Family of lady killed in Lagos apartment demands justice (Punch)
The family of slain Foejiro Ojite have asked police authorities to ensure that her killers are brought to book.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Foejiro, 31, was killed in her apartment in the Agiliti area of Ketu in Lagos on July 27, 2023.
After allegedly slitting her throat, her assailants also set the apartment on fire.
The smoke from the building alerted neighbours who forced the door open and discovered her lifeless body on the floor with her hand burnt. Read more
NLC, TUC suspend planned strike action for 30 days (Leadership)
In a significant development, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have decided to suspend their planned indefinite nationwide strike, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, for a period of 30 days.
This decision followed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) reached between the Organised Labour and the Federal Government of Nigeria at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday night.
Recall that a strike notice had been issued by the NLC and TUC in response to the withdrawal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol by the Federal Government, leading to an increase in fuel prices. Read more
EFCC obtains arrest warrant, initiates process to extradite Diezani (DailyTrust)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has obtained an arrest warrant for former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke.
The commission has also initiated her extradition process from the UK.
Daily Trust had reported how the former minister appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, on Monday, over an alleged £100,000 bribe. Read more
Pregnant woman, son of owner, about-to-wed lady died in Rivers illegal refinery inferno (Nation)
The Rivers State Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Basil Igwebueze has confirmed a pregnant woman, the son of the illegal refinery owner and an about-to-wed lady were among victims of fire that engulfed an illegal refinery at Ibaa community in Emohua Local Government Area.
He said while the owner of the illegal refinery identified as John Bodo sustained severe injuries, his son, Uche Bodo, who just graduated from a tertiary institutions died at the spot.
Basil said: “The fire outbreak started at a very late hour hence 18 victims were burnt beyond recognition while 25 injured persons were rescued. Read more
Lagos orders accelerated work on Revenue House (Punch)
The Lagos State Government, on Monday, ordered the contractor handling the Lagos Revenue House, formerly known as Elephant House, to expedite action on the project.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Works and Infrastructure, Dr Adekunle Olayinka, who issued the order, expressed displeasure at the slow pace of work.
According to a statement, Olayinka noted that the building located on Assbifi Road, Agidingbi, Ikeja “is an important project conceived by the state government to accommodate some important parastatals of the state within the secretariat vicinity.” Read more
NAF aircraft bombs terrorists’ hideouts in Borno (Tribune)
Nigerian Air Force (NAF), on Monday, said that Terrorists hibernating in the Tumbuns on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno State were at the receiving end of its firepower as air strikes hit their hideouts, destroying their structures and strategic logistics base.
This was contained in a statement made available to Defence Correspondents in Abuja by the Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet.
“Specifically, Tumbun Fulani and Tumbun Shitu were struck between 27-30 September 2023, when activities of terrorists in the locations were confirmed to have constituted a threat to military formations and law-abiding Nigerians residing within the locations. Read more
Fashola condemns ‘‘Nigeria should not happen to me’’ statement, advocates positivity (Channels)
A former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has criticised the popular phrase, “May Nigeria not happen to me”, urging Nigerians to address reservations about the country with less negative criticism.
“Those kinds of statements that ‘Nigeria should not happen to me’ or whatever it is should not have any place again in our public broadcast,” Fashola said on Monday.
The former minister spoke while appearing on Channels Television’s Empowering Tomorrow themed: A New Vision for Nigeria, a special programme on the 63rd anniversary of Nigeria’s independence celebrated annually on October 1. Read more
Gombe deputy gov calls for Christian unity at Independence prayer service (Independent)
Gombe State Deputy Governor, Manasseh Daniel Jatau, has called for more unity among Christian faithfuls amidst the socioeconomic challenges faced by Nigerians.
He made the call during a special prayer service organized by the Gombe State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to mark Nigeria’s 63rd Independence anniversary and Gombe State at 27 since creation.
The special service which was held at the Gombe State CAN Centre, Monday (02/10/2023) afternoon, was also organized to pray for the prosperity of the country and for its leaders. Read more
Extortion: Police probe officers over N80m allegedly shared with IG, CP (Vanguard)
The Nigeria Police Force said the Monitoring Unit of the Inspector-General of Police had commenced an investigation following a petition by a Delta State-based rights advocate, Israel Joe, over alleged extortion of N80 million from a surveillance contractor, Atubi Davison, by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, and two other officers.
The police said it is currently interrogating the policemen who according to the petitioner, claimed that they would give the sum of N30 million to IG Egbetokun, and N16 million to the Rivers State CP, Polycarp Abonyi, out of the booty.
The petitioner also alleged that the policemen also collected a gold necklace from Davidson worth N4 million. Read more
Nobel Prize goes to scientists behind mRNA Covid vaccines (BBC)
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to a pair of scientists who developed the technology that led to the mRNA Covid vaccines.
Professors Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman will share the prize.
The technology was experimental before the pandemic, but has now been given to millions of people around the world to protect them against serious Covid-19.
The same mRNA technology is now being researched for other diseases, including cancer. Read more
San Sebastián: Jaione Camborda’s ‘‘The Rye Horn’’ wins Golden Shell for best film (THR)
San Sebastián, Spain, native Jaione Camborda took the top prize, the Golden Shell for best film, at the 71st San Sebastián Film Festival, for her ‘‘The Rye Horn’’, a 1970s-set drama about a midwife forced to flee Galicia, Spain, to Portugal when, after a tragedy strikes, a teenage mother asked her for an abortion.
The audience award for best film went to J.A. Bayona’s Netflix real-life survival thriller Society of the Snow, while San Sebastián viewers voted Matteo Garrone’s migration drama Io Capitano the best European film at the festival. Both Society of the Snow and Io Capitano are in the running for the 2024 Oscar in the best international feature category.
The best performance award went to both Marcelo Subiotto for his performance as a philosophy teacher at the University of Buenos Aires battling a bitter rival over a professorship position in the dramedy Puan and Tatsuya Fuji as a father reconciling with his estranged son in Great Absence. María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat also took the best screenplay award for their script to Puan. Read more
South Africa’s Democratic Alliance launches voter registration drive (AfricaNews)
Leaders of South Africa’s main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday traversed several localities in Gauteng province to register voters ahead of the 2024 elections.
The party also used the occasion to unveil its campaign poster and slogan.
The Alliance seeks to unseat the African National Congress which it accuses of corruption and mismanagement. Read more
Kourtney Kardashian posts texts from friends saying they aren’t in ‘‘Not Kourtney’’ group chat (People)
Kourtney Kardashian Barker is revealing where her friends stand on the now infamous “Not Kourtney” group chat.
On Friday, the 44-year-old posted a screenshot of a text conversation with several of her friends on her Instagram Story in which they revealed they weren’t on the ‘”Not Kourtney” group chat — despite Kim Kardashian’s claims on the season 4 premiere of The Kardashians that the group conversation involved pals of the Lemme founder.
In the screenshot, Kourtney’s friends Allie Rizzo Sartiano and Simon Huck addressed the claims in a group text discussion — which also included friend Phil Riportella — saying that “trolls” were attacking them online for their alleged involvement and adding that the “Not Kourtney” chat “didn’t exist.” Read more
People surprised that Anya Taylor-Joy speaks Spanish but Jenna Ortega doesn’t (NME)
Some people have shared their surprise that Anya Taylor-Joy speaks Spanish but Jenna Ortega doesn’t, after the pair were filmed chatting at Dior’s Paris Fashion Week show.
Earlier this week actresses Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) and Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) sat with Spanish pop star Rosalía at Dior’s Womenswear Spring/Summer 2024 show. US actress Jennifer Lawrence was also close by.
A 12-second clip from the evening shows Taylor-Joy introducing her husband to Rosalía and Ortega in Spanish. Ortega, who is not a Spanish-speaker, then greets him in English. Read more
‘‘Bling Ring’’ leader Rachel Lee speaks for first time about robbing celebs (NYPost)
Rachel Lee was 19 years old and high on Xanax when she drove four hours from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to rob Lindsay Lohan’s house.
“My friends called me and they said, ‘Let’s go steal.’ I got my things and I remember taking Xanax and I left. It really sounds psychotic, but I still felt that FOMO,” she recalls in the Max documentary ‘‘The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring,” airing and streaming Sunday.
It’s the first time Lee, now 33, has ever publicly spoken about being the ringleader of the notorious Bling Ring: a band of LA teens who went on a Hollywood crime spree between October 2008 and August 2009, robbing celebrities including Lohan, Paris Hilton, Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green, and Orlando Bloom of more than $3 million in luxury goods — Louis Vuitton luggage, Rolexes — as well as handguns. Read more
Mick Jagger heaps praise on Lady Gaga (AS)
Mick Jagger has nothing but rave reviews for his time working with Lady Gaga. The pop superstar and fellow icon, Stevie Wonder, appeared on The Rolling Stones’ new song, “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” which finds Gaga stretching her voice in new ways. “She’s a really great singer, and I’d never heard her sing quite that style before,” Jagger described to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about Gaga’s soulful approach.
The song was co-written by Jagger and Keith Richards and recorded in three different parts of the world: Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles—where Gaga and Wonder recorded their parts— Metropolis Studios in the Stones’ native London and Sanctuary Studios in Nassau, Bahamas.
“That was a great experience, her just coming in the room and her just opening up and seeing her bits and feeling her way and then getting more confident,” Jagger continues of the recording process. “And then we came back and then did some extra parts that we hadn’t done on the day and then we did some tidying up and we were just in the overdub room, really face-to-face, getting them really tight, the parts really tight, and then being slightly competitive and screaming.” Read more
Madrid plot Boniface summer move (Punch)
While summer signing Jude Bellingham continues to flourish for Real Madrid since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund, the Spanish giants are still in the market for a recognised striker and are seriously considering Nigeria international, Victor Boniface, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
According to sources from the Spanish newspaper Defensa Central, Boniface is a player of interest to Madrid as Carlo Ancelotti wants to bring in a talented striker to replace the position left by Karim Benzema.
The 22-year-old striker joined Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth over €20m this past summer and has been in terrific form, contributing 11 goals in just eight appearances. Read more
NPFL: Sporting Lagos make history, beat Gombe United in debut match (Leadership)
Sporting Lagos made a winning start to life in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) with a 2-1 defeat of Gombe United at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Lagos on Monday.
Avenwenre Rivio scored the Sporting Lagos’ first goal in the 43th minute to give the host a lead.
The visitors almost fought back immediately, stepping up their game to challenge the hosts. But despite the United’s threatening and pushing for equalizer, the goal sheet remained the same as Chiemeka Nwokeji, Aliu Salawudeen, Onyeka Ojieh and Patrick Egeonu combined well to ensure that no goal went past Agbor Ekoi. Read more
Europe regain Ryder Cup with win over United States on dramatic day in Rome (BBC)
Luke Donald endured a “rollercoaster of emotions” as Europe regained the Ryder Cup in dramatic fashion in Rome.
With Europe needing four points from Sunday’s 12 singles matches to beat the United States, Tommy Fleetwood won the 11th game to pass the 14½ required.
And with hundreds of fans crammed around the edge of the 18th green, Ireland’s Shane Lowry wrapped up a 16½-11½ win. Read more
Simone Biles makes history on opening day of qualifying at World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (CNN)
Simone Biles announced her return to the world stage in some style on Sunday as she sits in first place in the women’s all-around qualification at the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and became the first woman to land the Yurchenko double pike vault at an international competition.
Biles stepped up to the vault, launched high into the air, twisting in angular blue blur, and landed with just a single backwards step to make history.
That feat ensured the skill will now be named the Biles II in honor of the 19-time world champion, making it her fifth named element. Read more
Spanish women’s soccer players appear before judge in Rubiales probe (CBC)
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas and two of her teammates on Spain’s women’s national team appeared before a judge Monday as witnesses in the investigation of former soccer federation president Luis Rubiales for kissing a player on the lips.
Putellas, Irene Paredes and Misa Rodriguez all answered questions from the judge in Madrid. Rodriguez appeared in court in the Spanish capital, while Putellas and Paredes testified via video from Barcelona.
Spanish state prosecutors have accused Rubiales of sexual assault and coercion for kissing Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent during the awards ceremony after the Women’s World Cup final in August. Read more
Man United’s Lisandro Martinez to have second foot operation (ESPN)
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez will undergo surgery on his right foot for an injured metatarsal, manager Erik ten Hag said on Monday.
Martinez has already been ruled out for an “extended period” after a recurrence of the injury that saw him miss the end of last season.
The Argentina international will have a second operation on his foot, having initially had surgery in April to repair his fractured metatarsal. Read more