Lagos churches comply with COVID-19 guidelines, as worship resumes (Vanguard)
Churches in FESTAC Town in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State complied with the COVID-19 protocols as they resumed worship on Sunday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent, who visited some churches, reports that automated hand wash units and hand sanitiser dispensers, soaps, water and infrared thermometers were provided by the churches.
Also, big banners with “No Mask, No Entry” were posted at the doors to prevent worshippers without face masks from entering the church premises.
Social distancing was observed by worshippers with stickers bearing i”Do Not Sit” placed on intervening seats to create spaces. Read more
Hoodlums, motorcyclists fight in Lagos, police recover gun (Punch)
Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos State Police Command, have arrested four hoodlums at the Mayfair Gardens, Awoyaya, in the Ibeju-Lekki area of the state.
It was gathered that the police recovered a locally-made pistol and four unexpended cartridges from the suspects, identified as Rasheed Odetola, John Zion, Damilare Salami and Adeboye Dayo.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the men were arrested after a fight broke out between them and some motorcyclists, who came from the Northern part of the country.
In the course of the scuffle, a member of the gang reportedly stole the phone of one of the motorcyclists, which was discovered. Read more
Traffic on Lagos’ ports roads will end in October, says Sanwo-Olu (Vanguard)
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has said that by next month (October), all the roads leading in and out of ports in the state would be opened for public use and that the state had donated 30 hectares of land for heavy-duty trucks to utilise.
Governor Sanwo-Olu spoke, on Sunday, during a five-hour tour of projects and infrastructure being developed on the Apapa corridor to ease traffic congestion that had become characteristic of Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.
He said: “We need to set out our activities in a methodical order and see how we redevelop Apapa. There is massive road construction that is going on in Apapa and the work is extensive. Read more
Court remands businessman for producing adulterated oil (Punch)
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday made an order for the remand of a businessman, Ibegbu Anayo, in custody, over allegations that he adulterated Total and Mobil engine oil brands and offered same for sale to unsuspecting members of the public as genuine.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa made the remand order shortly after Anayo was arraigned before him by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.
In the 12 counts against Anayo, SON alleged that he conspired with some persons still at large to “indulge in the production of adulterated/substandard Total and Mobil engine lubricants for public consumption.” Read more
Police nab alleged Facebook fraudster in Lagos (Guardian)
A self-acclaimed prophet who specialises in swindling ladies in dire need of husband on social media by having sexual intercourse with them has been arrested.
The suspect, Williams Benard, who operated as Evans Joris, a pseudo name on his Facebook account, was arrested by the Isheri-Oshun Police Station, where he and a member of his syndicate are being interrogated.
According to the police, the suspect’s mode of operation was to send friendly requests to his female victims and offer business proposal or marriage promises. He would earn the victim’s trust, after which he would invite them to hotel rooms where the syndicate would rape them and take their nude photographs, which they would threaten to post on social media if they raise any alarm. With the nude photographs, the syndicate would begin to blackmail their victims, extorting huge sums of money from them. Read more
Ogun pastor impregnates two siblings during spiritual cleansing (Punch)
The founder and General Overseer of the Church of the Lord, Olomore, Abeokuta, Prophet Ebenezer Ajigbotoluwa, has been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly defiling and impregnating two underage female siblings in his church.
The suspect was reported to have procured abortions for the victims (aged 16 and 13) who followed their mother to the church over a spiritual attack.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident in a statement on Sunday. Read more
Why I declined joining APC after talks, by Ortom (Guardian)
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has explained why, even after talks with the All Progressives Congress (APC), he did not settle for the party.
Ortom, however, stressed that after consultations with some of his close allies and the confidence reposed in him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he decided to decline the offer to join APC.
The governor, who disclosed this during the State Elective Congress of the PDP at Aper Aku Stadium at the weekend in Makurdi, said he would communicate his decision not to leave the PDP to the APC.
His words: “It is true that the APC has invited me to come back and they are propagating that. I told them I would come and ask you (PDP congress). Do you want me to defect to APC?” Read more
Edo 2020: ADP accuses Ize-Iyamu’s running mate of certificate forgery (Vanguard)
Running mate of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, Gani Audu, is embroiled in a certificate forgery case, as documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show discrepancies in his academic qualifications and other means of identification.
The discrepancies appear in a number of documents and show a trail similar to the inconsistencies found in the academic credentials of the sacked deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo, which caused the APC to lose the state after the Supreme Court ruled that his certificates were defective thereby nullifying the party’s ticket in that state’s recent governorship election. Read more
How a Mojisola Odegbami made her film debut in Beyoncé’s Black is King
Social Sharing (CBC)
Beyoncé’s latest visual album Black is King features appearances by stars like Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams and Donald “Childish Gambino” Glover.
Another woman, Mojisola Odegbami, appears several times as an opulently dressed African queen. But until Black is King, she wasn’t famous — she’s a grandmother and retired family life educator living in Nigeria.
“I’m telling you, they [my grandchildren] are even more excited than I am,” she told Day 6 host Brent Bambury.
“I could hear them watching it in the background and saying, ‘That’s Grandma! That’s Grandma!'” Read more
Gunmen kill six French aid workers in Niger attack (BBC)
Gunmen have attacked a group of aid workers in Niger, killing six French citizens, their local guide and driver, officials say.
The gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire, the governor of Tillabéri region, Tidjani Ibrahim, told the French news agency AFP.
They were in the Koure region, which attracts tourists who want to see the last herds of giraffe in West Africa.
The French presidency confirmed the deaths of the French citizens. Read more
Manitoba town mourns loss of teens in tornado (CBC)
The small Manitoba town of Melita is in deep mourning after two teens were killed in a nearby tornado Friday night.
Shayna Barnesky and Carter Tilbury, both 18, died after their pickup truck was swept up by the twister.
RCMP say they were thrown out of the vehicle, which was found more than a kilometre away from where the tornado touched down near Virden, Man. Read more
Record number of women running for US House (Guardian)
A record number of women are running for seats in the House of Representatives in November’s US election, the Center for American Women and Politics said Friday.
A total of 243 women have secured party nominations for House seats, according to the center, a division of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
With primary nominating contests still to come in 13 states, the number is expected to rise, the center said. Read more
Clashes erupt after disputed Belarus election (BBC)
Protesters and riot police have clashed in Belarus’ capital Minsk and other cities, after a state TV exit poll said long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected in Sunday’s election.
In Minsk, the police used stun grenades to disperse crowds in the city centre. There have been reports of injuries.
The state TV exit poll showed that Mr Lukashenko won nearly 80% of the vote.
Main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya said she did not trust the figures which gave her 7%. Read more
Naturalised Americans flex growing electoral clout (VOA)
Brenda Cienfuegos recently became a U.S. citizen and is eager to exercise her new rights as an American. She says voting gives Latinos like her a voice.
“Voting is something I’ve always done in my country,” she said. “I couldn’t do it here, but now I can.”
Originally from El Salvador, Cienfuegos, a mother of two who came legally to the United States in 2010, registered to vote right after her U.S. citizenship ceremony in York, Pennsylvania, earlier this year.
She demurs when asked if she is backing a candidate in the November presidential contest.
“Like I learned in my country, my vote is secret,” Cienfuegos said. “But what I can tell you? I’m going to support the candidate who better supports the Latino community.” Read more
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai arrested under controversial national security law (CBC)
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been arrested over suspected collusion with foreign forces under the new national security law, his top aide said on Twitter, in what is the highest-profile arrest yet under the legislation.
Lai has been one of the most prominent democracy activists in the Chinese-ruled city and an ardent critic of Beijing, which imposed the sweeping new law on Hong Kong on June 30, drawing condemnation from Western countries.
The new security law punishes anything China considers subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. Read more
Ben Affleck to direct new movie about behind-the-scenes story of Chinatown (Metro)
Ben Affleck is returning to the director’s chair with a new drama that tells the behind-the-scenes story of iconic movie Chinatown.
Adapted from the book by Sam Wasson, The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood, the film will also feature a script written by Affleck, reports Deadline.
According to the publication, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels pursued the rights to Wasson’s book, before taking it to Paramount. Read more
Collin Morikawa wins PGA Championship for 1st major title (CBC)
The shot will be remembered as one of the best under pressure that hardly anyone witnessed. It made Collin Morikawa a major champion Sunday in a thrill-a-minute PGA Championship that not many will forget.
Morikawa hit driver on the 294-yard 16th hole that was perfect in flight and even better when it landed, hopping onto the green and rolling to 7 feet for an eagle that all but clinched victory on a most quiet Sunday afternoon at Harding Park. Read more
Atletico Madrid: Two unnamed individuals test positive for coronavirus (BBC)
Atletico Madrid say two individuals have tested positive for coronavirus before Thursday’s Champions League quarter-final against RB Leipzig in Lisbon.
The Spanish club said the unnamed individuals are isolating at home.
The positive cases were discovered after first-team players and club staff travelling to Lisbon were tested in Madrid on Saturday.
They will now be retested along with close contacts of the positive cases. Read more
Fiona Ferro upsets Anett Kontaveit to win Palermo Open (CBC)
Fiona Ferro of France upset fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the Palermo Ladies Open final on Sunday to win the first tour-level tennis title in five months.
Ferro, who is ranked 53rd in the world, won 6-2, 7-5. She had lost just one set on her way to the final.
“It means a lot especially after a five tough months of practice,” Ferro said from Italy. Read more
Marathon Classic: Danielle Kang wins after Lydia Ko collapse, with Jodi Ewart Shadoff second (BBC)
England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff finished joint second at the Marathon Classic alongside Lydia Ko, whose dramatic late collapse allowed Danielle Kang to win the title by one shot.
New Zealand’s Ko, 23, had a five-shot lead with six holes to play at Highland Meadows in Ohio.
But she hit two bogeys and a double-bogey on the last to post a two-over-par 73 to finish on 14 under overall.
American Kang’s three-under 68 saw her win the title on 15 under. Read more
Conte urges Inter players to ‘give everything’ in Europa League pursuit (Vanguard)
Antonio Conte is eager for Inter to “give everything” in the last eight of the Europa League, even if only to ensure they have no regrets should they be beaten.
The Nerazzurri have advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face Bayer Leverkusen on Monday in their first match of an eight-team finals tournament in Germany.
Inter have long been among the favourites to win Europe’s secondary club competition and got past Getafe in the last 16. Read more
Lyon lift Women’s French Cup as Champions League warm-up (Guardian)
Lyon beat Paris Saint-Germain 4-3 on penalties to claim a record-extending ninth Women’s French Cup on Sunday, less than three weeks before the Champions League quarter-finals.
The European champions were held 0-0 in normal time before Sarah Bouhaddi saved Lea Khelifi’s effort.
Lyon were declared French league champions in May after the season was ended early due to the coronavirus pandemic. Read more