NDLEA discovers 13 million Tramadol pills in Lagos mansion (Punch)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has busted a mansion in the Lekki area of Lagos State where Tramadol was stored.
NDLEA Spokesman, Femi Babafemi, in a statement on Monday, said the pills recovered from the mansion were no less than 13,451,466 and worth N8.8bn in street value.
He said the mansion belonged to a billionaire drug baron, Ugochukwu Nsofor Chukwukadibia, who was now in custody.
The statemt read in part, “The arrest of Ugochukwu, who is the Chairman of Autonation Motors Ltd, is coming barely two months after NDLEA uncovered at least 258.7kg of crystal methamphetamine in a clandestine laboratory in the residence of another drug kingpin in the estate, Chris Emeka Nzewi, who was arrested alongside a chemist, Sunday Ukah, who cooked the illicit drug for him, on September 30. Read more
Police nab 3 members of one chance syndicate in Lagos (NewTelegraph)
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested three members of a syndicate that specialises in using their car to dupe unsuspecting passengers at the Ojodu Berger area of the state.
The suspects, Abiodun Bamidele (48), Olumide Faleye (45) and Toyin Adekoya (49), they were arrested on September 23, around 10:30pm at Omole Estate Phase 1 along Ojodu Berger area
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundeyin said the suspects were nabbed by policemen attached to Ojodu Division of the Lagos State Police Command when a lady they tried to dupe raised the alarm which attracted the police.
He said the three members of the gang were arrested when they were operating in their Toyota Camry car with registration number KSF 608 GH. Read more
Men allegedly inject children for begging, arrested in Lagos (Channels)
Four men have been arrested in the Kirikiri area of Lagos State for allegedly injecting substances with the sole aim of turning them into beggars.
Upon injection, the children’s stomachs will swell outrageously, a situation that will make the suspects parade them in road traffic as critically sick.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrest on his Twitter handle.
“These men get minors from villages, get a medical doctor to allegedly inject them with substances that make their stomach swell outrageously, and parade them in road traffic as critically sick, to get alms from motorists. An investigation is ongoing,” he said, accompanying a picture of the suspects. Read more
Davido promises N20m for SMEs (Nation)
Music star David ‘Davido’ Adeleke has announced his decision to dole out N20million to a few small medium enterprises in Africa.
The singer announced this via his Twitter page on October 1, 2022.
“Long awaited announcement. Like I promised, I’m giving N20 million to a few companies in Africa,” he announced.
However, Davido noted that only companies that make use of a new application, BitsikaAfrica, which he just collaborated with, will benefit from the funds. Read more
UI alumni Lagos branch to honour elders, outstanding members (Guardian)
The University of Ibadan (UI) Alumni Association, Lagos State Branch, will honour some of its senior citizens and outstanding members on Saturday, October 8, 2022.
According to Chairman of the branch, Otunba Folaranmi Salau, the event, which will hold at Island Club, Onikan, Lagos at 1:00 p,.m., tagged “2022 Elders’ Day,” is designed to bring together the ancient, medieval, modern and millennial generations of UItes in Lagos to exchange ideas and spotlight the contributions of outstanding members to the progress of the association, development of their alma mater and the growth of education in Nigeria as a whole.
Chairman of the event is Dr. Felix Ohiwerei, while Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji, and Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, will be special guests. Read more
NANDRUM, NDLEA reads riot act to hard drug users, combs Lagos markets (ThisDay)
The National Association on Nigerian Drug Manufacturers (NANDRUM) and the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have sounded a note of warning to hard drug users in the country, saying that both agencies would leave no stone unturned till drug abuse is reduced to the barest minimum.
The Executive Secretary, NANDRUM who also doubles as Ambassador, Joint Committee on Drugs and Narcotics, National Assembly (NASS), Dr. Christabel Okoye, at a sensitisation exercise to Idumota market in Lagos, said the National Assembly is disturbed by the incessant prevalence of narcotics and hard drug use in the country
According to her, letters have been written complaining about the activities of drug markets indulging in nefarious activities, saying that the association would be embarking on a series of nationwide sensitisation exercises to combat drug abuse.
“After here we will be visiting other States to carry out the sensitisation exercise. We are working directly with the NDLEA and the Ministry of Justice to rid this country of hard drugs, “she said. Read more
Lagos megacity will have solar roofs, helipad-Akerele (Punch)
The Managing Director of GIDI Homes, Akerele Tobi, during the inauguration of Eko Beach City, said the developers of the city are in partnership with international companies for the provision of solar roofs and helipads for all residents of Eko Beach City.
The recent inauguration of hundreds of acres of land mega-city in the Abijo area of the state was done in collaboration with three major brands, KOEN Homes, RIEL Homes, and GIDI Homes, alongside other passive collaborators.
Akerele said Eko Beach City was a vision, mission and a movement.
He said, “We are creators of earth green and aqua city in Nigeria, and we are changing from the normal. Read more
Olota, Awori Obas endorse Tinubu, Abiodun, Adeola For 2023 (Nation)
The Olota of Ota, Oba (Professor) Abdulkabir Adeyemi Obalanlege, the head of all Awori Obas in Ogun State as well as 40 Awori Obas have endorsed the aspirations of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for President, Governor Dapo Abiodun for second term, Senator Solomon Adeola aka Yayi for Ogun West Senator as well as other APC candidates in the 2023 general elections.
The Awori Royal fathers gave the pledge to support the candidates when Adeola, the Chairman of Senate Committee on Finance, paid a consultative courtesy call on the Olota, Awori Obas and other stakeholders at the Palace of Olota in Ota.
The Awori foremost monarchs said from the antecedent of Tinubu, the performance of Abiodun in his first term as well as the famed performance of Senator Adeola in Lagos West Senatorial district and parts of Ogun West, all of them will be supported by voters in his densely populated domain adding that he is full of expectation that they will fulfil their promises to the people when elected. Read more
FMT, Lagos plan 1m jobs near in maritime sector for youths (NewTelegraph)
The Federal Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State Government and industry stakeholders will tomorrow meet to discuss how to create one million jobs in the maritime sector for youths within one year. The event, being initiated by the Employment Clinic as part of efforts to reduce poverty and youth unemployment will be held in Apapa, Lagos.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Employment Clinic, Ms Ronke Kosoko, the event with the theme: “Project one million jobs: From impact to Legacies, heading to a new frontier in the maritime industry,” is being initiated to ensure that jobless youths withdrawn from the streets across the country.
She said: “The Federal Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State Government and privateorganisationshavedeclaredtheirsupporttoensure the success of the project.
“Thousands of our youths can be engaged in fish trawling, ship building and repairs, cabotage, port and harbour, hydro power generation, off shore and off dock stevedoring, jetty operation, ferry and boat services, tourism, platforms, pilot and towage boats, mooring and supply crew vessel, shipping, forwarding agencies, medium and small scale industries, reefers carriers, truck holding bays, refineries, petro-chemical shipping, dredging and marine materials excavation, supply of bunkers of petroleum and water, cargo consolidation, logistics and distribution.” Read more
Littlefeather: Activist who refused Brando Oscar dies (BBC)
Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American activist who declined Marlon Brando’s Oscar for The Godfather on his behalf in 1973, has died aged 75.
The actress, who had breast cancer, died on Sunday, the Academy announced.
Her death comes two weeks after the organisation honoured her at a ceremony in Los Angeles, publicly apologising for her treatment at the Oscars.
Littlefeather, of Apache and Yaqui heritage, was booed while speaking on stage at the event 50 years ago.
Dressed in full Apache attire during the first Oscars to be televised around the world, the Californian, born Maria Cruz, explained on Brando’s behalf that he would not accept his best actor gong for the mafia movie in order to protest against the treatment of Native Americans by the film industry and to bring attention to the Wounded Knee protests. Read more
Beyonce praises sister Solange after she composes music for the New York City Ballet (Mirror)
Beyoncé has expressed her pride in younger sister Solange after she became the first African-American woman to compose music for the New York City Ballet.
The 41-year-old took to Instagram to heap praise on her sibling, 36, and shared two photos of her at the event itself.
The first saw fellow artist Solange stepping out in a grey suit near the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, whilst a second showed her in front of a floral curtain after she had been presented with two stunning bouquets.
Revealing the news to her 276 million followers, the Bootylicious superstar wrote: ” My beloved sister, there are no words to express the pride and admiration I have for you. You are a visionary and one of one. Read more
Kanye West walks runway in Balenciaga fashion show (MusicNews)
Kanye West made his runway debut during the Balenciaga show over the weekend.
The Stronger rapper opened the apocalypse-themed presentation staged at the Parc des Expositions as part of Paris Fashion Week on Saturday.
Kanye wore a military-style jacket and black leather trousers, with the look accessorised with gloves and boots, as he walked down the muddy set designed by conceptual artist Santiago Sierra.
While the star has not yet directly discussed his modelling gig, he took to his Instagram Stories shortly after to share a message sent to him by fashion icon Betsey Johnson. Read more
Will Smith’s 1st major film post-Oscars slap, Emancipation, earns praise at special screening (EW)
Ever since Will Smith won an Oscar — and slapped Chris Rock — his career has been in free-fall. Now the erstwhile Fresh Prince is out to prove there’s still some sheen to his crown.
Apple screened the new film Emancipation from director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) and starring Smith as Peter, an enslaved man who runs away from Louisiana in search of his family and ends up joining the Union Army.
The fate of the film, as well as a number of Smith’s projects, was up in the air after the-slap-not-seen-but-talked-about-around-the-world. But Apple, which produced Emancipation, hosted a screening with the NAACP during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 51st Annual Legislative Conference before an audience of social impact leaders, signaling its intention to release the film soon. And with the Oscars just around the corner. Read more
Billy Eichner says he’s disappointed as Bros finished in 4th place on its opening weekend (DailyMail)
Billy Eichner opened up Sunday about the happiness he has for how his film Bros turned out, and disappointment about its performance in its initial foray at the box office.
The 44-year-old actor-comedian issued a series of tweets about the film, which is the first LGBTQ romantic comedy given a large release by a major studio.
‘Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold out theater playing BROS in LA,’ he said. ‘The audience howled with laughter from start to finish, burst into applause at the end, and some were wiping away tears as they walked out. It was truly magical. Really. I am VERY proud of this movie.’
‘Rolling Stone ‘already has BROS on the list of the best comedies of the 21st century.
Eichner said that ‘what’s also true is that at one point a theater chain called Universal and said they were pulling the trailer because of the gay content. (Uni convinced them not to). America, f*** yeah, etc etc. That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately.’ Read more
Whoopi Goldberg wants Emmett Till accuser ‘to admit what she did’ (PageSix)
Whoopi Goldberg thinks it’s surreal that Carolyn Bryant Donham, the white woman behind Emmett Till’s lynching, is still a free woman.
“I don’t want her in jail but I want her in front of a judge and jury,” the actress, 66, told Page Six exclusively at the New York Film Festival.
”I want her to admit what she did and what part she had,” she added. “And then, you know, for me, that would be perfect, instead of still trying to hide what she did away.”
Earlier this year, a Mississippi grand jury declined to indict Donham, whose claim that Till had whistled at her led to his lynching on Aug. 28, 1955. The black Chicago teen, who died at 14 years old, had been visiting relatives in Mississippi when he encountered Donham at the grocery store where she worked. Read more
Marchers call for peace in Cameroon, but warring sides at odds on talks (VOA)
In Cameroon, thousands of people are marching to call for peace in the country’s separatist conflict. The daily peace marches, which began on Friday and are slated to continue through Tuesday, come on the third anniversary of talks designed to end the fighting. Marchers say authorities need to do more to return peace to the restive western regions, where fighting has killed about 3,500 people since 2017.
The protesters, a majority of them women, say hardly a day goes by without cases of killings, abduction, rape and torching of public edifices in the Northwest and Southwest regions.
Monday’s peace march was organized by a non-governmental organization called Cameroon, Peace and National Unity. Its president, Clementine Mvogo, said the peace march marks the third anniversary of government-organized peace talks called the Major National Dialogue.
“The culture of peace is still very much absent in Cameroon since the holding in Yaounde of a Major National Dialogue from September 30 to October 4 2019. The ongoing peace march in Yaounde is to make the quest for peace a daily struggle of all Cameroonians. All civilians and civil society movements should be concerned about the return of peace to Cameroon,” Mvogo said. Read more
Lookman happy to score first home goal (Punch)
Super Eagles striker Ademola Lookman was the match winner for Atalanta after scoring the only goal for his side in their 1-0 home win against Fiorentina on Sunday in a Serie A match.
The 24-year-old forward was full of smiles after scoring his first home goal.
“It was a beautiful win, a great performance and we believed in it until the end. I’m happy for my first goal in front of our fans, I’ve been waiting for it for a long time.
“I just want to see from match to match where we can go, I haven’t set myself any goals, I want to get as far as possible with Atalanta.” Read more
Sidelined Nunez a symptom of Liverpool’s slow start (France24)
As Liverpool’s fading Premier League title aspirations took another hit in a 3-3 shootout with Brighton, the club’s major summer signing Darwin Nunez watched on from the bench for 89 minutes.
The Uruguayan, recruited from Benfica for an initial 75-million-euro ($73 million, £66 million) fee that could rise to 100 million euros, has found himself regularly sidelined by Jurgen Klopp in the early months of his Liverpool career despite a concerning start to the season for the Reds.
Liverpool have won just three of their opening nine games of the campaign to fall already 11 points off the pace in the Premier League and with work to do to reach the last 16 of the Champions League ahead of Rangers’ visit to Anfield on Tuesday.
Nunez scored twice in his first two appearances as Liverpool beat Manchester City in the Community Shield and salvaged a 2-2 draw at Fulham on the opening weekend of the season.
10-man Augsburg grabs 3-2 win at Schalke, Hertha draws again (USAToday)
André Hahn scored late for 10-man Augsburg to grab a bad-tempered 3-2 win at Schalke in the Bundesliga on Sunday, leaving the hosts just outside the relegation zone.
Schalke forward Simon Terodde and Augsburg’s Rafał Gikiewicz almost came to blows after the final whistle when Terodde remonstrated with the goalkeeper. Terodde felt Gikiewicz had provoked the home fans.
Schalke’s Sebastian Polter, whom Gikiewicz knew from their days together at Union Berlin, managed to calm the situation.
It had been a game of high emotions. Read more
Golf: Mackenzie Hughes wins Sanderson Farms Championship in playoff (StraitsTimes)
Mackenzie Hughes birdied the second playoff hole on Sunday to defeat Sepp Straka and win the Sanderson Farms Championship in Jackson.
The Canadian won his second PGA Tour title and his first since 2016.
He began the day one shot off the pace set by Mark Hubbard. Hughes’ final-round 69 got him to 17-under 271 for the tournament. Austrian Straka was in the clubhouse at 17-under following a 67.
Both players replayed the par-four 18th hole at the Country Club of Jackson and saved par the first time. On the second play-through, Hughes landed his approach shot eight feet from the pin, and after Straka missed a longer birdie putt, Hughes knocked his in, pumping his fist just as his ball fell. Read more
Florida-based Kei Nishikori posts message amid Hurricane Ian threat (TennisWorld)
Florida-based Kei Nishikori has confirmed to his supporters that he is fine amid the threat of Hurricane Ian. The powerful storm has devastated the state of Florida, leaving many without a home. “Hi everyone, just a quick note to say my family and I are safe,” Nishikori confirmed on social media.
“Thank you for all the messages. It was a scary day and I hope things will be back to normal as soon as possible. My thoughts are with all the people facing the results of the storm. I hope everyone stays safe”.
Nishikori, who underwent a hip surgery in January, has accepted a wildcard into the Challenger events in Calgary and Drummondville.
This week, the Calgary and Drummondville organizers announced Nishikori as a wildcard recipient. “We’re thrilled to have Kei at our tournaments,” the tournaments said in a joint statement. “He’s been one of the most prolific players on the Tour since the start of his career, and even though he’s coming back from a major injury, he remains a very talented player. Read more
Tyler Herro agrees to 4-year, $130m extension with Heat (NYPost)
Tyler Herro agreed to a four-year, $130 million extension to stay with the Miami Heat, according to ESPN.
The deal is $120 million guaranteed, with incentives that could bring the contract to $130 million. Herro, who was drafted as a lottery pick in 2019, becomes the third current member of the Heat to sign a contract worth more than $100 million, joining Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler.
The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year averaged 20.7 points in the 2021-22 season. Herro had eight 30-point games off the bench last season and was one of two players to score more than 1,000 points off the bench, joining Utah’s Jordan Clarkson.
The former second-team All-NBA rookie member rose to prominence in the NBA during the bubble playoffs of 2020, when he scored 335 points, the fourth most postseason points by a rookie. Read more