EFCC invites SCOAN disciples for alleged looting of late T.B Joshua’s money vault (Guardian)
There are indications that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have invited 20 disciples of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) for questioning over alleged financial fraud and diversion of funds left by the late founder of SCOAN, Temitope Balogun Joshua.
The invitees include Nigerian and foreign prophets and prophetesses of the church.
According to the letter of invitation sighted by The Guardian, yesterday, the church is expected to release them to report for an interview through the Special Investigation Team (STI).
The letter signed by EFCC’s Lagos State Zonal Commander, Ahmed Ghali, said the disciples are being investigated for allegedly syphoning funds and breaking of the church’s vault. Read more
UNILAG visitation panel alleges contracts splitting, procurement Act violation (Punch)
The Presidential Visitation Panel to the University of Lagos has said it detected cases of contract splitting and frivolous contract awards at the institution.
The seven member panel which was headed by Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.), stated this in its report to the Federal Government which was made available to The PUNCH on Sunday.
The report also indicted the UNILAG Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe-led management for various infractions, including financial and poor corporate governance.
Recall that the panel was constituted on March 29, 2021 to look into the affairs of UNILAG between 2016 and 2020. Read more
Lagos enforces one-way rule on Charity-Ladipo road (Guardian)
The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, yesterday, began mounting barricades on road linking Ladipo from Charity Bus Stop, Lagos.
This will affect motorists connecting Ladipo, Mushin, and environs from the airport link bridge.
Before now, commuters who access Ladipo come through the Apakun-Oshodi link bridge and descend from the bridge close to the Army Resettlement centre, Charity, Oshodi, and connect to Mushin.
Last month, the Federal Ministry Of Works and Housing mounted a one-way sign on the road. Read more
Bandits kill 12 military officers in Zamfara (Tribune)
At least, 12 military officers have been feared dead in Zamfara State, following an attack on a military base, on Saturday.
It was gathered that the bandits had attacked a military base at Mutumji, Dansadau, about 80 kilometres south of the capital, Gusau, at about 10:30 a.m.
It was learnt that the 12 fatalities, comprising nine Nigerian Air Force officers, two police officers, and one Nigerian Army soldier.
A source who pleaded anonymity said all the slain personnel were evacuated to Yerima Bakura Specialist Hospital in Gusau and the three wounded have been receiving treatments at a brigade medical facility. Read more
100 days after Twitter ban, uncertainty trails FG’s plan (Guardian)
The promise by the Federal Government that the ban placed on the popular micro-blogging platform, Twitter, will be lifted soon appears to be fading away, as the suspension hits 100 days today.
The Federal Government had announced the suspension of Twitter operations in the country on June 4, after the social media giant deleted a post by President Muhammadu Buhari for “violation of the company’s abusive behaviour policy.”
By June 5, the suspension was effected by telecommunications companies as Nigerians woke up to a Twitter shutdown across all platforms.Three months down the line, it appears no truce has been formally reached by the two parties or better still, they have been sluggish in agreeing on the way forward. Read more
Navy to relocate bases in Lagos to Osun, others (Punch)
There is an ongoing plan by the Nigerian Navy to relocate some of its Bases from Lagos to other states, The PUNCH has learnt.
The decision it was gathered, was to decongest the presence of the Navy in Lagos and other maritime environments.
A source in the Nigerian Navy disclosed to our correspondent on Sunday that as part of the decision, plans were at an advanced stage to relocate the School of Communication and Information Technology and PT School from Lagos to Ife, Osun State.
The source added that the Command Naval Drafting has been relocated to Lokoja, Kogi State. Read more
Insecurity: Makinde backs unveiling of NSCDC female squad in Oyo (Sun)
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde in his efforts to rid the state of all forms of criminality has welcomed the decision of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to unveil the female squad in the state.
He promised continuous support to the NSCDC in carrying out its security duties and obligations to the citizens of Oyo State and Nigerians in general.
Governor Makinde made the commitment while on a courtesy visit to the Commandant General, NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, at the Corps National Headquarters, Abuja, where he congratulated the CG on his new appointment and expressed satisfaction on his performance so far as a pragmatic leader who has given the Corps a facelift within a very short period.
CG Audi had informed the governor of plans to unveil the female squad in Oyo State to tackle specialised crimes and protect the vulnerable in the state, most especially women and school children, who are mostly soft targets with high ransom values for bandits and kidnappers. Read more
VAT: 5 northern states, 2 SW, 2 SS among top beneficiaries (Punch)
Five northern states, two south-western states, two south-south states, and one south-eastern state collected a total of N373.84bn of the N836.51bn Value Added Tax allocation available for states in 14 months.
This is according to the latest FAAC allocation data available from the National Bureau of Statistics for the months of January 2020 through to February 2021.
In the period under review, the thirty-six states of the federation and the Federal Government shared N1.09tn as VAT revenue from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee.
The top 10 states were: Lagos (N153.94bn), Kano (N32.48bn), Oyo (N29.85bn), Rivers (N28.43bn), Kaduna (N24.75bn), Katsina (N22.72bn), Delta (N20.91bn), Bauchi (N20.49bn), Anambra (N20.14bn), and Jigawa (N20.13bn). Read more
Herders defy southern states’ ban on open grazing (Nation)
It seems to be business as usual for some herders in parts of the southern states especially in the rural areas, as they continue to graze their livestock in the open despite the ban on such activities.
Reports from our correspondents across the states suggest that little has changed in the way herders have been grazing their cattle , goats and rams since the take-off of the ban on September 1.
The only exception so far is Ondo State where the State Security Network – Amotekun – on Thursday arrested three herdsmen and 56 cows for allegedly violating the anti-grazing law.
The suspects were arrested at Iwara, a community in Ikare Akoko, headquarters of Akoko North East Local Government, after allegedly destroying a farmland. Read more
“The Queen’s Gambit” sweeps Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday: Could an all-time record be within reach? (GoldDerby)
“The Queen’s Gambit” dominated the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday night, coming away with seven trophies, far more than any other program throughout the evening, and there could be a lot more where that came from. Check out the complete list of winners here, and scroll down for the Saturday winners listed by show.
The Creative Arts Emmys represent the vast majority of awards hardware handed out every year: they celebrate the best in behind-the-scenes crafts, animation, nonfiction, reality, and variety programs. Saturday night’s show was devoted mostly to crafts for scripted dramas, comedies, movies, and limited series, and “Queen’s Gambit” was honored for its cinematography, costumes, makeup, picture editing, production design, sound editing, and sound mixing. The Netflix series tells the story of a young chess prodigy in the 1950s and 1960s, and it was an unlikely blockbuster hit for the streaming service.
That haul puts it within striking distance of the all-time Emmy record. “John Adams” is currently the most honored limited series of all time after claiming 13 trophies at the 2008 awards. That also made “John Adams” the most awarded program from any genre in a single year. Read more
Britney Spears announces engagement to Sam Asghari (BBC)
Britney Spears has announced her engagement to her long-term boyfriend, Sam Asghari.
The singer posted a video of the couple showing off the ring on Instagram.
Spears is fighting a legal battle to end her 13-year conservatorship, which controls both her personal life and finances.
She revealed that the terms of the arrangement were preventing her from marrying Mr Asghari or having more children. Read more
New deepfake tool turns livestreamers into someone else in real time (Futurism.)
DeepFaceLive is an open-source AI software that can transform your face into someone else’s on video conferencing platforms like Zoom.
Real-Time Deepfakes
Deepfake technology is shockingly sophisticated, allowing companies to create advertising clones, countries to imitate political rivals, and turn 50-year-old men into attractive young women. Now, livestreamers are using a new deepfake software to change their face in real time.
DeepFaceLive is an open-source AI software that can transform your face into someone else’s on video conferencing and streaming platforms, according to The Daily Dot. It was created by a developer known online as Iperov. Russian YouTuber Vladislav Pedro said that streamers have already started using the tool on sites like Twitch.
“DeepFaceLive has a lot of potential,” Pedro said to The Daily Dot. “This software can be used by both streamers and creators of any other media content.” Read more
James Bond: “No Time To Die” tickets go on sale (Metro.)
Following delay after delay, No Time To Die is finally almost here – and James Bond fans can be at the ready to get their tickets.
Vue has announced that tickets for the upcoming 25th Bond film are on sale from 7:30am on Monday (September 13) morning.
Meanwhile, die-hard fans who don’t want to wait any longer than necessary can enjoy midnight screenings on release day.
It’s definitely been a long time coming. Read more
Trudeau on the offensive against O’Toole and Blanchet (Castanet.)
Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau went on the offensive against Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet on Sunday as he spent a second straight day targeting Bloc-held ridings on Montreal’s South Shore.
Trudeau said Blanchet has a mixed record of standing up for the environment and “has not been particularly strong or clear” in pushing for COVID-19 vaccination.
“I think Mr. Blanchet is struggling to be relevant on any of those big issues because he can speak for Quebecers, but so do we,” he said. “Except we can deliver for Quebecers.”
Trudeau lost several ridings south of Montreal to the Bloc in 2019, and regaining them is key to his electoral hopes. Read more
North Korea tests new long-range cruise missile (BBC)
North Korea has tested a new long-range cruise missile capable of hitting much of Japan, state media said on Monday.
Tests staged over the weekend saw missiles travelling as far as 1,500km (930 miles) away, according to KCNA.
However, it does not violate UN Security Council resolutions – they have lead to tough sanctions on North Korea in the past.
But it suggests the country is still capable of developing weapons despite food shortages and an economic crisis. Read more
Teams arrive today as LOC unveils referees for Aisha Buhari Cup (Guardian)
The cast is gradually getting ready for the maiden Aisha Buhari International Invitations Women Football Tournament, which holds in Lagos from Wednesday.
Already, some of the teams involved in the championship are expected to arrive in Lagos today and start putting finishing touches to their strategy to win the championship, which now becomes a FIFA-grading event.
Expected to be on the ground in Lagos today are the women national teams of Ghana (Black Queens), Lady Eagles of Mali, and the Atlas Lionesses of Morocco.
According to the LOC, while the Queens and Eagles are arriving in Nigeria aboard a chartered flight, the Lionesses are coming into town aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight. Read more
US Open: Novak Djokovic loses to Daniil Medvedev in New York (BBC)
Medvedev avoided becoming the sixth men’s player to lose his first three Grand Slam finals
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev won his first Grand Slam title by shattering Novak Djokovic’s hopes of completing a calendar sweep of the majors in a one-sided US Open final.
Second seed Medvedev, 25, lost his two previous Grand Slam finals but was composed throughout a 6-4 6-4 6-4 win.
World number one Djokovic had already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon titles this year.
The 34-year-old Serb was also chasing a record 21st Grand Slam men’s title.
Victory would have moved him clear of rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the battle to finish with the most men’s majors, but it was the potential calendar Grand Slam which Djokovic had said would be the “greatest achievement” of his career. Read more
Italians drool over Okereke’s Weah-like goal (Guardian)
Nigerian star, David Okereke, set the Italian Serie A alight just days after the 25th anniversary of one of the most incredible goals scored by the legendary Liberian striker, George Weah, reports soccernet.ng. And Okereke has explained his thought process when conjuring up his stunning solo strike that proved to be the winning goal for Venezia in their Serie A clash away to Empoli on Saturday.
Okereke, on a season-long loan from Belgian champions, Club Brugge, had made his Serie A debut on August 27 in Venezia’s 3-0 thrashing in the hands of Udinese.
But at the Stadio Carlo Castellani in Empoli, manager Paolo Zanetti introduced the 24-year-old forward in the 67th-minute for midfielder Antonio Vacca with the visitors leading thanks to Thomas Henry’s fine first-half finish.
And moments later, Okereke received a simple pass from Henry in his own half and ran the whole way to the edge of the Empoli box, sidestepping three or four opposing defenders before slotting the ball home with his left foot. Read more
Emma Raducanu’s amazing reaction to finding out she’s now world No.23
(Metro.)
Emma Raducanu was completely oblivious to the fact she is now ranked world number 23 after winning the US Open final with a stunning straight sets victory over Leylah Fernandez.
The 18-year-old from Bromley, who was sitting her A Levels just a few months ago, became the first qualifier ever to win a Grand Slam and did so in breath-taking fashion, not dropping a single set across her 10 matches and three weeks in New York.
She started the year ranked No.345 in the world before rising to No.150 prior to the start of the US Open, with her fairytale victory moving her up to No.23 and making her the British number one. Read more
Harvey Elliott: Liverpool teenager suffers serious ankle injury at Leeds (BBC)
A visibly upset Jurgen Klopp said Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott was in “massive pain” after suffering a serious ankle injury at Leeds.
Elliott, 18, was carried off on a stretcher and taken to hospital following a challenge by Leeds defender Pascal Struijk, who was sent off.
Klopp said Elliott had dislocated his ankle during Liverpool’s 3-0 win.
“We’ll play without him, but we will wait for him as well because he is a top player,” added the Liverpool boss. Read more
Romelu Lukaku singles out Timo Werner after Chelsea beat Aston Villa (Metro)
Romelu Lukaku singled out Timo Werner for special praise following Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Belgium international struck twice in his first game back at Stamford Bridge following his £97.5 million move from Inter, while Mateo Kovacic also found the target to secure the win for Thomas Tuchel’s side.
Lukaku’s first goal came following a superb through ball from Kovacic, while the striker wrapped up the win in injury time with a thumping strike from Cesar Azpilicueta’s pass. Read more
