No going back on Lagos-Ibadan road four-month closure –FG (Punch)
Despite concerns raised by motorists and other road users, the Federal Government has said there is no going back on the four-month planned partial closure of sections of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for reconstruction. The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Adedamola Kuti, said on Sunday the planned partial closure starting from August 3 would not be postponed even with the next month’s Sallah holiday trips and other religious activities that would increase traffic on the road. According to him, the aim is to complete that portion of the road before Christmas when the traffic is expected to be heavier. Read more
Why FG Must Construct the Lekki coastal road, by Reps member (Nation)
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Adebayo Balogun (Ibeju-Lekki federal Constituency, Lagos) has given reasons for the need to construct a coastal road from Akodo Ise to Victoria Island, Lagos. In a chat with reporters at the weekend, the lawmaker said that it is evident that the existing road infrastructure in Ibeju Lekki especially the Lekki axis, cannot accommodate the emerging industrial revolution in the area. He noted that already, there are serious damages being caused to the existing roads. Read more
Police tighten security, court decides El-Zakzaky’s bail today (Punch)
The police in Kaduna on Sunday said that they had beefed up security ahead of today’s ruling of the application filed by the embattled leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Ibraheem El-Zakzaky. Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court will rule on the application filed by El-Zakzaky, who is seeking permission to travel abroad for medical treatment. The bail hearing comes barely three days after a Federal High Court in Abuja granted the Federal Government the power to proscribe the Shi’ittes’ organization. Read more
Buhari condemns killing of 23 mourners in Borno (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the dastardly attack on a funeral procession in Maiduguri, Borno State, resulting in the deaths of mourners. About 23 of the mourners were reportedly murdered by the Boko Haram terrorists. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Buhari has received assurances from the armed forces that the terrorists who committed the killings “will pay a big price for their action”. Read more
Southern leaders shun Abdulsalami’s summit for inviting Miyetti Allah (Punch)
The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has turned down an invitation to attend a security roundtable organised by a former military head of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), scheduled for Minna, Niger State. The roundtable slated for July 29 and 30 is expected to have in attendance heads of security forces and other notable Nigerians. But the SMBLF, comprising pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere; Ohanaeze Ndigbo; Pan-Niger Delta Forum; and the Middle Belt Forum, said it would not be part of the event because the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria was invited to the meeting. Read more
Kidnappers free expatriate in Rivers (Nation)
Four suspects allegedly linked to the kidnap last week of an expatriate engineer working for Al Majdal Construction Company in Akwa Ibom have been arrested by the police in neigbouring Rivers state. The engineer, whose nationality is yet to be ascertained, was abducted while two soldiers were shot dead by unknown gunmen in an operation that took place on a road construction along Ikot Ibritam, Inen Ekeffe-Ikot Akpan-Afaha Ukanafun axis. Read more
‘Why 17 ministerial-nominees were asked to take a bow’ (Punch)
A former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin, on Saturday disagreed with the public rating of the ninth senate as an ‘executive rubber stamp’ because 17 ministerial nominees were asked to take a bow and go during their screening. Folarin said the senate has its internal workings, rules and tradition that many Nigerians were not privy to. He told journalists in Ibadan, during the ‘thank you party’ he organised for his constituents over his 2019 electoral victory, that the senate under President Ahmed Lawan, was peopled by “distinguished Nigerians who know what they are doing.” Read more
Ibadan residents flee as NURTW factions engage in bloody clash (Nation)
A deafening sound of gunshots boomed at the weekend at Egbeda area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, causing panic and pandemonium as residents ran for cover to avoid needless bodily harm and injury. Many residents around the trouble zone were said to have remained indoors under lock and keys, while shop owners hurriedly closed their business and ran for safety. Two factions of the state chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) were alleged to taken to the streets, with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, as they engaged in violent clash. Read more
EU, UNICEF issue birth certificates to over 30,000 children in Kebbi (Guardian)
The European Union (EU) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have commenced the second phase of 2019 birth certificate exercise across the 21 wards in Jega Local Council of Kebbi State. The UNICEF Child Protection Consultant in Kebbi State, Mr. Jude Inegbebor and UNICEF Communication Specialist, Mr. Rabiu Musa, who disclosed this at the weekend during their visit to Firjin community wards, said over 30,000 children under the age of five had been issued birth certificates in the state. Read more
Police arrest soldier who stabbed driver to death (Punch)
The Edo State Police Command has arrested a soldier, Lance Corporal Mose Oguche, who allegedly stabbed a driver to death at Okene in Kogi State. A police source said Oguche was arrested by the combined efforts of policemen and community members who resisted an attempt by fellow soldiers to rescue their colleague from police custody. The Commissioner of Police in Edo State, Mohammed DanMalam, who confirmed the incident, said he immediately ordered the transfer of the suspect to the state command headquarters in Benin when he learnt of it. Read more
Guard accused of stealing N2,385 from offering box (Nation)
A 20-year-old guard, Michael Nwaogwu, has appeared at a Yaba Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing N2,385 from an offering box. He pleaded not guilty. Prosecuting Sergeant Godwin Oriabure said the defendant committed the offence at midnight on July 17, at St. Dennis Catholic Church, Akoka, Bariga, Lagos. He alleged that another guard, Mr. Musa Ayay, discovered that the offering box was tampered with. Read more
US intelligence chief leaves Trump administration (BBC)
The US director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, has become the latest high-profile figure to leave the Trump administration. President Donald Trump tweeted Mr Coats would step down in mid-August and that he would nominate the Texan congressman John Ratcliffe to replace him. He said Mr Ratcliffe would lead and “inspire greatness for the country” he loved. Mr Coats and Mr Trump have often been at odds over Russia and North Korea. Read more
Mario Cerciello Rega: US teen held over officer’s killing ‘illegally blindfolded’ (BBC)
Italian police are investigating a leaked photo of a blindfolded American teenager who is accused of killing an officer in Rome. The photo of murder suspect Gabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, 18, was shown by Italian media on Sunday. Mr Natale-Hjorth and his friend, 19-year-old Finnegan Lee Elder, were arrested on suspicion of killing police officer Mario Cerciello Rega on Friday. Rega, 35, was stabbed to death in the Prati neighbourhood of Rome. Read more
Shots fired at California garlic festival (BBC)
Eleven people have reportedly been shot at a food festival in California, local media report. The Gilroy Garlic Festival was about to finish for the weekend on Sunday evening, when shots were fired at the site. There was “a white man in his early to mid-30s firing a rifle,” eyewitness Julissa Contreras told NBC. Video posted on social media showed people running away from the festival, 30 miles (48km) south of San Jose. Read more
Manchester bombing survivor treats PTSD with donkey therapy (Metro)
A Manchester arena bombing survivor said she had help from an unlikely source on her road to recovery – donkey therapy. Jenny Howarth, 21, and her cousin Jodie, 15, were among the thousands in attendance at the Manchester arena, when Salman Ramadan Abedi targeted an Ariana Grande concert in 2017. She was left traumatised after her two aunt, Janet Senior and Josie Howarth, – who were only 10 ft away from Abedi when he detonated the device – were injured while picking up the two young girls from the concert. Read more
Man trapped in rocks ‘rescued toddler from sea’ (BBC)
A man who had to be rescued after he got trapped in rocks had saved a toddler from the water as the tide came in on the Norfolk coast. The man, in his 20s, became stuck after rescuing the child near Sheringham’s east promenade, senior coastguard Tony Garbutt said. He was up to his neck in the water for several hours and freed by firefighters who cut through the rock. Emergency services kept his head above water and gave him breathing apparatus. Read more
British hiker, 87, dies in Spain after getting separated from group (Metro)
A British hiker has been found dead in a Spanish nature reserve after splitting up from his group. The 87-year-old was discovered lying unconscious in the sea on Saturday evening near Cala del Barco, a bay near Cartagena, by members of the group of walkers he was with. They raised the alarm just before 7pm when they lost contact but the man was later found near some rocks in the Calblanque Regional Park, where he is believed to have fallen. Read more
US teenager wins $3m as Fortnite world champion (BBC)
A US teenager has won a record-breaking $3m (£2.4m) to become world champion of the computer game Fortnite. It is the largest prize pool in the history of e-sports, with $30m shared amongst the winners. Kyle Giersdorf, 16, won the solo event of the competition in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, which hosts the US Open tennis tournament. British teenager Jaden Ashman won almost £1m for coming second in the duos event. Read more
Meghan Markle guest edits September Vogue with all-female cover (Metro)
The Duchess of Sussex is the guest editor for September’s British Vogue and has brought together her 15 most inspirational women for a striking front cover. Meghan, however, won’t be featuring on it herself as she thought it would be a ‘boastful’ act, according to the magazine’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. This is the first time anyone has guest edited the fashion bible’s September edition – the biggest and most important one of the year. Read more
I know why Pinnick snubbed me – Rohr (Punch)
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr says he knows why the Nigeria Football Federation president, Amaju Pinnick, snubbed him during the bronze medal presentation ceremony at the just-concluded 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. A video of the incidence showing Pinnick avoiding Rohr’s handshake went viral online, with close football followers in the country suggesting there was a rift between the two. In an exclusive interview with Sports Extra, Rohr admitted seeing the video and offered an insight on what could have led to the incident. Read more
D’Tigers were not stranded in Niger – NBBF (Punch)
The Nigeria Basketball Federation has blamed lack of funds for D’Tigers road trip to the just-concluded AfroCan tournament in Mali, Sports Extra reports. D’Tigers traveled by road to-and-fro to Mali for the tournament and were allegedly without accomodation on their arrival back in Sokoto on Saturday. Reacting to the disturbing images of D’Tigers home-based team being abandoned by the NBBF, the board explained that it was due to how funds were released. Read more
Okagbare queries AFN over Africa games list (Punch)
Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare has queried the list of athletes for the 2019 African Games in Rabat, Morocco released by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria. The list came under heavy condemnation over the inclusion of Okagbare and other overseas-based athletes, who shunned the 2019 All-Nigeria Track and Field Championships in Kaduna. Among the overseas-based athletes who stayed away from the trials but were on the 51-man list are Blessing Okagbare, Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Doreen Amata, Divine Oduduru, Ogho-Oghene Egwero and Chukwuebuka Enekwechi. Read more
Dembele double fires Lyon to victory against Arsenal (Guardian)
Substitute Moussa Dembele scored twice as Lyon came from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1 in a pre-season friendly in London on Sunday. Gunners boss Unai Emery had opted against including Sead Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil in his squad after they were involved in an attempted car-jacking during the week. He also named new signings Dani Ceballos and Gabriel Martinelli on the bench, with the pair coming on as the Ligue 1 side overturned Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s opener to win the pre-season trophy. Read more
Liverpool suffer heavy loss to Napoli (BBC)
Liverpool suffered a heavy 3-0 loss to Napoli seven days before their domestic campaign begins against Manchester City in the Community Shield. Lorenzo Insigne was involved in three goals at Murrayfield as Liverpool made it four pre-season games without a win. The striker curled in the opener before setting up Arkadiusz Milik with a fizzing, low cross after half an hour. Read more
Granit Xhaka appears to confirm Arsenal’s transfer deal for Nicolas Pepe (Metro)
Granit Xhaka has dropped a huge hint over Nicolas Pepe’s future by ‘liking’ an Instagram post about Arsenal’s move for the forward. Reports this weekend claim that Arsenal have beaten off competition from Napoli for 24-year-old attacker Pepe after agreeing a €80million (£72m) deal with Lille. Though the Gunners still need to finalise an agreement with Pepe’s representatives, an official announcement over the Ivorian’s switch is expected in the coming days. Read more
Barca planning for post-Messi era (Punch)
Barcelona are preparing for life without talismanic forward Lionel Messi, says club president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The Spanish champions have completed three of the most expensive six transfers ever over recent years with Antoine Griezmann joining previously-signed pair Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele at the Nou Camp this summer. And although there is no suggestion 32-year-old Messi is set to hang up his boots anytime soon, Bartomeu says the club have ‘an obligation’ to minimise the loss when he does. Read more
Tearful goodbye? Manchester United fans convinced Bruno Fernandes has confirmed Sporting exit (Metro)
Many Manchester United supporters believe that an emotional Bruno Fernandes hinted at a possible transfer in the aftermath of Sporting’s 2-1 defeat to Valencia. Fernandes has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks and reports claim United have agreed a £62million (€70m) deal with Sporting for the 24-year-old midfielder after a breakthrough in talks. Read more