Lekki shootings: I saw corpse with bullet-torn head, protester tells panel (Punch)
An #EndSARS protester, Kamsiyochukwu Perpetual, has said she saw many dead bodies, including one with a bullet-torn head, following the alleged shootings at peaceful #EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate on the night of October 20.
In a petition she submitted to the Lagos State Panel of Judicial Inquiry probing the tollgate shootings by soldiers, Perpetual said she saw the dead body with bullet-torn head at Reddington Hospital, Lekki, when she went in search of injured protesters the morning after the shootings.
Perpetual said she visited the hospital in company with one Samuel Isah and another person identified as Seye, with the aim of collecting the data of injured protesters but doctors at the hospital prevent them until a media man; “World Rapper Man” intervened. Read more
Lagos arraigns man for assaulting LASTMA officer (Nation)
A man, Ben Emmanuel has been arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrate Court for allegedly assaulting a LASTMA officer.
Emmanuel and some persons now at large were alleged to have assaulted and inflicted injuries on Ismaila Lukman, a LASTMA officer, while carrying out his assigned official duty.
The incident happened on Sunday, November 8, 2020, at the Jakande Junction area in Lekki.
A statement signed by the Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), Monday said the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had on November 10, 2020, arraigned Emmanuel before Yaba, Chief Magistrate Court on a two-count charge of “grievous bodily harm under Section 245” and “resisting a public officer while engaged in the discharge of his lawful duties under Section 117(1)” of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL), Lagos 2015. Read more
One feared dead as vehicle climbs Lagos pedestrian bridge (Punch)
One person has been feared dead after a vehicle climbed a pedestrian bridge at the Shogunle end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.
It was gathered that the incident, which happened around 12am on Sunday, left several others injured.
A clip of the incident, posted on an Instagram platform, Instablog9ja, showed residents making frantic efforts to rescue the victims.
The person who recorded the clip claimed that the occupants of the vehicle were on their way to a party when the incident happened. Read more
Police will no longer fold their hands and die like chicken – Edo CP (DailyTrust)
Edo State Police Commissioner, Johnson Kokumo, has warned that officers and men of the force will no longer fold their hands and allow criminals to kill them at will.
Kokumo said this on Monday during the inauguration of 70 vigilante group in Ikopaba-Okha local government of the State.
Unravelling the EndSARS protest’s true motive
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According to him, police should use their arms professionally if their lives are in danger or defending others whose lives are being threatened, adding “we will have justification to use our arms.”
He said, “we will keep talking to our officers not to police with bitterness. But never again will it happen for someone carrying jack-knife to kill a policeman carrying AK-47. Read more
Troops rescue 9 abducted persons along Kaduna-Abuja Road, as bandits kill 2 (Thisday)
The Kaduna State Government has said that two people were killed, while nine others, who were abducted following an attack by bandits along the Kaduna – Abuja road on Sunday, were rescued.
In a statement on Monday in Kaduna, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the nine people abducted were rescued on Sunday by troops on internal security operations.
The government’s statement came following reports that 15 people were killed, while several others were abducted by bandits along the dreaded Kaduna-Abuja road Sunday afternoon.
According to reports, the bandits opened fire on vehicles plying the road before blocking it and forcing several vehicles to stop. Read more
Abosede seeks 2.5m for knee surgery (Guardian)
A 45-year-old Oriabure Abosede, who is battling with acute exacerbation of her right knee, has appealed to Nigerians for financial assistance to undergo replacement of her right knee. The estimated cost of the surgery is N2.5 million.
Abosede has since 2012 been held captive by the trauma of the knee problem and has for about eight years, battled it amid pains and agony of not being able to walk properly.
“Since then I have been taking medications prescribed by the orthopedist. In December 2015, the knee was injected by the orthopedist due to drying of fluid in the knee, but three months after the injection, the pain reoccurred because I could not afford the bill,” she said. Read more
Two NYSC members test positive for COVID-19 in Kano (Punch)
The NYSC Coordinator in Kano State, Hajiya Aisha Tata, says two new corps members out of the 826 posted to the state have tested positive for COVID-19.
The coordinator disclosed this on Monday while briefing newsmen after the swearing-in of the 2020 Batch ‘B’ Stream A corps members.
She said the corps members were tested immediately upon arrival at the orientation camp and that they were taken to relevant facilities for further medical investigation. Read more
Don’t play politics with security, wike tells FG (Thisday)
The Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike, on Monday admonished the federal government to stop playing politics with security, stressing that solution will continue to elude the nation inasmuch as the federal government continues to show double standards in the fight against insecurity in the country.
Wike, who also called for the amendment of the constitution to pave the way for State Police, noted that the Nigerian Police Force with its current staff strength, “which stands at about 372,000” lacks the operational capacity to fulfill its primary or core mandate of protection of lives and properties as well as maintaining the peace in the country.
He spoke at the 3rd Annual Nigerian Criminal Law Review Conference, organized by the Rule of Law Development Foundation in Abuja. Read more
Dow jumps 360 points on Moderna COVID-19 vaccine news (AlJazeera)
The Dow and S&P 500 indexes rallied on Monday after Moderna said preliminary trial data showed its COVID-19 vaccine to be 94.5 percent effective – the second promising announcement from the vaccine front in as many weeks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average vaulted more than 364 points or 1.23 percent at the open of trading on Wall Street, bringing the 30-share index within striking distance of the 30,000 mark.
US states resume lockdowns as COVID-19 hospitalisations skyrocket
The broader S&P 500 index – a proxy for the health of US retirement and college savings accounts – jumped 0.76 percent at the open after posting a new record close on Friday. Read more
Woman born without a womb welcomes miracle baby with help of surrogate (Metro)
At just 16, Kitty Cunningham was told she was born without a womb and would never carry a baby. She was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (known as MRKH), which means the internal vagina and uterus are underdeveloped or absent. Heartbroken, Kitty tried not to think about it as she got older but now in her 30s and married to James, 31, she realised she wanted to be a mum, so they turned to surrogacy. Her dream came true after meeting Jemma Black, 34, a full-time mum, through charity Surrogacy UK. Read more
Grizzly end for brown bear in collision with passenger jet during landing at Alaskan airport (RT)
An Alaska Airlines passenger plane was involved in a dramatic collision with a brown bear while landing on Saturday night. The impact of the crash killed the bear but its cub miraculously survived the incident.
The hefty animal caused significant damage to the engine cowl of the jet during the bizarre encounter at Yakutat airport. However, the airline said that none of the passengers or crew suffered any injuries.
Airport staff had cleared the runway in southeast Alaska about 10 minutes prior to the landing, however, as the pilots powered down the jet following touch down they spotted two bears crossing the runway. Read more
Vaccine will not be enough to stop COVID-19 pandemic – WHO (Vanguard)
The head of the World Health Organization said Monday that a vaccine would not by itself stop the coronavirus pandemic.
The pandemic is raging months after it broke out, with infections soaring past 54 million and claiming more than 1.3 million lives.
“A vaccine will complement the other tools we have, not replace them,” director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “A vaccine on its own will not end the pandemic.” Read more
Israeli medic fired for spitting on Jesus portraits (BBC)
An Israeli ambulance worker caught on camera spitting on portraits of Jesus while visiting a Christian home to carry out a Covid test has been fired.
The medic was seen removing protective clothing before spitting on three pictures in the communal hallway of the block of flats in Jaffa in Tel Aviv.
When confronted, the medic claimed the imagery was a form of idolatry forbidden by the Hebrew Bible.
Israel’s ambulance service said it “strongly condemned” his actions. Read more
Ryan Reynolds is fully embracing his ‘girl dad’ status as he raves about his three daughters (Metro)
Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has opened up about being the father of three daughters and said he loves every second of being a ‘girl dad’. While the Deadpool actor may be known as a leading man in superhero films and comedies, the actor is also the father of James, five, Inez, four, and Betty, one. He and wife Blake Lively try to keep a private family life most of the time, but the actor has recently opened up about his daughters, while speaking to Saved By The Bell star Mario Lopez. Speaking on Access Hollywood, he told Mario: ‘I love being a girl dad. Read more
France train attack: Four to stand trial over foiled Thalys shooting (BBC)
Four people are to go on trial in France over an August 2015 plot to attack Americans on a high-speed train.
Ayoub El-Khazzani is accused of opening fire on board a train travelling from Amsterdam to Paris, three months before the Paris attacks.
Two people were wounded before he was overpowered by passengers.
No-one died in the incident, which inspired a Clint Eastwood thriller The 15:17 to Paris. Read more
Kidnappers locked me up in car trunk for hours – Obodo (Punch)
Former Super Eagles midfielder, Christian Obodo, has been released after he was abducted by unknown gunmen along Refinery Road, Warri in Delta State on Sunday.
Obodo, 36, was abducted while buying bananas along the Refinery Road, Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Command, Onome Onovawakpoyeya, told The PUNCH on sunday.
Obodo, who has 21 caps and four for Nigeria, told Brila FM on Monday that he was locked up in a car trunk for hours and robbed by the abductors.
“It was really discomforting locked up in a hot car trunk for hours,” Obodo told Brila FM.
“The kidnappers were even telling me about how they lost money for placing bets on Nigeria to score in the second half. Read more
AFCON qualifier: Super Eagles test negative for COVID-19, jet off to Sierra Leone (Vanguard)
Nigeria’s Super Eagles players have tested negative for COVID-19 as the team prepares for the reverse fixture of the AFCON qualifier against Sierra Leone in Freetown.
The team also confirmed its departure from the shores of the country on Monday.
A post to confirm the departure was shared on the official Instagram handle of the senior men national team with the caption “We off to Freetown!”
The match which will hold on Tuesday will not feature Victor Osimhen who suffered a shoulder injury when both sides met on Friday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City. Osimhen left the camp for his club Napoli on Sunday. Read more
Comoros beat Kenya to edge towards first ever Afcon finals (BBC)
Comoros continued their run of outstanding results in qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a 2-1 over Kenya to put themselves top of Group G.
Goals from Ben El Fardou and Faiz Mattoir either side of a Cliff Nyakeya equaliser put the tiny island nation top of a group also containing Egypt and Togo, who meet on Tuesday.
Comoros will be guaranteed to be in Cameroon for their first ever Afcon finals if they beat either Togo or Egypt in their final two games.
But the result left Kenya’s chances of qualifying for a second successive tournament looking very slim, only two matches into the reign of new coach Jacob Mulee. Read more
Floyd Mayweather returns to the ring for fight in February 2021 (Metro)
Floyd Mayweather will return to the ring for a fight in Tokyo in February 2021. It has been confirmed that the unbeaten 43-year-old will on the card for the MMA event MEGA 2021 at the Tokyo Dome on February 28 next year. However, Mayweather’s opponent and the rules of the fight are yet to be established. Last week, Mayweather hinted that his return to the ring was on the cards. ‘Tokyo, Japan, I’m coming back, in 2021,’ Mayweather said in a video on Instagram. Read more
Liverpool’s Sadio Mane scores as Senegal qualify for Afcon finals (BBC)
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane scored the winner for Senegal against Guinea-Bissau to book their place at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Mane scored in the 82nd minute after Jorge Nogueira was sent off in the second half for Guinea-Bissau.
Senegal, currently the top-ranked country in Africa, are the second team to qualify after hosts Cameroon.
They have picked up a maximum 12 points from four matches in Group I and qualify with two games to spare. Read more
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stranded for six hours with Gabon squad at airport (Metro)
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left stranded with Gabon’s squad at Gambia airport for six hours on Sunday evening. Ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Gambia in Bakau on Monday, Aubameyang and Gabon’s national team arrived at the Banjul International Airport late on Sunday night. But the players and coaching staff were held at the airport for six hours overnight with their passports seized as officials checked their Covid-19 test results. Aubameyang posted a series of updates throughout the night before the squad were released and allowed to board the team bus just before 6am. Read more