‘I thought I was patriotic,’ PhD graduate regrets leaving UK to earn N250k in Nigeria (Vanguard)
A PhD holder, Usman Isyaku who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom (UK) out of patriotism has shared his regret with the experience, describing his decision as “foolish.”
Isyaku expressed regret after comparing his salary in Nigeria to the allowance he earned while studying abroad.
The academic, who had been receiving a monthly stipend of £1,550 (equivalent to N3.4 million) as a PhD student in the UK, accepted a job in Nigeria that paid N250,000 per month. Read more
EFCC Vs. Yahaya Bello: Court adjourns to January 21 for ruling or arraignment (Leadership)
A Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned hearing in the money laundering case brought against the immediate-past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to January 21, 2025.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, Counsel to the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, told Justuce Emeka Nwite that he had two witnesses already in court.
He said his first application was to formally apply that the court should enter a plea of not guilty on behalf of the defendant, even in his absence. Read more
Police arrest 3 female officers for extortion in Rivers (Punch)
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested three female Inspectors over alleged extortion of motorists at the Rumuokoro axis of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.
This came after the social media was awash with complaints of the actions of the female operatives in the area.
The police said they were arrested on Tuesday following a coordinated monitoring patrol by men of the Commissioner of Police team. Read more
Sanwo-Olu denies suing EFCC over alleged arrest plan after tenure (Nation)
The Lagos State Government has denied that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu took any legal step against the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
It was reported Sanwo-Olu prayed the Federal High Court in Abuja to, among others, restrain the EFCC from arresting or prosecuting him at the end of his tenure.
The Lagos Government refuted this in a statement on Wednesday morning by Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State, Lawal Pedro, SAN. Read more
Man gets life sentence for assaulting Almajiris (DailyTrust)
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Sokoto has sentenced one Sani Ibrahim to life imprisonment for sodomizing two Qur’anic school pupils otherwise known as Almajiris.
In the unanimous judgement which was read by Justice Ebiowei Tobi, the appellant court set aside the judgement of the lower court which gave him a lighter sentence.
The lower court was said to have sentenced him to three years imprisonment for trespassing and this was contested at the appeal Court by the state. Read more
Sanwo-Olu’s aide, Abdulrahman Lekki, dies (Tribune)
Mr. Abdulrahman Lekki, an aide to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Scholarship Board, has passed away.
The Lagos State Head of Service confirmed his death in a statement released Wednesday, saying he passed in the early hours following a brief illness.
“With total submission to the will of Almighty Allah, the Head of Service announces the sudden demise of Mr. Abdulrahman Lekki, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Scholarship Board, which occurred in the early hours of today, 30th October 2024, after a brief illness. May his soul rest in perfect peace,” the statement read. Read more
Nigerians urge swift action on grid collapse (Nation)
Some Nigerians on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to take swift action to address the collapse of the National Grid.
The grid, which generates about 4,500 MW of electricity for over 200 million people, recently collapsed, impacting businesses and threatening the nation’s economic stability.
Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, Mr Augustine Nnadozie stated, “The situation is not encouraging. Read more
Women make advances at me than men — Tiwa Savage (Leadership)
Award-winning Nigerian singer, Tiwatope Savage Balogun, popularly called Tiwa Savage has revealed that more women make advances towards her than their male counterparts.
In a recent interview on Beat 99.9 FM monitored by our correspondent, Tiwa explained that she does not understand why she receives more advances from women than men.
“I do not know why, but a lot more women hit on me more than men. I do not know why,” she said.
The 44-year-old hit-maker also addressed fans’ opinions that she should be part of the Afrobeats ‘Big 4’. Read more
The Chinese government is calling women, asking when their last period was, and urging them to get pregnant (Independent)
Women in China say they are receiving phone calls from government workers to ask if they are currently expecting a child and to urge them to get pregnant.
Jane Huang, a mother-of-one, said a government official who called her went so far as to probe her about when her most recent period was.
The 35-year-old, who lives in the province of Fujian, said the worker who called also suggested he could call her in the future to remind her when she should have another child. Read more
Russian court fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (Metro)
A Russian court has fined Google more money than exists on earth – and the total could keep getting bigger.
A four-year court case against the US tech giant has reportedly culminated in a $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or $20decillion, fine.
The situation began when Google banned the ultra-nationalist Tsargrad channel from YouTube in 2020, in response to US sanctions imposed against its owner, but after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 more channels were added to the banned list. Read more
Philippine police arrest suspects in the kidnapping of an American (ABC)
Philippine police said Wednesday they arrested three suspects in the kidnapping of an American in the country’s south and believe the victim, who was shot in the leg during the abduction, is still alive.
Two of the suspects in the Oct. 17 kidnapping of Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, in Sibuco town in Zamboanga del Norte province surrendered separately and pointed to a third suspect, who was arrested in Sibuco, police officials said.
Three other suspects, who may be holding Eastman, have been identified, police said, adding that more people could be involved. Criminal complaints of abduction were filed against the six suspects on Tuesday. Read more
Killer locked boyfriend in suitcase and laughed as he suffocated to death in twisted video (Mirror)
Sarah Boone, 47, was left ‘shocked’ when a jury found her guilty of second-degree murder – after she trapped and suffocated her boyfriend after zipping him inside a suitcase
A woman who killed her boyfriend by zipping him into a suitcase and leaving him to suffocate laughed and taunted him as she filmed him begging for help.
Sarah Boone, 47, was left “shocked” when a jury found her guilty of second-degree murder after she trapped her then partner Jorge Torres, 42, inside the case in February 2020. Boone, from Winter Park, Florida, claimed Jorge got trapped accidentally during a drunken game of hide and seek. Read more
Machete-wielding teen arrested after group accused of intimidating Democratic supporters at Florida polling station, police say (NBC)
Police arrested an 18-year-old wielding a machete with an 18-inch blade outside a polling station in Florida on Tuesday, who was part of a group of teenagers accused of intimidating Democratic supporters.
The teenager, Caleb James Williams, was arrested after 4 p.m. when officers were called to the Beaches Branch Library in Neptune Beach.
Williams was arrested on charges of aggravated assault for allegedly brandishing his weapon at two unidentified women, ages 71 and 54, and improper exhibition of a weapon, Neptune Beach Police Department said. Read more
Spain hit by deadliest floods in decades as Valencia battered (SMH)
At least 64 people have been killed in the deadliest flooding to hit Spain for three decades after torrential rain battered the eastern region of Valencia on Tuesday, leaving roads and towns underwater, local authorities said on Wednesday.
Rescuers using dinghies worked in the dark to scour the floodwaters, taking several people to safety, television pictures from the town of Utiel showed, and emergency services were still working to reach the worst-hit areas.
“For those who at this moment are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised address, vowing to “rebuild your streets, your squares, your bridges”. Read more
Iraqi Kurdistan’s ruling KDP wins delayed elections (AlJazeera)
The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has come first in parliamentary elections in the semi autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.
The KDP won 39 seats in the 100-seat parliament, the election commission said on Wednesday, putting it at the helm of the next regional government.
The KDP’s historical rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), came second in the October 20 elections with 23 seats, the commission said at a news conference. Read more
Usman warns young prospect who called out Adesanya (Punch)
Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has cautioned rising star Sharaputdin Magomedov to “slow his roll” following the latter’s bold call-out of Israel Adesanya after UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena.
Magomedov, who maintained his perfect record (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) with a spectacular second-round TKO victory over Armen Petrosyan, had declared himself “the best striker” in the middleweight division while challenging the former champion Adesanya.
Speaking on his ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast alongside Henry Cejudo, Usman pointed out that despite Magomedov’s impressive finish, the Russian fighter had struggled in the earlier rounds. Read more
Katie Boulter: British No 1 battles past China’s Wang Xiyu to reach quarter-finals in Hong Kong (SkySports)
Britain’s Katie Boulter was forced to battle hard against China’s Wang Xiyu to reach the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Open.
Boulter required two hours and 14 minutes to defeat Wang 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 to continue her fine form in Asia.
The 28-year-old from Leicestershire, who reached the semi-finals of the Japan Open last week, has enjoyed a career-best season, winning two WTA Tour titles and reaching a high of 27 in the world rankings. Read more
WAFU U-20 Championship: Zubairu upbeat Flying Eagles will floor Ghana (CompleteSports)
Flying Eagles head coach Aliyu Zubairu is in buoyant mood ahead of his side’s clash with Ghana.
The holders will take on the Black Satellites in the final of the WAFU B U-20 Championship in Lome on Wednesday night (today).
Zubairu’s side have recovered from their slow start to earn a berth in the final of the competition. Read more
Libyan Football Federation to challenge sanctions following cancelled match against Nigeria (AfricaNews)
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) plans to take legal action to reverse the sanctions imposed after their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria was cancelled.
The match, scheduled for October 15, was called off when Nigeria’s Super Eagles boycotted the game due to their flight being diverted, leaving the team stranded overnight at an airport.
In the lead-up to the match, tensions escalated between the two countries. Following the cancellation, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) awarded Nigeria a 3-0 victory and fined the LFF $50,000 (£38,500). Read more
Valencia match postponed after flash floods in Spain (BBC)
Valencia’s Copa del Rey match against Parla Escuela has been postponed after the devastating flash floods in Spain.
At least 62 people have died after torrential rain in the country, with the town of Chiva, near Valencia, receiving more than a year’s worth of rain in eight hours.
Valencia’s away game against the sixth-tier side was to be played in Parla, located 15 miles from the Spanish capital of Madrid, on Wednesday. Read more
Women’s football league in London ‘bans’ Somali Muslim player over clothing (AlJazeera)
Football’s governing body in England has said that women playing the sport across its competitions are allowed to wear clothing that follows their religious beliefs after former Somalia captain Iqra Ismail was prevented from playing a match for not wearing shorts.
The Football Association (FA) said on Wednesday they were aware of the matter that arose two days earlier. Ismail revealed in an Instagram video that she was not allowed to come on as a substitute for the team United Dragons during a game in the Greater London Women’s Football League (GLWFL) on Sunday because she was wearing tracksuit bottoms.The 24-year-old Muslim player, who is also a coach, added that she has been playing in the GLWFL for five years wearing similar clothing. Read more