targets 9,000 placements for 2019/2020 academic session (Nation)
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Friday said that at least 25,000 candidates participated in the institution’s Post Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) which ended on Friday. An official in the admissions office of the university, who spoke anonymously, made disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. According to the official, over 60, 000 candidates applied for admission into the institution for the 2019/2020 academic session. Read more
PDP tackles Fayemi over Fayose’s invitation by Assembly (Punch)
The Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State on Friday condemned the invitation on Thursday of former Governor Ayodele Fayose by the State House of Assembly, alleging it was a strategy of the Dr Kayode Fayemi administration to distract people’s attention from its alleged incompetence. PDP State Chairman, Gboyega Oguntuwase said, “The invitation of former Governor Fayose by the state House of Assembly over phantom allegations is an antic of the All Progressives Congress government led by Dr Fayemi to fool and distract the people of Ekiti State.” Read more
Farmers and animals struggle in drought-hit Botswana (Guardian)
A calf struggles neck-high in the stew-like mud, kicking frantically to make its way across the mire. Around 38,000 livestock depend on the waters of Lake Ngami in northern Botswana, but the animals — like the lake itself — have been stricken by a crippling drought. Grazers have to walk long distances in hopes of finding anything to eat. Some succumb to the heat and vultures can be seen feating on their corpses in the sludge of the lake bed. Read more
Boris Johnson warns MPs against trying to block his plans (Metro)
Boris Johnson has told critics they are damaging his chances of getting a good deal with the EU by trying to stop a no-deal Brexit. The Prime Minister said Remain MPs risk facing their own worst nightmare by trying to block him from suspending parliament, as it will only make a no-deal ‘more likely’. The PM has pledged to leave the bloc ‘do or die’ on October 31, but insists he could still renegotiate Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement with two months to go. Read more
Madeleine Westerhout: White House aide fired after leaks on Trump family (BBC)
US President Donald Trump’s personal assistant has been forced to resign from the White House after leaking private information about his family. Madeleine Westerhout, 29, was abruptly removed on Thursday after the president learned she had been talking to reporters at a dinner this month. She was drinking and bragging about her access to Mr Trump during his holiday in New Jersey, CBS News reports. Read more
Boy, 15, fighting for life after latest London stabbing (Metro)
A teenager is currently fighting for his life after being stabbed in broad daylight in north London. The 15-year-old boy is currently in a critical condition in hospital after he was knifed in Haringey this morning. He was rushed to hospital after police received reports of a stabbing at 11.14am in Willan Road, in the Broadwater Farm Estate. Read more
Paedophile spared jail because ‘prison would be difficult for him’ (Metro)
A man who groomed schoolgirls has walked free from prison after a judge heard he had difficult teenage years and he would be ‘harmed’ by a jail sentence. Kyle Sweet, 19, targeted girls between 13 and 14, sending them pictures of his privates, video of himself masturbating and asking them for sexual videos. He was confronted by the mother of the younger victim who reminded him how old her daughter was in a face-to-face confrontation. Read more
Two New York ex-policemen walk free after sex with handcuffed suspect (BBC)
Two former New York detectives have walked free after admitting to having sex with a handcuffed 18-year-old woman after arresting her. Eddie Martins and Richard Hall arrested the woman for possession of marijuana before having sex with her in the back of a van in exchange for her release. They will serve five years probation but escaped the prosecutor’s request for one to three years in prison. Read more
Woman, 78, faces huge fine for refusing to let airport security search inside her adult diaper (Metro)
A 78 year-old woman faces being fined over $13,000 for refusing to let airport security officials search her adult diaper. Nancy Furlong was shocked and humiliated when Transport Security Administration workers at Los Angeles International Airport demanded to see inside the waterproof underwear. Read more
Hurricane Dorian: ‘Extremely dangerous’ storm bears down on Florida (BBC)
Hurricane Dorian is expected to strengthen into an “extremely dangerous” storm as it heads towards the US mainland, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned. Dorian is currently a category two hurricane but is expected to become a category three later on Friday. The storm is expected to hit somewhere between Florida and southern Georgia, possibly late on Sunday, the NHC says. Read more
Billie Eilish reveals she ‘did not consent’ to magazine cover that portrays her as topless cyborg (Metro)
Billie Eilish has hit back at a magazine that portrayed her as a bald cyborg, saying she ‘did not consent’ to it. The singer was recently featured on the front cover of Nylon Germany as a ‘digital prodigy’ described as a ‘supernatural fembot face of the future’, however Billie has revealed that she was ‘never approached’ by the magazine about this, and was unhappy that she’s been portrayed as topless. Read more
Joe Russo would not change a thing about Avengers: Endgame (Metro)
Joe Russo, the co-director of Avengers: Endgame has revealed he has no regrets over the film’s ending and would not change anything about the ending or plot twists. Speaking at a Talks With Google event, the director said he and his brother Anthony do not regret a thing of their final project with Marvel studios. Read more
Europa League draw: Arsenal, Celtic, Man Utd, Rangers & Wolves discover groups (BBC)
Manchester United face a 6,000-mile round trip to play Astana in Kazakhstan in the Europa League. The 2017 winners will also take on Partizan Belgrade and AZ Alkmaar, while Wolves – playing in Europe for the first time since 1980 – face Besiktas, Braga and Slovan Bratislava Arsenal, who lost to Chelsea in last season’s final, have drawn Eintracht Frankfurt, Standard Liege and Vitoria. Read more
Frank Lampard gives Mason Mount injury update ahead of Sheffield United clash (Metro)
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has confirmed Mason Mount is fit for his side’s clash against Sheffield United this weekend. The former Derby County star limped out of his side’s 3-2 win against Norwich last weekend after taking a knock to the ankle. Mount’s made a bright start to the season, scoring twice in three appearances for the Blues. Read more
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi & Eric Cantona light up Uefa awards (BBC)
Football draws and awards nights can often be dreary affairs, full of stilted speeches and goal montages. But when you get two of the greatest players ever – Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo – agreeing to break bread over dinner and a philosophical monologue from Eric Cantona, it turns into an entirely different occasion. Read more
Bakayoko set for Monaco return on loan from Chelsea (Punch)
Tiemoue Bakayoko is closing in on a return to Monaco on loan from Chelsea after the Ligue 1 club’s vice-president Oleg Petrov said on Friday that the France international’s arrival would not be a “big surprise”. “Before our match at Strasbourg (on Sunday), we expect the arrival of a physically strong defensive midfielder. We expect to finalise the deal today,” Petrov said. Read more
Mauricio Pochettino dismisses rumours of him leaving Tottenham as ‘stupid’ (BBC)
Mauricio Pochettino has dismissed speculation he will leave Tottenham after Sunday’s north London derby with Arsenal as “stupid”. Some bookmakers stopped taking bets on the Argentine becoming the first Premier League manager to move on from his job after rumours he will quit on Monday began to spread on social media. Pochettino said such stories create a “big, big problem that doesn’t exist”. Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explains why he sanctioned Chris Smalling’s move from Manchester United to Roma (Metro)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that he allowed Chris Smalling to complete a season-long loan move to Roma as he couldn’t promise him first-team football at Manchester United. The 29-year-old had featured prominently for United after Solskjaer had replaced Jose Mourinho but he has slipped down the pecking order following the arrival of Harry Maguire. Read more
Oliver Kahn to replace Rummenigge as Bayern chairman (Guardian)
Ex-Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn will join Bayern Munich’s board in January to be groomed to replace club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Bundesliga giants announced Friday amid a backroom upheaval. The appointment of Kahn, who played for Bayern from 1994 until 2008, was approved by Bayern’s board late Thursday, just hours after club president Uli Hoeness, 67, officially informed the club that he is stepping down in November. Read more
Ian Wright wants to see Dani Ceballos in freer role behind Arsenal’s deadly front three (Metro)
Ian Wright has urged Unai Emery to keep faith in Dani Ceballos despite his peripheral performance against Liverpool and wants him to play further forward behind an attacking front three. The Spaniard set up both of Arsenal’s goals in their victory over Burnley two weeks ago and was given a standing ovation by the Emirates crowd when he was subbed off in the second half. Read more
Simone Biles’ brother Tevin Biles-Thomas charged with murder (BBC)
The brother of US Olympic gold medal gymnast Simone Biles has been charged with murder. Tevin Biles-Thomas was arrested on Thursday in connection with a shooting on New Years Eve that left three men dead and two more injured. The 24-year-old – who serves in the US Army – was charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, felonious assault and perjury. Read more