I’ll rather congratulate Buhari openly than visit him at night —Wike (Punch)
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that he congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari after the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal confirmed his election because it was better to offer public congratulations than visit the President at night. Wike said that unlike some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party who visit President Muhammadu Buhari at night, he made his declaration public because it came from the heart. Read more
Boko Haram: 22,000 Nigerians missing in insurgency (Nation)
A least 22,000 people are missing as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) made this known in a statement on Thursday. It said that nearly 22,000 Nigerians constituted the highest number of missing persons registered with the organisation in any country. Read more
Consider women for leadership positions, CAN tells govts (Punch)
Christian Association of Nigeria has advised the government at all levels to consider women with integrity for strategic positions in governance to enhance peace and stability in the country. Dr Samson Ayokunle, the president of the association, made the observation in Abuja at a national symposium organised by Christian Aid, a non-governmental organisation. Read more
Police arrest 2 for alleged unlawful possession of firearms (Guardian)
The Police Command in Enugu State has arrested two persons for alleged unlawful possession of firearms and suspected cult activities within the outskirt of Enugu metropolis. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Ebere Amaraizu, said in a statement on Thursday in Enugu that the suspects were arrested on Sept. 8. Read more
Three-storey under construction collapses in Enugu (Punch)
A three-storey building under construction has collapsed at Monarch Avenue in Independent Layout, Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State. It was gathered that the building which is located behind Catherine Lodge was said to have collapsed on Wednesday night. There were no casualties reported according to sources. Read more
Whistleblower urges Wike to redeem N20m bounty on Tompolo (Nation)
A whistleblower, who identified himself as Bello Mustapha Echiomuha, has urged the Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, to redeem a N20m bounty he placed on each of the 34 suspected notorious criminals during his recent broadcast. Echiomuha, who spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said he exposed the hideout of one Tompolo, a notorious leader of a deadly cult group, the Greenlanders. Read more
FG may ban importation of barite (Nation)
The federal government is considering banning the importation of barite by unbundling it from mud contractors in the industry. Barite and bentonite calcium carbonate is the primary key raw materials found in Nigeria for oil and gas drilling. It is used in Germany for road construction, as paints for ships and in x-ray production. Read more
Obaseki inaugurates 35-man team for Edo’s 30-year devt plan (Nation)
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has inaugurated a 35-man Technical Working Group (TWG) to draft a 30-year development plan to provide the government with necessary tools, guidelines and milestones for development planning. During the inauguration of the Group at Government House, in Benin City, Obaseki said the state government will invest time and resources to assist the group to deliver on its assignment. Read more
7.2% VAT will render new minimum wage useless – NECA (Punch)
The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association has said the implementation of the 7.2 per cent Value Added Tax approved by the Federal Executive Council will make nonsense of the recent increase in minimum wage. VAT is a consumption tax payable on goods and services consumed by individuals, government agencies and business organisations. Read more
Girl gets 80 strokes of cane for smoking marijuana (Punch)
A Shari’a Court 1 sitting in Magajin Gari, Kaduna, on Thursday sentenced a 19-year-old girl, Zainab Abdullahi, to 80 strokes of the cane for smoking marijuana in public. Delivering judgment, the Judge, Malam Muhammad Shehu-Adamu, sentenced Zainab after she pleaded guilty to the offence. Read more
‘Desperate’ Nigerian threatens to stab UK immigration officials unless he’s deported immediately (Punch)
A Nigerian man, Oluwaleke Yisa, has been charged to a UK court and jailed for eight weeks for threatening to stab officials at the Home Office in London, while demanding to be deported to Nigeria immediately. According to Daily Mail, he had walked into a London immigration centre with a knife in his bag and after he was asked some started questions, by an official, he had shouted, “I want to leave this f*****g country.” Read more
Sudan protesters seek justice for killed comrades (Guardian)
Hundreds of Sudanese protesters rallied near the presidential palace Thursday, seeking justice for comrades killed in demonstrations that rocked the country since December, an AFP correspondent reported. Mobilised by protest umbrella the Forces for Freedom and Change, demonstrators also urged the new authorities to appoint a permanent chief of judiciary and prosecutor general. Read more
Trump immigration plans: Supreme Court approves asylum curbs (BBC)
The US Supreme Court has allowed the government to severely limit the ability of migrants to claim asylum. The policy bars people arriving at the US southern border from seeking protection if they failed to do so in a country they passed through en route. Legal challenges continue but the ruling means for now it can be enforced nationwide. Read more
Pair ‘plotted honour killing’ of ‘porn star’ relative who denounced Islam (Metro)
Two men accused of plotting the ‘honour killing’ of a 25-year-old relative who denounced Islam and became a ‘porn star’ appeared in court today. Mohammed Patman, 54, and Darya Khan Safi, 49, are facing extradition to Slovakia where they face charges of planning to kidnap and murder their target. Read more
Rape accuser ‘devastated’ at case being dropped (BBC)
A woman who says she was raped by a man she had been on a date with has told the BBC she was left “devastated” after prosecutors decided to drop her case. Annie Tisshaw says her mental health “really suffered” during the year-long investigation, and she was then told the CPS would not proceed further. A report shows the number of rape convictions in England and Wales is at its lowest level since records began. Read more
Pet owner ‘arranged for dog to have sex with woman for its “birthday present” (Metro)
Three people have been arrested after a pet owner allegedly arranged for his dog to have sex with a woman for its ‘birthday present.’ Police in Houston, Texas say Jerrid Cook and Kevin Cook planned to watch Jerrid’s dog ‘Ryder’ have sex with a woman on Christmas Day in 2017, which was reportedly the dog’s first birthday. It is unclear if the Cooks are related. Read more
‘Vandal grannies’ destroy noisy children’s seesaw (BBC)
Two women in Russia’s Leningrad region have been filmed destroying a children’s seesaw after complaining about the noise. Brandishing a saw, the two women took turns cutting the playground equipment into pieces. Video of the incident was uploaded to social media network VKontakte on Wednesday, Russian media reports. Read more
Girl, 12, pulled from lesson because skirt is too short (Metro)
A mother took her daughter home from school after she was put in isolation because her skirt was too short. Ilana Bradley, 12, was told off on her first day back after the summer holiday because her skirt was two inches above the knee. The policy at her school, Minsthorpe Community College, in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, is that the item of clothing should rest on the knee and be no higher. Read more
Saudi princess sentenced for plumber kidnapping in Paris (BBC)
A Saudi princess has received a 10-month suspended sentence over the beating and kidnapping of a plumber in her luxury Paris apartment. Hassa bint Salman is the 43-year-old sister of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and daughter of King Salman. She is accused of telling her bodyguard to beat up a plumber who allegedly took photos inside her home. Read more
School ‘bans’ surnames because of ‘data protection’ (Metro)
A mum says her son’s school banned the use of children’s surnames on textbooks, in order to comply with GDPR regulations. The bizarre situation, means her son is being called ‘Harry2’ by classmates. Newhey Community Primary School have branded Harry Szlatoszlavek with a numeral so they can differentiate between him and another boy with the same first name. Read more
Huawei chief offers to share 5G know-how for a fee (BBC)
Huawei’s chief executive has proposed selling its current 5G know-how to a Western firm as a way to address security concerns voiced by the US and others about its business. Ren Zhengfei said the buyer would be free to “change the software code”. That would allow any flaws or supposed backdoors to be addressed without Huawei’s involvement. Read more
Cara Delevingne models Rihanna’s lingerie but admits she prefers going without underwear (Metro)
They’ve been friends for years. And Cara Delevingne has once again shown her support for superstar pal Rihanna by modelling the latter’s new lingerie line. Even if, ironically, Cara D isn’t a fan of underwear. ‘The first pair of underwear I bought was really cheesy Disney underwear,’ the star told People, on the red carpet at the Savage x Fenty fashion show Tuesday night. Read more
Super Eagles’ coach, Rohr, loses mother (Punch)
Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, has lost his 97-year-old mother, Elizabeth Rohr. According to the Nigeria Football Federation, which broke the news on its verified Twitter handle, Elizabeth just died. The NFF commiserated with the German national over his loss. NFF wrote, “We commiserate with @NGSuperEagles Head coach, Mr Gernot Rohr who just lost his mother Madam Elisabeth Rohr. She was 97. May her soul rest in peace.” Read more
Modric adds to Zidane injury worries before Champions League start (Guardian)
Real Madrid’s Luka Modric has been diagnosed with a groin injury, the Spanish club said on Thursday, less than a week before they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The reigning Ballon d’Or winner is a doubt for Saturday’s La Liga fixture against Levante and could miss the trip to the French capital on Wednesday. Read more
EPL: Man United’s Maguire ready for Leicester reunion (Punch)
Harry Maguire faces his old club Leicester for the first time this weekend with the Manchester United defender looking up the Premier League table at his high-flying former employers. When Maguire made his world-record £80 million ($97 million) move to Old Trafford this summer, it was widely seen as a step-up for the 26-year-old, the opportunity to prove himself on a larger stage. Read more
Danny Drinkwater: Burnley midfielder out for two weeks after nightclub fight (BBC)
Burnley midfielder Danny Drinkwater will be out for two weeks after sustaining ankle ligament damage in a nightclub fight. The 29-year-old, who is on loan from Chelsea, was reportedly attacked hours after the Clarets’ 3-0 defeat by Liverpool on Saturday, 31 August. Drinkwater is currently unable to train on grass following the incident, according to Burnley boss Sean Dyche. Read more
Eriksen is happy to remain with Tottenham insists Pochettino (Guardian)
Mauricio Pochettino insists Christian Eriksen is happy to stay with Tottenham after the Denmark midfielder failed to get a move during the transfer window. Eriksen admitted last season that he was interested in a new challenge, sparking talk of a potential move to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United. Read more
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson tells Adam Lallana to base his game on Frenkie de Jong (Metro)
Liverpool star Adam Lallana has been watching Fabinho and Frenkie de Jong for inspiration as he looks to develop into an option at the base of Jurgen Klopp’s midfield. Though Lallana made his name as a more advanced midfielder, Jurgen Klopp experimented with the 31-year-old in the No.6 role during pre-season. Read more
Willock signs new Arsenal contract (Punch)
Arsenal’s promising young midfielder Joe Willock signed a new long-term contract, the club announced on Thursday. Willock has advanced from the Gunners’ youth academy to become a mainstay in Unai Emery’s squad this season. The 20-year-old made his senior debut in September 2017 and has gone on to make 19 more appearances for the north London outfit. Read more
England: Gareth Southgate says team will plan how to respond to racism (BBC)
Gareth Southgate says England players will meet to “prepare” how to react to racism before their Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria on 14 October. Bulgaria’s Stadion Vasil Levski will be partially closed for the visits of England and Czech Republic because of the racist behaviour of fans in June. England players were also subjected to racist abuse in Bulgaria in 2011. Read more
Why Manchester City won’t allow Phil Foden to leave on loan (Metro)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is determined to keep Phil Foden at the club this season and will resist any loan bids for the midfielder, Metro.co.uk can reveal. The 19-year-old has featured in two matches so far this term but both were substitute appearances and amounted to just 11 minutes on the pitch. City received plenty of interest in Foden last season from bottom half Premier League clubs as well as two unnamed Bundesliga outfits. Read more
Company behind bid to stage La Liga games in US takes football authority to court (BBC)
The organiser of the annual pre-season International Champions Cup has started a legal case against US football authorities – a move that could bring the prospect of Premier League matches being played in the USA closer. Relevent Sports tried to arrange a La Liga game between Barcelona and Girona in January but the plan was scrapped in the face of widespread opposition. Read more
Kim Clijsters: Former world number one to return to tennis aged 36 (BBC)
Kim Clijsters is to make her tennis comeback at the age of 36 with a return to the WTA Tour in 2020. The Belgian former world number one initially retired in 2007 to start a family, two years after winning her first Grand Slam at the US Open. She returned in 2009 and won two more US Open titles and the Australian Open before her second retirement in 2012. Read more
Anthony Joshua’s trainer Rob McCracken clarifies concussion comments (BBC)
Anthony Joshua’s trainer Rob McCracken insists the health of his boxers is of “paramount importance”. McCracken told the BBC Boxing podcast he “knew Joshua was concussed” from the third round against Andy Ruiz Jr in June, but let him fight on before his seventh-round loss. Brain injury charity Headway called it a “shocking admission”. Read more