Driver remanded for throwing faeces at LASTMA official (Punch)
A bus driver has been prosecuted for stripping himself naked and smearing officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority with faeces to prevent the seizure of his vehicle.
The LASTMA spokesperson, Olumide Filade, said the suspect was arrested on July 4 and arraigned before a magistrate’s court.
He noted that the driver was remanded till August 2022.
Filani stated this in reaction to a video of the driver which went viral on Wednesday.
Our correspondent, who watched the video, observed that the driver, who spoke in Yoruba, demanded his offence as he threatened to deal with the men. Read more
My father gives me N30,000 for each child I abduct — Female kidnapper (Guardian)
Twenty-two-year-old suspected female kidnapper, Adeola Omoniyi, has disclosed that she specialises in kidnapping toddlers for the past two years, selling each child for N30,000 to her father.
Omoniyi revealed her father, Ilesanmi Omoniyi, have been taking delivery of the victims and later pay her the sum of N30,000 for each operation.
She made this confession at the police headquarters, Akure during parade alongside other arrested suspects, recounted that she was apprehended at Ore in Odigbo Local Council of the state while on her third mission.
“I’m a kidnapper. I kidnap little children and I always deliver them to my father in his house at Igbotako. I was successful with the first two children I took but I was caught with the third one. Read more
Women don’t need marriage to be fulfilled —Yeni Kuti (Punch)
Yeni, a former dancer and daughter of afrobeat legend, Fela Kuti, has said that contrary to what some think, a woman does not need to get married to feel fulfilled or complete.
In an interview with Saturday Beats, she said, “I think women have become more independent and now know who they are. They now know that they don’t have to be married to ‘be somebody’ (fulfilled or complete). They now know that they are a person in their own right. For me, it is a good thing. Women are now getting married because they want to, not just because they want to addressed as somebody’s wife.”
Yeni also stated that she did not enjoy any benefits with her father’s name while growing up. She said, “I did not enjoy any benefits because back then, people used to look down on us because we were Fela’s children.”
On if she later had such privileges as an adult, she said, “No, I did not. My father felt sorry for me when I was over 30 years old and bought my sister and I a television. However, I could afford to buy myself a TV then because I was already working. Read more
I only killed 3 persons, Jailbreaker arrested inside soak-away pit confesses (Vanguard)
Oluwatosin Ikuhemeyin, 24, dropped out of school and joined a cult group known as “Aye” in lgbokoda, in the oil rich llaje council area of Ondo state.
From being a member, he rose to be the leader, and was nicknamed “Number One”. He later progressed in his deadly mission and was given another title, “4G network” because of his shooting skills.
Police authorities in the state described the suspect as a notorious and murderous cultist.
In a supremacy battle in the community, the cult group he led was alleged to have killed some members of a rival cult group.
However, nemesis caught up with him during one of his escapades, as he was ambushed by the police and was arrested and arraigned in court for cultism and murder. Read more
Sallah: Buhari, govs, others greet Nigerians (Sun)
As millions of Muslims in Nigeria join their counterparts worldwide to celebrate the Eid-El-Kabir today, the President, Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders that include the governors, senators, House Assembly Speakers and other politicians from across the political spectrum, and corporate organisations like Globacom, have sent congratulatory messages to them. In his message, the President assured Nigerians that he won’t rest until he brings relief to Nigerians, adding that he is quite aware of the difficulties people are facing. He promised that he is working to resolve them. He called on Nigerians to put the interest of the country above selfish interests and to “use religion as a motivation for the love of our common humanity.”
Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor, urged Nigerians, especially Muslims to imbibe the lessons of the sacrifice made by Prophet Ibrahim and work for the unity, peace and progress of the nation. Read more
ISWAP intercepts food meant for IDPs in Borno, loots 4 trucks (DailyTrust)
Members of the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) have attacked a convoy of 40 trucks of food meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and resettled communities in Borno and intercepted four of them, Daily Trust Saturday learnt exclusively.
The attack, which occurred Thursday night around Layi village in Mobbar Local Government Area of the state, came barely 48 hours after terrorists launched a heavy attack on Kuje Medium Security Prison in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) freeing at least 69 Boko Haram suspects and hundreds of others. The ISWAP on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack.
Top security sources who were briefed about the Borno attack told Daily Trust Saturday that the food and nutritional products consignment was on its way to Damasak.
It was part of the palliative by the World Food Program (WFP) for IDPs from Abadam and victims of the Boko Haram violence returning to their homes in Mobbar. Read more
Malami marries Buhari’s daughter (Punch)
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), on Friday, got married to Nana Hadiza, the daughter of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
A Spokesman for the President, Garba Shehu, confirmed this to our correspondent on Friday.
“It is true. The AGF got married to the President’s daughter,” he said.
Hadiza is Buhari’s daughter from a previous marriage and now the third wife to the AGF. Read more
Kuje attack: Boko Haram has superior weapons -FG (Sun)
The Federal Government on Friday admitted that the terrorists who attacked the Correctional Centre, Kuje in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) succeeded because of their large number and the superior firepower.
This is even as President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the service chiefs to ensure that adequate measures are taken not only to investigate what happened at Kuje Prisons, but also to take steps to forestall the reoccurrence of such incidences.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, said this while responding to questions from State House Correspondents after the emergency National Security Council meeting presided over by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Read more
Rice millers, timber merchants take over Gombe railway station (DailyTrust)
The Gombe station of the Nigerian Railway Corporation was officially opened to the public for commercial business on April 11, 1963, by the then Governor-General of Nigeria, late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. Fifty-nine years after the historic event, Daily Trust Saturday visited the once vibrant station and reports on the ruin, as a result of several years of neglect.
Three personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) were seated on a bench and chatting at the main entrance of the Gombe Station of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
The rail line linked the Gombe station through Bauchi, Kafanchan, Kaduna with other southern parts of the country.
During its heydays, trains through the station shuttle hundreds of passengers with tons of goods, mostly agricultural products like groundnuts and cotton, daily from Gombe to other parts of the country. Read more
Elon Musk pulls plug on $44,000,000,000 deal to buy Twitter (Metro)
Elon Musk says he’s terminating his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, according to a letter sent by one of his lawyers.
Attorney Mike Ringler said the social media giant ‘has not complied with its contractual obligations’.
He said it had not provided Musk with relevant business information he requested, forcing him to pull the plug.
But Twitter has now said it will sue the Tesla and SpaceX CEO to complete the deal and is ‘confident’ it will win in the courts. Read more
Kirsten Dunst marries longtime boyfriend Jesse Plemons in Jamaica (PageSix)
Kirsten Dunst has finally tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend — and the father of her two children — Jesse Plemons, after six years together, we hear.
A source tells Page Six the pair said “I do,” last weekend in Jamaica at the luxury GoldenEye resort in Ocho Rios.
A rep for Dunst tells us, “I can just confirmed they got married. No other details will be given.”
The tropical location is known for inspiring creative types. It’s where Ian Fleming wrote his James Bond novels and Sting penned the song “Every Breath You Take.” Read more
Shinzo Abe suspect held grudge – Japanese police (BBC)
Police investigating the assassination of Japan’s ex-prime minister Shinzo Abe have said the suspect held a grudge against a “specific organisation”.
The alleged gunman, named as Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, believed Abe was part of the group and shot him for that reason, they said, without naming the group.
Abe died in hospital on Friday morning after being shot while speaking at a political campaign event.
Yamagami has admitted shooting him with a homemade gun, police said.
Abe was Japan’s longest-serving prime minister and his death at the age of 67 has profoundly shocked a country where gun crime is very rare. Read more
Pierce Brosnan shares ‘deep sorrow’ over co-star James Caan’s death aged 82 weeks after filming with him (Metro)
Pierce Brosnan has made a touching tribute to legendary actor James Caan, whose death was announced on Thursday.
Bond actor Brosnan, 69, had recently worked with the Hollywood veteran who died peacefully at his Los Angeles home on Wednesday evening at the age of 82.
Just weeks ago, the pair completed work on their upcoming gangster thriller, Fast Charlie.
The late star worked alongside Brosnan on location in Louisiana for more than a month, despite being confined to a wheelchair and being in poor health. Read more
Putin warns sanctions risk energy price spike ‘catastrophe’ (AlJazeera)
Ukraine has urged its allies to send more weapons as its forces dug in to slow Russia’s military advance through the eastern Donbas region, while a belligerent Moscow warned Western nations of consequences for their reprisals over its invasion.
Signalling that the Kremlin was in no mood for compromise, President Vladimir Putin on Friday said continued sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine risked triggering catastrophic energy price rises for consumers around the world.
Addressing leaders of Russia’s oil and gas industry, Putin, who casts the sanctions imposed on Russia as a declaration of economic war, said that Western calls to reduce reliance on Russian energy had made global markets “feverish” with spikes in oil and gas. Read more
Canada hit by massive mobile and internet outage (BBC)
Canada’s largest mobile and internet provider has suffered a major outage, with bank ATMs and emergency service hotlines affected.
Government operations have also been hit by the Rogers Communications issue. The company says it is working rapidly to resolve the nationwide problem.
“We know how important it is for our customers to stay connected,” the company said in a statement.
It is not known what caused the outage, which is the second one in 15 months.
It began at around 04:30 ET (08:30 GMT). Internet traffic had dropped to around 75% of its normal level by Friday morning, according to NetBlocks, an internet watchdog organisation. Read more
‘Sopranos’ actor Tony Sirico dead at 79 (ABC)
Tony Sirico, who played the impeccably groomed mobster Paulie Walnuts in “The Sopranos” and brought his tough-guy swagger to films including “Goodfellas,” died Friday. He was 79.
Sirico died at an assisted living facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said his manager, Bob McGowen. There was no immediate information on the cause of death.
A statement from Sirico’s family confirmed the death of Gennaro Anthony “Tony” Sirico “with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories.”
McGowan, who represented Sirico for more than two decades, recalled him as “loyal and giving,” with a strong philanthropic streak. That included helping ex-soldiers’ causes, which hit home for the Army veteran, his manager said.
Steven Van Zandt, who played opposite Sirico as fellow mobster Silvio Dante on “The Sopranos,” saluted him on Twitter as “legendary.” Read more
Nigerian athletes to hit Oregon July 12, Nike delivers kits (Guardian)
Nigerian athletes for this year’s World Athletics Championships are expected to arrive at the Games Village in Eugene, Oregon, United States, on July 12 ahead of the championship billed to start on July 15.
United States-based board member and Performance Director of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Victor Okorie, told The Guardian yesterday that he would relocate from his base in Tennessee to Eugene on July 11 to receive Team Nigeria.
Okorie, who also heads AFN’s Liaison Department, hinted that the Games Village would open for the athletes on July 12.
“I will be on ground in Eugene on July 10 or 11 to receive our athletes,” he said. Read more
Adesanya receives apology from actor, Chris Pratt (Punch)
UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya received an apology from “Guardians of the Galaxy” star, Chris Pratt after the actor criticized his performance last weekend.
Pratt attended UFC 276 which took place on July 2nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the night’s headlining act, “The Last Stylebender” put his middleweight belt on the line against Jared Cannonier. And although Adesanya claimed his fifth title defense, many viewed the bout as a dull and boring affair.
Adesanya left no doubt in the judges’ minds, winning via unanimous decision, but Pratt was unimpressed with the champion’s performance. Before the fight, The Last Stylebender had boasted of his intentions to “show off and show out.”
Pratt didn’t feel Adesanya accomplished that, saying post-fight, “I’m gonna say this as humbly as I can, as a guy who never stepped in the Octagon. I don’t know this game, I’m just an actor. But I’m not a fan, man. I’m not a fan of coming out, like, all that talk and then just kind of putting on a little bit of a pitter-patter. Read more
Novak Djokovic beats Britain’s Cameron Norrie to reach Wimbledon 2022 final (Metro)
Novak Djokovic continued his quest for a fourth-straight Wimbledon title with a 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 semi-final victory over Great Britain’s No.1 Cameron Norrie.
It was a shaky start for the six-time Wimbledon champion on Centre Court, losing the first set in just 32 minutes before asserting his dominance to break British hearts and end Norrie’s dream of repeating Andy Murray’s 2013 and 2016 heroics.
With Rafael Nadal winning Roland Garros and the Australian Open, plus the upcoming US Open’s ban on unvaccinated players, Wimbledon is Djokovic’s only chance of winning a Grand Slam this year and adding to his 20 major titles. Read more
Di Maria close to Juventus move, Pogba also on his way (Guardian)
Juventus are close to signing Angel Di Maria and Paul Pogba also appears set to return to the Italian giants, with both on free transfers.
The Italian top club on Friday tweeted photos of Argentine forward di Maria with coach Massimiliano Allegri and undergoing the mandatory medical in Turin.
Di Maria, 34, spent the last seven years at French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) where his contract was not renewed.
He will reportedly get a one-year contract at Juve once everything is finalised. Read more
Kipchoge to make return at Berlin Marathon (France24)
Kenyan world record holder Eliud Kipchoge will make his next competitive appearance at the 2022 Berlin Marathon on September 25, his NN Running Team announced Friday.
Kipchoge, who won back-to-back Olympic golds at the Rio and Tokyo Games, will be chasing a fourth Berlin Marathon title in the hope of matching Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie.
“Berlin is the fastest course, it’s where a human being can showcase its potential to push the limits,” said the Kenyan who set the world record of 2:01:39 in his last appearance in the German capital four years.
Kipchoge, 37, boasts an unmatched record over the marathon, having won 14 of his 16 career outings over the event, including not only his two Olympic triumphs but also nine World Marathon Majors victories. Read more
Premier League club knew about rape allegation against arrested player last autumn (Metro)
The Premier League club which employs the footballer arrested on suspicion on three separate incidents of rape last week knew about one of the allegations last autumn.
In the early hours of last Monday morning, the player – who cannot be named for legal reasons – was taken into police custody and questioned over an alleged attack which took place last month.
Now The Guardian reports that the player’s club was informed about one allegation last year, but continued to allow him to play for the first-team.
A statement from Metropolitan Police last week read: ‘On 4 July, an allegation of rape of a woman in her 20s was reported to police. It was reported the alleged rape happened in June 2022. Read more
Germany hammer Denmark to make strong Euros start (BBC)
Eight-time European champions Germany got their Euro 2022 campaign off to a flying start by hammering Euro 2017 runners-up Denmark at a sold-out Brentford Community Stadium.
Goals from Bayern Munich team-mates Lina Magull and Lea Schuller put the Germans on course for victory in the first heavyweight showdown of the tournament.
Felicitas Rauch twice struck the bar in the space of three first-half minutes for Germany before the lively Magull fired past keeper Lene Christensen for her 20th international goal.
Schuller headed the second from a corner and Wolfsburg’s Lena Lattwein made it 3-0. Germany added a fourth through substitute Alexandra Popp. Read more