NDLEA busts cocaine warehouse in Lagos, seizes N193b worth of crack (Channels)
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have busted a cocaine warehouse in Lagos State, seizing N193 billion worth of crack.
NDLEA’s spokesman Femi Babafemi described the development as one of “the biggest singular cocaine seizures” in the agency’s history.
He said the officials busted the “warehouse in a secluded estate in Ikorodu area of Lagos where 1.8 tons (1,855 kilograms) of the illicit drug worth more than two hundred and seventy-eight million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($278, 250,000) equivalent of about one hundred and ninety-four billion, seven hundred and seventy-five million (N194, 775,000,000) naira in street value were seized”.
“At least, four drug barons including a Jamaican and the warehouse manager have been arrested in the well coordinated and intelligence-led operation that lasted two days across different locations in Lagos State,” Babafemi added in a statement Monday. Read more
LASTMA impounds 40 trucks for parking under pedestrian bridge (DailyTrust)
Operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), on Monday, impounded 40 trucks for parking under a pedestrian bridge at the Costain area of Iganmu.
The seizures were carried out at the expiration of a seven-day grace granted the drivers by the state government to vacate the entire area.
Meanwhile, the affected drivers have appealed to the state government to pardon them, saying that the huddles created on the access roads to the seaports in Apapa and Tin-Can forced them to convert the place to a temporary park.
Speaking on the operation, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Bolaji Oreagba, said the enforcement was carried out immediately after the expiration of the seven-day removal order served on the drivers. Read more
Plans to shutdown Ladipo, Oyingbo markets, economic attacks on Igbo –LP (Sun)
The Labour Party (LP) has labelled plans by the Lagos State Government to indefinitely shut down the Ladipo and Oyingbo markets following what the government described as the indiscriminate disposal of waste in the markets thereby causing environmental problems as an attack on the Igbo.
LP said closing the two predominantly major centres of Igbo businesses in Lagos with a view to ruining their businesses because they confessed support for the party would be callous, insensitive and an oppressive act by the Lagos All Progressives Congress government.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Arabambi Abayomion, on Monday, in a statement in Abuja, expressed shock at the planned shutdown of the markets, adding that it is a further sign of the intolerance of the APC-led administration in Lagos.
“Our party’s attention has been drawn to an announcement made by the Lagos State government to shut down both Ladipo and Oyingbo markets indefinitely by Thursday, September 22, 2022 due to claims of traders’ indiscriminate waste disposal. Read more
EFCC arraigns Obasanjo’s in-law, ex-banker for fraud (Punch)
Dr. John Abebe, the younger brother of a former First Lady, Stella Obasanjo, was on Monday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday before the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja over allegations of fraud.
Abebe was arraigned alongside a former Head of Firstbank Plc, United Kingdom Correspondent Office, Kamoru Alade Oladimeji, before Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe on six charges of conspiracy, stealing, and obtaining money under pretence.
Part of the counts against the defendants read: “That you, Dr. John Abebe and Kamoru Alade Oladimeji, on or about the 4th day of June 2013 in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit; stealing the sum of N120 million worth of property of Arsenal Technologies Limited.”
“That you, Dr. John Abebe and Kamoru Alade Oladimeji, on or about the 4th day of June 2013, in Lagos within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit; obtaining by false pretence the sum of N120 million property of Arsenal Technologies Limited under the pretence that your property lying being and situate at 9, Magbon Close, Ikoyi-Lagos State, which you pledged as the security to the Arsenal Technologies Limited was unencumbered, which representation you knew to be false.” Read more
Sheik: Ummita sought my advice on marrying Chinese lover before she was killed (DailyTrust)
Prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, has disclosed that he talked to Ummakulsum Buhari also known as Ummita about her relationship with the Chinese who murdered her in Kano.
Daily Trust had reported how the victim was killed at Janbulo Quarters in Gwale Local Government Area of Kano State on Friday night.
The teacher said she called him on the phone to ask for his advice on marrying a Chinese man.
Daurawa said at that time he told her that her parents were more honest than her, because not knowing the identity of her lover named Gheng Quanrong before marriage was dangerous.
The cleric added that for this reason he set five conditions for her, saying he assured her that if she fulfilled them, he would personally go ahead in persuading her parents to agree to the marriage.
Daurawa’s conditions included contacting the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to confirm the authenticity of his entry into Nigeria, where he works and his connections.
Also, Daurawa said the fact that the Emir of Kano had appointed the head of China in the state would make it easier for her to investigate him. Read more
Resumption directive: Stop deceiving students, ASUU mocks varsities (Punch)
The Academic Staff Union of Universities on Monday dismissed resumption notices by University authorities directing students to appear for lectures amidst the seven months old strike.
The union said its strike remained unshakeable as those institutions were still under lock and key.
The Vice President of ASUU and its former branch chairman at the University of Jos, Dr. Chris Piwuna, said this in an interview with The PUNCH.
He was reacting to the announcement by Public Relations Officer of Imo State University, Owerri, Ralph Njoku, that it had pulled out of the ASUU nationwide strike and consequently asked its students and staff members to resume school on Tuesday, September 20. Read more
Bandits abduct over 45 persons in S’Kaduna church, demand N200m ransom (Vanguard)
Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, SOKAPU, has said there was still no breathing space for communities in Southern Kaduna, as terrorists, jihadists, bandits and armed herdsmen have continued to plunder and wreak communities in the southern part of the state.
SOKAPU President, Awemi Dio Maisamari, said in a statement, yesterday, that the latest was the mass abductions on September 12 and 13, 2022, at Kasuwan Magani in Kajuru LGA of Southern Kaduna.
Kasuwan Magani is about 20 kilometres south of the Kaduna metropolis on the Kaduna-Kafanchan Expressway and hosts the biggest weekly market in Kaduna State.
He said on the first day (September 12), six persons were abducted in a night raid by the terrorists at Ungwan Fada part of the town. Read more
Edo begins rehabilitation of country home, limit road junctions in Benin (ThisDay)
The Edo State Government has mobilised contractors to begin the reconstruction of Limit and Country Home Motel Junctions on the Sapele Road axis in Benin City as part of efforts to check flooding in the area, reassuring that the project will be completed in record time.
The Chief of Staff to the Edo State Governor, Hon. Osaigbovo Iyoha, who spoke to journalists after an inspection tour of drainages in the area, said the project will help check flooding in the area to protect lives and property of residents.
He said, “We are at Sapele Road and have gone round to check the drains from Country Home Motel Junction to Limit Junction in Sapele Road to see the construction area and what the state government is doing to help solve the perennial problem of flooding.
“As you well know, the government keeps fixing the Country Home Motel Junction for many years and the problem keeps recurring yearly as we always come back to do the same thing all over again. But through the government’s intervention with the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC), we are trying to fix it; finally we have a permanent solution to it. Read more
Actress Caroline Danjuma, ex-husband, Musa Danjuma reunite (DailyTrust)
Nigerian delectable actress, Caroline Danjuma, also known as Carolyna Hutchings, and her ex-husband, Musa Danjuma, have reunited publicly after a while for the birthday of their child.
In a video posted by the thespian via her Instagram page, the couple were seen dancing to some old-school songs as they celebrated their daughter, Elizabeth, who clocked eight over the weekend.
She captioned the video, “Undisputed best dad in the world awards goes to…. Elizabeth’s dad … the king himself… we had a blast yesterday…”
The screen diva, Carolyna Hutchings, known previously as Caroline Danjuma and Caroline Ekanem, is a Nigerian actress. She made her screen debut in 2004, starring in some of Chico Ejiro’s popular films. After a hiatus from the film industry, she made a comeback in 2016, producing and starring in the romantic thriller, Stalker. Read more
“Woman King” stars Viola Davis and Julius Tennon talk box office victory and defend film against historical critics (Variety)
As the filmmaking team for “The Woman King” travels to Brazil to promote the historical epic, Viola Davis and her husband and producing partner Julius Tennon are celebrating the success of the film’s no. 1 debut at the box office, grossing $19 million domestically.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 10, followed by opening in theaters one week later. It’s one of the rare films where critics and general audiences given it a similarly positive reception, with a 95% critics score and 99% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It even pulled off an “A+” Cinema Score.
Davis emphasizes that the story of “The Woman King” can connect to all audiences, not only Black women.
“There was a sense that our stories aren’t universal and can’t reach the white man or woman or the Hispanic man or woman,” Davis tells Variety. “I feel human stories are for everyone, not just Black consumption.” Read more
Princess Charlotte, 7, breaks down crying at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral (PageSix)
The princess, 7, became emotional as the Queen’s coffin was moved from the Gun Carriage to a hearse.
She was comforted by her mother, Kate Middleton.
Charlotte attended her beloved great-grandmother’s funeral alongside her brother, Prince George, 9. Prince Louis, 4, did not attend the service due to his young age.
Upon their arrival, they joined their father Prince William and walked down the aisle of the church behind their parents.
The youngsters were solemn and impeccably behaved during the service with Charlotte wearing a black dress and a diamond brooch in the shape of a horseshoe. The only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales is said to share the late monarch’s love of horses and the brooch was reportedly a gift from the Queen, according to People. Read more
Lebanon’s past echoes its grim present in exhibition (RFI)
In a war-scarred Beirut heritage house turned museum, archives of Lebanon’s troubled past fuse with artistic depictions of its grim present to portray a country seemingly in perpetual turmoil.
Newspaper clippings, film negatives and diary entries from the years before Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war tell a story of government corruption, public sector strikes and student protests.
They are shown alongside contemporary pictures, video footage and art installations illustrating today’s Lebanon, in the grip of political paralysis and its worst ever economic crisis.
“Allo, Beirut?”, which premiered Thursday and runs until 2023, seeks to map out the decades-old rot at the heart of Lebanon’s downward spiral, said the exhibition’s director Delphine Abirached Darmency. Read more
‘Little Mermaid’ star Halle Bailey says bringing her locs to Ariel’s hair was ‘really special’ (EW)
Singer and actress Halle Bailey says it was “a beautiful experience” getting to bring “the essence of me” to the character of Ariel in Disney’s live-action, CG-animated The Little Mermaid. That included her hair locs.
Bailey sat down with EW at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif. to discuss her role after a first look was revealed at the fan convention. She says director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) wanted her to incorporate aspects of herself into the role, such as red locs to complement her own hair.
“With Rob, he’s so amazing and just saying, ‘I see you and I want to bring you into the character,'” Bailey, 22, says. “So it was a beautiful thing. My hair, for example — incorporating my locs into the red hair was something that was really special to me. The outfit, the fins, everything. It’s just amazing. I’m just grateful that I’ve been able to take the essence of me and mix the two.” Read more
Metallica announces 2022 Helping Hands concert and auction (Billboard)
Metallica is bringing its Helping Hands benefit concert back for a third year, the band announced on Monday (Sept. 19).
On behalf of the rockers’ All Within My Hands foundation, the 2022 edition of the Helping Hands Concert and Auction will make its Southern California debut on Dec. 16, when Metallica will hit the stage at L.A.’s Microsoft Theater with a number of yet-to-be-revealed special guests.
Tickets for the special event will go on sale to the general public starting Friday (Sept. 23) at 10 a.m. local time. Customers will have two-ticket limit per person — with 100 percent of proceeds going directly to Metallica’s non-profit organization, which aims to create “sustainable communities by tackling issues including hunger and workforce education.”
The band’s last Helping Hands Concert and Auction took place in November 2020 with a livestream that ultimately raised more than $1.8 million for work with partners including Feeding America, the American Association of Community Colleges and a number of COVID-19 and disaster-relief funds. Read more
Nipdey Hussle: Sentencing hearing for convicted murderer Eric Holder Postponed (HipHopDX)
Eric Holder, the man convicted of killing Nipsey Hussle outside of his Marathon Clothing store in Los Angeles in 2019, was expected to be sentenced this month, but the hearing has been postponed.
According to Fox 11 Los Angeles, Holder will now find out the consequences of his actions on November 3. Holder was convicted of first-degree murder in July along with voluntary manslaughter for injuring two bystanders in the incident and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He’s facing life in prison.
Jurors also determined Holder “personally and intentionally” discharged a handgun and inflicted great bodily injury on one of the victims.
Deputy District Attorney John McKinney called the murder “cold-blooded” and “calculated,” pointing out Holder had “quite a bit of time for premeditation and deliberation” before returning to the parking lot near Slauson Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard where Nip was shot at least 10 times. Read more
Valery Polyakov: Record-breaking Russian cosmonaut dies aged 80 (BBC)
A Russian cosmonaut who holds the record for the longest-ever trip to space has died aged 80.
Valery Polyakov spent 437 full days orbiting the Earth between 1994 and 1995 on the Mir space station.
He worked on experiments to see whether people could maintain their mental health if they were to make a long journey to Mars.
Tests found that there was no impairment of his cognitive function as a result of his 14-month expedition. Read more
Myanmar army helicopters fire on school, killing 6 (CNN)
At least six children were killed and 17 wounded when army helicopters shot at a school in Myanmar, media reports and residents said on Monday, as the military said it opened fire because rebels were using the building to attack its forces.
Myanmar has been gripped by violence since the army overthrew an elected government early last year. Opposition movements, some of them armed, have since emerged across the country, which the military has countered with lethal force.
Reuters could not independently verify details of the violence that took place on Friday in the village of Let Yet Kone in the central Sagaing region.
According to reports in the Mizzima and Irrawaddy news portals, army helicopters had opened fire on the school housed in a Buddhist monastery in the village. Read more
Nigeria’s top 8 stars for Lagos Tennis Cup (ThisDay)
Lagos is set to host the best tennis players in Nigeria once again as the second edition of the Lagos Tennis Cup is scheduled to serve off from September 27 to October 02 at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan.
The tournament will feature the top eight men and women’s players in the country, as ranked by the Nigerian Tennis Federation, including defending men’s champion, Uche Oparaoji, who is currently ranked 6th, and women’s champion and top seed Marylove Edwards.
The Lagos Tennis Cup, which debuted in 2021 at the same venue, is part of a new addition to the national tennis calendar called the Nigerian Tennis Majors, and which also includes the Abuja Tennis Cup.
The champions in both categories will earn N500,000 each, while the runners-up will get N250,000. Each player is to receive N50,000 to help with welfare, while a stage one exit earns a player an additional N50,000. Read more
Injury knocks out Ahmed Musa Algeria friendly (Sun)
Ahmed Musa is set to become the second Turkish-based winger to withdraw from the Nigeria squad to face Algeria next week, after Adana Demirspor star Henry Onyekuru.
According to a medical bulletin issued by Sivasspor via social media, Musa has a fracture in his left arm, effectively ruling him out of the trip to Oran.
The 29-year-old was substituted in the nineteenth minute of Sivasspor’s 2-1 loss to Ankaragücü in a Turkish Super Lig encounter at the Eryaman Stadyumu on Sunday evening.
Musa received treatment on the pitch but had to be taken off due to an injury to his left arm. Read more
Damien Duff uses Erling Haaland as example to show Seán Boyd the way of a top centre-forward (IrishIndependent)
As a player in a league-winning Chelsea side, Damien Duff’s job was to feed the ball in to strikers like Hernan Crespo and Didier Drogba.
He admits that he’s still learning the art of management at Shelbourne, but Duff also has an eye for the best there is. And he admits that the Reds’ forwards, such as the in-form FAI Cup hero Seán Boyd, are benefiting from exposure to greats like Erling Haaland.
Duff concedes that Boyd’s habit of amassing yellow and red cards is a frustration, as well as the player’s fits of anger, evident in the damage he caused to the dugout at Tolka Park after being substituted against Sligo Rovers.
“He hit it (dugout). We laugh about it now but he knows he’ll be paying for it,” Duff joked. Read more
Leipzig hires former Gladbach sporting director Max Eberl (USAToday)
Leipzig hired Max Eberl as sporting director on Monday after reaching an agreement with league rival Borussia Mönchengladbach to end his previous contract.
Leipzig said the 48-year-old Eberl will take over as sporting director on Dec. 15 on a “long-term” contract. The club did not announce the length of the deal.
Eberl stunned Gladbach when he quit the club abruptly last January, ending an association of 23 years. Eberl shed tears as he said he was exhausted, at the end of his strength, and that he wanted to take a step back from soccer for his own health.
His contract remained valid through 2026, meaning Leipzig needed to negotiate to offer Eberl a new challenge. Read more
Lewis Hamilton calls for ex-McLaren driver to be given 2023 F1 seat (F1News)
Sir Lewis Hamilton believes that Nyck de Vries has earned his spot in Formula 1 following his outstanding debut performance at the Italian Grand Prix.
De Vries replaced Alex Albon in the first practice session at the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this year, before standing in for Hamilton on Friday in France.
Aston Martin brought the Dutchman in for a practice appearance in Italy in Sebastian Vettel’s stead, and Albon’s bout of appendicitis meant that the 27-year-old’s weekend was not done yet.
The 2019 Formula 2 champion out-qualified team-mate Nicholas Latifi on the Saturday, before holding on to take two points in ninth in the race. Read more
Spurs remain interested in Lakers trade for Russell Westbrook (SI)
The San Antonio Spurs are among the clear rebuilding teams in the NBA entering the 2022-23 season. They will remain among the top potential trade partners for teams seeking to shed salary cap spending involving unfavorable salaries.
There may not be a more unfavorable contract in active trade discussions than Russell Westbrook’s deal, which will pay him $47.1 million during the upcoming season. The goal for any suitor would be to receive draft compensation from the Laker in any deal.
The main complication has been the Los Angeles Lakers’ lack of interest in simply wanting to dump Westbrook’s contract. They have been against the idea of attaching assets to move his deal as opposed to simply executing a trade to add genuinely key pieces.
In terms of veteran options like Josh Richardson and Doug McDermott, the Lakers are not intrigued by the options. There has been and remains a sentiment that better talent can be acquired from a team like the Indiana Pacers or Utah Jazz. Read more
Senegal’s Balde banned until December for anti-doping violation (Punch)
Senegal forward Keita Balde has been suspended until December 5 over an anti-doping violation in Italy, his new club Spartak Moscow announced, severely compromising his chances of playing at the World Cup.
Balde, 27, signed a three-year deal with Russian Premier League side Spartak last month after spending the past season with Cagliari in Serie A.
Balde “has been suspended by the Italian national anti-doping agency until December 5 for a procedural violation during an anti-doping inspection while he was playing for Cagliari,” Spartak said in a statement.
The Russian club did not specify the nature of the infraction but said that no prohibited substance had been detected in the sample tested.
According to Spartak, Balde will not be able to resume training until three weeks before the end of his suspension, in line with FIFA regulations. Read more