Dismissed cop jailed seven years for killing Lagos resident (Punch)
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, on Wednesday, sentenced a dismissed policeman, Ologunowa Ojo, to seven years’ imprisonment for killing one Taiye Akande.
PUNCH Metro had reported that Ojo, who was guarding Frajend Investments Nigeria Limited, had on February 3, 2016, around 7pm, shot Akande around Shapati, in the Ajah area of the state.
Ojo, who was attached to the Special Protection Unit, Oduduwa, Ikeja, was said to be guarding the firm dealing in motorcycles.
Akande was said to have argued with the police sergeant for allegedly sitting on the company’s fence. Read more
Woman seeks justice for son blinded by cultists (Guardian)
Mrs Fausat Ayeni-Ibidokun, a former resident of No. 4 Odutan Street, Ketu, yesterday appealed to the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Hakeem Odumosu, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, to intervene and bring the persons that caused her son’s blindness to book.
She told newsmen in Lagos that her son, Sunday, was stabbed in both eyes and blinded by members of a notorious cult group because he allegedly refused to join them. The hurting mother, who currently lives in another area of the state, said the unfortunate incident happened in December 2016 during a street carnival that was held in Ketu. Read more
I used to be a plumber, says Sanwo-Olu (Punch)
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday said he worked as a plumber about 30 years ago.
He made the revelation during the graduation of 6,252 students of the 18 skill acquisition centres in the state.
Sanwo-Olu advised youths and women to engage in vocational skills and become employers of labour rather than depending solely on government and private organisations for job opportunities.
He also urged the graduands to use the skills they had acquired to create platforms for themselves to be employers of labour.
The governor, while assuring the graduating students of support, urged them to do all they could to make learning a life-long venture, by constantly seeking ways to improve their skills and grow their businesses. Read more
Buni, Bello prevail on Ize-Iyamu to accept outcome of Edo poll (Guardian)
Yobe State Governor and Chairman, Caretaker/ Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CENCPC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mai Mala Buni, his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, and APC candidate in Edo governorship election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu met yesterday in Abuja.
The Guardian learned that the meeting, which took place about 2 pm at Governor Buni’s Abuja residence, was aimed at prevailing on Ize-Iyamu to accept the outcome of the governorship poll in good faith.
It would be recalled that the APC had, in a statement issued by Buni, congratulated Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Read more
Life not about winning only, says Oshiomhole (Punch)
Former national chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday night said life was not all about winning.
The former labour leader, who spoke for the first time on the outcome of last Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, which his party lost to the Peoples Democratic Party, said that losing was also part of life.
In a video recorded in his personal gymnasium, the former governor of Edo State was philosophical as he posited that life was about winning some and losing some. Read more
Ondo poll: Don’t allow crisis to escalate among parties, INEC charges staff (Guardian)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has charged its staff members to resolve all conflicts that may arise in the field during the Oct. 10, Ondo State governorship election before it escalates to crisis.
Mrs Feyi Saseyi, Acting Director, INEC headquarters, Abuja, made the appeal during a capacity building programme for heads of department, units and electoral officers held on Wednesday in Akure.
Saseyi explained that the peacebuilding programme was organised by the Alternative Dispute Resolution Directorate, INEC headquarters Abuja, in collaboration with the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES). Read more
Court faults Buhari on appointment of 11 FCT judges (Thisday)
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of 11 judges into the bench of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Justice Ekwo, who faulted the president’s action in a judgment on a suit seeking the stoppage of the appointments, said Buhari violated Section 256(2) of the Constitution when he forwarded the recommended names, sent to him by the National Judicial Council (NJC) to the Senate.
Meanwhile, the judges were sworn in on September 14, 2020 by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad. Read more
23 killed as fuel tanker explodes in Lokoja (Punch)
No fewer than 23 persons including five students of the Kogi State Polytechnic and three children on their way to school have been killed in a road crash involving a petrol tanker in Felele along the Lokoja-Abuja Highway.
The tanker, loaded with Premium Motor Spirit and belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was said to have had brakes failure around 8 am. The tanker fell on five cars, two motorcycles, and three tricycles popularly known as Keke, killing all occupants.
Among those killed and burnt beyond recognition were five students of the state-owned polytechnic, three nursery school pupils, and passersby.
Also killed was a businessman identified simply as Samson, his wife, and three children. Read more
Anger as no officers directly charged for Breonna Taylor death (Aljazeera)
More than six months after Louisville Metro Police fatally shot Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman, in a case that became a centrepiece of the US racial justice protests, a grand jury has indicted one of the three officers who fired weapons.
Former officer Brett Hankison, 44, has been indicted on three counts of wanton endangerment in the first degree for shooting into neighbours’ apartments, the grand jury said on Wednesday in its report presented to Jefferson Circuit Judge Annie O’Connell.
Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove, who also used their guns, will not face charges. Notably, no officers were charged for the actual death of Taylor – a decision that was met with immediate anger from protesters. Read more
ISS forced to carry out emergency maneuver to dodge remnant of Japanese rocket – NASA (RT)
Astronauts on board the International Space Station were forced to take evasive action to avoid an incoming piece of debris, which shot past within “several kilometers” late on Tuesday night.
The three crew members, Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner along with American astronaut Chris Cassidy, began the maneuver before taking up positions on board the Soyuz spacecraft at around 10:21pm GMT in case anything went wrong and they needed to abandon ship.
Manning the lifeboats is precarious at the best of times, but far from ideal in the void of space, 260 miles (420km) above Earth while traveling at 17,130 miles per hour (27,568kph).
Thankfully, all went to plan and potential disaster was averted, as confirmed by NASA chief Jim Bridenstine, who took the opportunity to complain about the growing threat posed by space junk and debris. Read more
Canadian PM Trudeau promises ‘ambitious’ recovery plan (BBC)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled an “ambitious plan for an unprecedented reality” amid rising Covid-19 cases.
His expansive new legislative agenda includes new investments and initiatives to help the country recover from the pandemic.
It came with a vow to support Canadians “through this crisis as long as it lasts, whatever it takes”.
Opposition parties have criticised the Liberals’ plan. Read more
Poisoned Russian opposition leader discharged from Berlin hospital (VOA)
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was discharged Wednesday from a Berlin hospital — raising the prospect of his eventual return to Russia little more than a month after falling ill from a poisoning attack that has strained already difficult Russia-West relations.
“The patient’s condition had improved sufficiently for him to be discharged from acute inpatient care,” said a statement from the Charité Hospital in Berlin, where Navalny has spent the past 32 days — much of them in an artificially induced coma and under heavy police protection.
“Based on the patient’s progress and current condition, the treating physicians believe that complete recovery is possible. However, it remains too early to gauge the potential long-term effects of his severe poisoning,” the statement said. Read more
Belarus: Mass protests after Lukashenko secretly sworn in (BBC)
Mass street protests are continuing in Belarus’s capital Minsk, following the inauguration of President Alexander Lukashenko at an unannounced ceremony.
There were reports of beatings and detentions by police, and video footage showed water cannon being used.
Several hundred people earlier attended Mr Lukashenko’s swearing-in ceremony for a sixth term. One opposition member described it as a “thieves’ meeting”.
The opposition says last month’s poll was rigged in Mr Lukashenko’s favour. Read more
Google Pixel 5 specs outed by leak days before launch event (Metro)
Google itself revealed the Pixel 5 was happening back when it announced the Pixel 4a at the start of August.
But now we know a lot more about the upcoming phone thanks to an exhaustive leak that has occurred in the run up to the official launch on September 30.
German tech site WinFuture has apparently got access to the entire Pixel 5 specifications and wasted no time in telling the entire internet.
For starters, the Pixel 5 will boast a 6-inch OLED screen with a 2340×1080 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate.
Inside the phone will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G octacore system-on-a-chip. When it comes to cameras, Google will apparently be sticking with a dual-lens setup comprising a 12.2-megapixel main sensor with an ƒ/1.7 aperture alongside a 16-megapixel wide-angle sensor with a f/2.0 aperture. Read more
Gwyneth Paltrow says she saved ‘every red carpet look’ for daughter Apple (PageSix)
Apple Martin will have her pick of the best from mum Gwyneth Paltrow’s closet someday.
The Goop founder, 47, told People that she’s been saving all of her most-loved red carpet outfits for her daughter for decades.
“I have saved everything for her since 15 years before I had her. I save everything. Not everything, but every red carpet look I have saved for her,” Paltrow revealed. Read more
Lewis Hamilton: Commission members named for motorsport diversity push (BBC)
Lewis Hamilton has vowed to increase the number of black people in motor racing, naming a group to analyse the causes of a lack of diversity.
The British Formula 1 world champion said members of his Hamilton Commission “together will make a change”.
Hamilton will lead the group alongside Dr Hayaatun Sillem, the chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The 14 members include former sports minister Tracey Crouch and ex-McLaren Formula 1 boss Martin Whitmarsh. Read more
Atanda eyes Super Eagles’ call-up (Nation)
Hapoel Kfar Saba of Israel star, Sodiq Atanda, has urged Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr to give him a chance to represent Nigeria at senior level.
The 27-year-old defender is a regular with Hapoel Kfar Saba team and one of the most consistent performers in the Israeli top league.
“I have been working hard to earn Super Eagles call this new season,” said Atanda. “My priority is to transform my performance to the national team. I want the coach to visit my team and see what I am doing.”
“I think Rohr has challenged Nigeria players to be in top form, and in fairness, the coach has been consistent in the criteria of good form for national team selections. Read more
Havertz hat-trick sees Chelsea cruise past Barnsley (BBC)
Kai Havertz’s hat-trick in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup thrashing of Barnsley will be the “first of many great nights” for him, says Blues boss Frank Lampard.
It was the 21-year-old Germany international’s first goals for the club after arriving from Bayer Leverkusen for £71m earlier this month.
Tammy Abraham put the Blues ahead and had a role in all of Havertz’s goals.
Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud were also on target as the hosts eased into the fourth round at Stamford Bridge.
“I’m delighted with Kai,” said Lampard. Read more
FIFA delays Akpoguma Super Eagles switch (Vanguard)
World soccer governing body FIFA is now being awaited to give the final approval for former Germany youth international Kevin Akpoguma to be eligible to play for Nigeria.
Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr disclosed that he would have loved to have the Hoffenheim towering defender to make his debut for Nigeria during the friendlies against Cote d’ Ivoire and Tunisia but that wouldn’t be possible.
The center-back was born to a German mother and a Nigerian father and has represented Germany U16, U17, U18, U19, U20, and U20 teams, featuring in more than 60 games. Read more
Angel di Maria: Paris St-Germain forward banned for four matches after Marseille defeat (BBC)
Paris St-Germain forward Angel di Maria has been banned for four matches for his role in a bad-tempered Ligue 1 defeat by Marseille on 13 September.
Di Maria, 32, was accused of spitting at Marseille defender Alvaro Gonzalez during a match in which five players were also sent off after a late brawl.
The Argentina international was one of seven PSG players to test positive for coronavirus before the season.
The league did not confirm his ban was for spitting. Read more
Simona Halep in confident mood ahead of French Open challenge (RT)
Riding a 14-match winning streak, Romania’s Simona Halep is flying high heading into the French Open at Roland Garros, and the heavily favored starlet says she’s feeling strong ahead of the clay court Grand Slam.
Halep opted to sit out the US Open due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as she instead decided to remain in Europe and focus on her preparation for the French Open.
That decision seems to have paid off, with Halep adding to her list of titles with clay-court championship wins in Prague and Rome to give her real momentum heading into Roland Garros. Read more
Luis Suarez leaves Barcelona’s training ground in tears ahead of Atletico Madrid transfer (Metro)
Luis Suarez left Barcelona’s training ground in tears after saying goodbye to his teammates ahead of his transfer to Atletico Madrid.
The 33-year-old is on the verge of joining Diego Simeone’s side in a €4 million (£3.6m) deal after an agreement between the two clubs was reached on Tuesday evening.
Barcelona’s chairman, Josep Maria Bartomeu, had initially blocked Suarez’s move to Atletico as he did not want the striker to join a La Liga rival. Read more