*”My husband, his brothers beat me while naked” (Punch)*Panic as terrorists reportedly raid military checkpoint at Zuma (Guardian)

“My husband, his brothers beat me while naked” (Punch)

A housewife, Kendra Njoku, has told an Ogba Magistrates’ Court how her husband, Chukwueke Njoku, 38, and his brothers, allegedly beat her up.

She claimed that her brother, who was also around, was brutalised by the men.

The incident happened at the couple’s residence in the Lekki Garden Phase 2 area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the complainant reported a case of domestic violence to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team on November 12, 2018. Read more 

Panic as terrorists reportedly raid military checkpoint at Zuma (Guardian)

Some soldiers were reportedly attacked when Boko Haram terrorists raided a military checkpoint around Zuma rock in Niger State, on Thursday night.

The level of casualty is unknown at the time of filing this report.

Police authorities have kept mum over the attack that sent panic to residents of Zuba and Madala outskirts of Abuja.

The terrorists were said to gained entry to the area through the back of the rock to attack military operatives on duty.

The attack had caused heavy gridlock in the area. Read more 

PVC collection: Mixed feelings trail market closure in Lagos (Vanguard)

Uncollected PVCs by youth worries APC Northwest

Some market men and women in Lagos State have given knocks and kudos to the state government over the closure of some major markets in the state.

The state government gave the directive on Wednesday to enable the traders to get their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) on Thursday.

The traders expressed their divergence views during different interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday, during a visit to some of the major markets in the state to find the level of compliance to the government’s directive.

The visit showed that there were skeletal activities at some the major markets, following traders’ compliance with the state government’s directive that traders should obtain their PVCs. Read more 

Man bites Lagos cop’s finger, gets N400k bail (Punch)

An Ejigbo Magistrate Court, Lagos State, on Thursday, granted bail to a 26-year-old man, Tijani Muiz, arraigned for allegedly biting the finger of a policeman.

Muiz was arraigned on three counts bordering on assault, conduct likely to cause breach of peace and unlawful obstruction, preferred against him by the police.

However, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecutor, Inspector Benedict Aigbokhan, had told the court that the defendant committed the offences on July 24 around 9.30pm at Jakande Gate, Ejigbo, Lagos State. Read more 

Customs destroys 48 containers of fake drugs in Lagos (Sun)

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), yesterday, destroyed 48 containers of fake pharmaceutical drugs imported into the country through the nation’s seaports. The pharmaceuticals were destroyed at the waste destruction site belonging to the Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA) in Epe, Lagos State.

Speaking at the site, the ACG Enforcement, Inspection and Investigation, Dankingari, said that unregulated drugs like the ones destroyed were fueling banditry, kidnapping and insecurity in the country.

“These type of drugs fuel banditry, armed robbery, terrorism and insecurity in the country. That is why the Federal Government, through the Customs and NAFDAC, regularly mop up these drugs from circulation.

“It is on the basis of this that the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), mandated us to come and destroy these illicit drugs in collaboration with other government agencies. For today, we are destroying eight containers of these drugs. In total, we have 48 containers of drugs that will be destroyed in the coming days. Read more

Sanwo-Olu pledges support for 15th Headies Awards (Nation)

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has pledged his support for the 15th Headies Awards.

Sanwo-Olu, in an interview with HipTv, revealed that the state is excited about working with the prestigious music award.

The governor was full of positive remarks for the platform which recognises and celebrates African music stars.

According to the Governor, the Headies Awards which will hold at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on September 4, would see ‘the state on ground to first sell Nigeria as a country then Lagos as a music capital and entertainment capital of our country.’ Read more

How accident marred our operation – Robbery suspects (DailyTrust)

Three suspected armed robbers arrested by the police in Kano State have revealed how their attempt to escape with a robbed car was halted by an accident.

The suspects said they had succeeded in robbing the car belonging to one Sunusi Muhammad, but that while they were running away to their destination they had an accident which led to their arrest.

The lead suspect, Habibu Aliyu, said, “We followed him (Muhammad) to his house in Yan’awaki Quarters in Kano; we pointed a gun at him and collected the car and his phone. We ran immediately, but unfortunately we had an accident on our way. We abandoned the car but forgot our phone which was used to track us.”

He further confessed that, “I had never handled a gun. That was my first time, and I really regret it. I will never do it again.”

On where they got arms and ammunition from, another suspect, Aliyu Abdullahi (24), said, “We hire them from someone. We don’t even know him; we just got his phone number.” Read more 

Omah Lay reveals Justin Bieber is easiest collaboration he ever had (Vanguard)

Afrobeats superstar singer, Stanley Omah Didia popularly known as Omah Lay has revealed his delightful experience working with American Grammy-winning global pop star, Justin Bieber.

Omah Lay said their friendship started after he put out his first project ‘Get Layd’ EP in 2020. Justin Beiber texted him on Instagram and followed him as both singers became friends; establishing a great relationship.

Attention ft. Justin Bieber is one of the hit tracks off Omah Lay’s debut album “Boy Alone”. He revealed that while working with an international music superstar such as Justin Bieber could be such a difficult possibility, it is actually his easiest collaboration to date.

I just sent a song, he loved the song and sent back a verse,” Omah Lay said while sharing how the song “Attention” came about. Read more

Allow me to develop your region, Buhari begs Niger Deltans (Leadership)

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on people of the Niger Delta region to exercise restraint and allow a conducive atmosphere for implementation of the several government developmental projects and programmes initiated for the area.

Buhari made the appeal in Abuja at the opening of a two day management retreat organised by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs at the Presidential Villa.

Represented by the minister of transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo, President Buhari noted the government’s huge commitments to the region to give the people a new lease of life.

According to him, his administration was poised to implement more prudent policies and programmes aimed at bringing about a better Niger Delta region. Read more

Court judgment: I’m happy Hanifa got justice — Father (Vanguard)

The father of late school girl, Hanifa Abubakar, Malam Abubakar Abdulsalam on Thursday said he was happy that the little Hanifa got justice.

Abubakar stated this while reacting to the court judgment sentencing the killer, Tanko Abdulmalik and his accomplice, Hashimu Ishyaku to death by hanging.

He however hailed the court’s judgment.

“I’m happy today that Hanifa, my daughter, has gotten justice. Read more

A Different World and Matrix actress Mary Alice dies, NYPD confirms (Metro)

Hollywood film and TV star Mary Alice has died, the New York Police Department has confirmed.

The actress, who was best known for her roles in NBC’s A Different World and the musical drama Sparkle, died on Wednesday, according to officials.

Alice’s age at the time of her death is unconfirmed, with various outlets reporting 86 and 81.

Born Mary Alice Smith in Indianola, Mississippi, Alice began her stage career in her hometown.

She made her screen debut in the 1974 film The Education of Sonny Carson and went on to feature in the television shows Police Woman and Sanford and Son. Read more 

Ben Affleck back as Batman for ‘Aquaman’ sequel with Jason Momoa (Deadline)

Reunited and it feels so good.

Ben Affleck is ready to don the Batsuit yet again for the Warner Bros/DC sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Sea god Jason Momoa news spilled on social media today.

“REUNITED bruce and arthur,” Momoa wrote on Instagram today, along with a photo of him and Affleck (see it below). “love u and miss u Ben WB studio tours just explored the backlot alright. busted on set all great things coming AQUAMAN 2 all my aloha j”

Deadline has reached out to Warner Bros for more details about Affleck’s Bat-return.

He most recently played Bruce Wayne/Batman in 2017’s superhero mashup Justice League (and in last year’s Zack Snyder director’s cut of the pic) and in 2016’s Suicide Squad. The two-time Oscar winner played the dual role in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and it is set to reprise for next year’s The Flash. Momoa played Aquaman in Batman v Superman and Justice League. Read more

Golden Globes group approve bid to take Hollywood award show private (France24)

The scandal-hit group behind Hollywood’s Golden Globes has approved a bid to spin off the lucrative film and television awards show into a new, for-profit entity controlled by US billionaire Todd Boehly, it said Thursday.

Composed of around 100 entertainment writers with links to foreign publications, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been plagued by allegations of corruption, racism and amateurism.

This led to a Hollywood boycott that saw its flagship, high-profile awards show taken off the air by NBC this year.

Boehly, who has major stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and Chelsea soccer team, was already the HFPA’s interim CEO before the members on Thursday voted to approve his proposal for a new private company controlling the Golden Globes. Read more

‘Tomb Raider’ bidding war erupts as MGM loses movie rights (TheWrap)

MGM has lost the film rights to “Tomb Raider,” based on the popular video game, sparking a bidding war for the IP, TheWrap has exclusively learned.

MGM had till May of this year to greenlight a “Tomb Raider” sequel, and the window passed. A host of Hollywood movie studios are in the mix and put in bids, according to multiple insiders with knowledge of the project.

Alicia Vikander, who starred as Lara Croft in 2018’s “Tomb Raider” is no longer attached to the project. Insiders add it’s a complete reboot and there are no casting or director commitments. Rights reverted to the game company, then the game company and Graham King’s GK Films made a deal to rep the IP.

The 2018 “Tomb Raider” earned nearly $275 million at the global box office. The film is based on the popular video game series starring the adventuring Lara Croft, and the games were initially adapted into a blockbuster pair of films in 2001 and 2003 that starred Angelina Jolie, which grossed $432 million worldwide. Read more

Hong Kong boy band Mirror ends concert after monitor falls on dancers (Fox)

Two dancers were injured at a Cantopop concert in Hong Kong after a massive video screen suspended above the stage fell onto performers below.

The concert on Thursday, by boy band called Mirror, was the fourth of a series of 12 scheduled concerts by the band held at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

According to the Associated Press, two performers were injured onstage and three other female audience members were also reported as injured, police said.

One of them felt unwell and was sent to the same hospital in a conscious state, while two others were in a state of shock but required no medical treatment. Read more

Nicki Minaj shares trailer for 6-part docu-series, ‘Nicki’ (Variety)

A six-part documentary series on the career of Nicki Minaj is “coming soon.”

Late Thursday evening, the rapper surprise-dropped a two-minute trailer on Twitter with the caption: “Coming SOON!!!! The #NickiDocumentary you didn’t know you needed. Love you so much.”

Produced by the Canadian company Bron Studios, the “Nicki” trailer starts with a clip of a young Minaj rapping and reflecting on her early come-up. She says, “Female rappers weren’t really charting at the time. I’m fighting for the girls who never thought they could win.”

Over a screenshot of Taylor Swift’s 2011 tweet — in which Swift wrote, “Driving back from rehearsals listening to Super Bass by @nickiminaj OVER AND OVER. I’m so obsessed with this song” — Minaj explains she “never wanted to be mainstream. Mainstream came to me.” She also gets candid about having to “medicate” herself to get through the lows of a career in a male-dominated industry as a female rapper. Read more

House Democrats ‘very close’ to deal on police safety bills ahead of recess (CNN)

House Democrats are racing to clinch a deal on a package of police funding and safety bills, with hopes of passing them before they leave town for the August recess on Friday, according to two sources familiar.

A source told CNN a deal between the moderate wing and the Congressional Black Caucus is “very close,” with another saying the negotiators are “getting close” to a deal. Another source said that Ohio Rep. Joyce Beatty, the chair of the CBC, was heading to a meeting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Thursday evening to see if they could get it done.

Meanwhile, the House Rules Committee met Thursday night on an “emergency measure” to give themselves the same authority to bring the gun package up Friday if a deal comes together.

Punchbowl News was the first to report on the last-minute effort to reach a deal before recess.Read more

Lookman agrees terms to join Atalanta (Nation)

Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman is set to move to Bergamo where he will team up with Atalanta.

The Gian Piero Gasperini-led Atalanta will complete the former Charlton Athletic winger’s signing in the coming days as both parties have agreed on personal terms, according to Italian transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano.

“Atalanta are now set to sign Ademola Lookman from RB Leipzig. Talks are at the final stage, personal terms agreed. Deal imminent for former Leicester winger,” he said.

The move is one step away from completion, with the England-born Nigeria international expected to move to La Dea on a permanent basis from the German club. While the player will help bolster Atalanta’s attacking line, they have also moved for Inter striker Andrea Pinamonti, who spent the previous season on loan at Empoli. Read more

Erik ten Hag promotes youngster to Man Utd first team ahead of new season (Mirror)

Manchester United youngster Isak Hansen-Aarøen is training with the first team as he becomes the latest youth product to be given an opportunity.

Teenagers at Carrington have often been given the chance to test themselves in the first-team environment without necessarily being given any minutes come game time. The club has a long tradition of backing youth and Hansen-Aarøen is the latest to be in the spotlight.

Signed from Tromso in August 2019 as a 14-year-old, he has spent the entirety of his time in Manchester in the various youth grades. Erik ten Hag has arrived this summer and is taking his players at face value, allowing them all a fresh start. Hansen-Aarøen could be given a chance to impress in the final games of pre-season, according to the MEN.

United take on Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano before they begin their season against Brighton and Hove Albion. The first of those games will take place in Oslo – Hansen-Aarøen’s homeland. The teenager became the youngest ever player to represent Tromso, making his debut before his 16th birthday. Read more

I’m not offended by Johnson’s comments – Amusan’s father (Punch)

The father of world champion and record holder Tobi Amusan, Kehinde, has urged Nigerians to ignore comments made by American track legend Michael Johnson, in the wake of his daughter’s heroics at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon Monday, The PUNCH reports.

Amusan romped to victory in 12.12secs in the semi-final of the women’s 100m hurdles to smash Kendra Harrison’s 2016 world record by 0.08secs, before cruising to Nigeria’s first ever World Championships gold in an amazing wind-assisted 12.06secs in the final.

But Johnson took exception to the times recorded in the stadium, in which 12 athletes – including Amusan – out of 24 semi-finalists recorded their best times ever.

The 54-year-old, who won four Olympic gold and eight World Championships gold in a stellar track career, took to Twitter after seeing how many athletes “looked shocked” at their own times. Read more 

UEFA probes Turkish club Fenerbahçe after crowd chants Vladimir Putin’s name at Kyiv team (ABC)

Football’s European governing body UEFA says it is investigating Turkish club Fenerbahçe after its fans chanted the name of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a Champions League qualifying game against Ukraine’s Dynamo Kyiv. 

The chants were heard at Fenerbahçe’s stadium in Istanbul shortly after Vitaliy Buyalskiy scored the opening goal for Dynamo, in a game the Ukrainian team went on to win 2-1 after extra time on Wednesday.

“A UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector will conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding alleged misbehaviour of Fenerbahçe supporters,” UEFA said in a statement.

“Information on this matter will be made available in due course.” Read more

Bottas hopes France was ‘one-off dip’ for Alfa Romeo (PlanetF1)

Valtteri Bottas hoped Alfa Romeo’s disappointing run-out at Paul Ricard was a “one-off dip” as the team brought upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Alfa Romeo ended point-less for the third consecutive race in France with Bottas finishing P14 while his team-mate Zhou Guanyu was forced to retire due to a technical issue.

Having shown pace at the start of the season, the team have found themselves slipping further and further down the grid as those around them brought upgrades to the car, something Alfa have not.

However Bottas has revealed some are on their way for this weekend having pinpointed the lack of upgrades as the cause of their recent downfall. Read more

Bryson DeChambeau details pro-am with Donald Trump (USAToday)

Bryson DeChambeau and former President Donald Trump have a relationship that goes back a few years, so it wasn’t surprising to see the two in the same group for Thursday’s LIV Golf Bedminster pro-am.

“He’s actually a really good golfer. He strips it down the middle of the fairway and has a good iron game and puts it pretty well,” said DeChambeau, who also noted he picked up a little course knowledge from Trump. “But it was an honor. I mean, anytime you get to play with a president, whether passing or sitting, it’s just an honor, no matter who it is. Very lucky to have a relationship with him, and he’s always been generous to me.”

The highlight from the round? That’d be Trump saying, “there’s no other president that can hit it like I can.”

“That’s the funny one he talks about all the time. You know, it’s true from what I’ve seen, what I’ve heard, obviously I haven’t played with other presidents, but he’s up there.” Read more 

Emma Raducanu explains decision to support Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon (TennisWorld)

British tennis star Emma Raducanu reveals Nick Kyrgios has always been “really nice” to her and that’s one of the reasons why she supported the Australian during Wimbledon. Kyrgios, 27, reached his first Grand Slam final this past Wimbledon.

After Kyrgios’ quarter final victory over Cristian Garin, Raducanu tweeted: “NK (magic stick emoji.” “To me, he’s always been very kind and generous. He was supporting me after Wimbledon last year, before the US Open, so the way he’s been with me, yeah, he’s been really nice.

People definitely want to watch Nick,” Raducanu told Evening Standard.

Raducanu had a very rough start to the season as she was plagued by physical issues and that contributed to her having very poor results at the start of the year. Read more 

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