Petrol tanker falls, spills content in Lagos (Punch)
A petrol-loaded tanker fell around Stadium Bridge, inward Ojuelegba Surulere in Lagos state on Tuesday
This was disclosed in a statement made available to PUNCH Metro by the Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Adebayo Taofiq.
According to the statement, the accident occurred as a result of brake failure on the part of the truck. Read more
Gunmen Abduct 4 Nasarawa Varsity Students (Leadership)
Four students of Nasarawa State University (NSUK) Keffi, have been abducted by unknown gunmen.
The victims, Rahila Hanya (SLT), Josephine Gershon (Computer Science), Rosemary Samuel (Business Administration) and Goodness Samuel (Geography), were abducted at the Angwan Kare area of Keffi town on Monday night.
Gunmen were said to have invaded the students’ off-campus residence at about 10:30pm and abducted the quartet. Read more
99,985 Nigerian students left for UK varsities in 5 years — Minister (Tribune)
The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has disclosed that according to statistics, no fewer than 99,985 Nigerian students left the country to enroll in universities in the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2022.
The minister disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the 2023 University of Lagos International Week on Monday, in Lagos.
The theme of the international week is ‘Breaking the Borders of Partnership’. Read more
After denial, EFCC confirms presence at Skales residence to arrest suspected internet fraudsters (Guardian)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has admitted storming the home of a popular Nigerian singer John Njeng-Ngeng aka Skales to arrest two suspected internet fraudsters at House F10, Victoria Crest 4, Lekki, Lagos.
A statement by the acting spokesman of the EFCC, Dele Oyewale said the arrest was carried out by operatives of the Lagos Command on Tuesday, October 10 at the residence of the musician.
The suspects according to Oyewale are: Udemba Chukwuemeka
(a.k.a Jody) and Jamal Jamiu Onasola (a.k.a. Jamal). Read more
Makoko residents lament lack of potable water (Punch)
Residents of Makoko in the Yaba Local Government Area of Lagos State have lamented over the lack of potable water supply in the community.
They said they have been trekking a long distance to get access to clean water while some had to transport the water on motorcycles or canoes to their homes.
Our correspondent who visited the community on Saturday discovered that there is only one functional borehole operated by a water vendor as most of the boreholes in the community are faulty. Read more
Bayelsa APC heads to Appeal Court over judgment disqualifying Sylva (Channels)
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State says it will appeal the Federal High Court judgment disqualifying Timipre Sylva, its candidate in the forthcoming governorship election.
Justice Donatus Okorowo on Monday ruled that Sylva, having been sworn in twice and served five years as governor of the state, would breach the 1999 constitution as amended if allowed to contest again.
But the party, in a statement Tuesday by its Director, Media and Publicity for the APC Bayelsa Governorship Campaign Council, Perry Tukuwei, argued that the suit by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in breach of the Electoral Act. Read more
Over 61% obtain 5 credits, including English, Maths as NECO releases 2023 SSCE results (DailyTrust)
Registrar of National Examinations Council, (NECO), Prof Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, has announced the release of the result of the July/August 2023 Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).
Prof Wushishi, who made the announcement in Minna, Niger State, on Tuesday, said 737, 308 (61.60%) candidates out of the 1,196,985, who sat for the examination have five Credits and above, including English and Mathematics.
He said 1,013,611, (84.68%) candidates obtained five Credits and above, irrespective of English and Mathematics. Read more
COAS harps on effective training to enhance army’s combat readiness (Vanguard)
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, says a combat ready Nigerian Army requires effective training using emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, robotics, genome sequencing, and other software applications.
Lagbaja, who was represented by the Chief of Special Services and Programmes (Army), Maj.-Gen. Henry Wesley, said this at the opening of the Simulation Workshop of the Land Forces Simulation Centre Nigeria (LFSCN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
The theme of the workshop is “Effective Use of Simulation Technology to Enhance Nigerian Army Operation in a Joint Environment.” Read more
Emily Blunt and Chris Evans team up for some shady business in new “Pain Hustlers” Trailer (ET)
There’s money to be made if you don’t care who suffers for it — a concept that proves to be financially fertile ground for Chris Evans and Emily Blunt in the highly anticipated crime drama “Pain Hustlers”.
Netflix dropped a new trailer for the David Yates-helmed project on Tuesday, which stars the A-listers as pharmaceutical sales reps pushing opioids in a story based on real events. This new trailer gives fans a glimpse into the struggling life of high school dropout Liza Drake (Blunt), who is getting by in life through her simple mantra, “I will not give up on myself.” Read more
France begins withdrawing its troops from Niger (France24)
“The first troops have left,” the spokesman of the French chief of staff said, confirming an announcement Monday by Niger’s army, which said that the 1,400-strong French contingent would begin leaving Tuesday, under escort from Niger forces.
The withdrawal came a day after Niger’s military rulers on Monday said a first convoy of French troops would leave the West African nation after the leaders of a coup ordered them out.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who had sought to make a special ally of Niger, said in September that the troops would exit “by the end of the year”, complying with a demand by the coup leaders. Read more
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza City after weekend rocket attack (PBS)
Israel bombarded downtown Gaza City on Tuesday and expanded a massive mobilization of reservists, vowing punishing retaliation against the Hamas militant group that increasingly left residents of the tiny Palestinian territory with nowhere to go.
Four days after Hamas militants stormed into Israel, bringing gun battles to its streets for the first time in decades, Israel’s military said Tuesday morning that it had regained effective control over its south and the border.
The war has already claimed at least 1,600 hundred lives on both sides — and perhaps many hundreds more. Israel has also said that Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza are also holding more than 150 soldiers and civilians hostage. Read more
Kenya court puts Haiti deployment on temporary hold (AfricaNews)
Kenyan court on Monday temporarily suspended a government plan to send police to Haiti on a UN-backed mission aiming to restore calm to the gang-infested Caribbean nation.
The UN Security Council last week approved a Kenyan-led multinational security force for the troubled country, with Nairobi promising 1,000 police officers.
But a Nairobi court granted an interim injunction on Monday in a case brought by opposition politician Ekuru Aukot, who argued the deployment was unconstitutional as it was not backed by any law or treaty. Read more
US Senators make 1st congressional visit to China since 2019 (VOA)
A delegation of US lawmakers led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrived in China on Saturday in the first congressional visit to the country since 2019.
The trip comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between the two countries and as Chinese and U.S. officials try to lay the groundwork for a possible meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in November.
The delegation of six senators — three Democrats and three Republicans — landed in Shanghai on a U.S. government jet on an overcast and windy afternoon. The Republicans were led by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo, the senior member of his party on the Senate Finance Committee. Read more
Martin Scorsese urges young filmmakers to save the industry from “content providers” (FarOut)
“Killers of the Flower” Moon director Martin Scorsese has urged young filmmakers to “reinvent” modern cinema and make serious films instead of being “content providers”.
The veteran auteur discussed the state of cinema during a Screen Talk on October 7th with fellow filmmaker Edgar Wright. The event was part of the BFI’s ongoing London Film Festival. Elsewhere in the career-spanning conversation, Scorsese discussed his 1974 hit Mean Streets and his upcoming western crime drama, “Killers of the Flower Moon”, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Read more
Indie labels concerned as major labels intervene in vinyl and CD distribution (NME)
Independent record labels have expressed worries after a large vinyl distribution company, Utopia Music, has started to involve major labels in its finances.
Utopia Music is a company which physically distributes vinyls and CDs to retailers. In September 2022, the company acquired what was formerly the biggest music distribution company in the UK, Cinram Novum. Earlier that January, it also acquired fellow distributor Proper Music Group. Due to these acquisitions, Utopia now has an estimated 70% share, making it the leading company for getting records to shops in the UK.
However, issues involving a warehouse move gone wrong have negatively impacted acts at indie labels. The Guardian reported that one British indie label said one of its biggest acts missed a Top 20 chart position. Additionally, stock for a September release was “temporarily unable to be located”, meaning nine months of work and thousands of pounds were wasted. Read more
Peseiro calls up Sadiq Umar, Ebuehi to replace Awoniyi, Aina (Sun)
Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro, has found solutions to cover the absences of injured Taiwo Awoniyi and Ola Aina ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming clashes against Saudi Arabia and Mozambique, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nottingham Forest and the Nigerian national team suffered a significant injury blow as former Union Berlin striker Awoniyi will be sidelined for a month due to a groin injury.
On the other hand, his clubmate and compatriot Aina sustained an injury with an uncertain return date, making him unavailable for the upcoming friendly games. Read more
‘‘I hope you come to Chelsea’’- Mikel Obi tells Osimhen (Vanguard)
Former Super Eagles midfielder, Mikel Obi, says he hopes Napoli forward Victor Osimhen will ‘‘one day’’ join his former side, Chelsea FC.
The Chelsea legend stated in an episode of The Obi One podcast that Osimhen has all the tools to succeed in the Premier League.
He said, “I hope you come to Chelsea. But from the noises that I hear, he is a big United. But I really hope he comes to Chelsea.
“I think he [Victor Osimhen] does slot seamlessly into the Premier League. He got the tools to be a success in England,” Mikel said in the latest episode of The Obi One podcast. Read more
England, Socceroos dealt bitter blows as stars ruled out of bumper clash with injury (Fox)
Bukayo Saka has been ruled out of England matches against Australia and Italy, the English Football Association announced on Tuesday (AEDT).
Gareth Southgate included the Arsenal winger, 22, in a 26-man squad last week but he missed Sunday’s 1-0 win against Manchester City after struggling with a hamstring issue during recent matches.
“The forward reported to St George’s Park on Monday alongside the rest of the Three Lions’ squad,” the FA said in a statement. Read more
Johnny Kenny hoping to follow Liam Scales’ lead into Celtic first team (IrishExaminer)
Johnny Kenny was watching from the stands as Liam Scales showcased his quality in Celtic’s crunch Champions League clash against Lazio recently.
Not only did the performance secure Scales, who is Kenny’s former clubmate and housemate from their time together in Glasgow, a place in the Ireland senior squad this week but it also provided the current Shamrock Rovers midfielder – on loan from Celtic – with the greatest motivation he could ask for.
“It’s a real appetite, seeing a player coming from Shamrock Rovers, where I am now, and in two years he’s playing in the Champions League for Celtic. It’s a dream,” began Kenny. Read more
Venus Williams performs exciting U-turn on comeback after Serena retirement vow (Express)
Venus Williams is surprisingly reversing her retirement from playing doubles tennis to partner three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur. The 14-time women’s doubles champion has not played alongside anyone for over a year since Serena retired from the sport after the 2022 US Open.
Venus, 43, has accepted a wildcard into the Jasmin Open. The WTA 250 tournament in Monastir, Tunisia, was added to the Tour for the first time last year, taking place on outdoor hardcourts beside the Mediterranean Sea.
With the wildcard, she goes straight into the singles main draw alongside the hometown favourite and top seed, Jabeur. They have also received invitations into the doubles draw and will play together for the first time. Read more
FIA to look at F1 calendar changes after Qatar GP (BBC)
The FIA says it will look into calendar changes and other measures in Formula 1 to deal with extreme weather following the Qatar Grand Prix.
Some drivers needed medical attention after a race run in temperatures of more than 30C and high humidity.
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon said he had vomited in his helmet.
“They should not be expected to compete under conditions that could jeopardise their health or safety,” said motorsport’s governing body. Read more