Domestic violence: Police arrest suspended Anambra LG chair (Punch)
The suspended Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North Local Government Area, Mr Mbazulike Iloka, whose wife, Chidiebere, died in controversial circumstances has been arrested by the state Police Command.
Iloka was suspended by the state government on Friday, pending the conclusion of investigation into the alleged murder and to avoid any interference.
A source had told our correspondent that the embattled suspended LG chair, also known as Mba Mba is currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, Anambra State, under charges of culpable homicide.
The Anambra State police spokesperson, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the arrest to our correspondent on Wednesday.
Ikenga, however, called for caution from the public, saying that the case is being investigated as an autopsy will prove the cause of the wife’s death. Read more
2,044 Nigerians repatriated from Libya in 8 months – NEMA (Leadership)
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it has repatriated 2,044 Nigerians stranded in the crisis-ridden Libya.
This was disclosed by the director-general of NEMA, Mustapha Habib Ahmed, against the backdrop of the arrival of the latest 174 stranded Nigerians to Nigeria from Libya, at the Cargo wing of Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday.
LEADERSHIP recalls that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the European Union (EU) has been repatriating thousands of stranded Nigerians from various countries since 2017 through a Special Assisted Voluntary Repatriation Programme (SAVP) .
The NEMA DG, who was represented by the Lagos Territorial Office coordinator, Ibrahim Farinloye, said in 2022, the agency received 12 flights, with 2,044 Nigerians that were stranded in Libya, but assisted them back into the country. Read more
Labour Party’s Peter Obi meets Afrobeat singer Femi Kuti (Vanguard)
To dampen the attack on legendary Nigerian saxophonist and afrobeat singer, Femi Kuti, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi has initiated a meeting with Kuti.
Recall that Kuti had come under fire for allegedly referring to Obi’s supporters – Obi-dients – as zombies, according to news making the rounds on social media.
A Twitter account belonging to Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization, with the handle, @PO_GrassRoots, on Wednesday, tweeted, “Breaking: Our incoming President H.E @PeterObi met with @Femiakuti to assure him of issue based campaign and inclusiveness of all Nigerians in his movement. What a man? Dear Nigerians, we must not miss this opportunity of having H.E @PeterObi as our next President. #Obidatti2023.”
Meanwhile, another viral picture also shows that Nigerian music veteran Charles Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy, was also in the meeting. Read more
Popsy will soon drop album, says Wizkid (Nation)
Ace singer, Wizkid has reassured his teeming fans, Wizkid FC of dropping his next album soon.
The global super star updated his fans on the anticipated album “More Love, Less Ego” via his insta stories.
The singer made it known that he was going to release his new album earlier this month but that hasn’t happened.
Wizkid in a recent post on Wednesday noted though it’s been two years since he released his last album, “Made in Lagos” however, his fans should expect the latest as he’d be dropping it soon. Read more
Lagos housewife faults husband’s arrest on terrorism suspicion (Punch)
A housewife, Anuoluwapo Sanni, 26, has been traumatised after men of the Ijora Baida Police Station, Lagos State, arrested her husband, Gafar, on suspicion of terrorism.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, had in a tweet on Monday said Gafar was rescued from being lynched by an angry mob, which descended on him for dressing in a suspicious manner.
Hundeyin explained that Gafar, who claimed to be an electrician, was found with a bag containing three hammers, six screwdrivers, one pair of pliers, one chisel, five spanners, three rolls of black cellophane, cable wires, 20mm bending spring, a pair of black trousers, and a plastic box of clips.
However, the suspect’s wife, Anuoluwapo, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday, denied that her husband was a terrorist. Read more
Wealthy Nigerians, middle class, youths in web of naira shorting (Guardian)
Confidence in the economy has dropped to its lowest ebb, emboldening some Nigerians – the wealthy and hustlers– to bet against the naira, investigations have suggested.
As desperate behaviors intensify, the lines between the elite and ordinary folks, as well as the vanishing middle class and struggling youths, are fast disappearing with the majority boxed in the same ring, while they watch the currency lose its peg against its peers.
Through different approaches, which reflect individuals’ economic power and exposure, Nigerians from all walks of life are piling pressure on the naira, shorting it in expectation of a further fall in value.
The Guardian learnt of a worrisome tendency to short the currency (sell with the intention of buying it back when it slumps further) each time the dollar retreats slightly against the naira. Read more
Woman drags neighbour to court for allegedly calling her ‘cursed woman’ (Vanguard)
A housewife, Halima Musa on Wednesday dragged her neighbor, Hajara Hassan, to a Sharia court sitting at Magajin Gari, Kaduna, for allegedly calling her a cursed woman.
The complainant, who resides at Adamawa road, in Kaduna metropolis, told the court that the defendant had come to her apartment in the night and insulted her by calling her names.
“She was shouting, saying my mother had cursed me before she died,” the complainant explained. The defendant had denied the allegations, saying it never happened.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that two witnesses were presented by the complainant in court and they all testified, saying they heard the defendant calling her neighbor a cursed woman. Read more
Abiodun mourns death of former IBB spokesman Onabule (Sun)
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun has expressed grief over the demise of a veteran journalist and erstwhile Chief Press Secretary to former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), Duro Onabule.
Onabule was reported to have died on Tuesday evening at the age of 83. The governor in a condolence statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, on Wednesday, said he received the death of the Ijebu Ode-born foremost journalist with a shock.
Abiodun, who described Onabule as one of the finest experts in the pen profession, noted that the nation would not forget his role as the mouthpiece of the military government of Babangida’s regime.
He added that the former Editor of the defunct Concord Newspaper would always be remembered and missed for his profound comments on national issues, via his column in the Sun Newspaper. Read more
USAID IHP presents items for PHC extension services in Bauchi (ThisDay)
USAID IHP has donated medical equipment and job aids for primary health care extension services in Bauchi State.
Presenting the items to the state government yesterday at the USAID IHP office, the state Director, Dr. Alhassan Siaka, said it’s meant to provide basic health care services to people in the rural areas and hard-to-reach communities.
The items he noted were to be distributed to all of the 20 local government areas of the state.
According to Siaka, “This is not the first time USAID IHP has supported the Bauchi State Government, so we are doing it to bring health care services closer to the people, especially through our outreaches.” Read more
Megan Thee Stallion releases spicy music video for Traumazine track ‘‘Her’’ (Standard)
Megan Thee Stallion has dropped the music video to her new track “Her”, just days after the release of her second studio album, Traumazine. And, as could be predicted, the video is trending on YouTube.
Filmed entirely in black and white, she dons black and white looks and long blonde and black locks to match. It contains all the usual components of a video from the Houston rapper: she’s glamorous and ferocious, wearing body-tight outfits, rapping and snarling as she looks directly at the camera.
Though dancers join her in the music video, the whole production remains just as streamlined as her June-released music video for Plan B where she was on screen by herself. Megan looks as powerful as ever in this slick offering.
The video has been directed by Colin Tilley, a filmmaker behind three hundred music videos including Alright by Kendrick Lamar, M.I.L.F. $ by Fergie, Never Let You Go by Justin Bieber, Anaconda by Nicki Minaj, Lose Control featuring Nelly by Keri Hilson and Speechless by Ciara. Read more
J.K. Rowling, ‘Chocolat’ author Joanne Harris in war of words over gender identity issues (Variety)
A war of words has erupted between “Harry Potter” creator J.K. Rowling and “Chocolat” author Joanne Harris over gender identity issues.
The spat began after Rowling expressed concern for “The Satanic Verses” author Salman Rushdie when he was attacked and received a death threat on Twitter. Harris, who is the head of the U.K.’s Society of Authors, had expressed support for Rowling “and to everyone in a similar position.”
In response, Rowling told The Times that she had “received no communication whatsoever from Harris expressing sympathy for the death and rape threats I’ve received.”
“Harris has consistently failed to criticize tactics designed to silence and intimidate women who disagree with her personal position on gender identity ideology and has said publicly, ‘Cancel isn’t a dirty word. We habitually cancel things we no longer want,’ ” Rowling told The Times. Read more
Robert de Niro to headline gangster drama ‘Wise Guys’ in dual role (UPI)
Legendary actor Robert de Niro will star in Wise Guys, an upcoming gangster film for Warner Bros., reuniting him with the genre that first made him a household name.
A period drama centered around Italian-American crime bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, the film will take place during the mid 20th-century, as the men attempt to bring their families to the height of the Mafia world.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter, who reported the casting on Tuesday, that de Niro will be playing both characters.
Warner Bros. has not commented on de Niro’s involvement, although the news was corroborated by numerous other industry outlets, including Deadline and Variety. Read more
Blink-182 and Metallica drummers join line-up for Taylor Hawkins tribute concert (BelfastTelegraph)
Drummers Travis Barker, Lars Ulrich and Martin Chambers have been added to the line-up for the Wembley Stadium tribute concert in memory of Foo Fighters star Taylor Hawkins.
The trio – from the bands Blink-182, Metallica and The Pretenders respectively – join a star-studded billing that already includes Liam Gallagher, Brian May of Queen and stand-up Dave Chappelle.
The new additions also include Hawkins’s son Shane, Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet, pop star Kesha, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins and Luke Spiller of The Struts.
Organisers also announced the show on Saturday September 3 will be livestreamed on Paramount+. Read more
Idris Elba has Leonardo DiCaprio to thank for his ‘realistic’ lion fight in ‘Beast’ (USAToday)
When adventure calls, Idris Elba lets it go to voicemail.
“If I go on vacation – and that’s a big if – I’m good with sitting still,” says the actor, who finds himself on the holiday from hell in his new survival thriller, “Beast.” “My wife (model Sabrina Dhowre) is not that: She wants to be a tourist and get around, but I’m fine just being chill and looking at my environment. I’m very bored like that.”
Elba’s latest onscreen outings are anything but dull: In “Beast” (in theaters Friday), he plays a widowed doctor named Nate Samuels, whose South African getaway with his young daughters (Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries) is thrown into chaos by a ravenous lion. And in “Three Thousand Years of Longing” (in theaters Aug. 26), he stars as a genie who must grant three wishes for a lonely scholar (Tilda Swinton).
“It’s an Idris fest,” Elba, 49, jokes of the pair of films. “It shows a bit of range. And I’m all about range.” Read more
Syria denies holding missing US journalist Austin Tice despite Biden ‘certainty’ (Global)
Syria denied on Wednesday it is holding U.S. journalist Austin Tice or other Americans after President Joe Biden accused the Syrian government of detaining him.
The Syrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Damascus “denies it had kidnapped or is holding any American citizen on its territories.”
“The U.S. issued last week misleading and illogical statements by the American president and secretary of state that included baseless accusations against Syria that it had kidnapped or detained American citizens including former U.S. Marine Austin Tice,” the statement said.
Biden’s comments last week came in a statement released by the White House to mark the 10th anniversary of Tice’s abduction, which took place when he was in Syria covering its lengthy conflict. Read more
Meghan Markle ‘bitter’ about failure to ‘create woke royal family,’ expert claims (NYPost)
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are “trying to create an alternative, woke royal family,” according to self-proclaimed royal expert Angela Levin.
The pair are scheduled to visit Harry’s home soil and Germany for three charity events next month, their spokesperson told Page Six earlier this week.
Harry, 37, and Markle, 41, last visited the UK in June to attend Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations with their two kids: Archie, 3, and Lilibet, 1.
However, their upcoming trip seems to have raised the eyebrows of many, in particular Levin, who noted the “odd time” of their visit.
Liz Cheney: Trump critic blasts Republican ‘personality cult’ after defeat ( BBC)
A leading Republican critic of Donald Trump has said the party “embraced his cult of personality” after she was ousted in a primary election. Liz Cheney, 56, was defeated by the political newcomer and Trump-backed candidate Harriet Hageman in Wyoming.
She faced an uphill battle to win re-election after joining the congressional committee investigating Mr Trump’s attempts to cling to power. Ms Cheney – once a rising star in the party – also voted to impeach Mr Trump.
The primary election in the broadly conservative state highlighted the competing wings of the Republican Party – with more traditional conservatives facing off against Trump-backed candidates around the country ahead of mid-term elections in November.
The result means Ms Cheney, a three-term congresswoman and the eldest daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, will not contest her seat in the US House of Representatives which she has held since 2017. Read more
Tobi Amusan becomes brand ambassador to Plug Sports (Vanguard)
Oluwatobiloba “Tobi” Amusan, reigning African, Commonwealth and World Champion in the 100m hurdles, has signed a management deal with Plug Sports, a leading Nigerian-based sport management company owned by The Plug. This was made known by the management of The Plug at a briefing session with journalists on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at their office headquarters in Lagos.
Tobi Amusan is track and field athlete who specialises in the 100 metres hurdles but also competes as a sprinter and has just recently broken multiple world records. Apart from being Nigeria’s first ever gold medallist in the championship, Amusan’s 12.06 seconds mark, wind-added (+2.5 m/s), was the first in 36 years. It was also the fourth world record set in women’s hurdles.
Unveiling the deal, Lanre Vigo, Head of Sports at The Plug, sharing his excitement at the signing of the sports star noted that it was a dream come true and that the company is incredibly happy to have Ms. Amusan onboard. “I’m indeed very thrilled to announce the signing of world record holder Tobi Amusan to Plug Sports. Plug Sports will be looking after Tobi Amusan’s off-the-field interests in Africa. Tobi is a phenomenal person/athlete myself and my team are looking forward to collaborating with her.” Vigo shared. Read more
Serena Williams thrashed by Emma Raducanu at Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (BBC)
Serena Williams waves goodbye to the Cincinnati crowd after losing to Emma Raducanu
Serena Williams, who was playing the Western and Southern Open for what is likely to be the final time, won the Cincinnati title in 2014 and 2015
British number one Emma Raducanu put a dampener on Serena Williams’ farewell tour after thrashing the American great in the Cincinnati Open first round.
Williams, 40, plans to retire after the US Open, which starts on 29 August, and lost 6-4 6-0 in what is set to be the penultimate event of her career.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion lacked sharpness and her 19-year-old opponent punished her in a composed display.
Reigning US Open champion Raducanu will play Victoria Azarenka in round two.
“I’m so grateful for the experience to have been able to play Serena and for our careers to have crossed over,” said world number 13 Raducanu, who played superbly with her defense of the Grand Slam title in New York looming. Read more
PSG begins transfer talks for Osimhen (Sun)
Italian transfer market expert, Paolo Bargiggi claims French champion, Paris Saint Germain is interested in taking Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen off the hands of Italian giants AS Napoli.
PSG is currently deep in negotiations with Napoli as the two clubs look to trash out a deal that will see goalkeeper Keylor Navas head to Naples and midfielder Fabian Ruiz become a PSG player.
But according to Bargiggi (via Solo Parisiens), Ruiz is not the only Napoli star that has caught the attention of PSG, with the Ligue 1 kings also eyeing Osimhen.
PSG’s transfer director Luis Campos and club manager Christophe Galtier are big fans of Osimhen, having worked with the Super Eagles striker in Lille. Read more
Cristiano Ronaldo given police caution after incident at Everton match (Standard)
Cristiano Ronaldo has been cautioned by police after footage emerged of the Manchester United forward appearing to smash a phone out of an Everton fan’s hand at a match.
The 37-year-old was interviewed by officers in relation to an allegation of assault and criminal damage following the incident at Goodison Park on April 9.
Merseyside Police launched an investigation after a clip was circulated online of Ronaldo appearing to knock the supporter’s mobile phone onto the ground as he limped towards the tunnel following United’s 1-0 loss.
The force said in a statement on Wednesday: “We can confirm that a 37-year-old man voluntarily attended and was interviewed under caution in relation to an allegation of assault and criminal damage. Read more
Lionel Messi picks side as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar feud threatens PSG crisis (Mirror)
Kylian Mbappe is said to be upset that Lionel Messi is close to Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain as the club are reportedly on the brink of crisis following the latest high-profile fallout.
Mbappe and Neymar fell out over the order of penalty takers in the team during the Ligue 1 clash against Montpellier this weekend, after the Brazilian did not allow his teammate to take PSG’s second spot-kick after the Frenchman had seen his first effort saved.
So bad was the tension inside the dressing room that experienced defender and former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was reportedly forced to step in to separate the feuding pair – as cracks reappeared, in spectacular fashion, within the squad.
There is reportedly an element of rivalry between Mbappe and Messi at the Parc des Princes relating to the status of Neymar while multiple reports last season outlined the depth of the dressing room split in Paris – with Mbappe believing Messi’s friend lacks discipline and is damaging to the club. Read more
Oleksandr Usyk v Anthony Joshua: Champion bursts into song at media conference (BBC)
Unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk stole the show – even bursting into song – as he came face-to-face with Briton Anthony Joshua before their fight in Jeddah on Saturday.
Joshua lost his crown to the Ukrainian in a convincing points defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.
The 32-year-old was reserved at the media conference, but said he intends to “get the job done” this time around.
“That’s it, I must win. I like the pressure,” Joshua added. Read more
Sebastian Vettel warns Formula 1 it’s at risk of becoming ‘irrelevant’ (F1News)
Sebastian Vettel warns that Formula 1 could become outdated and irrelevant if it doesn’t become more environmentally friendly.
Vettel has become an activist for environmental issues in recent years, repeatedly calling for the sport to become greener and admitting his passion for the cause played a part in his decision to retire from racing at the end of this season.
He has often stated that he doesn’t believe that F1 is doing enough in that area, and the Aston Martin man has warned that support and interest in it from those that aren’t already fans could wane as a result if that doesn’t change soon.
“It comes back to the question of relevance,” he said at the inaugural World eX summit. Read more
Ronaldo blasts ‘lies’ over Man United future (NewTelegraph)
Cristiano Ronaldo has hit out at the “lies” surrounding reports about his future at Manchester United.The Portugal forward missed United’s pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia due to personal reasons as speculation swirled over whether he would be leaving Old Trafford.
It has been reported Ronaldo wants to play Champions League football, but United maintain the 37-year-old is not for sale and remains an integral part of the plans of new boss Erik ten Hag.
The former Real Madrid star played the full 90 minutes of United’s 4-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday, which left them bottom of the Premier League.
In a reply to a fan account on Instagram that referred to a report linking the United frontman to Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo said fans would “know the truth” in a couple of weeks, adding: “The media is telling lies. Read more