Mr Jollof’s wife sues VeryDarkMan for N500m (Vanguard)
The wife of popular Nigerian comedian Mr. Jollof, Esinjemiyotan Atsepoyi, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Martins Otse, known as VeryDarkMan, demanding N500 million in damages.
The lawsuit comes after a series of allegations made by the Abuja-based activist, who claimed that Esinjemiyotan used inappropriate means to help her husband, Freedom Okpetoritse Atsepoyi, secure his position as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on New Media to Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
VeryDarkMan also accused her of committing adultery with a “Yahoo boy” and “several politicians.” Read more
Police arrest 21 suspected political thugs for disruption of Kaduna LG poll (Channels)
The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested 21 suspects for attempting to disrupt the smooth conduct of the recent local government elections held on October 19th, 2024.
The arrests were made by police officers from Operation Fushin Kada who acted swiftly to prevent the planned obstruction of the electoral process.
A statement by the Kaduna State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, said the suspects, identified as political thugs, were arrested while attempting to block transportation routes and disrupt the distribution of election materials by targeting ad-hoc staff of the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission assigned to oversee the election logistics. Read more
Court schedules November 14 for ex-Gov Bello’s appearance over alleged N110.4b fraud (Nation)
A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama has fixed November 14 for the immediate-past Governor of Kogi, Yahaya Bello to appear before it.
The court, presided over by Justice Maryanne Anenih had on October 3 issued a public summons Bello to attend court and answer to a fresh 16-count charge, boarding on criminal breach of trust, brought against him and two others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The other two defendants in the charge, marked: FCT/HC/CR/778/2024 are Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu. The three were alleged to have diverted about N110.4billion. Read more
Canadian lady jailed 11 years for importing 35.20kg cannabis (Punch)
The Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday convicted and sentenced a 41-year-old Canadian lady, Adrienne Munju, to 11 years imprisonment for importing 35.20 kilogrammes of Canadian Loud (Cannabis Sativa) into Nigeria.
Justice Dehinde Dipeolu who handed down the verdict also gave her an option of a N100m fine on the two counts preferred against her by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The judge convicted and sentenced Munju following her plea of guilt on the two counts. Read more
APM Terminals Apapa boosts container yard capacity (ThisDay)
In a strategic move to bolster Nigeria’s non-oil exports, APM Terminals Apapa, the country’s largest container terminal, has expanded its yard capacity to handle increased export cargo volumes.
With the recent expansion, the terminal now boasts an additional 2,400 TEU container capacity.
Terminal Manager, Steen Knudsen, highlighted the company’s commitment to supporting the Nigerian economy, emphasizing recent improvements driven by exporter and shipping line feedback. “We’ve held several interactive forums to gather insights and improve our processes,” Knudsen said. “The expanded yard is a direct result of this collaboration. Additionally, we’ve completed paving the customs examination section, enhancing the standard of the inspection area and improving cargo tidiness and efficiency.” Read more
‘If you want to find trouble, trouble is my work’, Falz tells VDM (Leadership)
Nigerian rapper and activist, Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, has spoken out about his ongoing legal battle with social media activist, Martin Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan (VDM).
LEADERSHIP recalls that the dispute began after VeryDarkMan shared an audio recording on Instagram in which crossdresser Bobrisky allegedly claimed that Falz and his father, Femi Falana, a renowned human rights lawyer, of offering him a presidential pardon in exchange for N10 million following his conviction over naira abuse.
Bobrisky had since discredited the recording, labelling it “fake,” and threatened to sue VeryDarkMan for alleged defamation. In response, Falz and his father demanded a public apology and the retraction of the defamatory statements by VDM. Subsequently, an Ikeja High Court ordered VeryDarkMan to cease circulating any defamatory content about the rapper and his father. Read more
Tackle gender-based violence, APC leader urges women affairs minister (Punch)
The National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Mary Alile Idele, has urged the newly appointed Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, to prioritise the implementation of policies focused on combating gender-based violence nationwide.
In a statement on Thursday, Idele also urged the minister to prioritise support for vulnerable women across Nigeria.
“I urge you to work towards implementing policies that combat gender-based violence and support vulnerable women in the country.” Read more
Kano: How Power outage forced court to sit for 3 hours (DailyTrust)
The national grid collapse and the resultant power outage that plunged some northern states into darkness is not only taking a toll on businesses and other electricity consumers.
The development forced a federal high court in Kano to limit its sittings to three hours a day because of the high cost of diesel.
When lawyers and litigants were set for the day’s proceedings on Thursday morning, Justice Simon Ameboda explained that the court would only sit for 3 hours relying on the generator supplying electricity to the court. Read more
Eva Longoria gave ‘John Wick’ $6m in funding & saved the movie less than 24 hours before it would’ve shut down (Variety)
The first “John Wick” movie opened in theaters 10 years ago and launched another iconic action franchise for Keanu Reeves that has since gone on to gross $1 billion worldwide across four movies. But it turns out none of that success would’ve been possible had it not been for Eva Longoria. Speaking to Business Insider, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch remembered Longoria putting up $6 million with less than 24 hours to go before filming in order to close an unexpected gap in the film’s funding.
“We were less than a week out and we lost almost $6 million on a gap financing,” Stahelski said. “We were financing independently to get the bond, but one of the investors couldn’t raise the money in time.” Read more
Boy, 14, killed himself after ‘falling in love’ with AI chatbot (Metro)
A mum says her son was provoked into killing himself by an AI chatbot that he fell in love with online.
Sewell Setzer III, who was 14 from Orlando, Florida, befriended an AI character named after Daenerys Targaryen on the role-playing app Character.AI.
His mum, Megan Garcia, has now filed a lawsuit against the company over her son’s death. Read more
White House: North Korean troops would be ‘fair game’ in Ukraine (UPI)
North Korea has sent at least 3,000 troops to eastern Russia this month, both Washington and Seoul confirmed, with the White House saying that any soldiers deployed on the battlefield would be “fair game.”
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that Pyongyang moved the troops by ship from the Wonsan area to Vladivostok. The soldiers then moved on to multiple Russian sites where they are undergoing training.
“We do not yet know whether these soldiers will enter into combat alongside the Russian military, but this is certainly a highly concerning probability,” Kirby said at a press briefing. Read more
Prison worker in secret relationship with gangster inmate smuggles drugs behind bars (Mirror)
Ashley Malloy was in a relationship with inmate John Mack who was serving a four-year sentence for drug offences – and when officers raided her locker, they found cocaine and heroin
A prison worker who in a secret relationship with a gangster inmate was caught smuggling class-A drugs behind bars.
Ashley Malloy, 33, worked as a carer at HMP Shotts, a prison in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, which houses some of the country’s most notorious criminals. The worker was put under investigation after police received a tip-off that she was bringing illicit items into the maximum security facility. Read more
Putin concludes BRICS summit with call for UN reform (AfricaNews)
Russian President Vladimir Putin led the final session of BRICS summit, advocating for reforms at the UN to increase the representation of Asian, African, and Latin American nations.
The three-day event in Kazan focused on enhancing financial collaboration, including the creation of alternatives to payment systems dominated by the West, addressing regional conflicts, and plans to expand the BRICS membership.
Putin stated that it is crucial for the UN to adjust its structure to align with 21st-century realities. Read more
Vince McMahon and WWE accused of allowing ‘rampant’ sexual exploitation of young boys by announcer in new lawsuit (NBC)
Vince McMahon and the WWE have been accused of knowing about and failing to stop the sexual exploitation of young boys by a ringside announcer, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of five alleged victims Wednesday.
The suit, filed in Baltimore County, accuses McMahon and his wife, Linda McMahon, and World Wrestling Entertainment and its parent company, TKO Holdings, of allowing the “open, rampant abuse” of so-called “ring boys” as young as 12 who acted as assistants to ringside announcer Melvin Phillips Jr. in the 1980s and 1990s.
NBC News has contacted the McMahons, TKO and the WWE for comment; none have so far responded or commented on the case publicly. Phillips died in 2012. Read more
Cardi B cancels festival performance due to hospitalisation: ‘It breaks my heart’ (HipHopDx)
Cardi B has pulled out of performing at ONE MusicFest at the last minute, citing health issues that have resulted in her being hospitalized.
The Bronx rap star revealed the news in a statement on social media on Wednesday (October 23) but did not specify her medical complication.
“I am so sad to share this news but I’ve been in the hospital recovering from a medical emergency the last couple of days and I wont be able to perform at ONE MusicFest,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Read more
2024 IFFHS Award: Falconets star Okwuchukwu makes Best Youth Player shortlist (CompleteSports)
Falconets striker Chiamaka Okwuchukwu is among the nominees for the 2024 International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) Women’s World Best Youth Player award.
Okwuchukwu will battle 29 other players for the individual accolade.
The youngster was recognised for her impressive displays for the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia. Read more
Lookman, Osimhen shortlisted for 2024 IFFHS Award (Leadership)
Super Eagles duo of Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen have been shortlisted for the 2024 International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) Men’s World Best Player.
They were among the 30 players nominated for the prestigious award this year released on Thursday.
Lookman was nominated on the back of his impressive displays for Nigeria and Atalanta in this year. Read more
Maria Sharapova, Bryan brothers selected for tennis HOF (ABC)
Five-time major champion and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova and Bob and Mike Bryan, the most successful men’s doubles pairing in history, were named to the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 on Thursday.
They will be inducted Aug. 23 at the Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, following a three-day celebration and related activities.
In a statement, Kim Clijsters, the Hall’s president and a member of the 2017 Hall of Fame class, praised the trio for their careers and achievements. Read more
Andre Onana: Man Utd players taking responsibility for mistakes (SkySports)
Andre Onana has revealed Manchester United’s dressing room is taking responsibility and trying to self-correct their “mistakes” to steer away from a poor start to the season.
Manager Erik ten Hag has tackled enormous scrutiny and speculation around his job security, but in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, goalkeeper Onana has shared that the United players are not solely leaving it up to the coaching staff to find solutions for their deficiencies.
Onana flagged there is regular dialogue amongst the squad on fixing the issues that see them 12th in the Premier League table and without a win yet in Europe. Read more
Erling Haaland’s ‘freak’ goal stuns teammates as Man City break United’s Champions League record (Independent)
A Pep Guardiola side is often described as the best in Champions League history. Another has the statistical distinction as the hardest to beat. For many, the 2011 Barcelona team reached a level unequalled before or since. Manchester City’s class of 2024, however, stand alone in another respect.
In going 26 European Cup or Champions League games undefeated – even with the sizeable and significant caveat they did lose a penalty shootout in that time – they accomplished something no one else ever had. In a microcosm of much in Manchester football, they stripped the record from their neighbours: Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United had set the previous best of 25. Read more
Schauffele ‘an idiot’ after tree root bogey farce (BBC)
Xander Schauffele called himself “an idiot” after he carded a quadruple-bogey eight during the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship in Japan.
The 30-year-old United States player’s wayward tee shot on the par-four ninth at the Narashino Country Club wedged itself among some tree roots.Rather than take a penalty drop, the double major winner twice tried to hit the ball from out of the roots – only to fail to dislodge it. Read more