Fake pastor paraded in Lagos (Independent)
Serial scammer masquerading as a ‘Man of God’ was today, October 2, 2019, paraded by men of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad.
The force revealed via their Twitter handle, that the con man specialized in walking up to ladies, sweet-talking them with fake prophecies and the proceeding to collect funds under false pretense. Read more
Infection hits Queen’s College again, 1,000 leave school (Punch)
No fewer than 1,000 pupils of Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos, have been taken home by their parents after the outbreak of what is suspected to be an infection.
“It is over 1,000 (pupils) now as we speak. See, I cannot talk about what I don’t know. What you have in your palm, you don’t need a mirror to look at it,” the Chairman of the Parents Teacher Association, John Ofobike, told our correspondent on Monday.
The PUNCH learnt that the pupils started falling sick after resuming about two weeks ago. Read more
Court remands Lagos conductor for defiling, impregnating 14-year-old girl (Vanguard)
An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday ordered that a 22-year-old conductor, Dapo Amakwe, who allegedly defiled and impregnated a 14-year-old girl, be remanded in prison, pending the receipt of legal advice. The magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi did not take the plea of the defendant. Osunsanmi ordered the investigating police officer to send the case file to the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPPs) for legal advice and adjourned the case until Oct. 11 for mention. Read more
Tribunal upholds Tambuwal’s elections (DailyTrust)
Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has upheld the election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal.
The tribunal says APC and its candidate have failed to prove over-voting and non-compliance with electoral guidelines and the Electoral Act 2010. Read more
Nigeria to assemble solar cars (Vanguard)
As Nigeria celebrates 59th Independence anniversary, an indigenous company says it is intensifying efforts to begin assembling of solar cars by 2020.
Mr Moses Onaja, Chief Executive Officer, Sun Energy Community Development Initiative (SECODI), made the disclosure on Tuesday during an exhibition of solar products in Ibadan. Read more
Apprehension in Zamfara as residents sight motorbike-riding gang of armed men (DailyTrust)
Apprehension enveloped residents of Mayanchi community in Maru local government area of Zamfara state after motor bike-riding gang of armed men were spotted on Gusau – Sokoto highway, Daily Trust gathered.
Residents told Daily Trust that the dozens of unidentified armed men on motorbikes rode through Mayanchi community on Gusau – Sokoto highway on Tuesday. Read more
Jubilation in Imo as SARS arrests most wanted robbers, serial killers who operate in army uniforms (Punch)
There was jubilation at the command headquarters in Owerri on Wednesday as the operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Imo State Police Command arrested two most wanted armed robbers and killers in the state.
Parading the suspects, Kachi Nwalolo,21 and Chukwuebuka Esoga, aka, Kaka,21, the commissioner of police, Rabiu Ladodo, said, “I am happy and walking shoulder high as we speak.” Read more
DSO Trial: Again, Lai Mohammed absent in court (Independent)
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, was again absent in court today, Wednesday, October 2, 2019, where he was billed to testify as a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of the Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Ishaq Kawu Modibbo, Pinnacle Communications Ltd, and two others.
At a resumed sitting on Wednesday, the prosecution counsel, Henry Emore informed trial judge, Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo- Giwa that the Minister was absent in court because the President sent him on “an urgent assignment”. Read more
Fulani leader gunned down in Adamawa (DailyTrust)
Gunmen have killed a famous Fulani leader in Yola South Local Government Area in Adamawa state.
Alhaji Abdu Bali, the chairman of the state chapter of Tabbital Pulaku Joondie Jam, a Fulani socio- cultural organization, was shot dead alongside one of his visitors in his residence at about 8:00pm on Tuesday. Read more
FG Perfects Plan to Return Toll Gates to Federal Roads (ThisDay)
Eighteen years after the federal government dismantled toll gates on federal roads, the current administration has concluded plans to return the country again to the path of tolling.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said designs for the toll gates had already been made. Read more
To end kidnapping on highways, uniformed people should not use train – Lawan (Punch)
Senate President Ahmad Lawan has said that, in order to end incidence of kidnapping on the nation’s various highways, the Senate must insist that “uniformed people” do not use the train.
Rather, he said, they should allow the ordinary people to use the train.
He recommended that the nation’s security architecture must be restructured, while more funds must be made available. Read more
Saying unity needed to win, Atiku intervenes in Kogi PDP crisis (ThisDay)
Ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, a former vice president and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has waded into the crisis in the state’s branch of the party, saying unity among the warring factions is needed to win the poll.
As part of the ongoing reconciliations, THISDAY gathered that Atiku met with the gubernatorial candidate of the party, Mr. Mohammed Wada, in Dubai and also met with Senator Dino Melaye, one of the contenders for the party’s ticket, on how to mend the cracks that became bigger after the party’s primaries. Read more
Jigawa Sharia police seize vehicle containing 389 bottles of beer (Punch)
Hisbah, the Shari’a Law Enforcement Agency in Jigawa, says it has impounded a Sharon car containing 389 bottles of beer in the state.
The state’s Hisbah Commander, Ibrahim Dahiru, disclosed this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Dutse on Wednesday. Read more
Buhari leaves for S’Africa after FEC Meeting (ThisDay)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday departed Abuja for Waterloof Air Force Base, Pretoria, to begin a three-day official visit to South Africa.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the president left the Presidential Villa at about 1:30 p.m. for Pretoria via the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
President Buhari had earlier presided over the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) before embarking on the trip. Read more
Genevieve Nnaji’s ‘Lionheart’ heads to the Oscars (ThisDay)
The Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee (NOSC) has picked Genevieve Nnaji’s ‘Lionheart’ as the country’s submission to the International Feature Film category of the 2020 Oscars.
The group announced the selection today, following a statutory vetting and subsequent voting of entries received from Nigerian filmmakers at home and in the Diaspora.
‘Lionheart’ marks the first time Nigeria will be submitting a film to the Oscars since the inauguration of the NOSC in 2014. Previous entries received by the committee has failed to meet the basic criteria. Read more
Peace Deal: Bandits Surrender Arms in Niger LGs (ThisDay)
Following a peace deal between the Niger State government and some bandits, no fewer than 35 bandits are said to have laid down their arms in three local governments of the state.
The local governments are Shiroro, Rafi Mariga and Munya.
As part of the deal, the government on its part has released 13 bandits earlier arrested and detained by security operatives in the state. Read more
US set to impose tariffs on $7.5bn of EU exports in Airbus row (BBC)
The US has been given the go-ahead to impose tariffs on $7.5bn (£6.1bn) of goods it imports from the EU.
It is the latest chapter in a 15-year battle between the US and the EU over illegal subsidies for planemakers Airbus and rival Boeing. Read more
Trump claims he is victim of COUP (DailyMail)
President Trump on Tuesday accused Democrats of staging a ‘coup’ by launching an impeachment inquiry centered on his dealings with Ukraine.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday: ‘As I learn more and more each day, I am coming to the conclusion that what is taking place is not an impeachment, it is a COUP, intended to take away the Power of the People, their VOTE, their Freedoms, their Second Amendment, Religion, Military, Border Wall, and their God-given rights as a Citizen of The United States of America!’
The president has escalated his rhetoric on social media in recent days as the Democratic-led House of Representatives deals with more revelations involving the administration’s role in the Ukraine scandal. Read more
Bernie Sanders cancels campaign events for artery blockage surgery (BBC)
The 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, 78, has cancelled campaign events until further notice after undergoing surgery.
Mr Sanders was treated in hospital for an arterial blockage after experiencing chest pain at an event in Nevada on Tuesday.
An adviser for the Vermont senator said he was in “good spirits” and will be resting over the next few days. Read more
Brexit: New UK plan for Northern Ireland to stay in single market (BBC)
The government has delivered its new Brexit proposals to the EU, including plans to replace the Irish backstop.
The plan, outlined in a seven-page document, would see Northern Ireland stay in the European single market for goods, but leave the customs union – resulting in new customs checks. Read more
Premier League appoints David Pemsel as chief executive (Punch)
The Premier League has appointed David Pemsel as its new chief executive, announcing on Wednesday that he would take up the role “no later than April 2020”.
Last November, the league selected Susanna Dinnage for the post but, after accepting, she changed her mind and decided she no longer wanted the job. Read more
Nigeria’s female umpires count gains of ITF advantage all seminar (ThisDay)
The officiating department of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), in its bid to create more opportunities for women to become leaders in sports, staged the first ‘Advantage All’ seminar focusing on female certified officials based in Africa at the Garden Court East Gate Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa, last Saturday.
Aisha Hirse, Martina Ebijimi and Rose Abu were among the officials who were in attendance in South Africa. The three women have reflected on the seminar and also talked about how they intend to implement what they learnt in the seminar here in Nigeria. Read more
Independence Day Champions League drama excites fans at Heineken House (ThisDay)
As the country marked her 59th Independence Anniversary yesterday, it was a double celebration for fans who thronged the Heineken House, Ikoyi to enjoy another set of exciting UEFA Champions League football action.
International premium brand, Heineken with its new ‘Better Together’ campaign is keeping true to its promise to give passionate fans and their loyal consumers alike a royal and unique viewing experience all through this Champions League season and beyond. Read more
Xenophobia: I was afraid of attack, says Akpeyi (Punch)
The Super Eagles goalkeeper, Daniel Akpeyi, says he was scared to feature in matches during xenophobic attacks that rocked South Africa recently.
The Kaizer Chiefs shot-stopper said he feared that he may be attacked by fans if he made any mistake in the goal post, adding that he was under pressure to perform. Read more