Five injured as rampaging cultists attack Lagos residents (Nation)
No fewer than five persons have sustained varying injuries after suspected cultists let loose at Idiroko and Owutu areas of Ikorodu. The hoodlums identified as Lion Base Boys of Dagbolu Street in Idiroko were said to have started making trouble since Monday. Trouble was said to have started after a young boy from Ajose street seized a phone belonging to another boy from Dagbolu who was beaten up. Read more
Sex toy shop assault: Why victim shunned Senate (Punch)
A shop attendant, Bibra Warmate, who was assaulted by Adamawa North lawmaker, Senator Elisha Abbo, refused to appear before the Senate ad hoc committee because the matter was already before a magistrate court, a spokesperson for Warmate has said. Reliable sources, however, told The PUNCH on Wednesday that negotiation for a possible out-of-court settlement had begun between the senator and the victim. The Chairman of Senate ad hoc committee set up to probe the incident, Senator Sam Egwu, had said earlier that both the owner of the shop and the victim refused to appear before the committee. Read more
Buhari to Herdsmen: ignore NEF’s unauthorised quit order (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined all Nigerians to ignore the recent call by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to Fulani herders, asking them to leave the southern part of Nigeria. According to a statement by the President’s spokesperson, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Wednesday, Buhari said all citizens of Nigeria are free to move and live within any part of the country they please, whether or not they are originally from there. “In line with our country’s constitution, the government of Nigeria and the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari will protect citizens of Nigeria wherever they find themselves. Read more
Lawan, Gbajabiamila meet Buhari again, assure Nigerians of adequate protection (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday met with the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, where issues of national interest were deliberated upon. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting held at the State House, Abuja, between the president and the two leaders of the National Assembly (NASS) came barely 24 hours after the assembly announced its plan to hold another security summit to tackle the nation’s security challenges. Read more
Buhari reiterates govt’s determination to stop importation of basic items (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Abuja reiterated the determination of his administration to stop importation of basic items to create job opportunities for unemployed citizens across the country. The President stated this when he received leadership of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) led by its acting President, Mr Taiwo Adeniyi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He also revealed that the Federal Government had put in place various measures and sustainable platform for businesses to succeed in the country. Read more
Absence of ministers won’t affect 2020 budget, says Senate President (Punch)
The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, has said that the absence of ministers will not affect the 2020 budget. He said budgets were usually prepared by civil servants and not ministers per se. Lawan spoke with State House Correspondents in Abuja after he held a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari. Read more
Insecurity: Oyo Assembly calls for more border surveillance (Nation)
The Speaker, Oyo House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin, has called for increased border surveillance to reduce the numbers of foreigners and migrants entering the country illegally. Ogundoyin said this on Wednesday while leading other lawmakers on courtesy visit to Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS), Oyo State Command, Saleh Abdullahi, at his Agodi office. He said with the spate of insecurity in the country, most of the high profile crimes are allegedly linked to foreigners. Read more
Buhari approves new official portrait (Punch)
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, approved a new portrait for public use. This was made known by Bashir Ahmad, his aide on New Media on his verified Twitter handle. He tweeted, “President @MBuhari has approved a new official portrait for display in all public offices, buildings and for other legitimate purposes. Read more
Reps pass proceeds of Crime Management Agency Bill through first reading (Nation)
The House of Representatives has passed the Proceeds of Crime Management Agency Bill through first reading. The Nation had exclusively reported on Monday that the bill will be presented this week. The initial confusion was if or not the PCMA should be a stand-alone agency with its own operational laws and funding, or to make the previous Bill un-assented by President Muhammadu Buhari an omnibus Proceeds of Crime law usable by all anti-graft agencies. Read more
Ruga: Abia to scrutinise land sales above five hectares —Attorney-General (Punch)
Abia State Government has said that it has introduced a policy directing relevant agencies to scrutinise and ascertain the purpose behind the sale of any portion land above five hectares in the state. Mr Uche Ihediwa, the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of the state, said this on Wednesday in Umuahia, while briefing newsmen on Abia government’s stance on land-use planning. He said with the policy, applications for Certificate-of-Occupancy for land above five hectares may be honoured or declined, depending on the purpose the land would be put into. Read more
House of Reps pledges justice, fairness in resolving Bauchi Assembly crisis (Punch)
The ad hoc committee set up by the Speaker House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, to wade into the Bauchi State House of Assembly leadership crisis has pledged to ensure justice and fairness in its report and recommendations. Chairman of the committee, Mr. Musa Sarki-Adar, stated this while briefing newsmen in Bauchi on Wednesday. He said the committee was constituted following a motion presented by a member on the need to wade into the leadership crisis rocking the Assembly and ascertain the true position. Read more
Kidnapped Zamfara director of budget released (Punch)
The finance commissioner for Zamfara state, who was kidnapped by gunmen in an ambush that killed his deputy, has been released along with one of his aides, a regional spokesman said Wednesday. The government “expressed happiness over the release of the state’s Director of Budget… and one other person who were kidnapped at gunpoint,” the Zamfara state spokesman Yusuf Idris said in a statement. Officials “commended the victims’ friends and all those that negotiated the release,” Idris said. Read more
We’ll only deploy officers who undergo forensic psychological test —NSCDC (Punch)
The Imo State Commandant of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Raji Ibrahim, has said that officers and men of the corps will be deployed to duties based on their psychological competence. This, he said on Wednesday at Owerri, during the opening ceremony of a three-day sensitization programme on forensic psychological test organised by that national headquarters of the corps. He said that the essence of the programme was to ensure that officers and men deployed to duties conduct their duties in the most civilised ways. Read more
Man attempts suicide over wife’s alleged infidelity (Punch)
A 37-year-old man, David Oladayo Sanyaolu, on Sunday attempted suicide in Ibadan, Oyo State, citing alleged infidelity on the part of his wife. Mr. Sanyaolu, who was rescued before he could carry out his plan, has since been discharged from the military hospital where he was taken to before his case could get out of hand. His younger brother, Mr. Gideon Sanyaolu, made this known to The PUNCH. He said the older Sanyaolu was discharged from the hospital on Monday evening and was being cared for by their father and another brother. Read more
Boeing crash father gives harrowing testimony (BBC)
A father who lost his whole family in the March Boeing crash, said he misses them “every minute of every day”. Paul Njoroge said he has “nightmares about how (his children) must have clung to their mother crying” during the doomed flight. The Canadian’s wife, three children and mother-in-law were on the Boeing 737 Max that crashed after take-off. Read more
DR Congo Ebola outbreak declared global health emergency (BBC)
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo a “public health emergency of international concern”. The move may encourage wealthy donor countries to provide more cash. But the WHO stopped short of saying borders should be closed, saying the risk of the disease spreading outside the region was not high. Read more
May warns against ‘absolutist’ politics of ‘winners and losers’ (BBC)
Theresa May has said the growth of an “uncompromising absolutism” in UK and global politics risks poisoning debate and undermining democratic values. In her last major speech as PM, she said it was leading to a political culture based on “winners and losers”. If “ill words” went unchallenged, it could lead to “ill deeds” later on. She admitted her own language had not always been “perfect” and she had been wrong to say EU nationals were “jumping the queue” in a speech in 2018. Read more
Trump hails arrest in Pakistan of alleged Mumbai attacks mastermind (Guardian)
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday hailed the arrest in Pakistan of the firebrand cleric believed to be the mastermind of the deadly 2008 Mumbai attacks, who had been declared a global terrorist by Washington. Hafiz Saeed who had a $10 million US bounty on his head — was taken into custody earlier in the day following a raid by counter-terrorism forces in the eastern Pakistani city of Gujranwala. “After a ten-year search, the so-called ‘mastermind’ of the Mumbai terror attacks has been arrested in Pakistan. Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him!” Trump tweeted. Read more
U.S. accuses Russia of rejecting diplomatic school teachers’ visa application (Punch)
The U.S. on Wednesday accused Russia of denying visas for teachers at a school for diplomats’ children in Moscow, in the latest fray in relations between the countries. “Children should not be used as pawns in diplomatic disputes,” U.S. Ambassador, Jon Huntsman, said in a statement. The Anglo-American School is a combined venture of the U.S., British and Canadian embassies, with about 1,100 students from dozens of countries, including Russia. Read more
US removes Turkey from F-35 fighter jet programme (BBC)
The US says it is removing Turkey from its F-35 fighter jets programme, after Ankara received the first parts of a Russian missile defence system. The US says the “F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities”. Russia began delivering its advanced S-400 system to Turkey last week. Turkey and the US are key Nato allies – but Ankara has also been establishing closer links with Russia. Read more
NATO names first deputy chief from former eastern bloc (Guardian)
NATO on Wednesday named a Romanian ex-minister as its new deputy chief, the first official from the former Soviet-dominated Eastern bloc to rise to such a position in the alliance. Mircea Geoana will take over as deputy secretary-general, the number two to Jens Stoltenberg, in October. He replaces Rose Gottemoeller of the United States. While the role is less prominent and influential than the secretary-general, appointing an official from a country which once faced off against NATO through the Iron Curtain is something of a landmark for the alliance. Read more
Twelve arrested over ‘rape of British woman in Ayia Napa’ (Metro)
Twelve people have been arrested over the alleged rape of a British woman, 19, in Ayia Napa. All of those detained at the resort in Cyprus are Israeli, police said. According to the Times of Israel, the woman claims she was gang-raped. Those arrested are teenagers, the paper claimed. Read more
Battle of Waterloo: Excavation unearths amputated limbs (BBC)
Human leg bones have been unearthed in the first excavation of the main allied field hospital used in the 1815 Battle of Waterloo. Experts believe they are the remains of limbs amputated by medics at the former Mont-St-Jean field hospital in Belgium. Archaeologists and veterans also found musket balls and a cannon ball, which shed new light on the famous battle. Read more
Marvel writer tips Taron Egerton to be next Wolverine (Metro)
With a pretty solid Marvel writer in the form of Mark Millar claiming Taron Egerton will be the next Wolverine, people have been responding to the idea of the Rocketman actor taking over from Hugh Jackman. He’s got the charm, he’s go the charisma, we know he’s got the singing talent – but can he take on the layered and often-misunderstood X man? Fans of the beloved franchise are sceptical as they debated who could take on the iconic character now the X-Men can be brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Read more
AFCON 2019: Nigeria beat Tunisia, win bronze (Punch)
Odion Ighalo boosted his chances of winning the Golden Boot at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday after he netted Nigeria’s winner to ensure his side third place in the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Tunisia. The 30-year-old Shanghai Shenhua forward struck the only goal of the match just 130 seconds after the kick-off before a small crowd at the Al Salam Stadium in Cairo. Ighalo pounced from close range when Jamilu Collins’ cross led to a mix-up between Tunisia goalkeeper Moez Ben Cherifia and defender Yassine Meriah. Read more
Guardiola warns Sane amid Bayern link (Guardian)
Coach Pep Guardiola warned Leroy Sane on Wednesday that he only wants to keep players at Manchester City who are happy at the club as Bayern Munich lurk for the exciting winger. City have offered Sane a new contract, but Guardiola cast fresh doubt on the German international’s future after his side thumped West Ham 4-1 in the Premier League Asia Trophy in Chinese city Nanjing. “We want people to be happy to be here (at City). If he wants to stay we will be more than delighted and we are going to help him and everyone is going to help him,” said Guardiola. Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explains plans for Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in Man Utd front three (Metro)
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is planning to use a very fluid front three in the forthcoming season, not letting any of his forwards stick to just one position. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daniel James all look set to play big roles for United this season and Solskjaer believes all three can occupy any position in his frontline. Read more
Atletico Madrid sign England defender Trippier from Tottenham (Punch)
England right-back Kieran Trippier has joined Atletico Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur, the Spanish club said on Wednesday. Atletico said on their website they had signed a “fantastic and experienced player from the Champions League runner up” and added Trippier had agreed a three-year deal. Spanish and British media said Atletico were paying Spurs a fee of 22 million euros ($24.7 million). Read more
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp unsure Sadio Mane will be fit for the start of the season (Metro)
Sadio Mane may not be fit for the start of Liverpool’s season due to his Africa Cup of Nations commitments, suggests Jurgen Klopp. The Senegalese star is representing his country at the tournament in Egypt and has helped his team into the final, where they will take on Algeria on Friday in Cairo. With the majority of the Reds squad already back in pre-season training and on their pre-season tour of America, Mane is some way behind his team-mates in terms of close season preparation. Read more
Liverpool’s Andy Robertson provides injury update after picking up hand infection (Metro)
Andy Robertson believes he is fit enough to play in Liverpool’s friendly against Borussia Dortmund on Friday after recovering from an unusual hand injury. The left-back suffered a hand infection serious enough that he had to be anesthetised for it to be dealt with, which the Scot described as ‘stressful’. However, the 25-year-old has travelled with the rest of the Reds squad to America for their pre-season tour of the States which begins with a clash with Dortmund on Friday at Notre Dame Stadium, Indiana. Read more