Mohbad: Court orders substituted service on Naira Marley, Sam Larry (Punch)
A Coroner’s Court in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State has ordered substituted service on key witnesses in the ongoing inquest into the death of singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad
These include Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley; Samson Eletu aka Sam Larry; Mohbad’s sister-in-law, Karimot Ogunbayo; Boluwatife Adeyemo aka Darosha and Mohbad’s lawyer, Oluwasanmi Falade.
The nurse who was said to have treated the deceased during the period, Feyisayo Ogedengbe, and the driver who drove him to the hospital, Fidelis Esanbor, were also on the list. Read more
Pregnant woman, granny, granddaughter, others die in Ogun road crashes (DailyTrust)
A pregnant woman, granny and her granddaughter have been reportedly killed in separate road crashes between Thursday night and Friday morning in Ogun State.
Our correspondent reports that the first accident claimed six persons’ lives in a late night accident at Enugada area of Lafenwa in Abeokuta, the State capital, on Thursday.
The accident occured when a truck reportedly lost control and rammed into vehicles, pedestrians and other road users. Read more
Commotion as Supreme Court delivers judgement in Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi governorship election dispute (Vanguard)
There was commotion at the Supreme Court on Friday as the apex court delivers judgment in the governorship election disputes in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the court had fixed today, Aug. 23 for the final judgment of the Nov. 11, 2023 governorship poll conducted in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
However, lawyers, litigants, journalists and supporters of different candidates found it difficult to access the courtroom as police officers and private security guards from Halogen Security, restrained everyone from going into the courtroom. Read more
Kwara: Summit varsity disowns student accused of murder (Tribune)
Summit University, Offa, Kwara state has disassociated itself from the criminal activities of a former student, whose arrest was recently announced by the Kwara State Police command.
In an official statement by the Public Relations Officer of the university, Atoyebi Bashir Olagunju,
at the weekend, he said that the individual had been expelled long before the alleged crime took place and has no current affiliation with the institution.
The statement also said that the former student was dismissed after being found guilty of theft, a serious violation of both the university’s rules and the matriculation oath. Read more
Reps deputy speaker, Kalu bags quality representation, leadership award (Nation)
The Dr. Michael Okpara Leadership Foundation has recognised the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu for his quality representation and display of adept leadership skills in the National Assembly.
At its 2024 lecture and award ceremony which took place at the Shehu Yar’adua Centre in Abuja, the advisory board and organizing committee presented Kalu with an award of quality representation and leadership.
Dr. Michael Okpara was the Premier of the defunct Eastern Region of Nigeria from 1959 to 1966. Read more
Ogun begins reconstruction work on Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway (Channels)
Succour is on the way for residents and motorists plying the ever busy Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway as the contracting firm, Craneburg, has moved to site to begin the reconstruction of the 81km road which has been abandoned and in a state of disrepair for years.
The flag-off/turning of the sod for the reconstruction is expected to take place on Friday, 23 August. It will be performed by the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun.
Craneburg started mobilizing its equipment to the site 10 days ago to begin palliative measures in an attempt to make one side of the road motorable, while proper reconstruction begins on the other section. Read more
Sokoto district head’s murder worsening people’s trust in security agencies –ACF, NEF (DailyTrust)
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) have condemned the brutal killing of Alhaji Isa Mohammed Bawa, the Sarkin Gobir of Sabon Birni in Sokoto State, by bandits.
The traditional ruler was abducted alongside his son on August 18 and later murdered despite ransom demands.
The bodies in their separate statements signed by Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the ACF Secretary-General and Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, urged for a thorough investigation and a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s national security architecture to combat banditry and terrorism. Read more
We must remain vigilant against regional, global threats – Tinubu (Nation)
President Bola Tinubu has charged the participants of the National Defence College (NDC) Course 32, to be vigilant and proactive in addressing the myriad of regional and global threats.
Tinubu, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, made the call at the graduation of the participants on Friday in Abuja.
He said the college had adequately equipped the participants with the requisite knowledge and strategies and charged them to rise to the occasion in addressing the prevailing national security challenges. Read more
Carol Vorderman says TV industry is “a mess’’ (BBC)
Former Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman has called for urgent changes to the television industry in a speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival.
Speaking on Friday, the 63-year-old said the industry is full of “snobbery” and is run by the upper-middle classes.
And she said viewers would continue to turn away from traditional broadcast media, which is “a mess”. Read more
Former Eritrean Minister Abrehe dies in prison after 6 years in detention (AfricaNews)
Former Eritrean Finance Minister Berhane Abrehe, 79, passed away in prison on Monday, August 19th, following six years of solitary confinement. His death was confirmed by the Eritrean Human Rights Council (HRC), a UK-based organization.
Abrehe was arrested on September 17, 2018, shortly after publishing a book critical of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki titled “Hagerey Eritrea” (My Country, Eritrea). He had been held at Carshelli prison in Asmara’s capital, without formal charges or a fair trial.
A former Eritrean Liberation Front (ELF) member and later Eritrean People’s Liberation Front (EPLF) member, Abrehe played a significant role in the struggle for Eritrea’s independence. After independence in 1993, he held several key government positions, including Minister of Finance from 2001 to 2012. Read more
Elsie Dot Stancombe: Mourners sing Taylor Swift in pink-themed service for victim, 6 (Mirror)
Elsie Dot Stancombe’s funeral is taking place almost a month after she and two other young girls were killed when a knifeman ambushed a Taylor Swift-themed dance party in Southport
Mourners at Elsie Dot Stancombe’s service sang a Taylor Swift song at the Southport victim’s pink-themed “Special Day.”
At the emotional gathering in memory of the six-year-old, a young singer performed the popstar’s hit Love Story as her Elsie’s family prepared to go to a private service in nearby Burscough. The “amazing little girl” was a proud Swiftie, according to her family. Read more
Jeremy Clarkson’s pub opens on time to a fanfare (BelfastTelegraph)
Jeremy Clarkson’s new pub has opened to the public for the first time – as hundreds of people queued up to hopefully get inside.
The pub in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire, reopened to the public at midday after being renamed The Farmer’s Dog.
Around 300 people had formed an orderly queue snaking around the car park and large beer garden to wait for the doors to be opened. Read more
Glenn Close ‘‘had no clue’’ how to play a ‘‘white woman’’ who ‘‘lived her life in the black community’’ in The Deliverance (People)
Glenn Close’s favorite roles? The ones she has “no clue” how to play at first.
“If I have any rule that I’ve tried to hold myself to,” the 77-year-old screen legend tells PEOPLE, it’s “never to repeat myself” from one character to the next.
“Just for my own sake,” she says with a laugh. Playing the same type of woman more than once, she adds, “I think I’d get bored.”
So when director Lee Daniels approached Close with his new horror drama The Deliverance (co-written by David Coggeshall and Elijah Bynum) and she “had no clue of how to play it,” she was thrilled. Read more
Sabrina Carpenter performs on “Tonight,” releases new album (UPI)
Sabrina Carpenter performed “Please, Please, Please” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, just after her album, Short n’ Sweet, released at midnight Friday.
“It does really feel like a self-titled album to me,” Carpenter told Fallon. “Short n’ Sweet is sort of like ‘Sabrina’ in another language to me, and it really just feels like all of these stories and memories and very much blunt, very forward, very fun, and just some of the best memories I’ve had over the last two years of writing it. So I’m so excited for everyone to hear it.”
Carpenter also revealed that Wednesday and “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” actress Jenna Ortega will star in her “Taste” music video, which premieres Friday. Read more
Emmanuel Macron meets French party leaders to try to name a prime minister (RNZ)
French President Emmanuel Macron began meeting party leaders from across France’s political spectrum on Friday with the aim, nearly seven weeks after inconclusive parliamentary elections, to finally give the country a new prime minister.
Whoever Macron names will face a tough job, with parliamentary approval of the 2025 budget one of many challenges at a time when France is under pressure from the European Commission and bond markets to reduce its deficit.
Who will become prime minister – and whether they can get a hung parliament to back any reforms – is still very much an open question, with no sign yet of any broader coalition that would have a stable majority. Read more
Andersson confirms talks with NFF over Super Eagles coaching job (CompleteSports)
Janne Andersson has confirmed he is in talks with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for the vacant Super Eagles coaching job.
Andersson has been without a job since leaving the Swedish national team last November.
The 61-year-old has been linked with the vacant Super Eagles coaching job. Read more
Olu of Warri to kick off Delta Ethnic Peace and Unity tourney (Punch)
The Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, is to kick off the newly inaugurated Delta Ethnic Peace and Unity Cup football tournament to be contested among the Ijaw, Itsekiri, Isoko, and Urhobo ethnic groups in Delta State.
The football competition aims at promoting peaceful coexistence and unity among Ijaw, Itsekiri, Isoko, and Urhobo ethnic groups in Delta State, particularly after the conflict and crisis that erupted in Warri and environs some years ago.
Chairman, Delta Football Association, Mr. Kenneth Nwaomucha, announced this on Thursday at the inauguration of the 10-member Local Organising Committee of the tournament held at Africa for Peace Centre, Ugolo, Osubi, Delta State. Read more
Thibaut Courtois: I won’t play for Belgium under current coach (ESPN)
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said in a social media post Thursday that he will not be returning to the Belgium national team while current manager Domenico Tedesco remains in charge.
Courtois, who missed much of the last season after suffering two knee injuries, was left off Belgium’s Euro 2024 squad despite starting for Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
“Unfortunately, following the events with the coach and after much reflection, I have decided not to return to the Belgian national team under his management,” Courtois, who has 102 caps for Belgium, wrote on Instagram. Read more
Arsenal “target huge Nico Williams transfer” but face hurdle that may block deal (Express)
Arsenal reportedly prefer a switch for Atletico Madrid star Nico Williams to upgrade Mikel Arteta’s wide options in the final week of the transfer window. The Gunners are close to sealing a £32 million transfer for Real Sociedad’s Mikel Merino and are open to making further signings before the August 30 deadline.
Williams has been linked with a switch to the Premier League this summer, with Arsenal and Liverpool linked. However, head coach Mikel Arteta faces a major obstacle if he wants to sign the Athletic Bilbao winger.
According to the Independent, Williams’ preference is to remain in Spain and his medium-term goal is to join Barcelona. Arsenal would need to convince Spain’s Euro 2024 hero that the best place for his development is the Premier League. Read more
Korda shoots bogey-free 68 and leads by 3 during second round of Women’s British Open (DailyMail)
World No. 1 Nelly Korda shot 4-under 68 Friday to take a three-stroke clubhouse lead during the second round of the Women’s British Open in her quest for a second major title of a dominant year for the American.
Korda was bogey-free around the Old Course on another blustery day at St. Andrews, while picking up birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 for the second straight day and more at the par-5 No. 5 and No. 9 after starting on the 10th.
Korda was 8 under for the tournament. Read more
Nicky Nieves and Steve Serio named Team USA flag bearers for Paralympic Opening Ceremony (NBC)
The U.S. flag bearers for the Paris Paralympic Opening Ceremony on Wednesday are sitting volleyball player Nicky Nieves and wheelchair basketball player Steve Serio, each a returning gold medalist.
Nieves, 34, was part of the women’s sitting volleyball team that won the Rio Paralympic tournament in 2016.
She was also named to the initial roster for the Tokyo Games, then tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the event. The U.S. repeated as Paralympic champion without her. Read more