I scratched my body to be sure I wasn’t dead, says corper mistaken for Precious Owolabi (Punch)
Chijioke Oraeki, a National Youth Service Corps member, whose photo was published as that of the late Precious Owolabi, the corper who died as a result of injuries sustained during the Police-Shi’ites clash in Abuja, has revealed his experience after the mix-up. Oraeki, who is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and currently serving in Ogun State said that he would sometimes scratch and rub himself in the middle of the night just to be sure that he was still alive and not dead as published and broadcast. In an exclusive chat with The PUNCH, Oraeki said, “I had nights I would rub and scratch my body to affirm to myself I’m not actually dead.” Read more
Shiites’ll continue with protests, says El-Zakzaky’s daughter (Nation)
Daughter of Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), Suhaila Zakzaky has insisted the group will continue its protests till her father is released. Suhaila said this in a video published on Facebook. President of the IMN media forum had on Wednesday announced that the protests have been suspended. However, reacting to the statement, Suhaila said: “Even as I speak right now, earlier today, there was a protest in Abuja and there will be tomorrow, and there will continue to be on every weekday. Read more
WAEC to acquire magic scanners for document authentication (Punch)
The West African Examinations Council says it is set to acquire three technological devices known as Magic Scanners PS 1000 for authentication of documents and responses. The council’s Head of National Office, Mr Olu Adenipekun, made the disclosure on Thursday in Lagos State at a news conference to announce WAEC’s hosting of the 37th annual conference of the Association for Educational Assessment in Africa. Read more
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: LASG allays fears of motorists on planned closure (Nation)
The Lagos State Government has allayed the fears of motorists over the planned four-month repair works on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The government said adequate measures are in place to effectively manage the impending traffic. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Taiwo Olufemi Salaam, who disclosed this at Ikeja, on Thursday said in the project brief made available to the State Government, the repair works will narrow both Lagos and Sagamu bound traffic into two lanes on both carriageways respectively and is planned for two months each for inward and outward traffic from the State. Read more
314 of 4,725 worship places renew wedding licences —Official (Punch)
The Federal Ministry of Interior says only 314 places of worship in Nigeria have renewed their licences to conduct statutory marriages, out of about 4,725 that have updated their records with the ministry. The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mrs. Georgina Ehuriah, made this known at the Stakeholders’ Conference on Conduct of Statutory Marriage held at the Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos. Ehuriah said the conference was meant to harmonise all marriages conducted in Nigeria in line with the Marriage Act. Read more
Atiku demands probe of alleged secret burial of over 1, 000 soldiers (Nation)
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for a judicial inquiry into the alleged secret burial of over 1000 Nigerian soldiers killed by insurgents in northeastern Nigeria, particularly in Borno State. The United States- based Wall Street Journal had reported the alleged secret burial in its latest edition, a development that has stirred controversy within and outside the country. The Journal reported that the dead soldiers were being buried in the night in unmarked graves in farmlands to hide the huge casualty figures being recorded in the war against terror. Read more
No secret graveyards in North East—Defence HQ (Punch)
The Defence Headquarters on Thursday denied the existence of secret graveyards in the North East. This was revealed in a statement issued via its verified Twitter handle, where it countered the claim of the Wall Street Journal that the Nigerian Military had secret graveyards in the North East theatre of operation. In the statement signed by Director, Defence Information, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, the Defence HQ said the Armed Forces doesn’t engage in secret burials for its fallen heroes. Read more
Dozens killed in Nigeria fighting between army, jihadists (Guardian)
Fierce clashes between a regional force and IS-affiliated fighters in northeast Nigeria left 25 soldiers and at least 40 jihadists dead, two military sources and a militia leader said Thursday. Fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group launched a dawn attack on Monday against a base near the town of Baga on Lake Chad, setting off fierce gun battles that killed 20 Nigerian and five Chadian troops, the sources said. Read more
Takeover of varsity further attack on my achievements- Okorocha (Nation)
Immediate past Imo Governor Rochas Okorocha has described the takeover and conversion of the Eastern Palm University to a campus of the Imo State University (IMSU) by the State Government as another ploy to destroy all his landmark achievements. The former governor insisted the action further exposes the sinister plot against him and his family by the State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha. Read more
FAAN official allegedly steals pilgrim’s BTA (Punch)
A female staff member of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (name withheld) has been arrested at the Yola Airport for allegedly stealing $600 belonging to a female pilgrim, Hafsat Mohammed. The development was confirmed to News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Yola by the spokesman of Adamawa Police Command, DSP Suleiman Yahaya. Yahaya said that the FAAN official, who was on duty during screening, discovered pepper in Mohammed’s bag, which she allegedly threatened to seize if the traveller didn’t offer her a bribe. Read more
NRC suspends train service to Ijoko, Lagos Station (Nation)
The Lagos District, Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), on Thursday announced the termination of the Mass Transit Train Service (MTTS) at Agbado Station due to ongoing construction of a standard guage. District Public Relations Officer (DPRO), Mrs. Khadijah Aroyewum-Adekomaiya, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos. The MTTS service from Apapa/Iddo Stations in Lagos State is always terminated at ljoko/Kajola Station as against Agbado Station. Read more
Buhari seeks peaceful Libya for Africa’s benefit (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said that a peaceful Libya will help the overall development of Africa a great deal. He made the remark while receiving Letters of Credence from the Ambassador of Libya, Ayad Musbah Faraj Attayary, at the State House, Abuja. President Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Chief Femi Adesina, said that early restoration of peace and stability in the country will greatly minimise the current state of insecurity experienced in some parts of Africa. Read more
400L UI student slumps, dies (Nation)
Victor Ajidagba, a 400 Level student of the Department of Nursing, University of Ibadan, was on Wednesday confirmed dead after slumping while walking through the department of Physiology around 5:30 pm. Although he was said to have been rushed to the Institution’s clinic, Jaja, by two other students who saw him fell, he was confirmed dead later in the evening, despite being placed on emergency by medical personnel on duty. Read more
Rwanda reopens DR Congo border amid Ebola crisis (BBC)
Rwanda has reopened its border with DR Congo, where an Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,800 people in the past year. The border was closed for several hours after the confirmation of a third case of Ebola in the Congolese city of Goma, where two people have already died. At least 2,700 people have been infected in the worst Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. Read more
Kenyan survivors: Cancer is ‘national disaster’ (BBC)
Cancer patients and carers are calling on Kenya’s government to declare the illness a “national disaster” and provide extra funds. Protesters took to the streets of the capital, Nairobi, in matching T-shirts that read Act on Cancer Today. They say long delays caused by a lack of accessible and affordable treatment mean many patients’ conditions worsen. Three recent high-profile deaths drew attention to cancer in Kenya which has 35 oncologists for 40 million people. Read more
Two migrants found dead in Bosnia, one crushed by train —Police (Punch)
Two men believed to be migrants were found dead, including one who was hit by a train, in northwest Bosnia where thousands of migrants have been massing near the EU border, police said Thursday. Since 2018 Bosnia has become a key transit country on a route funnelling migrants towards Western Europe. “A person was hit by a train last night in Bihac and another person’s body was found Wednesday in a house under construction in Velika Kladusa,” Ale Siljdedic, a regional police spokesman, told AFP. Read more
Yemen war: Houthi missile attack on military parade kills 32 (BBC)
At least 32 people have been killed in an attack by the rebel Houthi movement on a military parade in Yemen. The parade in the southern port city of Aden was targeted by missiles and an armed drone, a Houthi-run TV channel says. Aden is the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. Earlier, 10 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a police station in the city. It is not clear if the two attacks are linked. Read more
Girl, 9, loses ‘half her skull’ after falling out of tree and landing on steel spike (Metro)
A nine-year-old girl lost ‘half of her skull’ after she fell out of a tree and impaled the side of her head on a reinforced steel pole. Shaylyn Bergenson’s parents said she was playing in their backyard in Rexburg, Idaho on Monday when she fell from the tree and punctured the left side of her brain. She was flown to a children’s hospital for an emergency surgery, which she survived – despite the fifty percent odds that she would not. Read more
Bank of England cuts UK growth forecast (BBC)
The Bank of England has cut its forecasts for UK growth over the next two years. It also warned that a no-deal Brexit would hit the economy and trigger a further drop in the value of the pound. The Bank left interest rates unchanged at 0.75% against a backdrop of weaker global growth and ongoing trade tensions between the US and China. It said the UK economy was expected to grow by 1.3% this year, down from a previous projection of 1.5% in May. Read more
Taiwan president slams Beijing’s solo tourists ban (Guardian)
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen Thursday criticised Beijing for making “a big strategic mistake” by halting individual travel to the island while her government relaxed rules on Chinese visits in a rebuke to the mainland. Relations between Beijing and Taipei have plummeted since Tsai of the Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2016 because her party refuses to recognise the idea that Taiwan is part of “one China”. Read more
Whaley Bridge dam collapse: Town evacuated over Toddbrook Reservoir fears (BBC)
Thousands of people are being evacuated from a town because part of a reservoir wall has collapsed in floods. The Toddbrook Reservoir dam, above Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, was damaged in heavy rains. Police have told the town’s 6,500 residents to gather at a local school, taking pets and medication with them. A severe flood warning, which means there is a threat to life, has been issued for the River Goyt, below the reservoir. Read more
Russian actor Smolev jailed for drunk policeman comic video (BBC)
An actor at a leading Moscow theatre has been sentenced to eight days in jail for acting as a drunken traffic policeman in an amateur comedy video. Dmitry Smolev was found guilty of bringing Russian police into disrepute and illegally wearing a police uniform. He has been performing a major role in the current production of Dyuma at the Sovremennik Theatre. In the 12-second clip Smolev wobbles and smokes a cigarette. A blogger posted it on the social network TikTok. Read more
Packed lunches not a right in Italian schools, court rules (BBC)
Parents have reacted angrily to a decision by Italy’s top court which states that the right to eat packed lunches in schools is not “unconditional.” Italy’s Supreme Court said schools should have the autonomy to decide if children are allowed to eat packed lunches on school grounds. A lower court previously ruled in favour of a group of Turin parents who wanted to opt out of school meals. Parents say school meals are costly. Read more
Nigeria youngster Osimhen makes Lille switch (Guardian)
Nigeria international forward Victor Osimhen has joined Lille from Belgian side Charleroi on a five-year deal, the French club announced Thursday. Osimhen, 20, was part of the Nigeria squad that finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations and scored 20 goals in 36 appearances for Charleroi last season. “We are delighted to have signed him. He’s a young forward with remarkable physical attributes. He’s very strong and powerful and has the great scoring ability,” said Lille managing director Marc Ingla. Read more
Nicolas Pepe: Arsenal sign Lille winger for club record fee (BBC)
Arsenal have signed Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille for a club record fee of £72m. The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract at Emirates Stadium after having a medical on Tuesday. Pepe scored 35 goals in 74 Ligue 1 appearances for Lille, who he joined from Angers in 2017. “Nicolas is a highly rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe,” said Gunners boss Unai Emery. Read more
Nicolas Pepe itching to play with Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after completing Arsenal transfer (Metro)
Arsenal new boy Nicolas Pepe has revealed that Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were the players who ‘sprang to mind’ when he knew he was joining the club. Pepe, 24, has completed a £72million move from Lille to Arsenal to become Unai Emery’s fourth signing of the summer window following deals for Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Dani Ceballos. Read more
Frank Lampard trims squad by sanctioning departure of two Chelsea youngsters (Metro)
Chelsea fans hoping to see pre-season star Dujon Sterling play an active part in Frank Lampard’s team will be sorely disappointed after the club today confirmed his season-long loan move. Sterling made his Chelsea debut two years ago in the EFL Cup but then became one of the army of Blues youngsters out on loan, spending last season at Coventry in League One. Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer name-checks David De Gea and teases captaincy reveal (Metro)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims he is close to an announcement on his Manchester United captain for next season. United veteran Antonio Valencia replaced Michael Carrick as club captain last season but only made nine appearances in all competitions and it was Ashley Young who wore the armband more often than not. Read more
Bayern coach Kovac apologises to Guardiola over Sane pursuit (Guardian)
Bayern Munich coach Nico Kovac admitted Wednesday that he had telephoned Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to apologise over his public pursuit of the English club’s German striker Leroy Sane. Kovac had said he was confident a deal could be done for the 23-year-old, comments which his own president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge condemned as “not helpful in the negotiations”. Read more
Newcastle star Sean Longstaff responds to Manchester United transfer links (Metro)
Sean Longstaff admits it is flattering to be linked with Manchester United but says his focus is purely on Newcastle United and the new season. English midfielder Longstaff played eight Premier League games for Newcastle last term before his season was ended due to injury. Despite his limited experience, the 21-year-old has emerged as a key target for Manchester United this summer, with the Red Devils ready to spend around £25million to secure a deal. Read more