Five inmates electrocuted, others injured in Ikoyi Correctional Centre (Nation)
At least five inmates were Monday morning killed and 10 others injured by a loose electric cable inside the Ikoyi Correctional Centre, Lagos.
It was gathered that those injured were being treated at an undisclosed hospital.
Although details of the incident were still sketchy at the time of this report, spokesman for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) in Lagos Rotimi Oladokun confirmed the incident.
He told The Nation that the Comptroller General of the NCoS Jaffaru Ahmed would brief the press at 4 pm on the incident. Read more
Four allegedly assault, detain Lagos policeman (Punch)
Three men –Olawashina, 36; Kola, 42; Adeyinka, 26, and a female, Toyin, 49, charged with allegedly assaulting and unlawfully detaining a policeman, were on Monday arraigned in Lagos.
The defendants appeared before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on four counts of conspiracy, breach of the peace, assault and obstructing police officer from performing his duty.
They, however, pleaded not guilty.
According to the Prosecutor, ASP Ezekiel Ayorinde, the defendants and others still at large committed the offences on November 18 at Ikeja. Read more
Court orders forfeiture of Saraki’s houses to FG (Nation)
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Monday ordered the forfeiture of two houses in Ilorin, Kwara State belonging to former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa gave the order citing section 17 of the advance fee fraud and other related offences act 14, 2006 and section 44(2)B of the 1999 Constitution.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), represented by its counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, had applied to the court requesting the temporary forfeiture of Saraki’s property. Read more
Lagos begins mass vaccination against schistosomiasis (Guardian)
Lagos State Government will today begin mass administration of medicines for the control of schistosomiasis ravaging seven councils of the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this at the weekend, listed Ikeja, Ifako-Ijaiye, Amuwo-Odofin, Oshodi-Isolo, Agege, Lagos Mainland and Alimosho as the affected councils.
Health workers will go round schools, homes and other important places to administer treatment on children between ages five and 14 from today till Sunday, December 8, he noted. Read more
Navy Captain Labinjo docked after 15 months in detention without trial (DailyTrust)
A Naval captain in the Nigerian Navy – Dada Labinjo, was this morning docked before the Federal High court, Lagos by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a year and three months after he was detained. Captain Labinjo had been in detention in the custody of the Nigerian Navy without trial since September, 2018. Read more
10,000 Nigerians killed in cult-related violence between 1996 to 2019 – NGO (Guardian)
No fewer than 10,000 people have been killed in cult-related violence within and outside school campuses between 1996 and 2019, according to Mr Ike Onyechere, Founding Chairman, Exams Ethic Marshall International (EEMI), an NGO.
Onyechere made this known in Abuja on Monday at a news conference on the imperatives for stamping out Campus Cultism, Exam Malpractices and Sex-For-Grade menace in the country.
Onyechere said that there was need to produce a new marshal plan of action for stamping out cultism and sex-for-grade tendencies, saying that the organisation would be hosting a National Consultative Conference of Education Leaders on combating campus cultism and sex-for-grade from 9 to 13 December, 2019. Read more
Lawmakers want FG to offset N400bn pensioners’ backlog (DailyTrust)
Senator Ibrahim Shekarau. Worried by the huge backlog of accrued rights for retired federal pensioners currently put at about N400bn under the contributory pension scheme, some legislators have told the federal government to prioritize the payment of the pension liabilities. Following this backlog, all federal government staff who retired as at December 2018 are yet to start receiving their pensions because the accrued rights components of the pension liabilities is also being owed. Senator Ibrahim Shekarau, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, raised the concern at a one-day retreat for the joint committee of establishment and public service of the Senate and the House of Representatives Committee on Pensions in Uyo on Monday. Read more
How sex fuels Boko Haram insurgency – Dr Mamud
FREE sex has been attributed as one of the key factors swelling the ranks of Boko Haram fighters, a researcher and Deputy Director at the National Defence College, NDC, Abuja, Dr Yusuf Abubakar Mahmud has said.
Dr Mamud also alleged that some religious preachers have contributed to violent extremism exhibited by the Boko Haram members through the indoctrination of the followers and false preaching and therefore advised the Federal Government to consider regulating public preaching by religious clerics.
He noted that the traditional way of using the military might in tackling violent extremism by the insurgents had not recorded much success and advised that the Federal Government should involve the families and religious leaders in tackling the menace of violent extremism in the country. Read more
China suspends US Navy visits to Hong Kong over support for protests (BBC)
China has suspended visits by US Navy ships and aircraft to Hong Kong after Washington passed legislation last week backing pro-democracy protesters.
Beijing also unveiled sanctions against a number of US human rights groups.
It comes after President Donald Trump signed the Human Rights and Democracy Act into law.
The act orders an annual review to check if Hong Kong has enough autonomy to justify special trading status with the US. Read more
Climate change: COP25 island nation in ‘fight to death’ (BBC)
The president of an island nation on the frontline of climate change says it is in a “fight to the death” after freak waves inundated the capital.
Powerful swells averaging 5m (16ft) washed across the capital of the Marshall Islands, Majuro, last week.
But President Hilda Heine said the Pacific nation had been fighting rising tides even before last week’s disaster.
Political leaders and climate diplomats are meeting in Madrid for two weeks of talks amid a growing sense of crisis. Read more
Ancelotti orders struggling Napoli’s players into training camp (Guardian)
Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti ordered his players on Monday into a training camp after their latest dismal defeat, risking further unrest at the troubled Serie A club.
Ancelotti’s side fell 2-1 at home to Bologna on Sunday, stretching their winless run in all competitions to eight and leaving them 17 points behind Inter Milan, and the 60-year-old has decided to crack down on his players.
“Carlo Ancelotti has decided that the team will stay together as part of a training camp between Wednesday and Saturday’s match away at Udinese,” Napoli said in a statement.
On Saturday, players’ union FIFPRO came out in support of Napoli’s players after a row broke out between the squad and owner Aurelio De Laurentiis amid a run that also has them eight points away from the Champions League places. Read more
African players in Europe: Iheanacho, Aubameyang shine in England (Punch)
Nigerian international Kelechi Iheanacho showed he knows how to make an impact as he came off the bench to drive Leicester to a victory that keeps them as Liverpool’s closest challengers in the Premier League.
Among other outstanding performances by Europe-based African players this weekend, Jeremie Boga opened the scoring for minnows Sassuolo and they went on to hold Serie A champions Juventus to a 2-2 draw in Turin.
ENGLAND
KELECHI IHEANACHO (Leicester)
Iheanacho had a massive impact on his first league outing of the season to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win for the Foxes over Everton.
The Nigerian came off the bench to set up Jamie Vardy’s equaliser before scoring himself for the first time in the Premier League since September 2018, deep into stoppage time.
Morocco wins 2019 African Blind Football Championship (DailyTrust)
Morocco has again emerged the champions of the just concluded 2019 African Blind Football Championship held in Enugu after defeating Mali 5-1 on Sunday. The North African nation has now qualified to represent Africa at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in Japan.
In the other results of the day, Ivory Coast humbled Nigeria 2-0 to clinch the third position. Read more
Swiss quiz PSG boss, ex-FIFA No.2 in bribery case (Guardian)
Paris Saint-Germain chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi and FIFA’s disgraced former secretary-general, Jerome Valcke, were being questioned Monday by Swiss prosecutors probing alleged corruption in the attribution of football broadcasting rights.
The Swiss attorney general’s office (OAG) described the interrogations as “final examination hearings” in the criminal investigations opened in March 2017.
Al-Khelaifi, who is also the boss of Qatari television channel BeIN Sports, is suspected of giving inappropriate gifts to Valcke — including rent-free access to a luxury property — in order to secure broadcast rights to prestigious events, including the World Cup. Read more
Rohr: no problem with NFF (Nation)
SUPER Eagles’ German coach Gernot Rohr is optimistic that the eagerly awaited scheduled meeting with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over a new contact package would end on a positive note.
Though his current contract with just over six months left of his present contract, the former Bordeaux coach said the January meeting would determine a lot of things.
“ Yes, there are so much speculations about my contract but you have to ask the NFF because they said they want to see me in January,” Rohr told NationSport at the weekend .“So, I’ll wait for them; no problem. Read more
F1 2019 highs & lows: Lewis Hamilton dominates – but what was best fight, best race, best lap? (BBC)
Lewis Hamilton won just over half the races this season on his way to a sixth F1 championship
Lewis Hamilton ended 2019 with a dominant victory in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, a fitting end to possibly the most impressive season of his career.
The Mercedes driver has won 11 races – just over half – and has had a lock on his sixth championship since the early summer. But the predictability of Hamilton’s confirmation as king of F1 yet again was a stark contrast from the often vivid and compelling on-track action of the individual races.
The impression given by the results that Mercedes have had everything their own way was belied by the reality of some intensely competitive action throughout the season, as new stars emerged, and fast-paced narratives aplenty kept interest high. Read more
Chukwueze ranks Eagles’ attack best in Africa (Nation)
NIGERIA, under Coach Gernot Rohr, boast of the finest attacking options on the continent at the moment, according to Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze.
The Super Eagles are currently ranked 31st in the world and third in Africa behind Senegal and Tunisia with Algeria, who defeated Nigeria at the semi-finals of the 2019 AFCON a further spot behind in fourth.
Despite Liverpool’s Sadio Mane spearheading the Teranga Lions’ attack and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez being the most celebrated of the Desert Warriors forwards, Samuel Chukwueze is convinced that Africa’s finest attack is Nigeria’s. Read more
Maguire frustrated over Manchester Utd defensive lapses (Punch)
Harry Maguire is frustrated that defensive lapses are costing Manchester United crucial points after they let slip a winning position for the second consecutive match against Aston Villa.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side was leading 2-1 midway through the second half at Old Trafford on Sunday before a Tyrone Mings equaliser forced them to share the points.
The 2-2 draw left United in ninth place in the Premier League with 18 points from 14 matches, their worst return at a similar stage since 1988/89. Read more
Anthony Joshua floors sparring partners, sends them home (Punch)
Ahead of his clash with Andy Ruiz, Anthony Joshua has reportedly floored his sparring partners and sent them home early.
Daily Mail reports that American heavyweight boxer, Timothy Moten, who has been in camp with Joshua for the past three months said this.
Moten is one of Joshua’s chief sparring partners ahead of the weekend’s showdown.
He said, “There have been guys here, I don’t want to say any names, but I’ve seen guys come into camp, get blown away and get sent home that same week. Read more
Another $150,000 scandal surfaces in the AFN (Guardian)
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) is enmeshed in another 150,000 dollars scandal as grant received from the World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) was unaccounted for.
The grant, according to a reliable source, was meant to assist the federation in the hosting of the 21st African Championships in Athletics held in Asaba in August 2018, but was unaccounted for.
The athletics body, AFN, had been embroiled in a grant over-payment scandal which was recently repaid to the World Athletics body by the Minister of Youth and Sports Development. Read more
NPFL: Delta Force shock Nasarawa United, Plateau United hold Pillars (Vanguard)
The Solid Miners were hoping to end their winless streak against the newcomers, however, they failed in that bid.
Solomon Enudi’s strike proved vital for the visitors as the Lafia-based team failed in their quest to come back in the second half.
Following their second home loss so far, they sit at the base of the Nigeria top-flight log with two points from six outings. Read more
