Man jailed 16 weeks for stealing 2 iPhones (Vanguard)
A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Tuesday sentenced a man, Rabiu Yusuf, to 16 weeks imprisonment for stealing two iPhones worth N678,000.
The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, held that the convict failed to give the court a reasonable explanation why he committed the crime.
Emmanuel charged the convict to desist from any criminal act or face a more stringent punishment if found wanting in future. Read more
Abuja earth tremor: Govt sets up committee to forestall future crisis (Nation)
An Ad hoc Committee on emergency preparedness plan for earth tremors in some parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been constituted.
The Ag Director General of the FCT Emergency Management Department (FEMD), Engr. Abdulrahman Mohammed announced this after a meeting with stakeholders on recent vibrations in some parts of Mpape, Katampe and Maitama.
Mohammed said the ad hoc committee would sensitize residents on what to do during and after the tremor. Read more
Lagos partners FG, private sector to boost tourism (Tribune)
Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture has said that it is partnering with Federal Government and the private sector to boost tourism and create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state.
The State Commissioner for Tourism, Art and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, made this disclosure on. Wednesday during a tour of some tourist sites in the state, including JK Randle, Freedom Park, National Museum, Onikan House, among others.
Benson-Awoyinka acknowledged that Lagos is open to business development, as well as to promoting tourism, adding: “Lagos is open to showcase our art and cultural heritage to investors.” Read more
SSANU, NASU issue 3-week ultimatum, threaten indefinite strike (Channels)
The Joint Action Committee of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU) have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike if their outstanding salaries are not paid within three weeks.
They issued the threat in a statement jointly signed by SSANU President, Mohammed Ibrahim, and NASU General Secretary, Prince Peters Adeyemi.
The statement was obtained by Channels Television on Wednesday. Read more
Lagos orders demolition of police barracks over imminent collapse (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has raised the alarm over an imminent building collapse at the Mopol 20 Barracks, Onigbongbo in the Ikeja area of the state.
This is as the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency is set to begin an emergency evacuation and demolition of the old Block 3 part of the barracks.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Permanent Secretary of LASEMA, Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, said its response team had assessed some parts of the structure and found them in a precarious condition. Read more
Tinubu celebrates Lagos deputy gov, Hamzat, at 60 (Tribune)
President Bola Tinubu has felicitated the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, on the occasion of his 60th birthday, describing him as his esteemed colleague and trusted friend.
A statement issued on Wednesday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy) said in a special tribute released today, President Tinubu noted that Hamzat’s contributions to the development of Lagos State and Nigeria have been remarkable as a public servant.
It pointed out that in 2005, President Tinubu recognised Hamzat’s exceptional talent and invited him to serve in his cabinet during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State. Read more
Tinubu recovering funds stolen under his predecessors –Niger Emir (DailyTrust)
The Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, has said that the President Bola Tinubu, is trying to recover a lot of funds stolen under past administration but many Nigerians are not aware.
The Monarch stated this at the sensitisation of the citizenry on the federal government intervention programmes at the state and local government levels organised by the Office of the Minister of Information and National Orientation and National Orientation Agency, which held in Minna, the Niger State capital.
Represented by the Hadinin Minna, Alhaji Maikudi Achaza, the emir defended President Tinubu of doing his best to salvage Nigeria from corruption of the past leaders. Read more
EFCC accuses accountants of aiding public sector fraud (Punch)
The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede has charged accountants across the country to show greater regard for the ethics of their profession and observance of the country’s financial regulations.
According to him, it is difficult to commit fraud in any public sector without the complicity of an accountant.
A statement on Wednesday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale said Olukoyede spoke while delivering a goodwill message at the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria. Read more
Halle Berry stars in ‘Never Let Go,’ a horror film which takes on theme of generational trauma (AfricaNews)
In one of the first horror films she has starred in in years, Academy Award winner Halle Berry says she drew upon her own experiences as a mother for her role in Alexandre Aja’s Never Let Go.
The actress says the fact that the film grapples with the theme of generational trauma drew her to the part. “That’s what interested me about it”, she said. ”It’s not just a psychological thriller or a horror film. It’s really about the cycle of generational trauma and how if we don’t sort of get healed, we just pass it along and along.”
The film’s dark content made for a challenging acting process, but it’s one that Berry’s co-stars took in their stride. “I do love the challenge,” said Anthony B. Jenkins, who plays Berry’s character’s son. ”They sent me the whole script. I read the whole thing. I was like, this is it’s not really just about a thriller. It’s not really just about a family trying to stay away from the bad. It’s really about the love of the family”. Read more
Saturday Night Live announces season 50 lineup including Jean Smart, Ariana Grande and Chappell Roan (People)
Saturday Night Live’s landmark 50th season finally has some faces in its lineup!
On Sept. 18, NBC announced the hosts and musical guests for the first five episodes of the late-night sketch comedy show’s upcoming season, with Jean Smart kicking off the season premiere on Saturday, Sept. 28 alongside musical guest Jelly Roll.
Nate Bargatze will host the following week’s episode, marking his second time hosting the show in less than a year, as he last hosted on Oct. 23, 2023. Coldplay will be the musical guest for Bargatze’s show on Oct. 5. Read more
Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to additional sex crimes charge ahead of retrial (NBC)
Harvey Weinstein was arraigned on an additional sex crimes charge in a New York City courtroom Wednesday, roughly two months ahead of a retrial in the disgraced Hollywood producer’s landmark #MeToo case.
Weinstein, who arrived at the Manhattan courthouse in a wheelchair, pleaded not guilty to one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree. He is recovering from emergency heart surgery this month, and his lawyer said he takes 19 medications.
In the New York penal code, a criminal sexual act in the first degree concerns engaging in “oral sexual conduct or anal sexual conduct with another person” by “forcible compulsion.” It is a class B felony. Read more
Married police chief had sex with rookie half his age and tried to hide it when she was arrested (Mirror)
Daniel Greenwood headed West Yorkshire Police’s Covid enforcement team – but he breached the rules himself to have sex with probationary officer Caitlin Howarth
A married police chief superintendent, who had sex with a rookie PC almost half his age, has resigned from the force.
Disgraced Daniel Greenwood, who headed West Yorkshire Police’s Covid enforcement team, breached lockdown rules to have sex with Caitlin Howarth after he went jogging. Read more
California man accidentally pays neighbour’s power bill for years (UPI)
A California man discovered he has been mistakenly paying his neighbor’s power bill for up to 18 years.
Ken Wilson, who has lived in the same apartment since 2006, said he recently noticed his Pacific Gas and Electric bill was going up, so he took steps to try to reduce his energy usage.
He reached out to PG&E when his bill failed to go down. Read more
Ukraine hits Russia with “massive drone attack” on military depot in Toropets, causing huge explosions (CBS)
Ukrainian drones struck a large military depot in a town deep inside Russia overnight, causing a huge blaze and prompting the evacuation of some local residents, a Ukrainian official and Russian news reports said Wednesday. The strike came after a senior U.S. diplomat said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recently announced but still confidential plan to win the war “can work” and help end the conflict that’s now in its third year.
Ukraine claimed the strike destroyed military warehouses in Toropets, a town in Russia’s Tver region about 240 miles northwest of Moscow and 300 miles from the border with Ukraine. Read more
Second wave of Lebanon device explosions kills 20 and wounds 450 (BBC)
At least 20 people have been killed and more than 450 wounded by a second wave of explosions from wireless communication devices in Lebanon, the country’s health ministry says.
Walkie-talkies used by the armed group Hezbollah blew up in the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon – areas seen as its strongholds.
Some of the blasts took place during funerals for some of the 12 people who the ministry said were killed when Hezbollah members’ pagers exploded on Tuesday. Hezbollah blamed Israel for that attack. Israel has not commented. Read more
Aina set for Forest contract extension (Punch)
Nottingham Forest is set to offer defender Ola Aina a new contract following his impressive performances this season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Nigeria international, whose current deal expires next summer, has been a key figure in Forest’s backline, earning plaudits for his versatility and consistent displays.
Aina’s stellar performance in Forest’s shock 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield last weekend has further underlined his importance to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. Read more
Coco Gauff splits with Brad Gilbert after frustrating US Open (ABC)
World No. 6 Coco Gauff and coach Brad Gilbert are parting company after the player suffered a frustrating fourth-round exit at the US Open, Gilbert said Wednesday, adding that he was looking forward to the next chapter of his career.
Gilbert helped to coach Gauff to her first Grand Slam trophy in New York last year, but the player was unable to retain her title after disappointing early departures from US Open tuneup tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati.
“Thanks to @CocoGauff and the entire team for an absolutely amazing summer run in 2023 and for 14 months of incredible team effort,” Gilbert, who got to No. 4 in the world during a 13-year playing career, said on X. Read more
Odegaard ankle injury ‘quite significant’ — Arteta (BBC)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says captain Martin Odegaard has suffered a “quite significant” ankle ligament injury.
The midfielder limped off during Norway’s Nations League win over Austria on Monday, 9 September.
Odegaard had gone down in pain after hurting his left ankle following a foul by Christoph Baumgartner midway through the second half. Read more
Olatunji inspires Sparta Prague’s win Vs Salzburg (CompleteSports)
Nigeria forward Victor Olatunji was the hero as Sparta Prague’s defeated RB Salzburg 3-0 in their UEFA Champions League contest on Wednesday.
Olatunji made history as the first Nigerian to register a goal and an assist on his Champions League debut.
The 25-year-old is also the third African to achieve the feat following the footsteps of Gabon’s Daniel Cousin and Serge Aurier. Read more
Man City ‘fail to submit visa application’ for Khadija Shaw ahead of Paris FC trip (Independent)
Manchester City will be without star striker Khadija Shaw for their crucial Women’s Champions League qualifier at Paris FC after the club failed to file a visa application in time.
City face Paris FC in the first leg of the second-round qualifier on Wednesday evening but Shaw was unable to travel because of the error, the Guardian reported.
The Women’s Super League side attempted to get a visa for the Jamaica international at the last minute but were unsuccessful and will be without their record goalscorer in Paris. Read more
Rory McIlroy expresses concerns over Ian Poulter captaincy hopes but hopes for Jon Rahm involvement in 2025 (SkySports)
Rory McIlroy believes it will be difficult for Ian Poulter or Lee Westwood to be future Ryder Cup captains because they no longer have a connection with Europe’s emerging stars.
Former Team Europe stars Poulter, Westwood and Sergio Garcia have resigned their DP World Tour memberships since joining the LIV tour, rendering them ineligible for the Ryder Cup.
When quizzed on the prospect of a future Team Europe captain coming from LIV, McIlroy said: “There’s some that I would be okay with and others I wouldn’t be okay with.” Read more