Ooni’s ex-wife, Naomi arrested over Ibadan carnival stampede; 35 confirmed dead (Vanguard)
The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Naomi Silekunola, the estranged wife of the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, following a tragic stampede at a children’s carnival she organised.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at the Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan.
In a statement, police spokesperson in the state, Adewale Osifeso, reported that: “eight persons have since been arrested for their various involvements” in the event.” Read more
Police arrest man for alleged impersonation, PoS fraud (Leadership)
A 29-year-old man, Joshua Agugu has been apprehended by the operatives of the Yobe State Police Command over his alleged involvement in impersonation and defrauding innocent persons through fraudulent Point Of Sales (PoS) transactions.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, in a statement, confirmed the arrest of Agugu, a resident of High Court Gizza Plaza, Keffi local government area of Nasarawa State by the State Intelligence Department (SID).
According to the statement, Agugu was found in possession of a fake Nigerian Navy ID card which he used to swindle unsuspecting victims, particularly PoS vendors and store owners. Read more
NDLEA busts 6-hectare hemp farmland in Ogun (Punch)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Ogun Command, has destroyed a six-hectare hemp farmland in Alaka village, Ogun State.
The agency’s state commandant, Mr Tijani Rabe, disclosed this at a news conference in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Thursday while presenting the agency’s 2024 scorecard.
Rabe said four persons were arrested and are being investigated in connection with the hemp farming. Read more
Explosions rock Niger community (DailyTrust)
One farmer, Dauda Haruna has been reportedly killed while four others, including 3 siblings, were severely injured in suspected bomb explosions in Bassa community, Shiroro LGA of Niger State.
Daily Trust gathered that the incident happened between Bassa and Gwadara communities on Thursday morning when the victims were going to farm to harvest crops.
Residents told Daily Trust that the first explosion went up while the 3 siblings, Mali (20), Nehemiah (14) and Jona (15) were on a motorcycle, while the second one went up when the motorcycle of those coming for rescue stepped on it, killing one of the rescuers, Dauda Haruna. Read more
$42b external reserves enough for 9 months of imports, says CBN (Nation)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has confirmed that the country’s $42 billion external reserves are sufficient to finance imports of goods and services for over nine months.
CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso made the statement while presenting a performance index report to the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and other Financial Institutions, chaired by Senator Adetokunbo Abiru, at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday.
The governor also reassured Nigerians of improved economic prospects in 2025. Read more
Yuletide: Gov Ododo distributes 50 trucks of rice to Kogi residents (Tribune)
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Ododo, has distributed 50 truckloads of rice to residents of the state as part of efforts to ensure a joyous Christmas and New Year celebration for families.
The gesture, aimed at alleviating the burden of rising costs during the festive period, was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, on Friday in Lokoja. Fanwo noted that the initiative underscores the governor’s commitment to the welfare of the people.
“I can confirm that the People’s Governor, Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo, has taken delivery of 50 truckloads of rice, which are being distributed to the 21 local government areas. This is to ensure that families across the state enjoy their holidays,” he said. Read more
CSOs demand Lagos AG appeals Olaleye’s overturned sexual assault conviction (Sun)
Civil society organisations (CSOs) have called on the Attorney-General of Lagos State, Lawal Pedro, to appeal a Court of Appeal ruling that overturned the rape conviction of Dr Femi Olaleye, a medical practitioner and managing director of the Optimal Cancer Care Foundation.
In a petition submitted to the Attorney-General, the CSOs demanded urgent action to challenge the appellate court’s decision at the Supreme Court, stressing the need to restore public confidence in the justice system.
Dr Olaleye was initially arraigned in November 2022 by the Lagos State government on charges of child defilement and sexual assault by penetration. The victim, a minor and reportedly the niece of Olaleye’s wife, alleged that she was sexually abused over a period of 20 months. Read more
FriendnPal fetes children with disabilities (Nation)
FriendnPal, Africa’s AI multilingual mental health platform, has hosted over 500 children with disabilities and their caregivers to a Christmas party in Lagos.
The group offered free medical check-ups, mental health tips, gifts, food and drink.
The kids were also engaged in games and social activities, as they were rewarded with prizes at the event. Read more
Christina Aguilera celebrates 44 in ‘birthday suit’ (Hello!)
Christina Aguilera has had a lot to celebrate as she marked her 44th birthday. Not only did she commemorate the 25th anniversary of her debut album this year, but she finished her second residency at The Venetian Las Vegas, and signed with a new record label.
It’s arguably been a huge year for the songstress musically, although she’s made headlines mostly over speculation about her appearance as she showed off a major transformation at her concert in Mexico back in May 2024.
While people may still be talking about her weight loss, the star took to Instagram on her birthday to show that she’s owning her body and living her best life. Read more
Gisele Pelicot trial: Ex-husband sentenced to 20 years in prison over mass rapes (UPI)
Dominique Pelicot, the ex-husband of Gisele Pelicot, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in France Thursday for drugging and raping her and inviting other men to participate.
Following the sentencing, Gisele Pelicot told reporters outside the courthouse in the French city of Avignon that she “never regretted” being put through the public trial of her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot and 50 other men.
The 20-year sentence given to Dominique Pelicot was the maximum allowable punishment under French law. Read more
Britain’s youngest knife murderers have ‘lenient’ sentences increased (Metro)
The UK’s youngest knife murderers have had their prison sentences increased after senior judges at the Court of Appeal agreed they were ‘unduly lenient’.
The two boys, who cannot be identified, were given life sentences with minimum terms of eight-and-a-half years for the murder of 19-year-old Shawn Seesahai in Wolverhampton on November 13 last year.
They were aged 12 at the time of the killing and became the youngest defendants convicted of murder in the UK since Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, both aged 11, were found guilty in 1993 of murdering two-year-old James Bulger. Read more
Putin says West’s air defenses have ‘no chance’ against Russian ballistic missile (ABC)
Russia’s war on Ukraine dominated the opening stages of President Vladimir Putin’s annual marathon press conference on Thursday, with the Russian leader also addressing issues including future relations with President-elect Donald Trump and the situation in Syria.
Among the questions was how Moscow would deal with the incoming Trump administration given Russia was in a “weaker position.”
In response, Putin said he had not spoken to Trump for four years but was ready for a meeting. “You would very much like Russia to be in a weakened position, but I hold a different point of view,” he said. Read more
Undocumented Chinese men say they’re baffled by Trump’s reported plans to deport them first (NBC)
Kevin Yang, a 46-year-old undocumented immigrant from China, said he once felt a sense of indebtedness toward the U.S. but now, with President-elect Donald Trump’s second term on the horizon, he feels fear.
“The gratitude I once felt toward the U.S for accepting me into the country … has now shifted to anxiety and fear, Yang said. “And I know others in my situation feel the same.”
With the incoming Trump administration looking to prioritize deporting Chinese nationals, citing national security concerns, many undocumented Chinese men say they couldn’t feel further afield from the reasoning behind the potential policy — that Trump thinks they’re assembling an army within the U.S. Read more
Box Office: ‘‘Sonic 3’’ tracking to beat ‘‘Mufasa: The Lion King’’ as Christmas week kicks off (THR)
The year-end holiday marquee isn’t as crowded this year as it usually is, and there’s no Star Wars or Avatar, but Hollywood studios believe there’s still enough merriment to be had at the box office.
The action officially gets underway Dec. 20 when Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” debut at the domestic box office. Both films are rated PG, a huge advantage in terms of attracting families.
Sonic — which has become a marquee franchise for Paramount and video game maker Sega — is widely expected to top the weekend with a three-day launch of $60 million (exhibitors believe it has a shot at $70 million), followed by Mufasa with $50 million. Both films also launch overseas. Read more
Company that hosted event where influencer Dominque Brown died from food allergy speaks out (People)
The company that hosted the event where influencer Dominque Brown reportedly died of an allergic reaction is speaking out for the first time.
BoxLunch, who organized the Los Angeles food event where Brown, 34, died on Dec. 5, said they are “devastated” by the death of their “beloved member” in a statement posted on Instagram on Friday, Dec. 13.
“We are devastated by her sudden and tragic passing. She was a beloved member of the BoxLunch Collective and brought joy to all whose lives she touched,” the company wrote. Read more
NCF announces 15-player squad for U19 Women’s World Cup (VON)
The Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) on Wednesday announced a 15-player squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 Women’s World Cup slated for January.
The Junior Female Yellow Greens would be led by Piety Lucky with Peculiar Agboya as her assistant in the team which makes its debut in the tournament in Malaysia.
The team had picked Africa’s sole ticket in the qualifying series in Rwanda in October. It will however contend in Group C with South Africa which gained automatic qualification based on its ICC rankings. Read more
Super Eagles maintain 44th position in latest FIFA ranking (CompleteSports)
Nigeria’s Super Eagles maintained 44th position in the latest FIFA men’s world ranking.
The ranking was posted on the website of the world football governing body on Thursday.
In November’s ranking the Eagles dropped eight places to 44th spot. Read more
Valtteri Bottas returns to Mercedes as third driver for 2025 F1 season after Sauber exit (SkySports)
Valtteri Bottas is returning to Mercedes as the team’s new third driver for the 2025 season.
The experienced Finn has been left without a race seat on next year’s Formula 1 grid after being released by Sauber and had been expected to return to Mercedes, where he won 10 races as team-mate to Lewis Hamilton from 2017 to 2021, in a back-up role.
Mick Schumacher was reserve driver at the team for the past two seasons but the German announced his exit last month to pursue other opportunities in motorsport. Read more
Sir Jim Ratcliffe increases Manchester United stake (Independent)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased his stake in Manchester United to nearly 29 per cent after completing the cash injection promised when purchasing his minority stake in the Premier League club.
On Christmas Eve last year it was announced that the Ineos chairman had agreed a deal to buy 25 per cent of the club, including investing a further 300 million US dollars (£238m) into infrastructure.
That deal was ratified in February and the Securities and Exchange Commission has confirmed that the final 100m dollars (£79.3m) was paid on Wednesday. Read more
Footballer James Hitchcock dies after alleged assault on night out as man charged with murder (Mirror)
Barton Town Football Club have paid tribute to their goalkeeper, James Hitchcock, who has sadly died after being left with “serious head injuries” on Sunday night
Barton Town have paid tribute to their goalkeeper, James Hitchcock, who has tragically died following an alleged assault while on a night out last weekend.
Hitchcock – a married father of one – was injured on a night out following an alleged assault at the city’s railway station on Sunday. He died from his injuries in hospital on Wednesday. Read more
Coe open to summer indoor sports in Winter Olympics (BBC)
World Athletics chief Lord Coe says he would be open to the possibility of moving some indoor sports from the summer Olympics to the winter Games if he becomes the new president of the International Olympic Committee.
Britain’s two-time Olympic 1500m champion published his manifesto, external on Thursday morning alongside those of the other six candidates in the running to succeed Thomas Bach next year.
“Innovation is critical, we have to be open to new ideas,” he told BBC Sport.
Coe has vowed to shake up the IOC, claiming “too much power is in the hands of too few people”. Read more
