EFCC raid: There’s no cause for alarm —Ambode (Punch)
Former governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday urged his supporters and the general public to remain calm and law-abiding, saying there was no cause for alarm. Ambode, in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Habib Aruna, spoke on the backdrop of a search by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on his Epe country home and Parkview Ikoyi residence, where the anti-graft agency conducted the exercise without any incident. He said the Commission, till date, has not opened any direct communication with him on any issue, adding that he was ready and willing to respond if or when they do so. Read more
Visits to Ambode’s houses part of investigation — EFCC (Punch)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has described its raid on the houses of ex-Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, as “part of investigations,” rather than a raid. The EFCC, on Tuesday, raided two houses belonging to Ambode located in Park View Estate, Ikoyi, and Epe, both in Lagos State. According to an ex-aide to the governor, who spoke with The PUNCH on condition of anonymity, Ambode is currently out of Nigeria, and the EFCC carried out its “investigation” in Ambode’s absence. Read more
You can’t access INEC server, Supreme Court dismisses PDP, Atiku’s appeal (Punch)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, seeking access to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s sever. The Dattijo Muhammad-led five-man panel, in a unanimous judgment, dismissed the appeal, saying there was no basis to interfere with the earlier decision of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal rejecting the appellants’ request to access the said server. Justice Centus Nweze, who read the lead judgment of the apex court, said the appellants failed to establish that the tribunal wrongfully exercised its discretion in dismissing their request. Read more
How we re-arrested millionaire kidnapper, Hamisu Wadume (Punch)
Force spokesman, Frank Mba, has described how the Police re-arrested millionaire kidnapper, Hamisu Wadume. Wadume escaped when the operatives of Intelligence Response Team came under attack from soldiers attached to Battalion 93, Takum, Taraba State, as they conveyed the kidnap suspect from the scene of his arrest. “His arrest followed massive manhunt launched by the Police special forces and IRT members,” Mba said in a statement released to media on Tuesday. Read more
Money laundering: Atiku’s son-in-law regains freedom (Nation)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has released from its custody Abdullahi Babalele, the son-in-law of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in 2019, Atiku Abubakar. Babalele, who was remanded by a Federal High Court, Lagos, over alleged money laundering, was freed on Friday after he met the N20million bail term imposed by the judge, Mr Nicholas Oweibo, and has since returned to Abuja. Read more
Woman in jail for allegedly receiving $57m, N2.36bn from Dasuki’s ONSA (Guardian)
Nigeria’s anti-graft agency has arraigned the Mrs Isabella Oshodin and Bob Oshodin before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for alleged N22.9bn fraud and money laundering. The accused are facing 25 counts for fraudulently receiving the said money from the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said Oshodin had on 16 occasions received the money in the sums of N500,000,000; N750,000,000; N125,000,000; N350,000,000; N170,000,000; N85,000,000; N60,000,000; N50,000,000 and others totaling N2.366bn. Read more
Rivers NBA threatens boycott over lawyers’ kidnaps, assassinations (Punch)
The Nigerian Bar Association in Rivers State has threatened to withdraw its members from the courts over the increasing rate of assassinations and abduction of some of its members in the state. The NBA noted that the frequency of the incidents was taken a toll on the legal profession, hence should be curtailed immediately. The Association reached the decision after an emergency meeting held by all its branches’ executives in the state on Wednesday. Read more
Armese aligns with FG to end estimated billing (Guardian)
Armese Power Solutions has aligned with the Federal Government’s efforts to end estimated billing as it commences massive meter deployment following the recent flag-off of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) in Rivers. Armese Power Solutions and Armese Consulting CEO Imran Aslam Khokhar in a statement emphasized the adequacy of the company’s current stock of meters to plug 50 per cent of the metering gap at this stage of the MAP project within the PHED franchise area. Read more
Police rescue couple from collapsed building in Jigawa (Punch)
The Police Command in Jigawa State said on Tuesday it had rescued a couple trapped inside a building that collapsed at Auno village in Kafinhausa Local Government Area. Mr Abdul Jinjiri, its spokesman, told the News Agency of Nigeria, in Dutse that the victims – Musa, 27, and Fatsuma, 20, were evacuated and rushed to the hospital by the Police after their room collapsed on them on Monday, August 19. Read more
Customs intercepts elephant tusks, buffalo horns, others (Nation)
The Adamawa/Taraba Zonal Command of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has seized rare but outlawed items as well as more widely traded but contraband items across the two states constituting the command. The seized items include elephant tusks and bufallo horns, dealings in which the authorities particularly abhor because of strict laws over the indicated animals. Read more
Return mattress, carpet given as your dowry, court tells divorced wife (Punch)
A Sharia Court in Kaduna State on Tuesday ordered a housewife, Zailani, to return the carpet and mattress she received as part of her dowry from her former husband, Yakubu. The judge, Malam Muhammad Shehu-Adamu, gave the order after Zailani told the court that she was no longer interested in the union due to lack of care. “The union between Zailani and Yakubu is hereby dissolved based on Khul’ i. She will return his dowry to him, “he ruled. Read more
Former Zimbabwe VP on the run amid anti-corruption probe (Punch)
Zimbabwe former Vice President, Phelekezela Mphoko, who fled the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission officers at a Bulawayo police station on Tuesday, is still on the run according to ZACC spokesperson, John Makamure. Responding to questions from Xinhua, Makamure said ZACC officers had told him that they were still on the ground looking for him and nothing had materialised yet. “There are some addresses to be checked but what we have confirmed for sure is that he is still in Bulawayo at his safe house,’’ Makamure said. Read more
Toll from attack on Burkina military base rises to 24 (Guardian)
The death toll from an attack Monday on a military base in northern Burkina Faso rose to 24, the military said, in an unprecedented blow to the army in its campaign against jihadist insurgents. Seven people were wounded and five others missing, armed forces headquarters said in a statement Tuesday. The previous toll from the attack, at Koutougou in Soum province near the border with Mali, had been given late Monday as “more than a dozen”. Read more
Andrew Harper death: Murder accused appears in court (BBC)
A man has appeared in court charged with murdering a police officer who was killed while investigating a burglary. Jed Foster, 20, appeared at Reading Magistrates’ Court charged with the murder of 28-year-old PC Andrew Harper, and the theft of a quad bike. PC Harper, of Thames Valley Police, died on Thursday after being dragged along the road by a vehicle in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. Mr Foster has been remanded to appear at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday. Read more
Man charged after car crashes into tents injuring four people (Metro)
A 26-year-old man has been charged after a car crashed into a campsite, injuring four people. Jake Waterhouse, from Manchester, will appear at Llandudno Magistrates Court tomorrow. One woman was left in a critical condition and three others were recovering after the car crashed into their tents on Rhyd y Galen campsite near Bethel, Caernarfon, in the early hours of yesterday morning. Read more
Hong Kong: British consulate worker ‘detained at China border’ (BBC)
The UK Foreign Office has expressed concern over reports that a Hong Kong consulate employee has been detained at the Chinese border. Media reports say Simon Cheng, who is thought to be from Hong Kong, is believed to have gone missing on 8 August while on a business trip. The Foreign Office said it was “seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong”. Read more
Woman killed her dad with poisoned hamburger then buried him in concrete (Metro)
A woman murdered her father by serving him a poisoned hamburger then encased his body in concrete under the home they shared. Dayna Jennings, 45, was sentenced to life in prison for killing her 69-year-old father, Willima Mussack, whose body was found under their home in Denver in January 2018, Jennings was convicted of first degree-murder in July after an autopsy proved Mussack was poisoned by acepromazine, an animal tranquilizer. Read more
Khan Sheikhoun: Syria rebels pull out of key town after five years (BBC)
Syrian opposition forces have withdrawn from the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun, deep in the last rebel-held province. Government forces, backed by Russia, closed in on the town in recent weeks, five years after rebels took over. Rebels told the BBC that fighters pulled out of the town on Tuesday. But an official statement from the main jihadist group in Idlib province, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), characterised it as a “redeployment” of forces. Read more
Police break into fishmonger’s van thinking smell was a dead body (Metro)
A fishmonger says police broke into her van causing thousands of pounds of damage after mistaking the fishy smell – for a ‘rotting human body’. Amy Valentine, 28, got a call from a mate who said four police cars were by her parked fish van. When she got there she was horrified to find officers watching a tow truck moving her damaged van off the road. Read more
Italy government crisis: PM Conte to quit amid coalition row (BBC)
After a blistering attack on coalition partner Matteo Salvini, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has said he will tender his resignation. Mr Conte said Mr Salvini had been “irresponsible” in creating a new political crisis for Italy for “personal and party interests”. Mr Salvini, the leader of the nationalist League party, had tabled a no-confidence motion against Mr Conte. He also said he could no longer work with his coalition partners Five Star. Read more
Donald Trump becomes grandfather for 10th time (Punch)
US President Donald Trump has become a grandfather for the 10th time after his son Eric’s wife Lara gave birth to a girl. “@LaraLeaTrump and I are excited to welcome Carolina Dorothy Trump into the world. We love you already!” the president’s son tweeted minutes before Monday midnight. It is the couple’s second child — their first, Eric Luke Trump, turns two years old in September. Read more
Nasa confirms ocean moon mission (BBC)
Scientists working on an audacious mission to the ocean world of Europa can proceed with the final design and construction of the spacecraft, Nasa says. The Europa Clipper mission will target the ice-encrusted moon of Jupiter, which is considered a prime target in the search for life beyond Earth. Below its icy shell, Europa is thought to hold a 170km-deep body of water. This could have the right conditions for biology. Read more
Iron Man and Captain America’s tear-jerking Marvel farewell in Avengers: Endgame extras (Metro)
Marvel bosses have applauded Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans’ final turn as Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, with a heart-warming look behind the scenes. Both characters received a hefty farewell in the bonus features for the DVD release of the Marvel Studios film, with bosses explaining casting Robert in the role of Tony/Iron Man was a ‘risky’ move seeing as the actor wasn’t a ‘family-friendly’ name for their comics hero. Read more
CAF orders closed door tie for Enyimba (Punch)
Nigerian champions Enyimba have been ordered to play their CAF Champions League preliminary round tie behind closed doors over stadium concerns, club officials said Tuesday. Enyimba are looking to come back from a 1-0 away loss to Burkina Faso’s Rahimo on Sunday at their home arena in Aba, southeast Nigeria. But African football’s governing body said the stadium, which re-opened last year after major renovations, still lack adequate floodlights, CCTV cameras and an electronic scoreboard. Read more
Sierra Leone’s Musa Noah Kamara retracts ‘too cold’ comments (BBC)
Sierra Leone forward Musa Noah Kamara has explained that the climate in Sweden was not the reason his contract with Trelleborgs was cancelled after just one week. On Monday the club said the 19-year-old’s three-and-a-half-year deal was ended for “personal reasons”. At the time Kamara himself said he wanted to return to Freetown as he could not cope with the cold weather in Sweden. Read more
Chelsea’s Zouma recalls ‘long journey’ back to starting lineup (Guardian)
Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma says his return to the club’s starting lineup is the culmination of a three-year struggle after he was seriously injured and then sent out on loan to two Premier League clubs. Zouma, who suffered a knee injury in 2016 that sidelined him for nine months, was loaned to Stoke City and Everton in the last two seasons before new Chelsea manager Frank Lampard made him a part of his first-team plans. “It has been a very, very long journey,” Zouma told reporters. “I don’t want to talk about that now, because that is the past but I fought very hard. Read more
Chelsea send class message to Maurizio Sarri following pneumonia diagnosis (Metro)
Chelsea Football Club sent their best wishes to Maurizio Sarri after Juventus confirmed the Italian was being treated for pneumonia. Sarri missed Juventus’ clash with Triestina last weekend because he was feeling unwell and it was thought that the 60-year-old had the flu. However, Sarri was sent for tests after failing to recover and Juventus have since confirmed that he’s been diagnosed with pneumonia. Read more
Paul Pogba: Man Utd’s Harry Maguire calls for action after racist abuse (BBC)
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire has called on social media companies to “stop these pathetic trolls” after his team-mate Paul Pogba was racially abused online after missing a penalty. Pogba had a second-half penalty saved in the 1-1 draw with Wolves on Monday. The 26-year-old is the third player in a week to be racially abused on social media following a penalty miss. Read more
Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs reveals what he told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about Daniel James (Metro)
Ryan Giggs has lifted the lid on what he told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about Daniel James before the winger joined Manchester United this summer. James caught Solskjaer’s eye during an outstanding breakthrough season for Swansea last term in which he terrorised Championship defenders with his pace and trickery, notching up four goals and seven assists across the campaign. Read more
UFC 241: Daniel Cormier considering future after Stipe Miocic loss (BBC)
Daniel Cormier says he is considering his future in the sport after losing his heavyweight title in a shock defeat by Stipe Miocic at UFC 241. The defending champion, 40, was stunned by his 37-year-old fellow American in a dramatic fourth-round knockout in Anaheim on Saturday. Cormier said in an Instagram post he will “decide what I am gonna do now”. “I can’t stress the disappointment and I am so sorry to all I have let down,” he added. Read more
Slow play in golf: Edoardo Molinari’s tweet prompted European Tour policy (BBC)
Edoardo Molinari identifying slow players on Twitter led to the European Tour’s measures to speed up play, says its chief executive Keith Pelley. On Monday, a four-point plan was announced that includes an immediate one-stroke penalty if a player clocks two unacceptable times in a round. There will also be increased fines for those who consistently fall behind. Read more