*Nigerians should stop offering us bribes, say Police, FRSC (Punch)*Leadership Crisis: ASPAMDA traders seek Sanwo-Olu’s intervention over looming ‘bloodshed’ (Vanguard)

Nigerians should stop offering us bribes, say Police, FRSC (Punch)

The Nigeria Police Force and the Federal Road Safety Corps on Tuesday urged Nigerians to stop offering their officers bribe.

The services also urged the public to report any officer who demanded bribe.

The two agencies were among participants at a one-day virtual stakeholder dialogue on ‘Effective And Sustainable Strategies For Curbing Retail Corruption,’ organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption.

A Deputy Commissioner of Police, Olaolu Adegbite, of the Force Intelligence Bureau, urged Nigerians to report infractions by officers and men to the X-Squad, the Inspector-General of 

Police Monitoring Unit and the Police Complaint Response Unit. Read more

Leadership Crisis: ASPAMDA traders seek Sanwo-Olu’s intervention over looming ‘bloodshed’ (Vanguard)

Traders of Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association, ASPAMDA, have called on Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to dissolve the interim government and organise a democratic process that will usher in elected officers in line with a court judgment to avoid an impending bloodbath, anarchy in the market.

The traders under the aegis of Coalition of Political Parties in ASPAMDA, COPPIAL, accused the interim government led by one Mr Sunny Igboanuzue, of resorting to intimidation, harassment of members.

James Umeji, who addressed the media on behalf of the association on Wednesday, at the ASPAMDA market, Trade Fair Complex, Ojo, said: “On November 28, 2018, the High Court of Lagos presided over by Justice Ogunjobi in delivering judgment, ordered the then President Chief Daniel Oforkansi to vacate office immediately his tenure has expired. Instead of the then-president vacating office and election organized within 30 days in accordance with the judgment of the court, he opted for appeal. In their wisdom, the court of Appeal Lagos Division on March 17, 2020, dismissed his appeal and affirmed the judgment of the lower court. Read more

Court acquits El-Zakzaky, wife (Nation)

Justice Gideon Kurada of Kaduna High Court has discharged and acquited leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) otherwise known as Shi’ites, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and his wife, Zeenat.

The IMN leader and his wife stood trial over allegations of culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, among other criminal charges since December 2015, following a clash between his followers and convoy of the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Yusuf Buratai in Zaria.

Read Also: El-Zakzaky pushing for a united Nigeria, says Islamic movement

The court had fixed July 28 for ruling in the no-case submission filed by Zakzaky.

Justice Gideon Kurada had fixed the date after the prosecution and counsel to the defendants addressed the court on the no-case submission prayer. Read more

Defilement: Minor testifies against Baba Ijesha (Tribune)

The 14-year-old minor (name withheld), who was allegedly defiled by Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, testified against him on Tuesday before an Ikeja Special Offences Court. 

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Baba Ijesha is facing a six-count charge of alleged defilement of a minor. NAN also reported that the minor is the foster daughter of an actress and comedienne, Ms Damilola Adekoya, popularly known as Princess. 

After the conclusion of the cross-examination of Princess by the defence counsel, Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi, who is the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) in Lagos informed the court that the state would be presenting the minor as its second witness. 

The DPP said that she would be invoking the provisions of Child’s Rights Act and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) which protect the identity of minors in defilement cases. Adeyemi said that she would be requesting that members of the press and public leave the courtroom during the victim’s testimony. Read more

Blackout as national grid collapses again (Guardian)

Nigeria’s electricity grid has again collapsed leaving parts of the country without power supply.

The grid, operated from Osogbo, Osun State, by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) failed at about 12:26 pm on Wednesday.

The national electricity grid has failed electricity consumers more than 128 times since the nation’s power sector was privatised in 2013.

Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), the umbrella body of distribution companies, had earlier blamed the situation on the obsolete, analogue systems being used by the TCN. Read more

Supreme Court justices divided 4-3 over Jegede’s appeal against Akeredolu’s victory (Tribune)

The appeal filed by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede, against the election of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in the October 10, 2020, Ondo State governorship election on Wednesday divided Supreme Court justices apart. 

While four out of the seven-member panel of justices of the court dismissed the appeal for failure to join Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, as a party in the petition, three of the justices, including the presiding Justice, Mary Peter Odili are of the view that the appeal should be allowed.

Justices Odili, Ejembi Eko and Tijjani Abubakar, who dissented in their judgment, held that Buni, as an executive governor of a state, cannot act in the capacity of acting chairman of the APC. Read more

BBNaija S6: Fani-Kayode endorses Jackie B, confirms she’s ex-Senator’s daughter (Punch)

Former Aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has revealed his endorsement for one of Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye housemates, Jackie B, confirming that she’s the daughter of a former senator, Grace Bent.

He made this known via his verified Twitter page on Wednesday while referring to the ex-Senator as his dearest sister and friend.

He wrote, “I fully endorse Jackie B who is the daughter of my dearest sister and friend Senator Grace Bent! Please vote for her!”

Reactions trailed his support for the housemate, as Nigerians on social media replied to his tweet to express their thoughts. Read more

Anyasi-Agwu denies assault of MFM official (Punch)

Chairman of Enyimba, Felix Anyasi-Agwu, has denied assaulting officials and players of MFM FC during their Nigeria Professional Football League match at the Enyimba Stadium, Aba on Sunday.

MFM had in a statement by their media officer Wale Quadry accused Anyasi-Agwu of assaulting the club’s Director Davidson Adejuwon.

“I was assaulted by Enyimba officials yesterday, who pushed me in the chest in the presence of Anyasi, who could not but join his men to harass me in the presence of my welfare officer, while I was attempting to address my players before the match.

“The attack from Chief Anyasi against my person continued as he returned to his seat. All these I faced at Enyimba because I raised the issue of 30 per cent fans capacity and ticket sales, which was never communicated to other clubs, particularly MFM FC. Read more

UK to begin global vaccine rollout to Commonwealth, Asian nations (Guardian)

Britain announced Wednesday it would begin donating millions of coronavirus vaccine doses around the world, including Commonwealth countries, following its pledge to provide 100 million jabs globally by next June.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the rollout of an initial nine million inoculations from Friday would go to Kenya, Jamaica and several Asian nations.

“They will go to countries, vulnerable places like Laos and Cambodia, partners like Indonesia, Malaysia (and) a range of Commonwealth countries from Kenya to Jamaica,” he said. Read more

Delta variant enters China (ManilaTimes)

Delta variant was detected in the latest epidemic spike in Nanjing in this province in east China, local authorities said.

The city reported 31 new locally transmitted cases on Tuesday, bringing the total infections to 112, including 106 confirmed cases and six asymptomatic ones.

Most of the newly reported cases were from key management areas and are related to the Lukou airport where infections were first found. A third round of nucleic acid screening tests has been rolled out in related districts, the city health authorities said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The Delta variant is detected in the latest spike with advanced adaptability to the human body, faster transmission speed and a higher viral load. Patients infected with the variant are more likely to have severe symptoms, authorities said. Read more 

Elephant tramples man to death in video viewed over 180k times (Newsweek)

Aman was trampled to death by an elephant in India on Sunday. The incident was captured on video and shared on social media by a local wildlife official, prompting many commenters to place blame on the crowd of individuals for provoking the herd.

The attack occurred at the Morongi tea estate in Assam, India on Sunday, according to local outlet The Assam Tribune. The event was caught on video and shared on Twitter the next day by Parveen Kaswan, an official with the Indian Forest Service. In his tweet, he said: “A human lost his life. I wonder whom to blame.” Warning: some viewers may find the footage disturbing.

The video shows a herd of elephants crossing a highway outside a forest reserve while a crowd gathers along the road. As the elephants cross, some in the crowd can be heard yelling at the elephants as a car horn sounds in the background. Read more 

Russia’s Abramovich denies buying Chelsea for Putin, court hears (Metro)

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich is not President Vladimir Putin’s “cashier” nor did he buy Chelsea FC as a vehicle to corrupt the West, his lawyer told England’s High Court in a defamation hearing over a book about Putin’s Russia.

In the 2020 book, British journalist Catherine Belton chronicles Putin’s rise to power and how many of his associates from the former Soviet spy services rose to positions of wealth and influence after he won the top Kremlin job in 1999.

A lawyer for Abramovich told the court that passages in the book “Putin’s People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and then Took on the West”, published by HarperCollins, were clearly defamatory. Abramovich is suing both HarperCollins and Belton. Read more 

Fox News hosts mock 6 January congressional testimony (Independent)

Two of Fox News’ top-rated hosts used their sizable platforms to mock the Capitol Police officers who testified to the injuries they received on 6 January, during a House select committee hearing.

A group of officers who fought against Trump loyalist rioters on 6 January sat before members of the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot on Tuesday to review video of the day of the attack, to offer their perspectives, and to detail the injuries they sustained.

Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, two of the network’s most popular talking heads, offered sneering reviews of the officers’ testimonies. Read more 

Alex Rodriguez celebrates 46th birthday with parties in Monaco and Ibiza (PageSix)

Alex Rodriguez celebrated his 46th birthday with two parties in Monaco and Ibiza, sources exclusively tell Page Six.

The former Yankees player-turned-NBA owner kicked off the celebration at midnight Tuesday at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, where he posed heading into the famed spot in a sharp white suit.

A spy said: “The party started in Monaco at midnight at one of the casinos and clubs … with a bunch of family and friends.”

The star and members of his group then headed to his private jet to fly off to the Spanish party island of Ibiza.

Rodriguez posted another pic on social media of himself boarding the plane with a giant, lighted “46” behind him on the tarmac. He captioned the shot, “I’m feeling so grateful today, not just for celebrating my big day with my incredible friends and family on this magical trip, but for all of the well-wishes, love and support from everyone. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Sources said A-Rod and about 40 guests were at the Ibiza bash at a private residence, and some flew in from the States to attend. Rodriguez is now staying on at the island after his yacht trip in France. Read more

Olympics: Abiola Ogunbanwo breaks 14-year-old swimming record (VON)

Nigerian swimmer Abiola Ogunbanwo got the country its second win at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after claiming victory in heat 1 of the women’s 100m Freestyle swimming event in a time of 59.74s, breaking Ngozi Monu’s 14-year record.

Ogunbanwo, 17, swam to a new National Record of 59.74s, making her the first Nigerian woman ever to swim under the one minute mark in this event. Ogunbanwo broke Monu’s longstanding record of 1:00.50 which has stood for 14 years, and now has two Nigerian records in her bag.

The Nigerian finished ahead of Andela Antunovic of Montenegro (1:00.01), Nepal’s Gaurika Singh (1:00.11), and Mineri Gomez of Guam (1:04.00). Although she finished in an overall ranking of 48th place when the six heats were concluded, Ogunbanwo’s time was not enough to secure the teenager a spot in the semi-finals.

Having entered the competition with a Personal Best of 1:00.77, going under one-minute was going to be a big improvement for her, and it showed in how strongly she finished particularly in the last 50m of the race. Read more 

USA thrash Iran in Olympic basketball (Punch)

The USA easily beat Iran 120-66 in the Olympic men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday to bounce back from their shock opening defeat — and players and coaches from the geopolitical rivals chatted afterwards.

The Americans had their 25-game Olympic winning streak snapped by France in their first game but Damian Lillard scored 21 points and Devin Booker had 16 points in a straightforward win against the Iranians.

Kevin Durant had another low-key game with 10 points but he was one of six Americans in double figures in Saitama.

Hamed Haddadi and Mohammadsamad Nik Khahbahrami each scored 14 points for Iran, against the team of NBA stars. Read more

Israeli judoka Tohar Butbul responds to Olympic boycotts (DW)

Israeli judoka Tohar Bulut’s Olympic experience was overshadowed by two opposition withdrawals.

Tohar Butbul has said it “pinches my heart” to see fellow athletes being forced to withdraw from the Olympics.

Judokas Mohamed Abdalrasool, of Sudan, and Algeria’s Fethi Nourine both dropped out of bouts against Butbul in the under-73kg class at the Tokyo Olympics.

While the official reason for Abdalrasool’s withdrawal was a shoulder injury, Nourine was suspended by the International Judo Federation (IJF) after admitting he didn’t want to face an Israeli athlete in competition.

“It’s against the spirit of the sport,” Butbul tells DW.

“In many cases, the athletes aren’t the ones making those decisions. Athletes are human beings, they want to compete. They’re the victims here, absolutely.”

Butbul said it was nothing unusual for Israeli athletes. Read more 

Olympic athlete and 2nd-year medical student shares life in Tokyo in viral videos (Newsweek) 

As the Tokyo 2020 Olympics rage on despite a 229 percent rise on the daily COVID-19 case count from the first official day of the games, athletes have turned to their social media accounts to keep themselves and their fans entertained.

One basketball sensation in particular has turned heads, not just for her talent on the court, but for her dedication to her studies as a second-year medical student.

Erica Ogwumike, the 23-year-old Nigerian-American point guard competing for Nigeria, has gone viral on TikTok for her “behind-the-scenes” videos sharing with fans how she spends her downtime in the Olympic village. After posting her first video only three days ago, it has quickly racked up over 5.3 million views and received more than 1.2 million likes. Read more 

Tokyo Olympics: What is 3×3 basketball all about? (DW)

In yet another attempt by the IOC to appeal to younger audiences, 3×3 basketball made its debut at the Olympics. It’s a trend backed by rapper Ice Cube and FIBA, who dub it “the number one urban team sport in the world.”

Men’s basketball has been an Olympic sport since 1936, with women making their debut in the competition 40 years later.

The United States are by far the most successful nation in both disciplines, but their men’s team didn’t even qualify for the half-court variation of the game.

Here’s what you need to know about 3×3 basketball, which made its debut at the Tokyo Olympics. Read more 

Simone Biles blows an Olympic kiss a day after shocking the world (NYPost)

Simone Biles continues to support her fellow gymnasts from the sidelines as she focuses on her mental health.

After shockingly pulling out of Tuesday’s team all-around final and Thursday’s final individual all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics, Biles was spotted cheering on the US men’s gymnastics team during the all-around final event on Wednesday.

Simone Biles blows a kiss to the camera while watching the men’s gymnastics competition.

The 24-year-old appeared to be in good spirits alongside fellow gymnast MyKayla Skinner. Cameras captured Biles blowing kisses, while the two Americans sported matching red, white and blue Team USA sweatshirts and black face masks. Skinner — a first-time Olympian who competed as an individual and not as a member of Team USA — failed to qualify for any event final after competing on all four apparatuses. Read more

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