Many feared kidnapped on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (DailyTrust)
An unspecified number of motorists were feared kidnapped along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on Friday.
The development generated tension along the expressway as several vehicles aborted the trips to their destination and drove in the opposite direction.
The incident happened around Dominion University City of Faith, KM 24, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
An eyewitness who spoke with our correspondent said nobody could ascertain the number of people kidnapped but three private vehicles were affected.
He listed the affected as a Jeep, a Toyota Camry Car and Sedan vehicle whose model could not be ascertained. Read more
Female students of Lagos Schools emerge winners at 2022 ESGN Essay competition (Guardian)
Three female students of Lagos schools recently emerged as the winners of the 2022 Endometriosis Support Group Nigeria (ESGN) annual essay competition held in Lagos.
ESGN Senior Secondary Schools Essay Competition was designed to engage girls and adolescents in the topical issue of endometriosis and its effects on women of childbearing age and female sex, generally.
While Tijani Aisha of Crescent College, Victoria Island, Lagos, emerged as the overall winner, Udom God’s Favour of Prudence City College and Femi Olafuyi from Rainbow College, became the 1st and 2nd Runner-ups, respectively.
More so, Aisha got a trophy and N50, 000 cash prize, while the first runner-up got N30, 000, and the second runner-up, went home with N20, 000 as consolation prizes. Read more
Wizkid’s song excites fans, tops Google, Twitter trends (Punch)
A Grammy Award-winning Nigerian singer, Ayo Balogun, aka Wizkid’s new single titled, ‘Money and Love’ has emerged at the top of Google and Twitter trends within hours of its release on Friday, October 28, 2022.
Many of the singer’s fans have taken to social media to gush over the song. A Twitter user, Fresh Prince, wrote, “I am addicted to the ‘Love and Money’ track. Wizkid has hacked this music thing.”
Another fan, Red Tu, wrote, “We made magic with the biggest bird.”
On his part, Victor, wrote, “If you are a fan of Wizkid, you are family to me.” Read more
Hypo rewards NYSC Volunteers in toilet rescue initiative (ThisDay)
Launched in September, the community development service aims to involve the youths in realising United Nations’ Hygiene goal and ending practice of open defecation in Nigeria.
The 11 rewarded volunteers got their project nominated and commissioned for recognition by the Hypo brand.
They were hosted to a grand reception and presented N100, 000 cash prize each in addition to an employment interview offer.
Also present at the event, Executive Chairman of the Organised Private Sector in Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Dr Nicholas Igwe, on behalf of his organisation promised to support the volunteers with an additional N50,000. Read more
Hospital where Rico Swavey died owes family– Cousin (Punch)
Mayo Dele, a cousin of the late former Big Brother Naija housemate, Patrick Fakoya, aka Rico Swavey, has said that the hospital where the latter died is still owing the family N1.5m.
In a media parley during the week, the family and friends of Rico Swavey said that they wanted members of the public to know exactly what led to the death of the former BBN housemate.
Dele said, “We want to get the facts out there. Our desire is that the truth surrounding Rico Swavey’s death on October 13, 2022, should be told so that our family can find closure. I believe there is a law that if accident and gunshot victims are taken to hospitals, they must be properly treated. When we got to Evercare Hospital, Lagos, they demanded N4.2m before treating Rico.
“It wasn’t until the doctor noticed that Rico was a celebrity that they started treating him. Any other person could be in that situation tomorrow and they would not treat the person. We asked for a refund of the advance payment we made for Rico’s treatment, and we have not got it yet. Read more
No going back on strike – Lagos drivers (Vanguard)
The Joint Drivers Association of Nigeria (JDWAN), Lagos State Chapter, on Friday, said that their proposed seven days warning strike meant to kick off on Monday, October 31, 2022, remains sacrosanct.
The joint drivers disclosed this at a press briefing, which was held at the Right’s House, Adeniyi Jones, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Those expected to participate in the upcoming strike are drivers of mini buses (Korope), coaster buses federal Mass Assisted Transit, Mazda buses, T4, LT, Ford and cars who will remove their vehicles off Lagos roads for one week.
Addressing the press conference, the Lead Counsel to the drivers, Ayo Ademiluyi, said the strike action is necessary to protest multiple extortion and violent harassment by members of Lagos State Parks and Management Committee led by Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo, in conjunction with law enforcement agencies in the state. Read more
Amputee demands N2m compensation from Ondo Amotekun (Nation)
AN amputee, Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, has demanded the sum of N2 million as compensation from the Ondo State Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps to enable him start a small business suitable for a disabled man.
Oluwarotimi said the Ondo Amotekun Corps could, in the alternative, offer him a means of livelihood so that he could live again.
The amputee, in a letter to the Commander of Ondo Amotekun Corps, Adeleye Adetunji, signed by his lawyer, Tope Tomekun, said he was shot on his leg by an operative of the corps on August 9, 2021.
Oluwarotimi said he was a commercial motorcyclist before he was shot on the left leg even when nothing incriminating was found on him. Read more
Naira redesigning ill-timed, Finance Minister knocks CBN (DailyTrust)
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, on Friday expressed reservations with the redesigning of some naira denominations by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The CBN on Wednesday announced that it would start circulating newly redesigned N100, N200, N500 and N1000 naira notes from December 15.
CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, said the move was to counter terrorism financing, hoarding of banknotes by members of the public, with statistics showing that over 85 per cent of monies in circulation were outside the vaults of commercial banks.
But Ahmed said her ministry was not consulted on the CBN move, warning that the new policy may have grave consequences on the value of naira to other foreign currencies. Read more
Rihanna releases official music video for new single “Lift Me Up” (Standard)
Rihanna has released the official music video for her new single Lift Me Up.
The 34-year-old Barbadian singer made her triumphant return to the music scene on Friday with the release of the track, which was recorded for the upcoming film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
She last released solo music in 2016 with her eighth studio album Anti.
The emotional video sees shots of the singer on a beach, with waves crashing in the background, interspersed with footage from the film, which is due to be released on November 11. Read more
Man who attacked US politician Nancy Pelosi’s husband ‘was looking for her’ (Metro)
An assailant broke into Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s home on Thursday night and assaulted her husband, the congresswoman said.
Paul Pelosi, venture capitalist and husband of California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, was attacked in the couple’s San Francisco home last night by an assailant.
‘The assailant is in custody and the motivation for the attack is under investigation,’ Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s press secretary stated. ‘Mr. Pelosi was taken to the hospital, where he is receiving excellent medical care and is expected to make a full recovery.’
The suspect was identified as 42-year-old David Depape, who will be charged with attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, burglary, and several additional felonies. Read more
Paul Pelosi recovering after hammer attack surgery (BBC)
Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is recovering from surgery after being attacked at home by a hammer-wielding intruder.
Mr Pelosi, 82, was left with a fractured skull and serious injuries to his right arm and hands.
The suspect is said to have demanded to see Mrs Pelosi after breaking into the San Francisco home.
President Joe Biden saw the attack as political and called it “despicable”.
A 42-year-old man has been arrested on charges including attempted homicide. No motive is known. Read more
Wynonna Judd to recreate the Judds’ 1991 farewell concert in a new TV special (People)
Just days after announcing “The Judds: The Final Tour” will expand to 15 more dates, Wynonna Judd has revealed yet more big news: She will be re-creating The Judds Farewell Concert — the now-legendary TV special that aired in 1991 — for national broadcast on CMT next March.
Judd has been bringing out other artists one at a time on her current tour, but tour-mates Ashley McBryde, Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini and Little Big Town will all be featured on the televised show, The Judds: Love is Alive — The Final Concert. Tour opener Martina McBride is also scheduled to join the cast, with additional guests to be announced.
The concert will be recorded next Thursday in the Murphy Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, the same arena where the original special was staged.
“This is a big, fat, hairy deal for me,” Judd said during a news conference on Wednesday in a Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee, restaurant not far from her home south of Nashville. “We are taking full advantage of the love and support.” Read more
Paul Bettany’s Vision ”to receive spin-off series” on Disney+ (DailyMail)
Paul Bettany is reportedly returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Vision in a spin-off series titled Vision Quest for Disney+.
The 51-year-old will also play a version of the character seen at the end of WandaVision with an all-white color scheme created by S.W.O.R.D., according to Deadline.
The show will open its writer’s room next week, claims the publication, and will follow Vision as he tries to ‘regain his memory and humanity.’
The outlet noted that Bettany’s character will be the main focus, but it’s possible that Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff could make an appearance also. Read more
Shelley Duvall returns to acting with The Forest Hills horror pic (THR)
Shelley Duvall has returned to the big screen with a cameo role in director Scott Goldberg’s The Forest Hills, which also stars Edward Furlong, Chiko Mendez and Dee Wallace, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Duvall had break out roles in the 1970s in Robert Altman’s Brewster McCloud and Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, where she briefly, yet memorably played a Rolling Stone reporter, before appearing in the role of Wendy Torrance alongside Jack Nicholson in Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic The Shining. This marks the first role in 20 years for the actor, who last year spoke about her legacy in a profile for THR.
In The Forest Hills, Duvall plays the mother of a tormented man, played by Mendez, and the voice in his head as he faces nightmarish visions following a head injury sustained in the Catskills. Furlong plays Billy, a man who encourages the tormented man to become a werewolf.
The horror thriller also stars Debbie Rochon, Robert Leckington, Sherrie Renea Lewis and Jesse-Lee Lafferty. Goldberg also wrote the screenplay for The Forest Hills, which is produced by Dreznick-Goldberg Productions, Digital Thunderdome and Scott Hansen. Read more
Hannah Goslar, friend of Anne Frank who moved to Israel after the war, dies aged 93 (TimesOfIsrael)
Hannah Goslar, one of Anne Frank’s best friends who like her was held in the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp during World War II, died on Friday aged 93, the Anne Frank Foundation said.
Frank, a young Jewish girl who died aged 15 in the Bergen-Belsen camp, is known worldwide for her powerful diary written between 1942 and 1944.
Goslar was born in 1928. Her family fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and settled in Amsterdam, where she met Frank at school.
The two girls lost touch in 1942 when the Frank family went into hiding to escape the Nazis. Read more
We ‘ll shoot down Olympics Eagles – Tanzania (Guardian)
Players and officials of Tanzania Junior Taifa Stars are optimistic about ending the dream of Nigeria’s U23 team, the Olympic Eagles, when they clash this afternoon at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan.
Both teams played 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam, last Saturday, and goals are needed today in Ibadan to separate them and determine which side goes ahead to face the winner of the fixture between Uganda and Guinea in the ultimate round before the continental finals slated for Morocco.
Speaking with journalists after their training at the Olubadan Stadium, Ibadan, an official of the Tanzania Junior Taifa Stars declared that they are in Ibadan to end the dream of the Olympics Eagles and cause more havoc for Nigerian football.
“We are here to stop the Olympics Eagles. We have players who are capable of shooting down the Nigerians, and I am optimistic we will laugh last at the end of the match.
“We are told this is the first time a Nigerian national team is playing here (Ibadan) after a very long time. It will end in tears for Nigerian fans tomorrow (today),” the official said. Read more
Salisu submits 25-man list for Costa Rica friendly (Sun)
As many as 25 players have been called up to the Super Eagles squad ahead of the November 9 international friendly against Costa Rica in San Jose, reports owngoalnigeria. com.
The game which will take place at the Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica will be prosecuted mostly by players from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) as well as others based abroad who will be available for the game.
The team will be handled by U23 coach, Salisu Yusuf. Already, he has sent out invitations to players who have already had visa interviews with the Costa Rica embassy. Some players based abroad have also had their interviews.
Players selected for the game are totally different from the ones who will play in the friendly game against Portugal, as mainly foreign- based players selected by coach Jose Peseiro will prosecute it. Read more
Spain prosecutors drop corruption and fraud charges against Neymar (France24)
Prosecutors in Spain on Friday dropped corruption and fraud charges against football star Neymar and others accused in a trial over the Brazilian’s 2013 move from Santos to Barcelona.
In a dramatic move, the prosecutor announced the “withdrawal of the charges against all the accused and for all the allegations” they had faced.
Neymar, 30, had said he did not remember if he took part in the negotiations which led to an agreement sealed in 2011 with Barcelona over his transfer two years later to the Spanish side from Brazilian club Santos.
Spanish prosecutors had sought a two-year prison term for Neymar, a key member of the Brazil team that will be heading to the World Cup in Qatar next month, and the payment of a 10-million-euro ($9.7-million) fine. Read more
World Cup 2022: Tunisia risk possible ban from finals in Qatar (BBC)
Tunisia could be excluded from next month’s World Cup in Qatar if the country’s government interferes in footballing matters, world governing body Fifa has warned.
Fifa’s member federations must be free from legal and political interference.
The warning comes after repeated comments from Tunisia’s Youth and Sports Minister, Kamel Deguiche, about the possibility of “dissolving federal bureaux”.
Fifa considers his statement an attempt to meddle in the running of the country’s football federation (FTF), and has asked the latter for clarification about attempts to interfere in its internal affairs and threats to dissolve its office. Read more
Leclerc owns up to ”my mistake” after heavy FP2 crash (F1i)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc held his hands up to making a mistake in the second free practice session on Friday at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez heading into the Mexican Grand Prix.
Leclerc was taking part in what should have been a routine, drama-free tyre test for Pirelli when he suddenly spun off at turn 8 and reversed into the barrier, bringing out a lengthy red flag and ending his session early.
“I lost the rear at the start of the high-fuel [run],” he told the media afterwards. “But that was my mistake. I’m confident it won’t hurt our weekend.
“I don’t think any of it will compromise us. I think we have enough [spare components] now with all the penalties we’ve had in the past, so it should be fine. Read more
San Antonio Spurs waive 2021 NBA lottery pick Joshua Primo (ABC)
The San Antonio Spurs suddenly waived 2021 lottery pick Joshua Primo on Friday, the team announced.
“It is our hope that, in the long run, this decision will serve the best interest of both the organization and Joshua,” Spurs CEO RC Buford said in a statement.
Primo, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, was waived two weeks after the Spurs exercised the third-year option in his contract guaranteeing his $4.3 million salary for the 2023-24 season.
The news comes a year after the Spurs also parted ways with forward Luka Samanic, who San Antonio had drafted with the No. 19 pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Read more