Police arrest suspected ritualist, exhume decomposing body of OAU student in Ogun (Vanguard)
Operatives of Ogun State Police Command, have unravelled the mystery behind the disappearance of a 100 level student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Quadri Salami.
According to a statement issued by the command spokesperson, Omolola Odutola, the father of Quadri had on 14th November, 2023 reported at Kenta Police station, about sudden disappearance of his son, who reported that he has not set his eyes on his son since 8th of November and all efforts to locate him proved abortive.
Odutola, further disclosed that, the State Commissioner of Police Abiodun Alamutu on Wednesday made a significant breakthrough when he personally led a team of Tactical Squad to Mile 6 in Ajebo area of Abeokuta to a shallow grave to exhume the decomposing body parts of the deceased after a tracking clue beamed at one Akeem Usman who was arrested in possession with the victims phone. Read more
Actor Ninalowo steps out with ‘girlfriend’ 3 months after marriage crash (DailyTrust)
Famous Nollywood actor, Ninalowo Bolanle, fondly known as Nino B, has again set tongues wagging on social media.
This was after he stepped out with his rumoured new girlfriend, actress Damilola Adegbite, in a viral video.
In September, Daily Trust reported how Nino B, announced the end of his marriage to his wife, Bunmi.
However, weeks later the actor and Adegbite sparked dating rumours after the former shared a series of posts about the stunning actress. Read more
Man arraigned for refusing to pay after drinking (Punch)
A man, Michael Adams, was on Wednesday arraigned at the Yaba Magistrate’s Court for allegedly ordering drinks worth N113.000 at a bar in the Shomolu area of Lagos State and refusing to pay the bartender.
Adams was arraigned by the police before Magistrate O.Y. Adefope on one count bordering on obtaining and drinking alcohol and others by the pretence that he would pay later.
According to the prosecutor, Haruna Magaji, Adams and his friends entered the VIP section of the bar and ordered drinks, and after drinking, they were given their bill but he refused to pay. Read more
NANS threatens action over arbitrary rise in tuition fee (Nation)
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned recent increase in tuition fees by some tertiary institutions, especially public universities and vowed to ensure that such increments are reversed.
Newly elected NANS President, Lucky Emonefe, said it was unreasonable for institutions to increase their fees and charges astronomically at a time when Nigerians are going through pains and hardships as a result of the difficult economic situation occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
He spoke at a news conference in Abuja, where four of the presidential candidates in the just concluded national convention of NANS and Council of Zonal Coordinators of NANS across the country backed his emergence as the association’s president. Read more
Kwankwaso expelled for attempting to take over of NNPP – Agbo Major (Channels)
A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Agbo Major, has insisted that the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has been expelled.
Major, who said he is now the chairman of the party, claimed that Kwankwaso’s expulsion was necessitated by an attempt by the former Kano State governor and his loyalists to take over the party from its founding members.
“The whole idea was ‘okay this man (founder) is a good man, he is somebody who listens and so on and so forth, so let us dominate him and take over the party’, that was what they wanted but they found in us the commitment to ensure that that never happened,” Major said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday. Read more
Prioritise centralised command structure in our security, northern group tells Tinubu (Sun)
Coalition of Northern Groups,has attributed the killings of innocent civilians in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State to lack of centralised command structure within the security forces.
The National Coordinator, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi stated this at a world press conference held in Abuja, yesterday.
Charanchi said that the role of the security forces need to be clearly defined to ensure effective coordination and collaboration is discharging security duties. Read more
15 prison inmates granted amnesty in Kwara (Leadership)
Fifteen inmates serving various jail terms at four Custodial Centres in Kwara State have been set free.
While the federal government paid the fines of 13 inmates to secure their release, the chief judge of Kwara State, Justice Abiodun Adewara, freed two others.
The release of the 15 inmates was effected on Tuesday when the Justice Reform Sector Committee led by the chief judge, alongside with other relevant stakeholders in the Criminal Justice Administration, visited the Old Ilorin Custodial Centre, Okekura, Ilorin, the state capital. Read more
Nigeria should position to tap into $3.25t Islamic finance industry – SEC DG (Sun)
The Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Lamido Yuguda, has called for a stronger stakeholder engagement to enable Nigeria tap deeper into the Islamic finance industry currently valued at $3.5 trillion and global sukuk issuances pegged at $182.72 billion.
To realise this, Yuguda said the Commission was strongly focused on strengthening the development of the Non-Interest Finance segment in Nigeria by
collaborating with the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), an international standard-setting body. Read more
Taylor Swift named Time Magazine’s person of the year (BBC)
Taylor Swift has capped off a stellar 2023 by being named Time Magazine’s person of the year.
The star, whose Eras tour broke box office records and provoked an inquiry into Ticketmaster’s sales practices, follows the likes of Barack Obama, Greta Thunberg and Volodymyr Zelensky.
She told the magazine that she is “the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt”. Read more
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs accused of ‘gang rape’ of 17-year-old girl as he hits out at ‘sickening allegations’ (Sky)
Rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has hit out at “sickening allegations” against him, saying they are being made by people “looking for a quick payday” and “enough is enough”.
Four women have launched sexual assault lawsuits against him since last month, including the latest which today accuses him of the “gang rape” of a girl who was 17 at the time.
The US music mogul, who also goes by the stage name Puff Daddy and P Diddy, said that for the last fortnight he has “sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy”. Read more
Covid bereaved families disgusted by ‘cruel’ and ‘callous’ Boris Johnson (Mirror)
Bereaved families of Covid have spoken of their “disgust” at Boris Johnson, who they accused of being “callous and disrespectful of people’s lives” throughout the pandemic.
The former PM gave evidence to the Covid Inquiry today over the decisions he made as he led the UK through one of the worst crises in living memory. Those who lost loved ones said “everyone in the country has, in some way, been let down” by Mr Johnson, who was supposed to keep the country safe during the pandemic.
Protestors disrupted his evidence as he took to the stand, holding up signs saying, “the dead can’t hear your apologies”, as he attempted to apologise for his mistakes. Protestor Fran Hall, 62, from Denham, Bucks, whose husband Steve Mead, 65, died three weeks after they married in September 2020, accused Mr Johnson of “trying very hard to control the narrative”. Read more
Zambian miner pulled from mudslide after 5 days underground (Guardian)
A miner has been pulled out alive from under a mudslide five days after being trapped underground with many others when torrential rains hit Zambia’s main copperbelt region, authorities said on Wednesday.
The bodies of two more workers were also retrieved from the open-cast pit in the Chingola region, around 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital Lusaka, Zambia’s Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) said.
“A 49-year-old man has been rescued from the collapsed mine slug damp site,” the unit said in a statement on Facebook. Read more
Kim Jong Un wipes away tears as he calls on women in North Korea to have more babies (Sky)
Mr Kim was seen dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief in a rare moment of emotion as he addressed the National Mothers’ Meeting in Pyongyang.
He appeared to be trying to hold back the tears throughout his speech as he called on women to help strengthen the power of the nation.
“Stopping the decline in birth rates and providing good childcare and education are all our family affairs that we should solve together with our mothers,” Mr Kim told the meeting. Read more
Uganda accuses US of pushing ‘LGBT agenda’ using aid after new round of sanctions (AfricaNews)
These new sanctions unveiled earlier this week target Ugandan individuals who were not formally identified. According to the U.S. They are responsible for “undermining democracy and suppressing marginalised groups, including the LGBTQ community.”
Henry Okello Oryem, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, insisted his country would not backpedal on the adoption of its bill.
He told the AFP that there was no doubt regarding the fact that “some groups in the U.S.A and in the West” seek to bring [Africans and Ugandans] “to accept same sex relations using aid and loans’ ‘ as leverage. Read more
Trump would ‘come after’ media and government critics in second term, top ally says (NBC)
Donald Trump ally Kash Patel said Tuesday that if the former president is elected to a second term in office, he’ll “come after” the “conspirators” in the media and the government who “helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.”
“We’re going to come after you. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out,” Patel, a National Security Council and Defense Department official during the Trump administration, told Steve Bannon on his podcast.
Bannon, a former senior adviser in the Trump White House who has pleaded not guilty to fraud charges in New York state court, had asked Patel who could be in a top position in a second Trump term, if he felt “confident” that he’d able to dole out “serious prosecutions and accountability” against the “deep state.” Read more
German Cup: Boniface scores in 3rd Straight Game As Leverkusen beat Paderborn to reach quarter-finals (CompleteSports)
Victor Boniface scored for the third game running as Bayer Leverkusen beat Paderborn 3-1 in round 16 of the DFB-Pokal on Wednesday,
Heading into the Cup game against Paderborn, Boniface netted against Hacken in the Europa League.
Then at the weekend, he got his side’s goal in their 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga.
Against Paderborn, the Super Eagles striker opened the scoring for Leverkusen in the 12th minute of the game. Read more
EPL: Rashford dropped by Man Utd for Chelsea clash (Punch)
Marcus Rashford paid for his slump in form as the Manchester United star was dropped to the bench by Erik ten Hag for Wednesday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea.
Rashford was one of the shining lights of Ten Hag’s first campaign in charge, scoring a career-high 30 times last season.
However, the England forward has struggled to rekindle that form this term. Read more
Antony: Man Utd winger criticises club’s ex-players for not asking if he is OK (BBC)
Manchester United winger Antony has criticised former players of the club for not offering constructive comments or asking if he is OK.
United paid an initial £82m to Ajax for Antony in September 2022 but he has failed to find top form since then.
The Brazilian is also the subject of a police investigation into a series of allegations of domestic abuse. Read more
Egypt secures 2027 African Games hosting right (Leadership)
The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) has granted Egypt the right to host the 2027 African Games.
The Egyptian National Olympic Committee (ENOC) had sent a request to ANOCA, voicing interest in hosting the games.
Egypt’s successful bid highlights the nation’s established presence in hosting prestigious tournaments, having previously organised events like the 2021 World Handball Cup, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2006 and 2019 as well as the U20 African Nations Cup in 2022, among others. Read more
Who could be next as Erik ten Hag faces player revolt (Mirror)
It’s that time again at Manchester United.
The dressing room is leaking, the defence is creaking and the fans are weeping. Usually, it only ends in one way: the manager being sacked.
First it was David Moyes, then Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and now Erik ten Hag is fighting to save his job amid a revolt from his own players. 10 defeats in 21 games is a wretched return – their worst start since 1973-74, a season in which the Red Devils were relegated – and despite suggestions that Sir Jim Ratcliffe won’t put Ten Hag’s position under immediate threat in his review of football operations, there’s no doubt minds are beginning to mull over who could be next in the Old Trafford hot seat. Read more
Nick Pope: Newcastle goalkeeper requires shoulder surgery and faces 4 months out (BBC)
The 31-year-old dislocated his shoulder when he dived to make a save during the closing stages of Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Saturday.
Manager Eddie Howe said there is “still a chance” Pope could return before next summer’s European Championships.
“He’s naturally down because we’ve got huge games coming up and he’s got the Euros ahead of him,” Howe said. Read more