Lagos panel begins review of Lekki shooting video (Nation)
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS related abuses and other matters is showing the footage captured by the surveillance camera at the Lekki toll gate on October 20.
The Managing Director of LCC, Abayomi Omomuwa, had submitted the video footage on Tuesday.
Soldiers have been accused of shooting at #EndSARS protesters, injuring and killing some, an allegation the military has denied.
Panel chairman, Judge Emeritus Doris Okuwobi directed the footage, over 20 hours long, be played in full, following an application by a lawyer representing the #EndSARS protesters, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana. Read more
#EndSARS protesters not recognised by law, LASG’s counsel tells judicial panel of inquiry (Vanguard)
Counsel to the Lagos State government, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), on Friday, told the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the Lekki Tollgate shootings that #EndSARS protesters were a body not recognised by law.
Owonikoko made the submission after Mr Adesina Ogunlana announced his appearance to the panel as the counsel representing the EndSARS protesters.
Ogunlana had informed the panel that he would be cross-examining Mr Abayomi Omomuwasan, the Managing Director of Lekki Concession Company (LCC).
Omomuwasan was appearing before the panel to testify on the Oct. 20 shooting of #EndSARS protesters by members of the Nigerian military at the Lekki tollgate. Read more
Sanwo-Olu meets Buhari, presents report on ‘Lagos destruction’ (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Friday, met with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
During the meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, the governor presented a report on properties damaged by hoodlums in Lagos.
“President @MBuhari this afternoon met with Governor @jidesanwoolu of Lagos. The Governor presented a report on the extent of the destruction suffered by Lagos State in the aftermath of the ENDSARS protests. #AsoVillaToday,” the Presidency tweeted.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on New Media, Gawat Jubril, said the report contained images of facilities destroyed in Lagos State. Read more
Lagos Task force denies viral video on its operatives (Nation)
The Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit (Taskforce) has denied that the uniformed men with the Agency’s black maria in a viral video circulating on social media are not its operatives.
According to a statement from the Agency and signed by the Head, Public Affairs Unit, Taofiq Adebayo, “the said uniformed men on the viral video were not operatives of the Agency as none of them had on any jacket with an inscription ‘Lagos State Task Force’ which is our official outfit during any enforcement operations.”
He said those uniformed men in the said viral video only used the Agency’s blackmaria to covey arrested miscreants and hoodlums to court as directed by the Lagos State Police Command. Read more
Tank Farm fire: LASEMA urges calm (Guardian)
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) on Thursday night urged Lagos residents around Ijora Badia, where Oando Tank Farm is located, to remain calm as efforts are being made to put the fire which occurred at the facility under control.
LASEMA Director-General, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said in a statement that a combined response team, made up of public and private stakeholders, had successfully localised the fire and prevented it from spreading to other sites.
He said the tank farm, which has a storing capacity of 7.5 million litres, caught fire at about 12:20 p.m. on Thursday.
He said it was currently burning off in a controlled manner following the activation of the state’s emergency response plan. Read more
Bauchi’s Suleiman replaces Obasa as speakers’ chairman (Punch)
The Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman, has replaced his Lagos counterpart, Mudashiru Obasa, as the new chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures in Nigeria
A press statement on Friday stated that he was elected as the new chairman after the expiration of Obasa’s tenure.
The statement by Speaker Mudashiru Obasa Media Office was titled, ‘Conference of Speakers Gets New Chairman, Executive Members’. Read more
FG assures of completion of projects in Benue State (Guardian)
The federal government has assured the Benue State indigenes of completion of ongoing projects to boost socio-economic and political development in the state.
Sen. George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs gave the assurance on Friday, when he received Benue South Zone C All Progressives Congress (APC) party stakeholders in his office in Abuja.
Akume listed some of the ongoing key projects to include, Oju-Otukpo-Oweto road construction, Oju-yaha road construction, Federal University of Medical Sciences Otukpo and Federal Collage of Education, among others.
“The University of Medical Sciences sited in Otukpo has appointed the principal officers and it is ready to kick start, and it is the first of its kind in Nigeria and this is a very huge investment in the state,” Akume said. Read more
FG requires $656m to complete Lagos-Ibadan rail line, says Amaechi (Nation)
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on Friday said that the federal government requires the sum of N $656 million to complete work on the Lagos-Ibadan railway project.
Amaechi who spoke while defending the 2021 budget of the ministry before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Land and Marine Transport, said the amount is needed to put in place necessary infrastructures for the project to serve its intended purpose.
He said that the Ibadan-Kano railway project also required an injection of $645.3million as advance payment to enable the federal government to complete its loan signing agreement with the China Exim Bank. Read more
This guy has been collecting phones for 20 years (Metro)
Sahabettin Özçelik has probably got the largest collection of mobile phones you’ve ever laid eyes on. Starting out as a repairer two decades ago, he has amassed a collection of over 1,000 phones. Almost all of them are from the days before smartphones, when you actually had to push a button rather than the screen to call someone. Özçelik lives in Van, an eastern province of Turkey, and continues to collect phones even as he repairs them. His collection used to be even larger, but thieves broke into his house and stole 700 of them two years ago. Even so, he has managed to fill a room with the technological artifacts. Read more
Airbnb reportedly to make IPO filing public next week despite COVID-19 (NYPost)
Airbnb plans to make its IPO registration public next week, putting it on course for a New York stock market debut in December even as the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The home rental company’s planned debut on the Nasdaq is set to be one of the largest stock market listings of 2020, amid a pandemic that has seen demand for house rentals surge as vacationers snub hotels to practice social distancing.
Airbnb’s initial public offering filing will give outsiders their first detailed look into Airbnb’s business, shedding light on the company’s reinvention after the coronavirus outbreak pushed it to shift focus from city apartments to holiday homes. Read more
Italy imposes regional lockdown as Europe battles coronavirus surges (BBC)
Much of Italy is now in lockdown, including the densely populated northern Lombardy region, after the Covid-19 death toll for 24 hours hit 445 – a six-month record.
Italy is now split into three zones: red for high risk, then orange and yellow. The red areas are Lombardy, Piedmont and Aosta Valley in the north and Calabria in the south.
The whole country has a night curfew.
In neighbouring Slovenia police clashed with violent anti-lockdown protesters. Read more
Russia denies Vladimir Putin planning to step down over health concerns (NYPost)
The Kremlin threw cold water Friday on a report that Vladimir Putin plans to step down next year amid speculation that he may be suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
British tabloid The Sun on Thursday cited Moscow political pundit Valery Solovei as saying that the longtime strongman’s 37-year-old gal pal Alina Kabaeva and his two daughters are pushing him to leave office.
“It’s absolute nonsense,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday, Reuters reported. “Everything is fine with the president.”
Asked if Putin was planning to soon step down as Solovei had suggested, Peskov said flatly: “No.” Read more
Ethiopia PM Abiy Ahmed insists military operation is limited (BBC)
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has insisted that the military operation in the northern state of Tigray has “clear, limited and achievable objectives”.
Tigrayan leader Debretsion Gebremichael has previously accused Mr Abiy’s administration of plotting to invade the state.
Some fear this may be the start of a civil war.
The head of the UN has called for an “immediate de-escalation of fighting”. Read more
“Titanic” star Elsa Raven dies aged 91 (Metro)
Actress Elsa Raven has sadly died at the age of 91, it has been confirmed. The Hollywood star, best known for roles in Titanic and Back To The Future, died at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Her agent, David Shaul, confirmed the news to Deadline but said there are currently no plans for her memorial.
Raven, real name Elsa Rabinowitz, was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1929. She began her acting career in New York City and helped bring the Free Shakespeare Festival to Central Park. From there, Raven went on to earn memorable roles in some of the biggest blockbusters. Read more
Oprah Winfrey reveals her favorite things for 2020 (USAToday)
Though this has been a tumultuous year for many, Oprah Winfrey is giving fans something to look forward to this holiday season: her favorite things list.
The annual list returns for 2020, putting a spotlight on Black-owned businesses. “Black-owned” and “Black-led” business tags denote items ranging from lipstick and blankets to dolls and foods. The list will be featured in the December issue of O, The Oprah Magazine (on newsstands Nov. 17) and at OprahMag.com.
“This year the elves and I have worked overtime in search of fantastic treats for everyone,” Winfrey writes. “And because Black lives – and Black businesses – matter, most of the items are from Black-owned or -led companies.” Read more
Mikel Arteta explains Folorain Balogun’s absence against Molde (Metro)
Mikel Arteta hinted Folrain Balogun will only get further first team opportunities when his performances in training force his hand.
The talented teenager has been prolific at Under-23 level for the Gunners and made his senior debut in last week’s Europa League victory against Dundalk as a second half substitute.
Balogun has little over six months remaining on his current contract and had been the subject of a £3million offer from Sheffield United over the summer, while several Bundesliga clubs are said to be monitoring his situation. Read more
Ryan Sessegnon thanks Hoffenheim team-mates for support after racist abuse (BBC)
Ryan Sessegnon has thanked his Hoffenheim team-mates for their support after he revealed receiving racist abuse on social media.
Hoffenheim players raised their fists after Munas Dabbur scored during their 5-0 win over Slovan Liberec in the Europa League on Thursday.
Sessegnon, who is on loan with the German club from Tottenham, was on the bench and did not play in the game. Read more
Morata, Koke return as Llorente earns first Spain call-up (Guardian)
Juventus forward Alvaro Morata and Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke earned recalls to the Spain squad Friday for a friendly against the Netherlands and Nations League games with Germany and Switzerland.
Koke’s uncapped Atletico team-mate Marcos Llorente was also selected by coach Luis Enrique as was goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga despite losing his place in the Chelsea team. Read more
England Under-21 call-ups for Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala and Derby’s Lee Buchanan (BBC)
Musiala and Derby County defender Lee Buchanan have been called up to the England Under-21 squad for the first time.
The pair are part of Aidy Boothroyd’s squad for games against Andorra on 13 November and Albania four days later.
England go into the qualifying matches having already secured a place at next year’s European Under-21 Championships. Read more
Rakuten extends Barcelona sponsorship (Punch)
Japanese group Rakuten has agreed to continue as Barcelona’s lead sponsor for one more season, the club announced on Friday.
The e-commerce giants have chosen to activate the extension clause in their current contract, signed in 2017, which will take the deal to June 2022.
Rakuten and Barcelona agreed to “execute the option provided in the 2017 agreement to extend their partnership for an additional season, once the contract’s initial four years had been completed.” Read more
Frank Lampard provides Christian Pulisic and Kepa Arrizabalaga injury updates ahead of Chelsea’s clash with Sheffield United (Metro)
Frank Lampard has confirmed that Christian Pulisic is still struggling with a hamstring injury and will miss Chelsea’s clash with Sheffield United – but Kepa Arrizabalaga is available again after recovering from a shoulder problem. Pulisic pulled up in Chelsea’s warm-up at Burnley last weekend and had to be replaced by Timo Werner in Lampard’s starting XI before also skipping the side’s win over Rennes on Wednesday evening. The American suffered a similar injury after scoring in August’s FA Cup final and missed the start of this season as a consequence, meaning he has made just five appearances in all competitions for the Blues. Read more