Eid-el-Kabir: Police assure adequate security in Lagos (Vanguard)
The Police Command in Lagos State, on Monday, said it had deployed adequate human and material resources to different parts of the state in preparation for a hitch-free Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, gave the assurance in a statement signed by the Spokesman for the command, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
Odumosu said that the command had strategised and fortified security across the state before, during and after the festive period.
According to him, the Command Order of operation prepared for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, has put measures in place to manage possible heavy traffic in and out of the state due to increased movement of people. Read more
LASG seals 16 firms over tax evasion (Leadership)
The Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) yesterday resumed sealing of companies and hospitality firms over unpaid consumption taxes, shutting 16 firms during tax law enforcement.
The LIRS director of legal services, Mr Seyi Alade, said during the statewide enforcement had resolved to wield the stick on defaulters who insist on short-changing the state government.
Alade noted that LIRS suspended for some time the shutting of corporate organisations and hospitality firms over unpaid taxes. He said the affected companies failed to meet up with the March 31 deadline.
“Now, the service has resumed sealing of firms particularly the hospitality firms; it is committed to continue the exercise until full compliance to tax payment and remittance are achieved,” Alade said. Read more
Lagos arraigns suspected land grabbers in Oshodi (Guardian)
Lagos State Government has arraigned 10 suspected land grabbers before a Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi over allegation of forceful takeover, trespass and land grabbing of property belonging to Nichemtex Limited, in Ibeshe, Ikorodu.
The 10 defendants, namely Amisi Friday, Holy Osaweme, Wale Adigun, Muhammad Amodu, Christopher James, Tope Ojo, Usman Abubakar, Jubril Isa, Yusuf Babamariam and Sherifu Ibrahim, were arraigned on a four-count charge by the state’s task force on land grabbers.
They were said to have encroached on acres of land owned by Nichemtex LTD, a subsidiary of United Nigerian Textiles Public Limited Company Plc between 2019 and 2021 in Owode Ibeshe, Ikorodu, Lagos.
According to the coordinator, Lagos State Special Task Force on Land Grabbing, Owolabi Arole, the defendants were arrested following an investigation of a petition dated May 5, 2020 by United Nigerian Textiles Plc. Read more
Apapa gridlock: Security agents, hoodlums clash over control of extortion points (Vanguard)
More facts have emerged as to what led to the recent clashes between security agents and hoodlums that rocked the Tin-Can Island Port area of Apapa, two weeks ago.
It was gathered that both parties tried to outwit each other over the control of the extortion points along the port access roads.
Confirming the development, a former president, National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, Mr. Mohammed Inuwa, said the clash occurred while he was at a meeting in Abuja, adding that the information he got was that security agents and some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, had a face-off over the control of extortion points along the port access roads.
Inuwa said: “I was not around when the crisis was on, I was at the Abuja National Executive Council meeting, it was when I got back that I was told there were clashes between security agents and hoodlums. Read more
Interpol arrested Igboho, wife in Benin Republic -Lawyer (Punch)
The International Criminal Police Organisation arrested Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo; with his wife, Ropo, in Cotonou, Benin Republic, the activist’s lead counsel, Yomi Alliyu (SAN), has said.
Alliyu revealed this in a statement obtained by The PUNCH on Tuesday.
According to him, the Federal Government of Nigeria through INTERPOL got Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho and his wife, who is a German citizen, arrested on Monday night at an airport in Benin Republic, one of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries in the West African sub-region. Igboho was arrested while he tried to catch a flight to Germany with his wife. Read more
Wike, Okowa, Obaseki, Ayade urge peace, tolerance, unity at Eid-el-Kabir (Guardian)
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has urged Nigerians to embrace religious tolerance, which will promote peace across the country and enhance national development.
In his Sallah message signed by the special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, Wike felicitated with Nigerian Muslims on the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, urging them to emulate the Holy Prophet Mohammed by imbibing the ideals of sacrifice exemplified by the Prophet.
He said Eid-el-Kabir is a season of love, peace, friendship and sacrifice and assured Rivers people that the state government will work with the security agencies to ensure that all citizens celebrate the Sallah in an atmosphere of peace and harmony.
His Delta State counterpart, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, felicitated with Muslims in the country, as they celebrate this year’s Eid-el-Kabir and urged them to emulate the Holy Prophet Mohammed by imbibing the ideals of sacrifice. Read more
Eid-el-Kabir: Worshippers defy COVID-19 protocols in Ibadan (Punch)
Muslim worshippers in their hundreds on Tuesday morning thronged the Agodi Praying Ground in Ibadan, Oyo State capital for prayer to mark the 2021 Eid-el-Kabir celebration, without observing the COVID-19 protocols.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that only few of the worshippers wore their facemasks.
NAN reports that there was total disregard to the two-feet distance as directed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
It was also observed that none of the entrances to the praying ground has water and soap for the worshippers to wash their hands as they were entering. Read more
Buhari’s son turbaned ‘Talban Daura’ (DailyTrust)
Yusuf, the only son of President Muhammadu Buhari, went to Daura, his hometown in Katsina State, as a son of the soil but he would be leaving as a traditional title holder.
The first son had departed Abuja with his father for this year’s Eid-el-Kabir celebrations.
Earlier on Tuesday, Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk Umar, conferred the traditional title ‘Talban Daura” on the president’s son.
The turbaning ceremony was witnessed by his father and some presidential aides.
Yusuf Buhari was turbaned alongside his nephew, Musa Daura, who is now the Dan Madamin Daura. Read more
Obi Cubana: Police mum on arrest, prosecution of naira abusers (Punch)
The Anambra State Police Command has kept mum on whether or not it would arrest and prosecute naira abusers at the burial of the mother of the Chairman of Cubana Group, Obi Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana.
According to Section 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, a person who sprays the naira risks imprisonment for a term not less than six months or a fine not less than N50,000 or to both.
For days, Obi Cubana has been a social media sensation and the rave of the moment, especially with the ‘naira rain’ at the event in Oba, a town in the Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State. Several videos went viral that show celebrities, business people and politicians spray money indiscriminately during a concert held after the interment of the deceased.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Anambra State, Ikenga Tochukwu, told our correspondent to send a text message to his line. Our correspondent called him back and he said, “I will respond.” However, he had yet to respond as of the time of filing this report as subsequent calls to his line rang out. Read more
Knife attack against Mali interim President Assimi Goita (Aljazeera)
Mali’s interim President Assimi Goita has been targeted in an attempted stabbing attack after Eid al-Adha prayers at the Grand Mosque in the capital, Bamako, his office said.
“The attacker was immediately overpowered by security. Investigations are ongoing,” the presidency said in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
The interim leader was whisked away, according to an AFP news agency journalist, who also said he saw blood at the scene, though it was not clear who had been wounded.
Later on Tuesday, Goita announced that he was doing “very well” following the attack. Read more
US bans former Honduran leader Lobo over alleged drug deals (Guardian)
The United States said Tuesday it would bar visits by former Honduran president Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo due to alleged bribes from drug traffickers as it steps up pressure over corruption in Central America.
Lobo, who led Honduras from 2010 to 2014, will be ineligible to enter the United States, along with his wife Rosa Elena Bonilla Avila and their children, “due to involvement in significant corruption,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
“Their corrupt acts undermined the stability of Honduras’ democratic institutions,” Blinken said in a statement.
“These designations reaffirm US commitment to combating the corruption and disregard for the rule of law that hinders progress in Honduras.” Read more
Kim Hong-bin: South Korean climber missing after fall in Pakistan (BBC)
A celebrated South Korean climber who lost his fingers to frostbite 30 years ago has gone missing during his descent from a mountain in Pakistan.
Kim Hong-bin had just scaled the 26,400ft (8047m) high Broad Peak in the Karakoram mountains before he is thought to have fallen into a crevasse.
The climb made the 57-year-old the first disabled person to scale all the world’s tallest mountains.
An initial search failed to locate him and a large operation is being planned. Read more
Jennifer Lopez gets her hands dirty to find her dream home (NYPost)
The seemingly-ageless Jennifer Lopez stunned in a crop top this weekend as she scaled a ladder to reach the roof of a construction site.
The 51-year-old’s daring tour was part of a weekend-long shopping trip that began Thursday with a $65 million Hidden Hills house tour, with boyfriend Ben Affleck in tow.
On Friday, she and 48-year-old Affleck brought Lopez’s 13-year-old twins Emme and Maximilian to a more “modest” home option in Santa Monica, TMZ reported.
But new pictures show that she’s not just considering completed homes — she toured a skeletal construction site Saturday with five others, including what may be an architect and several associates.
Without a hard hat in sight, the daring J.Lo followed a young man onto the roof; she was trailed by the rest of the entourage before returning down. Read more
Twitter suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene over ‘misleading’ Covid posts (BBC)
Twitter has suspended Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene for posting “misleading” information about coronavirus.
The social media giant said her account would be in “read-only mode” for 12 hours.
Ms Greene, a Republican congresswoman, has been an outspoken critic of vaccines and the use of masks.
Last month she apologised for likening coronavirus mask rules to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany. Read more
Harvey Weinstein extradited to California to face more sexual assault charges (PageSix)
Harvey Weinstein was being extradited to California on Tuesday to face more sex-assault charges there, New York prison officials told The Post.
The sexual predator was whisked in the morning from the upstate Wende Correctional Facility in Erie County — where he had been serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault after his conviction in Manhattan in February 2020.
Weinstein, dressed in a white shirt and khaki pants, was taken out of the prison in a wheelchair, said a source familiar with the situation. The 69-year-old con’s walker was brought along for the journey.
“This morning at approximately 9:25 custody of Mr. Harvey Weinstein was handed over to the appropriate officials for transport to the state of California per a court order,’’ said a spokesman for the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision in an email. Read more
Anthony Joshua to defend heavyweight titles against Usyk Sept 25 (Punch)
Britain’s Anthony Joshua will defend his World Boxing Association, International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Organisation heavyweight titles against Oleksandr Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on September 25, his promoter announced Tuesday.
“The date is set and we are fully locked in,” said Joshua in a Matchroom Sport statement.
“I put it all on the line again and it’s time to defend my crown.” Read more
Ugandan athlete who fled Olympics camp found in central Japan (AlJazeera)
A Ugandan weightlifter has been found four days after he disappeared from an Olympic training camp in Japan leaving a note saying he wanted to find work, police have said.
The disappearance of Julius Ssekitoleko came at a time of high public concern over COVID-19 risks as thousands of foreigners arrive for the Games.
“Today, the man was found in Mie prefecture with no injuries and no involvement in any crime,” an Osaka police official, who declined to be named, told AFP news agency on Tuesday.
“He carried his own ID and identified himself. It is not certain to whom we should send the man – the team or the embassy.”
The alarm was raised on Friday after Ssekitoleko failed to show up for a coronavirus test and was not in his hotel room. Read more
Premier League footballer held over child sex allegations (BBC)
A Premier League footballer has been arrested on suspicion of child sex offences.
The 31-year-old man, who has not been named for legal reasons, was detained on Friday by Greater Manchester Police.
In a statement, the player’s club confirmed he had been suspended and added it would “continue supporting the authorities with inquiries and would not be commenting further”.
The footballer has since been bailed pending further inquiries. Read more
Jets assistant coach Greg Knapp in critical condition after bike crash (NYPost)
A Jets assistant coach has been hospitalized in critical condition after a bicycle accident, according to a report.
9News in Denver reported that Greg Knapp, a longtime NFL assistant who joined the Jets in January as their passing game coordinator, is fighting for his life in a California hospital after being struck by a motorist while riding his bike. The report said he suffered serious injuries.
“Greg is an amazing father and husband whose passion for life can be felt in all his interactions with people,” the Knapp family said in a statement through the Jets. “He is our rock and biggest supporter, pushing us to all strive to better ourselves each day with constant love and inspiration.
“While many know him for his achievements as a coach, his impact as a father and husband are far greater. We are so fortunate to have him in our lives. We are sincerely thankful to all those who have continued to reach out and provide support – it has meant the world to us. We ask that you continue to pray for Greg and our family during this time.” Read more
European Beach Handball Championships: Norway hit with 1,500 euros bikini fine (BBC)
Norway have been fined 1,500 euros (£1,295) for wearing shorts instead of bikini bottoms at the European Beach Handball Championships.
The European Handball Federation (EHF) said it had imposed the fine because of a case of “improper clothing”.
Norway’s players wore shorts instead of bikini bottoms during a bronze medal match against Spain in Varna, Bulgaria.
Norway’s Handball Federation (NHF) had already stated it would pay if their players were fined.. Read more
Wales goalkeeper Hennessey joins Burnley (Guardian)
Burnley announced on Tuesday they had signed Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, who was released by Premier League rivals Crystal Palace earlier this month.
The 34-year-old has agreed to a two-year contract with an option for a third, Burnley said on their website.
Hennessey has played 96 times for his country and was an unused back-up to Danny Ward at Euro 2020.
Burnley already have Nick Pope, who has seven England caps but was not part of the Euro 2020 squad. Hennessey has made 181 Premier League appearances for Wolves and Palace. Read more