Fears over failed monarch’s abduction for resisting land-grabbing (Punch)
Many households in Isiwu community, Ikorodu area of Lagos have yet to get over shock occasioned by shootings in the neighbourhood last Friday.
Commercial activities have also remained skeletal as locals fear a recurrence of the incident where many people sustained gunshot wounds and property destroyed.
Saturday PUNCH learnt that some hoodlums invaded the community on the morning of September 2 and opened fire at the palace of the newly installed Eweye of Isiwu, Oba Olukayode Balogun.
The thugs, allegedly acting on the orders of one Yinusa, reportedly attempted to kill Balogun who contested the throne with him. Read more
Assembly to make road markings mandatory on Lagos highways (Guardian)
The Lagos State House of Assembly has made provisions for compulsory lane markings, traffic laws signals on highways in the ongoing amendment of the Lagos Traffic Law and Regulations.
The Chairman, House Committee on Transportation, Mr Temitope Adewale (Ifako-Ijaiye I), made this known during an oversight tour of the Lagos Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Friday.
Adewale said there would be appropriate sanctions for violators of traffic lane marking on the highway, adding that the signs and markings on the highway would further reduce the gridlock experienced by motorists. Read more
Robbery allegation: MKO Abiola’s sons spend nine days in detention (Punch)
Two children of the late MKO Abiola, Kassim and Aliyu, have spent nine days in the detention facility of the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Lagos over allegation of robbery.
Kassim and Aliyu were arrested in their father’s house at 42-46 MKO Abiola Crescent, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja, on September 2, following a robbery at the house in the wee hours of the same day.
The Abiola’s children have, however, sued the Commissioner of Police, demanding N100m in damages. Read more
Cleaner Lagos: LAWMA unveils 7 Nollywood stars as Ambassadors, targets 10m followers (Vanguard)
As part of a decisive plan to increase advocacy and sensitization of Lagosians on the need to embrace environmental friendly waste disposal habits, the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, LAWMA has inaugurated seven Nolly wood actors as Ambassadors.
The Ambassadors, include; Bolanle Ninalowo, Foluke Daramola, Oluwatoyin Bayegun aka ( Woli Arole) , Olatayo Amokade aka ( ljebu) Tobi Bakare, Adenike Hamzat and Onyebuchi Ojeh aka ( Buchi)
Speaking during the inauguration at the agency’s Headquarters in Ijora, the Managing Director of LAWMA, Mr lbrahim Odumboni who explained that the task of actualising a cleaner Lagos is a collective responsibility of all resident, said the agency carefully selected the ambassadors to cement the already, existing cordial relationship between the agency and the residents of Lagos. Read more
COVID-19: Cash-strapped tenants face ejection (Guardian)
There are strong indications that next year might not be rosy for many tenants in Nigeria, as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic begins to manifest economically, possibly resulting in a strained relationship between landlords and tenants due to the inability of some tenants to renew their rents promptly upon expiration.
The case of one Amos Ibeh is a pointer to what could be in the offing for some tenants. But for his university contemporaries who rallied to raise the sum of N350, 000 for the rent renewal, Ibeh, whose income was adversely affected by COVID-19 lockdown, would have been thrown out of his two-bedroom apartment in Lagos last month. Read more
Nigeria becoming a failed state, divided under Buhari – Obasanjo (Punch)
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says Nigeria is slowly becoming a failed state and a basket case that urgently needs to be pulled from the brink of collapse.
He said this in Abuja on Thursday while delivering a speech titled, ‘Moving Nigeria Away from Tipping Over’ at a consultative dialogue attended by various socio-cultural groups including Afenifere, Middle Belt Forum, Northern Elders Forum, Ohanaeze Ndi Igbo and Pan Niger Delta Forum.
Obasanjo, who played an active role in the Nigerian Civil War, said he had never seen Nigeria so divided, adding that many of the problems plaguing the country today were due to the recent mismanagement of Nigeria’s diversity. Read more
Nigeria is not working, Bishop warns (Guardian)
The Anglican Bishop of Nnewi Diocese, Rt. Revd. Ndubuisi Obi, has said that Nigeria, as presently constituted, is not working.
The bishop, who pointed this out in his maiden presidential charge during the 2020 Synod of the Nnewi Diocese of the Anglican Communion, yesterday, noted: “The common people are suffering, there is abject poverty in the land, despite our touted oil revenue. This is the most unacceptable.
“Nigeria is only working for those who are benefitting from it; it is working for the elite.”
Speaking on the way out of the woods for the country, the bishop called for restructuring as the way to go, noting that it would stem the tide of persistent wanton killing of Christians in parts of Nigeria and also stop other atrocities that have befallen the country. Read more
Kaduna: Religious leaders caution against castration for rapists (Vanguard)
As the Kaduna State House of Assembly (KSHA), has approved castration as punishment for anybody convicted for rape in the state, the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Kaduna, Rev, John Joseph Hayab has said that castration as punishment for such crime might present humans as barbaric.
Similarly, Kaduna based Islamic scholar, Sheihk Haliru Maraya said the religion of Islam does not prescribe castration as punishment for rape.
According to Rev. Hayab,”the evil rapist are doing is inhuman and condemnable by all reasonable human beings. The punishment of castration may make us also present ourselves as barbaric. Nigeria and Kaduna state are part of a global family where a certain way of punishments are considered to be against human dignity, though the crime of rape is serious our approach to discipline and correction should be with good understanding.” Read more
FG, Labour for crucial meeting over increases in petrol, electricity tariffs (Thisday)
The federal government has agreed to meet with members of the organised labour next Tuesday as a fallout of the recent hike in the pump price of petrol and electricity tariff and the general state of the economy.
Speaking with reporters after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, said the government would show its entire records of finance to the organised labour.
He said the government would also explain its challenges to the labour bodies and listen to their grievances. Read more
Several killed in suicide bombing outside mosque in Somalia (Aljazeera)
At least six people have been killed in a suicide bombing outside a mosque in the Somalian port city of Kismayo, according to a regional official.
“A suicide bomber wearing a heavy vest of explosives targeted the Muslim congregation at the Qaadim mosque in the centre of the town as people were leaving the mosque after performing Friday prayers,” Abdinasir Gulled told the dpa news agency.
Another 20 people were injured in the attack, which may have been aimed at a provincial politician, Gulled said.
Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack on their Radio Andalus. Read more
Afghanistan war: ‘Historic’ peace talks with Taliban set to begin (BBC)
The first peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban are due to begin in the Gulf state of Qatar on Saturday, after months of delay.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the meeting “historic” as he flew to Doha for the opening ceremony.
The talks were due to start after a US-Taliban security deal in February.
But disagreements over a controversial prisoner swap stalled the next stage, as did violence in Afghanistan, where four decades of war are at a stalemate. Read more
Israel, Bahrain agree to establish full diplomatic ties (Aljazeera)
Bahrain and Israel have agreed to establish full diplomatic relations, US President Donald Trump announced on Friday, hailing the deal as “a historic breakthrough”.
In a joint statement, the United States, Bahrain and Israel said the agreement was reached after Trump spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Friday.
“This is a historic breakthrough to further peace in the Middle East,” the statement read. Read more
Sir David Attenborough makes stark warning about species extinction (BBC)
Sir David Attenborough returns to our screens this weekend with a landmark new production.
The tone of the programme is very different from his usual work.
For once Britain’s favourite naturalist is not here to celebrate the incredible diversity of life on Earth but to issue us all with a stark warning.
The one-hour film, Extinction: The Facts, will be broadcast on BBC One in the UK on Sunday 13 September at 20:00 BST.
“We are facing a crisis”, he warns at the start, “and one that has consequences for us all.” Read more
‘Heinous, barbaric’: Pakistan highway rape sparks outrage (Aljazeera)
Police in Pakistan have arrested 15 people believed to be linked to the rape of a woman on a major highway, an incident that has attracted national outcry with demands for greater justice for victims of sexual violence.
The woman was attacked when her car broke down in the early hours of Thursday while she was driving from the city of Lahore, capital of Punjab province, to Gujranwala with her children.
Unidentified assailants attacked her as she stopped her vehicle, smashing her car window before raping her in a nearby field and robbing her of cash and jewellery.
Local media reported that her children were made to watch. Read more
Apple loosens some of its in-app payment rules amid controversy (NYPost)
Apple loosens some of its in-app payment rules amid controversy
picture alliance via Getty Images
Apple on Friday published a revision of some of its App Store review guidelines, loosening some restrictions on streaming game services, online classes and when developers must use its in-app purchase system, which charges a 30 per cent commission.
The company made the changes after criticism from developers over its App Store practices and after rivals such as Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google declined to launch their streaming game platforms on the iPhone because of Apple’s rules. Read more
“Wonder Woman 1984” pushed back for the fifth time for Christmas release (Metro)
Film fans hoping to see Wonder Woman 1984 will have even longer to wait as the movie’s release date has been pushed back for the fifth time.
The movie, which was due to be released in October, has now been moved back to December, with Deadline reporting that it will drop on Christmas Day.
Wonder Woman 1984, starring Gal Gadot, had been pegged for release on October 2, but the site reports that it has now been moved to one week after Dune is released – which is dropping on December 18.
The film had initially been scheduled for release on December 13, 2019, before being moved forward a month to November 1, 2019. Read more
Injured Aribo out of Eagles friendlies (Punch)
Glasgow Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo is a major doubt for Super Eagles’ international friendlies against Ivory Coast and Tunisia next month, after he suffered a setback during his recovery, Saturday PUNCH reports.
Aribo has made four appearances for the Eagles and scored twice since he made his debut for the Eagles in a friendly against Ukraine a year ago.
The 24-year-old has been out of action since he scored his first goal of the season in Rangers’ victory over St. Johnstone, before he picked up a calf injury in the encounter.
Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard, confirmed the Nigerian would be out of action for an extended period during a press conference on Friday. Read more
US Open 2020: Alexander Zverev beats Pablo Carreno Busta to reach men’s final (BBC)
Germany’s Alexander Zverev reached his first Grand Slam final in the most difficult manner after fighting back to beat Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in a tense US Open five-setter.
Fifth seed Zverev, 23, looked lost as Carreno Busta played smartly and precisely to race into a two-set lead.
But Zverev showed incredible resolve to turn the match around and win 3-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 6-3 against the 20th seed.
Zverev will play Dominic Thiem or Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final. Read more
Giants-Padres game postponed after positive coronavirus test (NYPost)
The game between San Francisco and the San Diego Padres was postponed minutes before the scheduled first pitch Friday night after someone in the Giants organization tested positive for COVID-19.
Saturday night’s game at Petco Park also was called off. The teams were scheduled to play through Sunday.
This was the first postponement due to COVID-19 for both teams. There have been 45 major league games postponed this season because of coronavirus concerns. Read more
Tour de France: Primoz Roglic extends lead as Daniel Martinez wins stage 13 (BBC)
Primoz Roglic extended his lead in the yellow jersey on the Tour de France after Daniel Martinez claimed a superb win on stage 13.
Roglic and fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogacar dropped all of their rivals on a gruelling final climb to Puy Mary.
Defending champion Egan Bernal slipped to third overall, with Roglic now leading Pogacar by 44 seconds.
EF Pro Cycling’s Martinez punched clear of Lennard Kamna in the final metres to take his first Tour stage victory. Read more
Premier League target Alcantara reports for Bayern training (Guardian)
Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who has been linked to Liverpool and Manchester United, took part in Bayern Munich’s first full training session on Friday in preparation for the new season.
With a year left on his contract, the 29-year-old has stalled over signing an extension with the Champions League winners having been linked to the two Premier League sides.
Club bosses say the central midfielder has told them he wants a “fresh challenge” after seven years in Munich.
However, last weekend Alcantara stated “I have never said I want to leave”. Read more
Arteta impressed by new signing’s ambition to win (Vanguard)
Mikel Arteta believes Willian is the player who can drive Arsenal towards a push for more silverware and a top-four finish.
Willian, 32, signed a three-year deal with Arsenal in August after leaving Chelsea as a free agent.
The playmaker – who joined Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013 – scored 37 goals and provided 33 assists in 234 Premier League appearances for the Blues. Read more