Nigeria’s justice system weak, sick, needs help – IGP (DailyTrust)
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, on Thursday, said the criminal justice system in Nigeria is weak, sick and needs a complete overhaul.
The IGP explained that like a sick person who seeks medical help from a doctor, the nation’s criminal justice system also needs to be revived.
He however urged Nigerians to stop blaming the police.Read more
Police arrest 2 over killing of Aiyedatiwa’s campaign director (Punch)
The men of the Ondo State Police Command have arrested two men in connection with the kidnap and killing of a member of the All Progressives Congress in Akoko-South Local Government Area of the state, Mr Alaba Abe.
Abel, who was the coordinator of the Lucky Aiyedatiwa Campaign Organization in Akoko South-West LG, was allegedly kidnapped and killed by some gun at his house in Supare Akoko community in the council area in April this year during the preparation for the APC governorship primary.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the arrest in a statement on Friday, said the arrest was made by the Special Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the command. Read more
Customs collects N28.4b revenue in Kaduna (Vanguard)
The Kaduna Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service said it collected N28.4blion as revenue from January to November.
This is contained in a statement issued by Superintendent of Customs, Ridwan Yusuf, the Command’s Public Relations Officer.
The statement quoted the Area Controller, Comptroller Tijjani Abe, in Kaduna as saying that the command set a new revenue milestone in November 2024 by generating over ₦4 billion in a single month for the first time in history. Read more
Kogi CP bans use of fireworks, orders prosecution of defaulters (Tribune)
The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Police Command, CP Bethrand C. Onuoha, has banned the use of fireworks, popularly known as “Knockout” or “Banga,” in the state.
He issued the directive while briefing members of the Command Management Team at the Command Headquarters in Lokoja.
The CP further disclosed that some criminal elements use fireworks to commit heinous crimes, and as such, the Command will not allow these acts of criminality to continue in the state. Read more
Renowned Islamic scholar, Muyideen Bello, is dead (Punch)
The Muslim community has been thrown into mourning following the passing of one of its most revered figures, Alhaji Muyideen Bello.
Born in 1940 in Ibadan, Alhaji Bello was widely respected for his profound teachings and unwavering dedication to Islamic scholarship.
The announcement of his demise was made by another prominent Islamic scholar, Alfa Aribidesi of At-Tawdeeh Islamic Da’awah on Friday morning. Read more
PETROAN, Dangote seal deal to avert petrol scarcity in yuletide (Nation)
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has reached an agreement with the Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals to avert the scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) Petrol during the yuletide and beyond.
The National President, Dr Billy Gillis Hary, on Monday 2nd December 2024 led the negotiation team of PETROAN to a fruitful strategic business meeting with the management of Dangote Refinery at the complex in Lagos.
But the association made this known in a press statement its National Public Relations Officer, Dr. Joseph Obele issued on Friday in Abuja. Read more
Niger inherited gratuity liabilities drop by N4b – Commissioner (NewTelegraph)
The Niger State government has swiftly refuted an online media report that claimed the pension debt of the Government has risen to twenty-eight billion naira (N28 billion).
While reacting to the Online publication, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon. Binta Mamman said that the State’s Gratuity liabilities inherited have dropped by N4 Billion.
According to her “the accumulated gratuity arrears has significantly reduced since the emergence of the current administration under Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.” Read more
Gregg Wallace’s daughter reveals support from friends after shocking allegations (Mirror)
MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace’s daughter received endless support from her friends on her birthday.
The controversial TV presenter’s daughter, Libby Wallace, recently turned 29 years old. Her friends took to their pages to share collages of her and them hanging out as they wished her a happy birthday. She shared the many posts to her Instagram Stories for her followers to see.
Several months ago, announced her engagement to partner Alex. In a post showcasing her engagement ring, Libby said: “I said yes in one of the most magical places on earth #PumpkinProposal”. Her announcement came only a week after the lovely couple celebrated their two-year anniversary. Read more
Congo on alert over mystery flu-like disease as death toll rises (AfricaNews)
Health officials in Congo have raised alarms over an unidentified flu-like illness that has killed at least 71 people in the southern Kwango province. The deaths, reported between November 10 and 25 in the Panzi health zone, include 27 patients who died in hospitals and 44 fatalities in the community.
Congolese Minister of Public Health Roger Kamba emphasized that it is still too early to determine the cause or transmission method of the disease. Speaking to reporters, he said: “It looks like a respiratory-type illness. I said: it looks like. We only received the alert four or five days ago, so don’t think that in four or five days we can already identify the mode of transmission.”
Among the hospital fatalities, 10 were attributed to a lack of blood transfusions, while 17 succumbed to respiratory complications. The illness has affected approximately 380 people, nearly half of whom are children under the age of five. Symptoms reported include fever, headache, cough, and anemia. Read more
Miho Nakayama, J-Pop Icon and ‘Love Letter’ star, dies at 54 (Variety)
Miho Nakayama, a Japanese singer and actor best known for the 1995 romance film “Love Letter,” was found dead at her home in Tokyo on Friday. She was 54.
Nakayama’s team confirmed the news in a post on her website, writing: “We are deeply sorry to have to suddenly announce this to all the people involved who have always looked after her and to all the fans who have supported her, but this incident was so sudden that we, too, are shocked and saddened. We are currently investigating the cause of death and other details.”
According to the BBC, an acquaintance of Nakayama found her dead in a bathtub after she did not show up for work. The acquaintance called the paramedics, who pronounced her dead at the scene. She had been scheduled to perform at a Christmas concert in Osaka on Friday, but had canceled her appearance citing health reasons. Read more
Romania’s top court annuls first round of presidential vote won by far-right candidate (ABC)
A top Romanian court on Friday annulled the first round of the country’s presidential election, days after allegations that Russia ran a coordinated online campaign to promote the far-right outsider who won the first round.
The Constitutional Court’s unprecedented decision — which is final — came after President Klaus Iohannis declassified intelligence on Wednesday that alleged Russia ran a sprawling campaign comprising thousands of social media accounts to promote Calin Georgescu across platforms like TikTok and Telegram.
Despite being a huge outsider who declared zero campaign spending, Georgescu emerged as the frontrunner on Nov. 24. He was due to face reformist Elena Lasconi of the Save Romania Union party in a runoff on Sunday. Read more
Sony Pictures International buys global remake rights to Newen Connect’s French comedy ‘‘Family Therapy’’ (Variety)
Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP) has picked up remake rights to Arnaud Lemort’s French family comedy “Family Therapy” (“Jamais sans mon psy”) from Newen Connect.
Under the deal, SPIP will develop localized versions of the French movie around the world, excluding China and France.
Produced by Mathieu Verhaeghe and Thomas Verhaeghe at Atelier de Production, “Family Therapy” follows Damien Leroy, a deeply anxious man who is challenged by his therapist Dr Beranger, to find a woman to share his life. When Damien unexpectedly falls in love with Alice, he soon discovers that his father-in-law is none other than his therapist who is determined to make his life a living hell. Read more
BTS’ Jimin, BLACKPIN’s Lisa and more have the most streamed K-pop songs on Spotify 2024 (NME)
Spotify has unveiled the platform’s 10 most-streamed K-pop tracks and acts of 2024, featuring BTS, Jimin, Stray Kids, BLACKPINK and more.
Today (December 4), Spotify dropped the 2024 edition of its annual Wrapped event, where it shared data on the year’s most-streamed songs, artists, podcast shows and more. As part of the event Spotify Korea has also shared the Top 10 most-streamed K-pop songs and artists of the year.
The K-pop songs list this year is dominated by solo songs by BTS members. Jimin‘s single ‘Who’ emerged in the top spot, while ‘Like Crazy’ secured the eighth spot. Meanwhile, BTS bandmate Jungkook snagged the second spot with his 2023 track ‘Seven’, which also topped the same list last year. Read more
Paapa Essiedu to play Severus Snape in ‘Harry Potter’ television series (FarOut)
HBO are considering British actor Paapa Essiedu for the role of Professor Severus Snape in their new television adaptation of “Harry Potter”.
The new series was announced in the spring of 2023, and the first season will focus on the story of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, released in 1997. Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod will executive produce the series, having previously worked together on HBO’s critically acclaimed drama Succession.
The late Alan Rickman played Severus Snape, Hogwarts’ stoic potion teacher, in the original movies. He quickly became one of the most divisive characters in the franchise, doubling as a villain and protector to Harry. Now, Essiedu is apparently set to take on the complex role, though his involvement in the series has not yet been officially confirmed. Read more
EPL: Silva hails Iwobi after Fulham’s home win against Brighton (Sun)
Fulham manager, Marco Silva praised Alex Iwobi after his brace helped the Whites beat Brighton 3-1 at the Craven Cottage on Thursday night.
Iwobi capitalized on Bart Verbruggen’s blunder to give Fulham an early lead.
Three minutes later, the dynamic midfielder clinched the victory with his second goal. The 28-year-old has now registered three goals and two assists in his last four appearances for the Cottagers. Read more
NBA returns to China with Nets-Suns preseason games (ABC)
The NBA will return to China for the first time since 2019 with two preseason games in Macao between the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns in October, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
The return is the culmination of a yearslong process to repair the relationship between the NBA and China following commissioner Adam Silver and the league’s support for freedom of expression after then- Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted an image that supported protests in Hong Kong in October 2019.
The divide led to the loss of lucrative sponsorships and the temporary removal of NBA games from Chinese broadcast television in 2019, which cost the league hundreds of millions in the ensuing seasons. Read more
Wayne Rooney leads tributes to ‘‘heart and soul’’ of Manchester United after long-serving receptionist’s death (Independent)
Manchester United have announced the death of long-serving receptionist Kath Phipps at the age of 85.
A lifelong fan, she was an immensely popular figure with players, managers and staff at a club she joined four months after Sir Matt Busby led them to European Cup glory in 1968.
Phipps initially worked at Old Trafford in the stadium offices and on matchdays, before Sir Alex Ferguson brought her to their Carrington training ground in 2000. Read more
Fonseca insists he expects more from Milan star Rafael Leao (FootballItalia)
During his pre-match press conference on the eve of a Serie A match against Atalanta, Milan coach Paulo Fonseca insisted that he expects even more from Rafael Leao.
The Rossoneri visit Atalanta in a key Serie A match on Friday.
Leao scored a goal in a 6-1 Coppa Italia win over Sassuolo on Tuesday and has contributed to 10 goals this season.
Nevertheless, Fonseca expects even more from his compatriot. Read more
Hamilton bids farewell to Mercedes as Ferrari vie for title (France24)
Lewis Hamilton bids farewell this weekend to Mercedes, the team that carried him to six world titles, as his future outfit Ferrari seek to win a first constructors’ crown in 16 years.
Sunday’s floodlit Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marks the end of an era as the Briton concludes a remarkable 12-year spell with the Silver Arrows and a 26-year association with the Mercedes brand.
Hamilton will then move on to Ferrari, where Italy hopes he can rediscover the mojo that made him the sport’s most successful driver with seven titles and 105 wins before hitting a trough of frustration in the current ‘ground effect’ era. Read more
Dujardin handed 1-year ban for whipping horse (BBC)
Three-time Olympic dressage gold medallist Charlotte Dujardin says she will “forever aim to do better” after she was banned for one year and fined 10,000 Swiss Francs (£8,886) for “excessively” whipping a horse.
Video footage emerged in July – just days before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics – of the 39-year-old repeatedly striking the horse with a long whip around its legs.
Dujardin’s international ban, handed out by the FEI – the world governing body of equestrian sports – is backdated to the start of her provisional suspension and she will be eligible to compete again from July 2025. Read more
