“My family now homeless,” man whose ‘N300m’ mansion was pulled down in Lagos speaks (DailyTrust)
Chimobi Ezenwa, a Lagos resident whose mansion said to be worth N300 million was demolished, says he is now homeless.
The administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu recently commenced the destruction of houses said to be in contravention of Lagos masterplan.
There have been speculations that a particular ethnic group is being targeted as a result of the last election, but the government has denied this. Read more
RHOL: Toyin Lawani, Mariam fight dirty on reality show (Vanguard)
Fashion designer and stylist Toyin Lawani got into a physical altercation with her friend Mariam Adeyemi Timmer.
The fight broke out after they accused each other of speaking negatively about one another to others.
The brawl happened during a recent episode of the Real Housewives of Lagos Season 2. Read more
Navy hands over sacks of seized cannabis to NDLEA in Badagry (Guardian)
Forward Operating Base (FOB) of the Nigerian Navy, Badagry, Lagos State, on Friday handed over nine and half sacks of seized cannabis sativa,worth N15.2million, to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) in Badagry.
Lt. Empire Okorie, the Base Intelligence Officer, representing FOB Commanding, Navy Capt. Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, said operatives seized the cannabis on Thursday at Moba community in Badagry.
He said that the navy acted after an intelligence tip-off about suspected smuggling activities within its area of operation. Read more
I’m saddened judiciary, Catholic priests are getting sucked into politics – Kukah (Vanguard)
The Bishop of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Matthew Kukah has expressed sadness over the political situation in the country, saying members of the judiciary and Catholic priests are already getting sucked into politics.
Kukah stated this at the 8th House of Justice Summit in Kaduna on Friday.
He said, “I am saddened by the fact that the judiciary has now found itself being sucked into politics. Read more
Tinubu invites major players over move to sack Akeredolu, install Ayedatiwa (Tribune)
A new development is brewing in Ondo state following the invitation of President Bola Tinubu to major players involved in plans to install Governor Akeredolu’s embattled deputy, Ayedatiwa.
The Speaker of the House Assembly, Oladiji Olamide, revealed that the president has invited all the principal actors and members of the House of Assembly to a meeting in Abuja, slated for 2 pm today.
According to Oladiji, the meeting with President Tinubu said the meeting outcome would determine the next line of action. Read more
Kano sacks over 3,000 illegally employed staff, reinstates 9,322 (Sun)
No fewer than 3,234 staff of the Kano State government Civil Service allegedly found wanting of not being eligible to be employed into the Civil Service have been laid off
The Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abudullahi Baffa Bichi made this known while briefing journalists, on Friday.
He said the development followed the government’s decision to implement a report of the committee on screening and verification of employment conducted by the immediate past administration.
He said, “The verification committee report was received by the Government and its salient observations and recommendations were noted and accepted. Read more
Court of Appeal affirms Uba Sani as Kaduna Governor (Channels)
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the election of Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Kaduna State.
Delivering the judgment on Friday, a three-member panel of the appellate court held that the tribunal acted in error when it depended on inadmissible evidence to order the conduct of supplementary polls in 22 polling units of four local government areas (LGAs) where the exercise was deemed inconclusive.
The court stated that a key witness called by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the tribunal hearing merely gave hearsay evidence as he was not present when the malpractices he alleged happened. Read more
LASTMA gets new General Manager (Independent)
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu has approved with immediate effect the appointment of Mr. Bakare-Oki Olalekan as the Acting General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA).
A statement by the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Transportation Mr. Olawale Musa noted that the appointment of Mr. Bakare-Oki Olalekan is for better performance, eradicating incidences of misdemeanours among staffs and continued efficient/effective traffic management on Lagos roads.
Bakare-Oki Olalekan joined the Lagos State Public Service on the April 25, 2000 and rose through the ranks over the years to the post of Deputy Director, Logistics and Engineering Department of LASTMA, before his new appointment as General Manager. Read more
Oscar Pistorius granted parole in South Africa (AfricaNews)
Double-amputee Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius was granted parole Friday, 10 years after shooting his girlfriend through a toilet door at his home in South Africa in a killing that jolted the world.
Department of Corrections spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo said Pistorius would be released from prison on Jan. 5.
Pistorius, who turned 37 this week, has been in jail since late 2014 for the Valentine’s Day 2013 killing of model Reeva Steenkamp, although he was released for a period of house arrest in 2015 while one of the numerous appeals in his case was heard. He was ultimately convicted of murder and sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison. Read more
Brit Awards bosses increasing number of Artist of the Year nominations to 10 (MusicNews)
Brit Awards bosses are reportedly increasing the number of Artist of the Year nominations to 10.
Organisers are said to be making the move following a backlash after they introduced genderless categories for the 2023 event as part of a diversity drive.
The change was slammed as the Artist of the Year gong, which was won by One Direction singer Harry Styles, 29, had no female artists in the running for the trophy. Read more
Chinese court rejects singer Kris Wu’s appeal against rape conviction (SCMP)
A court in Beijing has rejected the appeal of rapper and singer Kris Wu Yifan against his rape conviction.
Beijing No 3 Intermediate People’s Court announced on Friday that it upheld the original verdict for the charges against the 33-year-old Chinese-Canadian hip-hop star. “The original ruling found the facts to be clear, the evidence to be solid and sufficient, the conviction and application of laws to be correct, the sentence to be appropriate, and the trial procedure to be lawful,” the court said. Read more
Makers of Fast & Furious 9 fined after stunt injury (RTE)
The makers of a Fast & Furious film have been fined £800,000 (€921,000) after a stuntman suffered brain damage during a staged fight scene.
Joe Watts was also left with a broken skull after he fell 25 feet headfirst on to the concrete ground at Warner Brothers’ studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, on 22 July 2019.
During a stunt fight scene on a balcony for the action film Fast & Furious 9: The Fast Saga, Mr Watts’ safety line detached as he was thrown over the shoulder of another performer. Read more
Israel to release 39 prisoners as it prepares to receive hostages released by Hamas amid truce (Sky)
The start of the four-day ceasefire has also allowed aid to start to flow into the besieged enclave of Gaza, which has been gripped by a humanitarian crisis following weeks of Israeli bombardment, with fuel and medical supplies cut off.
Israel will release 39 prisoners in exchange for 13 hostages held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, a Palestinian official has said, amid a temporary truce to allow for the swap.
The inmates, all from the occupied West Bank or Jerusalem and including 24 women and 15 teenage boys, will be handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross from a military jail at around 2pm UK time, according to the authorities. Read more
John Travolta recalls near-death experience in the sky (BBC)
The London screening for a new Disney+ film is already running half an hour late – but it isn’t John Travolta’s fault.
The star of the short film in question, The Shepherd, is already in the audience, patiently waiting to see the story on a big screen for the first time, 30 years after he first dreamed of adapting it.
When it becomes clear that there are more people in the tiny screening room than there are seats, he happily gives up his chair and perches at the end of the row. Read more
Finland closes passenger border crossings with Russia (NBC)
Finland has temporarily closed all but one of its eight passenger crossings to Russia in response to an unusually high inflow of migrants for which the Nordic country accuses Moscow.
More than 700 migrants from nations such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Kenya, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria, have in the past couple of weeks entered Finland via Russia. Helsinki says Russia is funneling migrants to the border, a charge the Kremlin has denied.
Having last week closed four border stations, Finland overnight closed all remaining passenger crossings except its northernmost one, Raja-Jooseppi located high north in the Arctic region, for a month. Read more
Wolves target £10m rated Nigerian striker in January (Guardian)
Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly joined the race to sign Viktoria Plzen Nigerian striker Rafiu Durosinmi in the January transfer window.
Durosinmi, a former player with Box2box academy in Nigeria, has scored nine goals for Plzen this season, including six in nine league games.
According to the Telegraph, Wolves have held talks with Plzen this week over a possible deal having scouted the striker. Read more
Adesanya shouldn’t take long break – Du Plessis (Punch)
South African MMA fighter, Dricus Du Plessis, is prepared to take on the current middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, but he still has some advice for former champion Israel Adesanya.
The Nigerian-born mixed martial artist has spoken about making a comeback in the year 2027 and if Adesanya really means to take a four year break; it’s nothing but trouble for himself, according to Du Plessis.
According to Du Plessis, 2027 is way too long for Adesanya to take a break from fighting although well deserved. Read more
Xavi confirms Barca goalkeeper Ter Stegen out for Rayo clash (France24)
Barcelona coach Xavi confirmed goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss the Spanish champions’ La Liga clash with Rayo Vallecano on Saturday due to back pain.
“Tomorrow Marc can’t make it and we have full confidence in Inaki Pena, who is 100 percent ready,” Xavi told a news conference Friday.
Pena, 24, is a product of the club’s youth academy and has played for the Barcelona first team five times. Read more
Women’s Nations League: Linfield’s Keri Halliday receives 1st Northern Ireland call-up (BBC)
Linfield forward Keri Halliday has received her first call-up to the Northern Ireland squad for their Women’s Nations League games against Albania and the Republic of Ireland.
Halliday, 18, scored 14 goals for the Blues in the Women’s Premiership this season.
She replaces Rachel Furness, who is ruled out with a hamstring injury. Read more
F1 agrees to 2024 Sprint revamp, reverses tyre blanket ban (F1i)
A meeting of the FIA’s F1 Commission on Thursday in Abu Dhabi has resulted in two major decisions for 2024 and beyond: a revamp of the sport’s Sprint format and a reversal of a planned ban on tyre blankets.
With the current standalone sprint format failing to meet expectations in terms of entertainment, Formula 1 stakeholders have agreed that changes are necessary for 2024.
Potential ideas that are on the table involve reverse grids and a complete restructuring of the weekend schedule. Read more
Andy Roddick highlights factor making Carlos Alcaraz dangerous at the Australian Open (Tennis365)
Andy Roddick believes Carlos Alcaraz will be a major threat at the 2024 Australian Open as the surface at the tournament will be “very good for him.”
The 2003 US Open champion feels the “heavy ball” Alcaraz hits could be even more effective in the Australian heat, while suggesting the Spaniard having no points to defend could be advantageous.
Alcaraz missed this year’s Australian Open due to a leg injury, with Novak Djokovic downing Stefanos Tsitsipas to claim a record-extending 10th crown at the event. Read more