FG issues flood alerts to 15 northern states (Leadership)
The Federal Government has issued flood alerts to 15 out of the 19 Northern states. The Federal Ministry of Environment, which issued the warning on behalf of the federal government, warned that proactive measures must be taken in the communities that could be affected.
The Ministry of Environment circular said that following its forecasts of heavy rainfall in the states, there might be flooding between August 10 and August 14, 2025.
The ministry, which gave the warning through its National Flood Early Warning (FEW) Centre, in a circular signed by its Director, Erosion, Flood and Coastal Zone Management Department, Malam Usman Abdullahi Bokani, yesterday in Abuja, also predicted that high-risk states included Adamawa, Bauchi, Nasarawa, as well as Kaduna, Katsina and Kebbi. Read more
AON places ‘no fly’ life ban on Ibom Air passenger Emmanson for unruly behaviour (Sun)
The Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has placed a life ban on Comfort Emmanson from flying any of its member airlines both domestically and internationally.
Reacting to an incident where a passenger who was later identified as Ms Emmanson was seen onboard Ibom Air assaulting crew members, AON’s spokesperson, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, said in a statement on Monday that not all its members have resolved that the lady would no longer fly with any of the airlines and that this decision is indefinite.
AON said: “We condemn the violent incident involving Ms. Comfort Emmanson, a passenger on Ibom Air flight Q9 303 from Uyo to Lagos on August 10, 2025. Read more
Suspected herdsmen kill 3 in Benue community (Punch)
Residents of Yelwata, Benue State on Monday blocked the federal highway from Makurdi to Abuja, protesting the killing of three people.
PUNCH Online learnt that suspected armed herders were reported to have invaded the community as early as 7am and shot three people dead and three others injured.
The residents were said to have blocked the federal highway with the corpses, preventing the movement of vehicles. Read more
Customs seize N10bn worth of contraband, arms, drugs at Lagos Port (Nation)
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 16 containers loaded with prohibited items, including firearms, ammunition, military gear, and fake drugs, worth N10 billion at the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa.
Speaking to journalists in Lagos yesterday, Comptroller General Adewale Adeniyi said the seizures included two pump-action rifles, 25 cartridges of ammunition, and 202 cans of Colorado Loud, a Canadian strain of cannabis, concealed inside a 40-foot container numbered MRSU6407089.
The container, he revealed, was consigned to Mr. Babatunde Ogidiolu of a Lagos address. Read more
Cocoa export hits N1.2t, accounts for 29% agric export — Presidency (Tribune)
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Agribusiness and Productivity Enhancement, Dr Kingsley Uzoma, has said that Nigeria witnessed a significant increase in cocoa exports in the last quarter of 2024.
This comes as stakeholders in Nigeria’s cocoa industry pledged to accelerate efforts to meet the European Union’s December 2025 deadline for compliance with its deforestation-free regulation (EUDR), in a bid to safeguard the nation’s lucrative cocoa exports and strengthen sustainable agricultural practices.
Speaking at the Nigeria-EU Cocoa Roundtable on EUDR Compliance in Abuja, Dr Uzoma described cocoa as a strategic lever in Nigeria’s economic diversification agenda. Read more
Court remands 5 over Owo church massacre, sets trial for August 19 (Guardian)
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of five men accused of carrying out the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left more than 40 people dead and over 100 injured.
Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order on Monday after the suspects—Idris Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; Abdulhaleem Idris, 25; and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47—pleaded not guilty to nine terrorism-related charges filed by the federal government.
The charges, brought on 23 July by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions in the Federal Ministry of Justice, allege that the defendants were members of the Al Shabab terrorist group, operated a cell in Kogi State, and planned the Owo church attack during meetings held in Kogi and Ondo between 30 May and 4 June 2022. Read more
Akpabio hale and hearty in London – Gbenga Daniel (Vanguard)
Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Gbenga Daniel, APC, Ogun East, has described as untrue, a media report alleging that the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has been hospitalised in an unnamed hospital in London.
Daniels disclosed that he had a stopover in London to inform the Senate President on his planned return to Nigeria to partake in the August 16th bye-election to fill the vacant seat of the Ikenne/ Sagamu/ Remo North Federal Constituency of Ogun State, which was declared vacant following the death of former Deputy Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon Adewumi Onanuga.
The former Governor of Ogun State said, ” I am here to formally inform you, Mr Senate President, that I will be returning to Nigeria to partake in the August 16th bye-elections into the Ikenne/Sagamu/ Remo North Federal Constituency, which was declared vacant after the death of late Hon Onanuga. Your Excellency, the news out there is that you have been indisposed, but seeing you here now paints a very different picture. Congratulations, Your Excellency.” Read more
Florence and the Machine tease new music in unsettling social media video (FarOut)
Florence and the Machine have teased the release of new music through a cryptic and unsettling video posted to social media.
The post, made on August 11th, showed Florence Welch furiously digging a hole in the ground. In the clip, Welch can be seen bizarrely sticking her head inside the hole and begins screaming.
No other details were given, but speculation has naturally increased that the band could be gearing back into life, three years after the release of their critically acclaimed previous record, Dance Fever, which was released in 2022. Read more
Jennifer Aniston makes rare comments about her divorce from Brad Pitt (People)
Jennifer Aniston is giving some rare insight into her divorce from Brad Pitt.
The Morning Show actress, 56, opens up about the time following her marriage to the F1 star in a newly published cover interview for the September issue of Vanity Fair. Notably, the story comes almost exactly 20 years after her September 2005 Vanity Fair article titled “The Unsinkable Jennifer Aniston,” which was her first interview following her breakup from Pitt, 61, after almost five years of marriage. Read more
Colombian Senator Miguel Uribe dies two months after being shot (BBC)
Colombian senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe has died two months after being shot in the head in a targeted attack which shocked the South American nation.
The 39-year-old was hit by three bullets – two of them in the head and one in the leg – at a campaign rally on 7 June in the capital, Bogotá.
His wife confirmed his death on social media, paying tribute to “the love of my life”. Read more
2 generals and more than 40 soldiers arrested over coup allegations in Mali (AfricaNews)
At least 45 Malian soldiers, including two generals, were arrested over the weekend for attempts to ”destabilise the institutions” in the Sahel country.
Among those arrested was General Abass Dembele, a former governor of the central Mopti region who is popular within army ranks.
Soldiers arrested Debele early Sunday morning on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako, without explaining the reasons for his apprehension, a source close to the General said. Read more
EU holds talks amid fear that Trump-Putin meeting will sideline Ukraine (AlJazeera)
European foreign ministers are holding emergency talks to discuss their next steps before a meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, as Europe fears Ukraine will be excluded and forced into unacceptable territorial compromises to end the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fourth year.
In a pre-US-Russia summit push aimed at consensus, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invited Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the NATO secretary general and several European leaders to a virtual meeting on Wednesday.
Trump later on Monday said that his meeting with Putin will be a “feel-out meeting” aimed at ending the war. “So I’m going in to speak to Vladimir Putin, and I’m going to be telling him, you’ve got to end this war. You’ve got to end it,” Trump told reporters. Trump also said a future meeting could include Zelenskyy. Read more
DOJ bid to unseal Ghislaine Maxwell grand jury transcripts suffers blow (Newsweek)
A federal judge has denied the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the indictment of Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted longtime associate of disgraced pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Newsweek has contacted the DOJ for comment.
The ruling is a blow for President Donald Trump and his administration, which came to power on a promise of full transparency over the Epstein case, fueled by a fervent belief among the MAGA movement of an establishment cover-up of the truth about his activities. Read more
Olise eyes Turkish title after new Trabzonspor deal (Punch)
Super Falcons midfielder Chioma Olise has set her sights on the Turkish women’s league title for next season after extending her contract with Trabzonspor, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The club announced a one-year contract extension for Olise on Wednesday after a successful debut season with them.
Olise joined Trabzonspor earlier this year from former Nigeria Women’s Football League champions Edo Queens, signing a one-and-a-half-year deal. Read more
Shooting Stars coach slumps, dies during training session (Sun)
Akin Olowokere, the new Assistant Coach of Shooting Stars Sports Club, Ibadan, Oyo State, has died.
Olowokere, who was one of the recently appointed coaches, reportedly breathed his last on Monday morning after he slumped during training.
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official report of the cause of death. Read more
Eagles fret over Taiwo, Ozoemena’s injury as Chelle plots Sudan’s fall (Guardian)
Super Eagles’ medical personnel are working around the clock to get injured goalkeeper Ani Ozoemena and left back, Abdulrafiu Taiwo, ready for tomorrow’s must-win game against Sudan at the ongoing African Nations Championship, held in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
Nigeria is playing in Group D of the championship, which is also housing Sudan, Senegal and Congo.The home-based Eagles lost their opening game of the competition 0-1 to defending champions, Senegal, at the Amaan Stadium, where they will meet Sudan in their second game tomorrow.
Last week’s defeat placed the Eagles at the bottom of Group D without a point, following the 1-1 draw between Congo and Sudan. And so, the Eagles must beat Sudan in tomorrow’s game to retain hopes of making the second round of the competition. But that dream is being threatened by injuries to two key players, who just resumed training yesterday. Read more
Japan boxing to hold emergency meeting following fighters’ deaths (AlJazeera)
Japanese boxing officials will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday as the sport in the country faces intense scrutiny following the deaths of two fighters in separate bouts at the same event.
Super featherweight Shigetoshi Kotari and lightweight Hiromasa Urakawa, both 28, fought on the same card at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall on August 2 and died days later following brain surgery.
The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), gym owners and other boxing officials are under pressure to act and will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday. Read more
Nascar driver breaks collarbone celebrating win (BBC)
Nascar Xfinity points leader Connor Zilisch has broken his collarbone after falling from his car while celebrating a win.
Zilisch, 19, had won his sixth race of the season in Nascar’s second tier at Watkins Glen and was climbing on to the roof of his car to celebrate.
He appeared to slip on the window net of his Chevrolet and fell on to the concrete in Victory Lane. Read more