NDLEA nabs Italy-bound woman concealing 100 wraps of heroin in hair relaxer (Punch)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has announced a number of arrests and seizures by its operatives, including that of an Italy-bound woman, Nora Nnadi, who was allegedly caught with 100 wraps of heroin and two parcels of the same substance at the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos.
The spokesman for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, said on Sunday that Nnadi was arrested on Tuesday, August 3, 2021, during an outward clearance of passengers on Qatar Airways flight to Florentine, Italy.
According to him, the drugs found on her were concealed in five containers of hair relaxer cream.
Also, on Thursday, August 12, 2021, operatives of the MMIA Command of the agency intercepted a United Kingdom-bound consignment of illicit drugs at the NAHCO export shed of the airport. Read more
#EndSARS: “Lekki Toll Billboard Is For Advert; Not For Illumination” (DailyTrust)
Secretary of the Loatsad Promomedia Limited, Ambimbola Eniola, an advert firm over the weekend told the Lagos judicial panel of inquiry that the “essence” of the electronic billboard at the Lekki Toll Plaza of Lagos was for advert and not illumination.
Shortly after the billboard was shut down, the Nigerian army had opened fire on the #EndSARS protesters on 2nd October, 2020 during their demonstration against police brutality at the Lekki Tollgate.
Eniola who testified before the panel made this known when the protesters’ lawyer, Adeshina Ogunlana, said, “Your billboard is a strong illuminated board and very big.”
But Mr Eniola said the “billboard does not serve the purpose of providing illumination for that place. It does not provide light for that place,” adding that it is purely for advert purpose. Read more
Touts: Untamed monsters that rule Lagos roads (Guardian)
There are growing concerns over unruly activities of Agberos, otherwise known as motorpark touts, on Lagos roads.
Originally, agbero is a Yoruba word for a tout who scouts for passengers for commercial drivers and helps to carry luggage at motor parks.
However, they have recently expanded their activities by positioning themselves at bus stops, imposing levies on commercial drivers, tricycles and motorcycle riders. Read more
Lagos stops estate development on Ojota-Maryland wetland (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has said it has put on hold the unapproved development of the Wasimi, Maryland section of Ojota-Maryland wetland into a residential estate.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Idris Salako, on Thursday led the special operation, involving officers of the Ministry and operatives of the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Offences, the Lagos State Building Control Agency and the Special Operations Unit in the Governor’s Office.
A statement from the ministry said the commissioner expressed displeasure over the indiscriminate attempt to illegally convert the buffer zone into an estate without thought to the attendant negative consequences to the environment.
He noted that the developers of the estate, who had sand-filled the wetland and commenced construction, had willfully encroached on part of Opebi Park and the alignment of the proposed Opebi-Maryland-Ojota link road, conceived by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure.
Salako said the developers of the site did not have any form of title to the land from the lands bureau or drainage clearance from the Office of Drainage Services. Read more
Eviction Night: Arin, Princess exit #BBNaija show (DailyTrust)
Two housemates, Arin and Princess have been evicted from the BBNaija reality TV show after polling the lowest votes from the list of housemates put up for eviction this week.
The show started airing on the 24th of July with two opening shows, introducing 11 males and females as housemates to play and win the grand prize.
Big Brother Naija season 6 themed “Shine Ya Eye” had its second live eviction show on Sunday.
Last week, Pere won the Head of House title and he also made Maria his deputy. As usual, housemates were put up for possible eviction leaving viewers at home the opportunity to vote for who they wanted to leave or remain in the house. Read more
Govt places Jos on 24-hour indefinite curfew (Guardian)
Few hours after imposing a dusk-to-dawn curfew on three Local Government Areas of Jos North, Jos South and Bassa in Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong yesterday declared a 24-hour curfew in Jos North to contain escalating security threat.
The governor, in a statement signed by his Director of Press, Simon Macham, urged citizens to abide by the curfew and remain indoors to allow security agencies maintain law and order and deal with those bent on causing chaos, adding that the 24-hour curfew on Jos North Council will remain in force until further notice.
The statement read in part: “From 2:00p.m. of today (Sunday), a 24-hour curfew will come into effect in Jos North Local Government Area. This is necessitated by security reports, which indicate rising threats to the safety of lives and properties within the Local Government. If necessary measures are not taken, there would be a breakdown of law and order in the council, which would spread to other parts of the state.” Read more
Rapper, Mr Raw, driver hospitalised after Abuja crash (Punch)
Veteran Nigerian rapper, Okechukwu Ukeje, popularly known as Mr Raw, has been hospitalised after he survived a car crash.
The crash occurred at the Bannex area of the Federal Capital Territory in the early hours of Sunday.
It was gathered that a car rammed into the vehicle conveying the rapper.
Both the rapper and his driver were rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Abuja, where they are currently receiving treatment. Read more
Nigeria begins second phase of COVID-19 vaccination today (Guardian)
Cote d’Ivoire declares first Ebola outbreak in over 25 years
The Federal Government is set to begin the second phase of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vaccination today after taking delivery of 177,600 Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines on August 12, 2021 in Abuja.
Received through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), this marks the arrival of the first COVID-19 vaccines procured through the African Union (AU).
The phase will see the country administering the Moderna vaccine doses donated by the United States of America (U.S.A.). Read more
6 banks earn N14.2b from account maintenance fee (DailyTrust)
A breakdown of the half year unaudited financial statements of six banks that have sent their result to the Nigerian Exchange Limited has shown that they realised N14.2 billion, up from the N9.8b from account maintenance fee.
The amount represents a 44.9 per cent growth in that income line for the six banks within the period under review compared to similar periods in 2020.
Account maintenance fee is a charge that account holders may incur monthly just for having a checking account with a financial institution. Not every financial institution charges these fees (though many do), and they may not apply to every type of account offered.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) revised guidelines for Charges by Banks, Other Financial and Non-Bank Financial Institutions states that Current Account Maintenance Fee (CAMF) is only applicable to current accounts in respect of customer-induced debit transactions to third parties and debit transfers/lodgements to the customer’s account in another bank. Read more
Ryan Reynolds says Disney wants a “Free Guy” sequel (Variety)
According to Ryan Reynolds, a “Free Guy” sequel is in the cards.
Reynolds, who stars in the action comedy film, tweeted the news on Saturday. “Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo! #irony,” Reynolds wrote.
Aaaannnnd after 3 years messaging #FreeGuy as an original IP movie, Disney confirmed today they officially want a sequel. Woo hoo!! #irony pic.twitter.com/85mMxW4owx
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) August 14, 2021
20th Century Studios then retweeted Reynolds’ tweet, seemingly confirming the news. Director Shawn Levy also quote tweeted Reynolds’ message, adding: “Yuuuuuuuup.”
Representatives for Disney did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. Read more
Afghanistan conflict: As Kabul falls, Biden backlash grows (BBC)
The lightning advance of the Taliban in retaking the country has led Afghan Americans, former generals and leading statesmen to blame President Joe Biden for a hasty US withdrawal. But he appears to have the public on his side – for now.
Hadia Essazada wept as she recounted the horror the Taliban visited on her household, first beating her father, and then killing her brother.
The first time “they were beating my father with an iron rod because they were looking for my elder brother”, who had fought to resist their rule in the 1990s, she told BBC Persian. Read more
Billie Eilish’s ‘Happier than ever’ spends second week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart (Billboard)
Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever holds atop the Billboard 200 albums chart for a second week, as the set earned 85,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 12 (down 64%), according to MRC Data. The album debuted at No. 1 a week ago with 238,000 units – the fifth-largest week of 2021 for an album. Happier Than Ever is the second album released in 2021 to spend its first two weeks at No. 1, following Morgan Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (which spent 10 weeks at No. 1, all consecutive, from its debut on the Jan. 23-dated chart).
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Aug. 21, 2021-dated chart (where Happier Than Ever holds at No. 1) will be posted in full on Billboard’s website on Aug. 17. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. Read more
Canada election: Trudeau calls snap summer campaign (BBC)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a snap summer general election as Canada enters into its pandemic fourth wave.
The general election comes as polls indicate his minority Liberal government looks within reach of forming a majority.
The 49-year-old Liberal leader says “Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against Covid-19”.
Canadians will vote on 20 September, some two years ahead of schedule. Read more
“Shang-Chi” star Simu Liu responds to Disney CEO calling Marvel film’s theatrical release an “interesting experiment” (Variety)
Simu Liu, the star of Marvel Studios’ upcoming film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” has appeared to respond to Disney CEO Bob Chapek’s remarks that the film’s release plan is “an interesting experiment.”
Following the opening of “Free Guy” this weekend, “Shang-Chi” is set to be one of the first Disney films to have an exclusive theatrical release during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Though the theatrical window has been shortened to 45 days, all of Disney’s recent releases — like “Jungle Cruise,” “Black Widow” and “Cruella” — have been simultaneously released in theaters and on Disney Plus Premier Access. With the delta variant causing COVID-19 concerns to rise, moviegoing has yet to return to a healthy rate.
During Disney’s most recent earnings call, Chapek commented that “Shang-Chi’s” exclusive theatrical release would be “an interesting experiment” for the company. Read more
Lil Wayne headlines Uproar Hip-Hop Festival with performances by Big Latto, Polo G and more (Billboard)
On Friday (Aug. 13), Lil Wayne and his lifestyle brand, GKUA, hosted a fun-filled Uproar Hip-Hop Festival at the Torch, located outdoors at the Los Angeles Coliseum in California.
Lil Wayne headlined the event, with surprise guest appearances from Big Sean, The Game and Wiz Khalifa. Big Latto was the first major act to hit the stage, followed by Polo G. During her performance, Latto delivered some of her fan-favorite tunes including “The Biggest,” “No Hook” and “He Say She Say.” Soon after, Polo G hit the stage and delivered his tracks including “Epidemic” and “Rapstar.”
Later in the evening, Lil Wayne performed a medley of his hit songs including “Rich as F—,” “Good Kush and Alcohol,” “Mrs. Officer” and “How to Love.” Read more
Ejike sure Team Nigeria will win medals at Tokyo 2020 Paralympics (Guardian)
Nigeria’s athletes have promised to redeem the country’s image at the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after the nation’s lusterless outing in the just-concluded Olympics.
Nigeria won only two medals, a silver and one bronze, at the Olympic Games, but the paralympians vow they will do much better at the Games, which begins on August 24.
Team Nigeria’s Captain, Lucy Ejike, said, “We have been training seriously to make sure we meet up with the standard we set at previous games. Everything is going on well. We are confident we will bring glory to Nigeria. We have world records, so we hope to maintain the records and create new ones.” Read more
Roger Federer will be out ‘for many months’ as he prepares for further knee surgery (BBC)
Roger Federer says he will be sidelined for “many months” as he prepares to have further knee surgery.
The 40-year-old Swiss, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, had two knee operations last year.
In a video post on Instagram, Federer said he hoped the surgery would give him “a glimmer of hope” to return to action.
He was knocked out in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon in July and then missed the Tokyo Olympics. Read more
Kalu collapses in Ligue 1 game (Punch)
Bordeaux star Samuel Kalu collapsed on the pitch just five minutes into his side’s Ligue 1 clash with Marseille Sunday evening.
But after receiving treatment from medical staff, the Nigerian was incredibly allowed to play on.
Eventually, sense seemed to prevail, with the star being precautionarily substituted eight minutes later.
Kalu, 23, had been preparing to form a defensive wall at a free-kick when he collapsed to the turf in the 25 degree Marseille heat. Read more
Thomas Tuchel speaks out on Trevoh Chalobah future as Chelsea target Jules Kounde (Metro)
Thomas Tuchel has indicated that he is happy to keep Trevoh Chalobah at Chelsea following the 22-year-old’s impressive Premier League debut this weekend.
Chalobah came through Chelsea’s academy but has been made to wait for his first senior appearance having spent time out on loan at Ipswich Town, Huddersfield and Lorient.
The defender delivered an excellent display in Chelsea’s Super Cup victory against Villarreal earlier this week and kept his place in the side for the team’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Chalobah delivered another impressive performance and scored Chelsea’s final goal as the Champions League holders ran out 3-0 winners at Stamford Bridge. Read more
Barcelona 4-2 Real Sociedad: Barca win first game after Lionel Messi exit (BBC)
Barcelona began life without Lionel Messi by beating Real Sociedad in an entertaining La Liga opener.
Gerard Pique opened the scoring for Barca with a powerful header from Memphis Depay’s free-kick.
Martin Braithwaite scored either side of half-time to become the first Danish player to score a La Liga brace.
Real Sociedad pulled it back to 3-2 through Julen Lobete and Mikel Oyarzabal but Sergi Roberto added a fourth for Barcelona in added time. Read more
Manchester City fans chant ‘Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford let the country down’ before Tottenham clash (Metro)
Manchester City fans have been filmed chanting ‘Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford let the country down’ before their opening Premier League fixture against Tottenham.
The Manchester United duo both missed penalties during the Euro 2020 final shootout defeat to Italy as England missed the chance to win their first major trophy since 1966.Arsenal star Bukayo Saka also missed from the spot but the public’s reaction to the trio has been overwhelmingly positive since last month’s final at Wembley. Read more
