Lagos alerts residents to looming floods (Nation)
Residents of four local government areas in Lagos State, especially those living on flood plains, were on Thursday told to vacate their homes immediately. Those in 15 other councils also got the warning.
Environment and Water Resources Commissioner Tunji Bello listed the councils to be worse-hit as Lagos Mainland, Mushin, Ibeju-Lekki and Ikorodu.
Bello explained that the local governments have been identified as “highly probable flood risk in 2020”.
In a statement Mr. Bello said the four listed councils will witness high intensity rainfall between now and September. Read more
Road users lament neglect, police extortion at Jakande gate deathtrap (Guardian)
The Jakande Estate gate in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) is infamous for bad roads, gridlock and refuse heaps, which motorists commuting through the axis to Ikotun, Igando, Okota, Isolo and environs have lamented as deplorable and dangerous.
However, many other road users are unaware of a deathtrap right at the entrance of Jakande Estate. It is a knee-length hole wide enough to take two tyres placed beside each other.
Commuters’ experiences after accidentally running into the ditch and the ensuing gnashing of teeth that followed have been described as harrowing. It is not just the hole, but a few metres forward, there are three other deathtraps going into the estate and onward to Isheri and Ijegun. Read more
2 oil thieves bag 3 years jail term (DailyTrust)
Justice L. N. Oweibo of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos has convicted and sentenced two oil thieves to three years imprisonment.
According to Dele Olawale, EFCC spokesman, the convicts, Paul Ovie and Frank Okuba, were arraigned alongside a vessel, M.V. Agbeke, by the Lagos Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) on Thursday, July 9, 2020, on three-count charges bordering on illegal dealing in petroleum products.
They were arrested by the Nigerian Navy and subsequently handed over to the Commission for investigation and prosecution. Read more
How I delivered $70m to banker on Diezani’s instructions – Witness (Punch)
A former group general manager at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Rotimi Oyedepo, narrated to the Federal High Court in Lagos on Thursday how he delivered 12 padlocked bags containing $70m to an Abuja-based banker on the instructions of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, sometime in 2015.
The ex-NNPC GM appeared as a prosecution witness in the trial of a former executive director, First Bank, Dauda Lawal, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on money laundering charges. Read more
Police arrest 4 suspects over car theft (DailyTrust)
The police have arrested four armed robbery suspects who they alleged to be specialists in snatching exotic cars in Lagos and Abuja.
The police said they trailed the suspects, whose operational base was said to be located at Agege, to a suspect who had bought a stolen car from them. Policemen described the buyer, whose operational base was said to be at Igbogbo, Ikorodu, Lagos, as a specialist in recycling stolen cars.
The police said that on June 5, 2020, detectives attached to the State Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), acting on a tip-off, discovered a mechanic workshop where stolen cars were refurbished and later sold to unsuspecting buyers. Read more
Police parade ‘abortion nurse’, incestuous pastor in Ogun (Guardian)
The police, yesterday, paraded a nurse, Mrs Ogundimu Monilola, accused of helping a 44-year-old pastor of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Ogo Oluwa parish, Olokuta, Ogun State, Oluwafemi Oyebola, to procure family planning care for his 24-year-old daughter, whom he impregnated three times.
Monilola, who claimed to be Assistant Chief Matron at the State General Hospital, Idiroko, Ogun State, said she is also the health worker in charge of the family planning service at the facility. Read more
Panel quizzes top EFCC officials as Magu’s interrogation enters fourth day (ThisDay)
The presidential panel probing alleged corrupt practices against the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, yesterday widened the scope of its investigation, quizzing the commission’s Secretary, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, and other directors of the commission.
The EFCC’s top officials appeared before the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel investigating the 21-point allegation of financial impropriety and fund diversion levelled against Magu, whose interrogation entered the fourth day yesterday. Read more
Ogun police parade 103 suspects over cultism, vandalism, robbery (DailyTrust)
The Ogun State Police Command yesterday paraded 103 suspects for alleged involvement in criminal acts that included cultism, vandalism and armed robbery.
Daily Trust gathered that among the 103 suspects were 61 suspected cultists that the police arrested on July 7, 2020 allegedly in connection with the cultists’ annual 7/7 ritual that the suspects were said to be celebrating in different parts of the state.
The Command had on Sunday hinted of an alleged plan by members of a deadly cult group to launch a state-wide campaign of terror and violence in the state to celebrate their “7/7 ritual”. Read more
US Supreme Court rules half of Oklahoma is Native American land (BBC)
The US Supreme Court has ruled about half of Oklahoma belongs to Native Americans, in a landmark case that also quashed a child rape conviction.
The justices decided 5-4 that an eastern chunk of the state, including its second-biggest city, Tulsa, should be recognised as part of a reservation.
Jimcy McGirt, who was convicted in 1997 of raping a girl, brought the case. Read more
Independent WHO panel to investigate global COVID-19 response (VOA)
The World Health Organization is launching an independent investigation into the global response to the coronavirus pandemic after some countries appear to have done a better job at tackling the outbreak than others.
“This is a time for self-reflection, to look at the world we live in and to find ways to strengthen our collaboration as we work together to save lives and bring this pandemic under control,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday. “The magnitude of this pandemic, which has touched virtually everyone in the world, clearly deserves a commensurate evaluation.” Read more
Series of ‘explosions & power outages’ reported near Tehran (RT)
A series of explosions have rocked the outskirts of the Iranian capital Tehran, as well as the cities of Garmdareh and Quds, Iranian media reported amid speculation that missile depots were the intended target.
Citing social media, the official news agency IRIB reported an explosion in western Tehran in the early hours of Friday local time. More explosions were reported in Garmdareh and Quds, the Mehr News Agency added.
The Saudi-based Al-Arabiya television reported that the explosion took place in missile depots of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), southwest of Tehran. Iranian officials have neither confirmed nor denied that claim as of yet. Read more
Weird ‘gel-like’ substance on the moon is finally identified (Metro)
Last year China successfully landed a spaceship on the far side of the moon.
The craft dispatched the Chang’e-4 rover to explore a place mankind has never seen and before long reported back the discovery of a weird ‘gel like’ substance on the dark surface.
The rover sent back images of this discovery, which made headlines around the world. Now we know what it is and, suffice to say, it’s pretty underwhelming. Read more
Cosmetic surgeons see rise in patients amid pandemic (BBC)
A number of cosmetic surgery clinics around the world are reporting a rise in people getting treatment during the coronavirus outbreak as they can hide their treatment behind a mask or work from home.
Despite the virus shutting businesses across the globe, a number of plastic surgery clinics have remained open, adopting stricter measures such as Covid-19 tests and more frequent cleaning.
Clinics in the US, Japan, South Korea and Australia have all seen a rise in patients coming in for treatment including lip fillers, botox, face lifts and nose jobs. Read more
Kavanaugh & Gorsuch rule against Trump in Supreme Court tax returns case (RT)
Trump’s hotly-pursued tax returns may see the light of day, after the Supreme Court ruled that his financial records can be handed over to a New York grand jury in a decision supported by three conservative justices.
In a 7-2 ruling, the court found that a subpoena issued to Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars LLP, can be enforced, and dismissed Trump’s lawyers’ argument that he is immune from criminal proceedings. The request was part of a criminal investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and years of Trump’s tax returns will now have to be turned over to a grand jury. Read more
Zendaya and John David Washington shot secret film in lockdown (Metro)
Zendaya and John David Washington made a secret film together last month, it has emerged. As if a pandemic could stop these irrepressible talents!
The actors shot the movie, called Malcolm & Marie, in Carmel, California from 17 June to 2 July. That’s 15 days. That’s right, 15. (To put that into perspective, Avatar 2 has been in production for 12 years.)
And if you’re wondering, it sounds like social distancing guidelines were followed to the letter. Read more
Omokaro counsels Super Eagles’ players on patriotism (Guardian)
Former international defender, Bright Omokaro, has counselled the current Super Eagles’ players on the need to be patriotic on national duty, saying that making special sacrifices could help them to succeed in difficult times.
Omokaro said the current Super Eagles should emulate the level of passion and commitment shown by their predecessors on the field of play, adding that talent alone does not guarantee success.
Reminiscing on his days in the Super Eagles, Omokaro pointed to the sacrifice he made for the country to excel at the Morocco ‘88 Africa Nations Cup, which earned him the nickname 10-10. He said the incident was one of the greatest sacrifices he made in his football career to ensure Super Eagles won the AFCON semifinal encounter against Algeria in 1988. Read more
Champions PSG to face Marseille in early Ligue 1 fixture (ThisDay)
Champions Paris Saint-Germain will play host to fierce rivals Marseille in their third game of the new Ligue 1 season in mid-September as the French fixture calendar was unveiled on Thursday.
The match at the Parc des Princes is due to be played on the weekend of 13 September, but the 2020-21 campaign is set to begin on the weekend of 22 and 23 August.
That is two weeks later than had initially been planned before the coronavirus pandemic forced French football authorities into a rethink, despite the controversial decision to end the last season early in late April with 10 rounds of matches unplayed..Read more
Noah Lyles: 200m ‘world record’ ruled out… because he only ran 185m (BBC)
American Noah Lyles briefly appeared to have set an astonishing new 200m world record of 18.90 seconds in the Inspiration Games, before it was revealed he ran only 185m.
Lyles’ time would have obliterated the 19.19-second mark set by Jamaican great Usain Bolt back in 2009.
Given Lyles’ personal best is 19.50 and he was running into a strong headwind, the time was immediately challenged. Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bemoans Manchester United’s poor finishing against Aston Villa (Metro)
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticised his side’s finishing in their 3-0 win against Aston Villa and says his forward line must learn to be more ‘clinical’.
Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring from the spot before Mason Greenwood grabbed his 16th goal of the season towards the end of the first half.
Paul Pogba scored his first goal of the campaign in the second half and United took their foot off the gas as they created Premier League history by becoming the first team to score three or more in four consecutive games. Read more
Premier League confirms wrong penalty decisions in all Thursday games (BBC)
Incorrect penalty decisions were made by the video assistant referee in all three of Thursday’s games, the Premier LeagMetros told BBC Match of the Day.
Bruno Fernandes won a spot-kick which he scored in Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa.
James Ward-Prowse hit the bar after a disputed penalty as Southampton drew 1-1 with Everton. Read more
Onuachu: I gained more Instagram followers after contracting COVID-19 (Punch)
KRC Genk striker, Paul Onuachu, says he is “very well” despite contracting COVID-19, as his followers on Instagram increased by over 10,000 after news broke on Wednesday that he had tested positive, The PUNCH reports.
Onuachu was the only Genk player who tested positive for COVID-19 after the club conducted tests on Tuesday in preparation for their first pre-season game. Read more