Lagos man allegedly commits suicide with insecticide (Punch)
The body of a yet-to-be-identified man has been recovered by men of the Lagos State Police Command by the rail line in the Ijora-Badia area of the state.
PUNCH Metro gathered that passers-by in the area saw the man lying motionless beside the rail line.
It was learnt that security agents, including neighbourhood guards and policemen attached to the Ijora Badia Police Division, were contacted to rescue the man.
It was gathered that as the policemen were about to take the man to hospital, they found a container of an insecticide by his side. Read more
Bridge rehabilitation may not end Apapa gridlock, says NSE chair (Punch)
The chairman, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Sunny Igholegwono, has said that Ijora, Eko, and other bridges leading to Apapa Wharf under rehabilitation might not end what he described as eternal gridlock on the road owing to the containers and trucks heading into Tin Can Island port.
He made this known during his visit to Ijora Bridge to mark one of NSE’s annual programmes tagged ‘Management of Pandemic – Engineering Perspective.’
According to him, what is causing gridlock on the road are the big trucks and tankers trying to find their way to Tin Can Island port. Read more
At second round he lost consciousness, says sex worker whose customer died (Vanguard)
A sex worker in Lagos has said her customer, a truck driver, was on the second round with her when he suddenly lost consciousness, and later pronounced dead at a hospital.
The homicide unit of Lagos State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, CIID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, is currently investigating the incident.
The 32-year-old truck driver, Wuyi Jackson, who works at an oil company in Ajah, had come to Ijegun Depot in Satellite Town to load petroleum product, when he decided to have some drink at the hotel located at Oluti area of Satellite Town. Read more
Lagos State government generates N433.6 billion revenue in first half of 2020 (Guardian)
Lagos State government, yesterday, said that it generated N432.6 billion as revenue, which was 81 per cent of its projected revenue, despite the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic on economic activities.
The state’s Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Mr. Sam Egube, disclosed this at the 2019/2020 yearly Press Week Lecture of the Lagos State Governor’s Office Correspondents (LAGOCO), with the theme, “Rethinking Lagos for the Post-COVID-19 Era.”
Egube, the Guest Speaker at the event, represented by the Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Economic Matters, Mr. Lekan Balogun, said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the government had been able to re-strategise to conform with the demands of the present realities. Read more
Magu: Presidential panel reopens ex-IG Tafa’s case, seized houses (Punch)
The Justice Ayo Salami-led Presidential panel, which is probing the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, has re-opened the case of a former Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, who was convicted in 2005 on eight charges of corruption.
The panel, it was learnt, had invited a former Assistant General Manager and head of the Abuja branch of the defunct Fountain Trust Bank, Mr Francis Ajala, who was declared wanted by the EFCC for being Tafa’s accomplice.
The statement declaring Ajala wanted which was signed by the then spokesman for the EFCC, Osita Nwaja, read in part, “Name: Francis Olugbenga Ajala; Age: 43; State of origin: Illesha, Osun State; Last Known Address: Fountain Trust Bank. He was until recently an Assistant General manager and Head of Abuja branch of Fountain Trust Bank, Nigeria. Read more
SUV catches fire on Niger Bridge, occupants’ fate unknown (Punch)
A metallic Sports Utility Vehicle, on Thursday, went up in flames on the Niger Bridgehead, Onitsha, Anambra State.
The incident, which reportedly occurred around 4pm, was said to have been caused by electrical fault.
The number and condition of the occupants of the vehicle were unknown as of press time.
The SUV was said to be heading to Asaba from Onitsha axis when the incident happened. Read more
Police nab bank account fraudsters, motorcycle snatchers (Guardian)
Operatives of the Zonal Monitoring Unit, Lagos, have arrested a syndicate that specialises in stealing and transferring funds from people’s bank accounts through their SIM cards.
The syndicate, according to the zonal police spokesperson, DSP Hauwa Idris Adamu, is made up of five persons, four males and a female. The suspects are Ikechukwu Aigbe, 25; Frank Opara, 21; Seun Dairo, 19; and Goodness Ndukwe 19.
Adamu said: “It all started on June 20 when one Daniel Asigbe, 25, stole a Samsung X9 from a barber’s shop in Lekki area of Lagos, removed the SIM card and gave it to Ikechukwu who fraudulently got the owner’s BVN and sent same to one Yele, (currently at large) who later generated and gave Ikechukwu the account owner’s transfer PIN. Read more
JAMB de-lists 22 CBT centres for alleged fraud (Nation)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has delisted 22 Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres for allegedly defrauding 11,823 candidates of N59 million.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, who announced this on Thursday in Abuja, said any centre that shared the same ownership with the blacklisted centres would be suspended from the board’s activities.
Oloyede, who spoke at a meeting with representatives of the affected centres, said the CBT centres allegedly carried out the fraud by charging more than N200 as service charge to make corrections on a profile as well as bypass One-Time Password (OTP) required of candidates to make such changes. Read more
Laura brings destruction, death to Gulf Coast, quickly moves inland (CBC)
Hurricane Laura pounded the Gulf Coast for hours with ferocious wind, torrential rains and rising seawater as it roared ashore over southwestern Louisiana near the Texas border early Thursday, threatening the lives of people who didn’t heed evacuation orders.
Six people have died, Louisiana officials confirm, and more than 900,000 people were without power in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas.
Laura arrived as one of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S., a Category 4 storm with winds up to 240 kilometres per hour. Louisiana took the brunt of the damage when the system barrelled over Lake Charles, an industrial and casino city of 80,000 people, and nearby low-lying fishing communities. Powerful gusts blew out windows in tall buildings and tossed around glass and debris. Read more
Thousands to commemorate MLK’s dream in DC civil rights march (Aljazeera)
Tens of thousands are expected to gather at the Lincoln Memorial to take part in the ‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’ Commitment March demanding equality and policing reforms on the 57th anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, in Washington, DC, the United States [Erin Scott/Reuters]
Months of widespread protests and unrest over the police killings of Black Americans will culminate this Friday with a national march on Washington, DC that commemorates a historic 1963 civil rights march.
Tens of thousands are expected to gather at the Lincoln Memorial in the United States capital to take part in the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” Commitment March demanding equality and policing reforms. The march will coincide with the 57th anniversary of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. Read more
Delhi 2020 religious riots: Amnesty International accuses police of rights abuses (BBC)
Indian police “committed serious human rights violations” during deadly religious riots in Delhi earlier this year, Amnesty International alleges.
It said police beat protesters, tortured detainees and at times took part in riots with Hindu mobs.
More than 40 people died when clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims over a controversial citizenship law. Muslims bore the brunt, Amnesty said.
The Delhi police are yet to respond to Amnesty’s request for a response. Read more
France records more than 6,000 new Covid-19 cases, highest figure since March (France24)
France recorded a daily tally of 6,111 new confirmed coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest level since lockdown ended and the second-highest ever.
It was the biggest figure since a high of 7,578 set on March 30 during lockdown, at the height of the epidemic.
The French health ministry said the total number of confirmed infections now stood at 259,698. On Wednesday, the country recorded 5,429 new infections.
The number of deaths from coronavirus increased by 32 to 30,576 from Tuesday. On Wednesday, no death or hospital data had been reported due to a technical glitch. Read more
From ‘seaman’ to ‘sailor’: Royal Canadian Navy adopts gender-neutral titles (CBC)
The Royal Canadian Navy is changing the titles of its junior ranks to be more inclusive.
The references to “seaman” in the English-language designations — ordinary, able, leading and master — will be replaced with more gender-neutral terms that also better align with the existing names of the ranks in French.
The ranks will now be known as sailor third class, sailor second class, sailor first class and master sailor.
The move comes as the navy, which is short hundreds of sailors, aims to become more diverse and inclusive and help everyone feel safe and proud of their jobs. Read more
Kamala Harris delivers rebuke of Trump’s COVID-19 response (Aljazeera)
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris has launched a scathing critique of United States President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and racial unrest roiling American cities.
In a speech on Thursday, hours before Trump was due to address the final day of the virtual Republican National Convention (RNC), Harris argued that the president has shown “a reckless disregard for the wellbeing of the American people” in failing to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Donald Trump froze. He was scared. He was petty and vindictive,” Harris said of his early response to the outbreak in the US. Read more
Sushant Singh Rajput: Rhea Chakraborty on ‘media trial’ after Bollywood star’s death (BBC)
Just two months after Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Mumbai apartment, his actress girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty has found herself at the centre of a vicious hate campaign led by some of India’s most high-profile journalists and social media trolls.
Rajput was a rising star in India’s popular Hindi film industry, and his death shocked India. His body was discovered in his bedroom on 14 June. Mumbai police said the 34-year-old appeared to have taken his own life, and reports in the press suggested that the actor had been dealing with mental health issues.
But within days, the attention generated by his death had shifted to Chakraborty. She has become the subject of gossip and innuendo and misogynistic abuse. Every little detail of her life and relationship have been laid bare and debated in public. Read more
COVID-19: Brume, Egwero shun international meets (Punch)
Top Nigerian athletes say they will shun ongoing international meets as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, The PUNCH reports.
Sporting events, including athletics, have been halted due to coronavirus until July when the Diamond League returned to the circuit.
Ese Brume, Ogho-Oghene Egwero and Patience Okon-George are some of the notable athletes currently in Nigeria due to COVID-19, while the likes of Tobi Amusan, Divine Oduduru and Seye Ogunlewe, who are abroad, are competing in international events.
Amusan competed at the Back to the Track Series III Meeting in Texas on August 9, and finished fifth in 11.69secs in the 400m hurdles.
Oduduru has taken part in two races since the sports returned globally, while Ogunlewe also competed at the BFTTA Open in Dagenham (London). Read more
US Open draw: Andy Murray to face Nishioka, Johanna Konta plays Heather Watson (BBC)
Former champion Andy Murray will play Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in the first round of the behind-closed-doors US Open at Flushing Meadows in New York.
The Briton, 33, is playing singles at a major for the first time since the 2019 Australian Open after injury problems.
British number one Johanna Konta plays her compatriot Heather Watson, while Kyle Edmund could face men’s top seed Novak Djokovic in round two.
The Grand Slam starts on Monday – but without a host of star names.
Those missing include defending champions Rafael Nadal and Bianca Andreescu, who are not playing because of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
NHL postpones remainder of weekday games in support of protests against police shootings (CBC)
The NHL has postponed all four of its playoff games scheduled for Thursday and Friday in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in Wisconsin last weekend.
The players requested the postponements and the league supported the decision, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association said in a joint statement released at 6 p.m. ET.
Analyst Kelly Hrudey says NHL should have postponed playoff slate after NBA move
Being Black in Canada: Highlights the stories and experiences of Black Canadians
“Black and Brown communities continue to face real, painful experiences,” the statement read. “The NHL and NHLPA recognize that much work remains to be done before we can play an appropriate role in a discussion centred on diversity, inclusion and social justice. Read more
Tour de France shrouded in COVID-19 uncertainty as teams gather for Nice start (France24)
Already delayed, the Tour de France sets off Saturday shrouded in uncertainty, flying in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the imponderable question of how many of the 176 riders will avoid infection and endure three exceptionally tough weeks of racing to reach the finish in Paris.
If the rolling roadshow gets that far.
Staging cycling’s premier race when COVID-19 infections are rising again in France represents both a health risk and an embodiment of French President Emmanuel Macron’s insistence that the country must learn to function as normally as possible with the virus. Read more
Nedum Onuoha considers future after Real Salt Lake owner’s comments (BBC)
Real Salt Lake defender Nedum Onuoha has expressed his anger at the club’s owner after he failed to back their protest over the Jacob Blake shooting.
Real’s game at home to Los Angeles FC was one of five Major League Soccer matches called off on Wednesday.
Owner Dell Loy Hansen said he felt “disrespected” by the postponement.
“I don’t want to be here because I’m not here to play for someone who isn’t here to support us,” ex-Manchester City player Onuoha told BBC World Service. Read more
NBA players will continue season after racial injustice boycott (Aljazeera)
National Basketball Association (NBA) players agreed on Thursday not to boycott the rest of the season after forcing the postponement of a slate of play-off games in a protest against racial injustice and police brutality.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the NBA has become “like a political organisation” after its boycott in solidarity with those protesting against the police shooting of a Black man in the Wisconsin town of Kenosha. The Sunday shooting triggered days of violent unrest in the city and has riled US professional sports.
NBA Executive Vice President Mike Bass said the league is “hopeful” to resume games either on Friday or Saturday, but was postponing a second day of play-off games on Thursday. Read more
