Iyabo Ojo battles Liz Anjorin, threats after office fire (Punch)
Popular actress, Iyabo Ojo, has responded to her colleague, Liz Anjorin, via a video post, stating that she should be held responsible if anything happens to her or any member of her family. This comes as Ojo has been fighting different battles, and receiving threats received.
Earlier in the week, her office in Lagos was engulfed in a fire but no causalities were involved. Her daughter, Priscilla, then stated online that the fire incident was only a part of other events that had been a threat to her and her family. Priscilla also noted that her mother, Iyabo, had received a threat letter in May that insinuated that her movement and that of her daughter were been monitored.
Also responding, Iyabo took to her Instagram page on Thursday, July 10, 2025. In a lengthy post, she corroborated her daughter’s account of the threat she allegedly recieved, stating that certain people were continuously trying to kill her and destroy her family. Read more
Kidnappers attack seminary school in Edo, kill NSCDC official, abduct 3 students (Nation)
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have attacked the Catholic Immaculate Conception Minor Seminary School at Ivianokpodi, Agenebode in Etsako East Local Government Area.
The attackers killed an official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the school and thereafter abducted three students.
Read Also: Shettima to represent Tinubu at São Tomé and Príncipe’s 50th independence anniversary
Rev. Fr Peter Egielewa of the Directorate, Social Communications, Catholic Diocese of Auchi, who confirmed the incident yesterday, said the gunmen attacked the school at about 9 pm on Thursday night. Read more
Lagos: 13 parties shun peace accord as residents elect council chairmen, councillors today (Vanguard)
Lagos residents will troop out today to vote for their choice of candidates into the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, by electoral guidelines, even as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission, LASIEC, has assured of a free, fair and credible poll.
This is just as 13 out of the 15 registered political parties that are expected to participate in the election declined to sign a Peace Accord ina bid to get their commitment to a peaceful electoral process.
We’re fully prepared —LASIEC chairman
Meanwhile, LASIEC has declared readiness to hold the exercise in a free, fair and credible contest. Read more
CTC clarifies ruling: Natasha to apologise to court, not Senate (Guardian)
A Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Federal High Court judgment delivered on July 4, 2025, has clarified that Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is required to tender an apology to the court—not to the Senate—as a condition for purging herself of contempt.
The ruling by Justice Binta Nyako in Abuja found the Kogi Central lawmaker guilty of contempt over a comment made on her Facebook page, in violation of an existing court order.
She was fined ₦5 million and directed to publish a public apology in two national newspapers and on her Facebook page within seven days. Read more
FG spends N4.3m daily to feed 3,823 inmates on death row (Leadership)
Nigerian governors are not willing to sign off on the execution of condemned criminals, even as findings by LEADERSHIP Weekend revealed that the federal government spends N4.3m daily to feed 3823 inmates on death row.
Consequently, the number of inmates on Nigeria’s death row has surged to 3,823 as of June 2025.
Experts say these inmates remain trapped in a legal limbo: sentenced to death but not executed, left alive, yet forgotten by the justice system.
LEADERSHIP Weekend writes that while final justice is stalled, these individuals linger in overcrowded prisons, draining the system’s limited resources and raising deep ethical and humanitarian concerns. Read more
US replies Nigeria over misconceptions on new visa policy (Sun)
The United States has replied the Federal Government over misconceptions regarding its new policy on nonimmigrant visas.
The United States Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, in a post on X, said the recent reduction in visa validity for most nonimmigrant United States visas was not as a result of Nigeria’s position on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies or affiliations with groups like BRICS.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, while appearing on a Channels Television programme on Thursday, attributed the policy to Nigeria’s position not to accept Venezuelan prisoners into the country as requested by the United States Government. Read more
Amending constitution 1m times won’t solve Nigeria’s problems, says Ozekhome (Channels)
Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome, has said that repeated amendments to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution will not be able to address the country’s foundational issues, describing the document as a “curse” to national development.
Ozekhome stated that only a brand-new, people-oriented constitution can rescue Nigeria from its political, economic, and security crises.
“What we need is a brand-new constitution that is people-driven. You can’t amend a bad document. A document that is already afflicted with an ailment cannot be amended. Read more
‘Shaking repeatedly for many days’: Life on an island suffering hundreds of little earthquakes (CNN)
School principal Yoshiro Tobo is one of the few people left on his remote Japanese island, where the earth is constantly shaking from earthquakes, having chosen to stay behind while his family are on safer ground.
The 52-year-old said he is exhausted and frightened to sleep, as “endless” quakes rumble around Akusekijima in the Tokara Islands, which have endured more than 1,800 earthquakes in the past three weeks.
His colleagues were among 49 evacuees, about 75% of the population, who were evacuated to the mainland by ferry on Sunday after the strongest quake hit on July 3, toppling furniture and making it difficult to stand, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Read more
Why cockpit audio deepens the mystery of Air India crash (BBC)
Investigators have uncovered a chilling discovery in the preliminary investigation into the Air India Flight 171 crash which killed 260 people in June.
Just seconds after takeoff, both the 12-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner’s fuel-control switches abruptly moved to the “cut-off” position, starving the engines of fuel and triggering total power loss. Switching to “cut-off” is a move typically done only after landing.
The cockpit voice recording captures one pilot asking the other why he “did the cut-off”, to which the person replies that he didn’t. The recording doesn’t clarify who said what. At the time of takeoff, the co-pilot was flying the aircraft while the captain was monitoring. Read more
Ruto’s $9m mega church sparks outrage amid Kenya’s crisis (AfricaNews)
Amid Kenya’s worst wave of anti-government protests in years and mounting economic hardship, President William Ruto is pressing ahead with plans to build a lavish mega church at his official residence. This project has ignited debate over the intersection of faith, power, and public accountability.
The construction of the Church in central Nairobi is estimated to cost KES 1,2 billion ($9,3 million) and fit upwards of 8.000 people, according to local media reports.
The grandiose project was met with criticism from many Kenyans, who have struggled under the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Read more
BLACKPINK’s ‘JUMP’ single released through new distribution partnership with The Orchard (Billboard)
On Friday (July 11), K-pop girl group BLACKPINK released its latest single, “JUMP,” via longtime label YG Entertainment — but the distribution partner has changed. Since 2018, BLACKPINK’s distribution has been handled by Interscope Records, but the pre-save page for “JUMP” reveals that the group is now aligned with The Orchard.
While The Orchard declined Billboard’s request for comment on the deal, a company spokesperson confirmed that The Orchard does have a new distribution partnership with the K-pop group. Representatives for BLACKPINK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Over the last decade, The Orchard has become a powerhouse in the world of music distribution and artist services — a fast-growing sector of the music business as more artists opt against traditional label deals. Read more
Why everyone’s so excited about the new Clipse album, Let God Sort Em Out (CBC)
After 16 years, rappers and brothers Gene “Malice” and Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton have reunited to give fans Clipse’s fourth studio album. Titled Let God Sort Em Out, it features artistes like John Legend, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Pharrell Williams and Tyler, The Creator.
Today on Commotion, culture critics Pablo The Don, Huda Hassan and Matt Amha join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about the return of the cult-favourite rap duo.
We’ve included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, including coverage of Drake’s latest single and Kanye West’s upcoming performance in China, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player. Read more
Israel turning Gaza into ‘graveyard of children and starving’: UNRWA chief (AlJazeera)
Israel is engineering a “cruel and Machiavellian scheme to kill” in Gaza, the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says, as the world body reports that since May, some 800 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid.
“Under our watch, Gaza has become the graveyard of children [and] starving people,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X on Friday.
People in Gaza have “no way out”, he said. “Their choice is between 2 deaths: starvation or being [shot] at.” Read more
Napoli reject new €70m Gala Osimhen bid (Punch)
Napoli have turned down a formal offer of €70m from Galatasaray for striker Victor Osimhen, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Romano revealed on Friday that Galatasaray submitted the bid earlier in the day, complete with bank documents to guarantee payment. However, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis reportedly declined the proposal, insisting on a guaranteed €75million fee for the Nigerian forward.
“Understand Napoli have now rejected new formal proposal sent by Galatasaray today for Victor Osimhen,” Romano posted. Read more
WNBA star Ogwumike pushing to play for D’Tigress (Guardian)
Nneka Ogwumike, 2016 WNBA MVP and Seattle Storm star said she is awaiting FIBA’s greenlight to represent Nigeria after ditching the United States women’s basketball in 2020.
Ogwumike was named in D’Tigress’ provisional squad for the Paris 2024 Olympics but she failed to make the final selection after her nationality switch was turned down by the world basketball governing body.
The 35-year-old who is a two-time World Cup winner with the United States in 2014 and 2018, has once again confirmed that the chapter with the USA is closed with aspirations to play for Nigeria. Read more
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz set for Wimbledon final showdown after semifinal wins (CNN)
Carlos Alcaraz back in the Wimbledon final again: Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is back in the Wimbledon final after defeating American star Taylor Fritz. Alcaraz wins 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6(6).
Sinner romps over Djokovic: In a clash of new blood versus old, world no. 1 Jannik Sinner rolled past 24-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic in the second semifinal of the day. Sinner cruised in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
American into women’s final: Amanda Anisimova shocked world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a three-set thriller to make her debut grand slam final. In the other semifinal, Iga Świątek breezed past Belinda Bencic to make it to Saturday’s final on Centre Court. Read more
Portugal out of Euro 2025 after defeat by Belgium (BBC)
Portugal’s faint hopes of reaching the Euro 2025 quarter-finals ended as they were beaten by Belgium in their final group stage game.
To go through as Group B runners-up, they needed to beat Belgium, and hope Italy lost to Spain with a six-goal swing.
But Belgium, already eliminated after defeats by Spain and Italy, took control after three minutes in Sion as captain Tessa Wullaert turned home a low cross from Jill Janssens. Read more
Leona Maguire still in the mix at Evian Championship as So-Mi Lee makes her move (Metro)
Leona Maguire remains in contention for her first major title after an even-par second round of 71 left her four off the lead at the Evian Championship.
The Cavan woman shared the lead at the end of day one in the French Alps but had a more inconsistent round today, going birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey in her last four holes to drop into a share of seventh on six-under.
Before that, she had birdied the par-three second where she scored a hole-in-one on Thursday and lost a shot at the par-three eight. Read more