Lagos man arraigned over killing, cooking girlfriend (DailyTrust)
The police in Lagos have arraigned a 36-year-old man, Mayowa Dele, for allegedly killing his girlfriend and removing her private parts.
The police said the accused also attempted to cook the body parts for concoction when he was arrested.
The police prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen, told the court that the content of the pot he put on fire was found to be some of the deceased’s body parts.
Thomas, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the incident happened at Ijedodo Road, Ijegun area of Lagos, where the remains of the victim, one Mercy, was recovered. Read more
FG detains 35 suspected ISWAP fighters, tension heightens (Punch)
A joint operation launched by the Department of State Services, the National Intelligence Agency, the police and other security agencies has successfully dismantled a terror cell and arrested five Islamic State West Africa Province commanders and 30 fighters.
The PUNCH gathered that the terror suspects were apprehended at their hideouts in different locations in Abuja, Mararaba and other satellite towns in the Federal Capital Territory. Our correspondent learnt that the suspects were being held at a DSS facility.
The arrests were made amid heightened tension in the nation’s capital as the popular Jabi Lake Mall shut its doors to shoppers and visitors on Thursday, citing the security situation.
To discourage criminal activities, the FCT Administration demolished shanties on Law School land, saying it was part of security measures. Read more
Apapa Customs generates N790.1b revenue in 9 months (Sun)
The Apapa command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Thursday, said it has generated over N790 billion from importers between January to September, 2022.
Speaking to journalists, the Customs Area Controller, Apapa command, Compt. Yusuf Malanta, said the command improved by 29.8 percent from N609 billion generated in 2021, adding that the command also intercepted contraband such as codeine, tramadol, unprocessed woods worth N12.4billion in the year under review.
“In the period under review, the command has collected revenue to the tune of N790.6billion. This showed an exponential improvement of N181.5 billion as against N609 billion naira collected in the corresponding months of the year 2021.
“The 2022 collection represents a 29.8 percent increment. This remarkable achievement was made possible because of our officers’ tireless commitment to ensure that all revenue leakages are being mitigated, as well as, sustaining the level of compliance by the importers/stakeholders in the clearance value chain,” he said. Read more
Naira redesign: CNPP lauds plan as EFCC talks tough on vote buying (Guardian)
Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for its decision to redesign the country’s currency denominations ahead of the 2023 general elections, adding that only vote buyers will criticise the plan.
CNPP, in a statement by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, yesterday, said antagonists of the initiative would consist of politicians that intend to buy votes and financially induce electoral officials, persons that are ignorant of the importance of the policy, and beneficiaries of the proceeds of crimes, including drug barons and kidnappers.
CNPP said: “The effort by the CBN to control the amount of money in circulation – where N2.7 trillion out of N3.3 trillion in circulation is said to be outside the vault of commercial banks – poses a high risk for the country’s economy and its internal security.
“It is obvious that many politicians, especially since 2015, amassed illicit wealth and depleted the commonwealth, to the extent that the currency in circulation has more than doubled since 2015, rising from N1.46 trillion in December 2015 to N3.2 trillion as of September 2022, according to CBN data. Certainly, this is unacceptable in any economy controlled by sane financial experts.” Read more
Naira redesign not economic priority — CISLAC (Punch)
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre has said that the Central Bank of Nigeria’s plan to redesign 200, 500 and 1,000 naira notes is not an economic priority for the country, considering the current challenges facing the economy.
The Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa, made this known in a statement on Thursday, adding that there are more pressing needs that the CBN ought to attend to, to set the economy on the path of revival.
Musa added that Nigerians’ concerned reactions to the announcement was proof that the decision is a misplaced priority on the part of the CBN.
He said the CBN should be more concerned with protecting foreign exchange reserves from external outflows and making forex available to the ordinary citizens who genuinely and legitimately need it, adding that the huge blow to foreign direct investment was tantamount to the inability of the CBN to do its job effectively. Read more
Rotary Club of Lagos walk to keep Polio in Nigeria at zero-free (Independent)
Rotarians comprising 10 Island Rotary Clubs under District 9110 came out en-masse to create awareness of the need to keep polio in Nigeria at zero-free. It was a walk that covered the Oniru -Victoria Island axis.
The awareness session which included a Representative of WHO, Mrs Lawal representing the WHO Lagos State Liaison office emphasized the need to immunize all children under the age of 5 years of age in an effort to keep polio at zero not only in Nigeria but worldwide.
The awareness session as well as the Rotary walk in association with members of the Bikers in Nigeria was in commemoration of World Polio Day on October 24, 2022.
Rotarian Patience Aderogba, one of the Committee members who organized the Rotary annual walk, stated that Rotary International has been at the forefront of eradicating polio and is committed to keeping its status at zero not only in Nigeria but also worldwide. So far, over the last 3 decades, Rotarians through Rotary International have contributed over $2.9 billion with the aim to eradicate this preventable disease. She further stated that this is an annual walk which will include the Family Health days slated for the 24th to 26th of October. Read more
Oduduwa Republic: Akintoye’s group doesn’t represent Yoruba race – Tinubu (Vanguard)
Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC, Bola Tinubu has knocked the leader of the Yoruba separatist group, Ilana Omo Oodua, Prof. Banji Akintoye again for threatening to pull the Yoruba nation out of Nigeria.
Director, Media and Publicity of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Mr Bayo Onanuga in a statement on Thursday night said Akintoye’s position is “unfortunate, misdirected, misplaced and divisive”.
According to Tinubu, since there has been no referendum in Yorubaland about whether to stay in Nigeria or not and no such referendum has been held in any part of Nigeria, it is then appropriate to assume that this separatist idea is basically Akintoye and his group’s sole idea.
The APC standard bearer also berated Prof. Akintoye for saying he was seeking to be president of Nigeria for his personal interests alone, describing the statement as malicious and unwarranted. Read more
Why Ayu ran into ‘‘trouble’’, by Ortom (Nation)
The refusal of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu to step aside as National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the party picked Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate is fueling opposition against him, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, explained on Thursday.
He told monarch from Jemgbah community in Benue State that the PDP chair sailed into troubled water because he did not keep his promise to quit if a northerner clinched the ticket.
Ayu, hails from the Jemgbah geo- political bloc, comprising Gboko, Tarka and Buruku local government areas. Ortom hails from MINDA, made up of Makurdi, Guma, Gwer and Gwer East local government areas. Jemgbah and MINDA regions are in the Benue North West Senatorial District.
Ortom’s explanation came on a day a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Alhaji Buba Galadima, rated the PDP low in the 2023 presidential race. Read more
Elon Musk completes $44b Twitter takeover (BBC)
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has completed his $44bn (£38.1bn) takeover of Twitter, according to US media and an investor in the firm.
He tweeted “the bird is freed,” in an apparent reference to the deal closing.
A number of top executives, including the boss, Parag Agrawal, have reportedly been fired.
It brings to a close a saga that saw Twitter go to court to hold the multi-billionaire to the terms of a takeover deal that he had tried to escape.
Twitter has not yet confirmed the takeover, but an early investor in the company told the BBC that the deal had been completed. Read more
TikTok star ‘murdered’ mum’s lover in high-speed crash after he shared sex tape (Metro)
A Tiktok influencer murdered her mother’s lover after he threatened to release her sex tape, a court has been told.
Mahek Bukhari is accused of hatching a plot to stop Saqib Hussain from leaking revenge porn images of 45-year-old Ansreen Bukhari.
Saqib and his friend Mohammed Hashim Ijazuddin, both 21, died when their car was rammed off the road on February 11.
A court heard Mahek, 23, had launched a ‘trap’ in order ‘to silence’ Saqib after he threatened to send the explicit material to Ansreen’s husband and son. Read more
Pam Grier: Don’t blame Quentin Tarantino for N-word frequency in his films (NYPost)
Quentin Tarantino is known for including the N-word in his movie scripts, but actress Pam Grier swears Samuel L. Jackson is actually to blame for the number of times the word is uttered on screen.
Grier, who starred in Tarantino’s 1997 film, “Jackie Brown,” recalled Thursday on SiriusXM how Jackson opted to add the N-word to many of his lines.
“That was Sam’s acting craft doing it,” Grier told host Bevy Smith. “So, and people brought that up. And Quentin says, ‘I don’t know why they do it. I didn’t do it.’ And Sam said, ‘No, I did it. I said it.’”
Jackson has acted in several of Tarantino’s directorial efforts. Grier stated that the actor, in fact, ad-libbed many of the N-words uttered in “Pulp Fiction” and “Jackie Brown.” Read more
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania adds William Jackson Harper to the cast (Deadline)
“There are no small roles,” said famed acting teacher Konstantin Stanislavski. Did he foresee the future of William Jackson Harper, whose addition to the cast of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has been confirmed by Disney sources?
What that role is for Harper is being kept under wraps for now. Harper is best known for starring as Chidi Anagonye in NBC’s multi-dimensional The Good Place, which should give him a proper background in shifting between universes. The Good Place role earned him an Emmy nomination for supporting comedy actor.
Harper joins Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas in the cast. All are reprising their roles from 2015’s Ant-Man and 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The third film is expected to follow the Ant-Man team as they tangle with Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), the time-traveling overlord who resides in the microscopic universe of the Quantum Realm. Read more
Niall Horan announces plans to release new music and tour festivals in 2023 (People)
Niall Horan is anticipating a big year in 2023.
The former One Direction band member made a surprise announcement on Twitter Thursday evening, revealing that he has plans to drop a third studio album and tour music festivals for it sometime next year.
“I’m back. I’ve got new music coming in the new year that I’m really proud of, and I appreciate you being so patient with me while I’ve done it,” Horan told fans in the social media video.
Unlike previous album announcements, Horan, 29, didn’t give any other details about a possible release date or album name. Read more
Kylie Minogue is ‘‘ready for new music’’ as she focuses on next album (Standard)
Kylie Minogue said it is always a challenge to “find that next sound” after 30 years of hit albums but she is “ready for new music” in her life.
The pop star, 54, said she has been working on her next album for “a few months” which she is focused on “for the rest of the year”.
Minogue, whose winemaking business is launching its first zero percent sparkling rose, said it was joyful to be back in the studio making music following the pandemic.
“I can’t reveal what the sound is yet, but it is all super exciting,” she told the PA news agency. Read more
South Korea has not supplied lethal weapons to Ukraine, president Yoon says (StraitsTimes)
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Friday that Seoul has not provided any lethal weapons to Ukraine, after Russian President Vladimir Putin said such a decision would destroy their bilateral relations.
Mr Putin made the remark at a conference in Moscow on Thursday, accusing the West of inciting the war in Ukraine.
“We have been in solidarity with the international community for peaceful, humanitarian aid to Ukraine and have not provided any lethal weapons, but that’s in any regard a matter of our sovereignty,” Mr Yoon told reporters when asked about Mr Putin’s remark.
A US ally, South Korea has maintained that it would not provide Ukraine with lethal aid, and has sought to avoid antagonising Russia, both for economic reasons and the influence that Moscow can exert with North Korea. Read more
NFF officials ‘panic’ as Nigeria prepare for Tanzania test (Guardian)
The fear of a possible exit from the qualifying series of the France 2024 Olympic Games has gripped officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), as the National U-23 team face Tanzania this weekend, in the return leg of African zone of the qualifiers. The match will hold at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.
Though, the Nigerian side, led by coach Yusuf Salisu, were forced to a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Tanzania, some officials of the NFF are afraid that anything can happen in Ibadan. The winners in this return leg will qualify for the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Morocco next year.
Coming on the heels of the country’s semifinal defeat at the ongoing FIFA U-17 World Cup in India, an NFF official told The Guardian, yesterday, that the ‘usual poor tactics and uncoordinated’ pattern of football displayed by Nigerian national teams in recent times should be a cause for concern to everyone.
“Ordinarily, our team has an advantage having secured a 1-1 draw away in Tanzania. But nobody wants to bank on that until the job is done. I still remember what happened to the Super Eagles in Abuja during the World Cup qualifiers against the Black Stars of Ghana. The same thing happened to the Super Falcons at the African Women’s Nations Cup in Morocco. The Flamingos raised our hopes in India after beating the United States in the quarterfinal,” the official said. Read more
U23 AFCON: Fans to pay N3k, N1k to watch Olympic Eagles in Ibadan (Sun)
Anxious Nigerian fans who want to catch a glimpse of the U32 African Cup Of Nations game between the Olympic Eagles and their Tanzania counterpart at the Lekan Salami Sports Complex, Adamasingba are to pay between N3,000 and N1,000 for tickets, reports BSNSports.com.ng.
The second-leg qualifier is billed for tomorrow, and Nigeria takes an away goal advantage into the tie after the Junior Talfa Stars forced them to a one-all draw in Dar es Salaam a week ago.
According to information provided on Thursday by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and host Oyo State government, VVIP tickets have been strictly reserved for the NFF, State FA Executive members, Tanzania delegates and special guests.
Fans who wish to seat at the VIP stands are to pay N3000 each for a ticket while that of the VIP Extension is N1,000 only. Read more
Pablo Mari to undergo surgery on stab wounds due to extent of ”deep cut on back” (DailyStar)
Pablo Mari will undergo surgery after suffering stab wounds to the back following a shocking incident at a shopping centre in Milan, Italy.
The Arsenal defender, on loan at Monza in Serie A, was airlifted to hospital where he regained consciousness after initially being placed in a
serious condition on Thursday afternoon at the Milanofiori shopping centre in Assago.
According to Rai News, a man took a knife out from supermarket Carrefour before attacking customers and stabbing six in total, including Mari. Of the victims, three were taken to hospital in a serious condition while one tragically lost their life.
Football Italia provided updates on the player’s state, revealing that all of those that were attacked had knife wounds in slashing motions across the torso. Mari suffered deep cuts to the back and will undergo surgery on Friday. Read more
Manchester United: Erik Ten Hag not afraid to ‘correct’ showboating Antony (BBC)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag says he will “correct” Antony if he feels the Brazil winger is unnecessarily showboating.
Antony, United’s £85m summer signing, entertained the home fans during Thursday’s 3-0 Europa League Group E win over Sheriff Tiraspol by producing a 720-degree spin with the ball stuck to his left foot.
His next move was to knock it straight out for a Sheriff goal-kick.
Ten Hag denied it was the reason he substituted Antony at half-time. Read more
United Cup tennis competition to lead into Australia Open (USAToday)
A new team competition with $15 million in prize money will open the 2023 tennis season ahead of the Australian Open.
Tennis Australia announced the formation of the United Cup on Friday, saying it will involve women and men from 18 countries competing from Dec. 29 to Jan. 8. Matches will be played in groups at Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.
Each squad will include up to four women and up to four men at the event, which will have 500 WTA and 500 ATP rankings points available.
Each contest will include four matches in singles — two between women and two between men — and one in mixed doubles. Read more
Anderson Silva-Jake Paul bet includes potential kickboxing fight (ABC)
Jake Paul and Anderson Silva agreed to an unorthodox bet two days before they are set to meet in a boxing match.
Paul proposed to Silva on Thursday at the prefight news conference that if Silva wins, Paul will do a rematch with the UFC legend in a kickboxing match. Paul first offered MMA, but Silva said he doesn’t fight in MMA anymore. If Paul wins, he said Silva must help him start an association for UFC fighters.
Silva agreed if it included all MMA fighters, and the two stood up, met in the middle of the stage and shook on the bet.
“If I win, me and you come together to create a united fighters’ association to help UFC fighters get better pay and better health care,” Paul said. “You become the interim president. We unite to help these fighters once and for all.” Read more