Presidency to Nigerians: Don’t politicise Mrs. Funke Olakunrin’s tragic death (Nation)
The Presidency on Monday cautioned Nigerians against politicizing the tragic death of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, who is the daughter of the Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti. It also urged leaders in the country to consider their language over insecurity in the country. The advice came the same day former President Olusegun Obasanjo came down hard on the current administration over insecurity. Read more
Fasoranti: We have made arrests, say Police (Punch)
The Ondo State Police Command on Monday disclosed that it had made a number of arrests on the killing of Mrs. Funke Olakunrin, the daughter of the leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti. Olakunrin was reportedly killed by some hoodlums, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, along Ore-Shagamu expressway in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state, on Friday. The police reiterated that its men were still in the forest, in the local government in search of the hoodlums. Read more
Insecurity has been tamed – Buratai (Guardian)
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai said that insecurity has been tamed across the country by the Nigerian army. Buratai stated this during a visit to the troops stationed at 1 Division Super Camp in Kuyello, Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Monday. He said that the efforts of the military in the northeast and northwest, as well as other parts of the country, had reduced insecurity in the country. Read more
Insecurity: Miyetti Allah calls for Obasanjo’s arrest (Punch)
The apex Fulani socio-cultural organisation in Nigeria, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has criticised Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, for blaming herdsmen for the insecurity in the country, while calling for the arrest of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Obasanjo had written an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari on the prevalence of insecurity in the country, calling for a national dialogue where the Fulani and other ethnic groups can be open about their grievances that have led to the insecurity in the country. Read more
We ‘ll reply Obasanjo’s letter soon – ACF (Nation)
The mouthpiece of Northern Nigeria, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has reacted to the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari. The Northern socio-cultural organization said it was still studying the letter and will speak on it soon. ACF, in a one-sentence statement sent to The Nation by its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, did not give further details. Read more
Makinde declares N50bn assets (Nation)
Following his promise to the people that he would make details of his assets public upon assumption of office, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on Monday made public his asset, calling on any interested members of the public to verify the same with the Code of Conduct Bureau. The Governor, who visited the Oyo state office of the CCB in Ibadan to receive a copy of the asset declaration form he submitted earlier said that his decision to make the assets public was in fulfillment of a personal promise he made during the elections and also give them a basis to crosscheck after he might have finished serving them as the governor. Read more
Bala Mohammed appoints new HOS (Guardian)
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has approved the appointment of Alhaji Nasiru Yalwa as the state’s new Head of Civil Service (HOS). Dr. Ladan Salihu, the governor’s spokesman, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Bauchi. He said that Yalwa was the Permanent Secretary Special Services in the Governor’s Office before his new appointment. Read more
Nigeria will no longer condone xenophobic attacks on its citizens —Lawan (Punch)
The President of the Senate Dr. Ahmad Lawan on Monday condemned the continuous killings of Nigerians in South Africa, warning that further attacks on Nigerians would no longer be condoned. Lawan expressed concern that about 118 Nigerians had so far lost their lives in different attacks over the years, out of which 13 were by the South African Police. A statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mohammed Isa said Lawan made this known when he hosted the South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Bobby Moroe. Read more
Presidency faults Isha Sesay’s book on Chibok (Nation)
The Presidency on Monday faulted the new book, “Beneath The Tamarind Tree”, written by the ex-CNN star and now a Child Rights activist, Isha Sesay, on the kidnapping of 270 Chibok school girls. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, as a good book but with some misrepresentations. He said “The Presidency wishes to seize this moment to reiterate the government’s unwavering determination to secure the release, by peace or by force, the remaining 110 Chibok girls, Ms Leah Sharibu and all other citizens held captive by terrorists. Read more
Truck kills trader, injured another in Lagos (Nation)
A beverage shop owner identified as Iya Ibeji was yesterday crushed to death and another injured after a truck rammed into shops around Oyemekun in College Road, Ogba, Lagos. The articulated vehicle with number plate BDG15XX was said to have lost control around 4pm, ramming into the woman’s shop while she held her little baby. The truck, suspected to be laden with building materials, was said to have been overspending from Iju Ishaga axis when it suddenly developed brake issues. Read more
Iran nuclear deal breaches not yet significant, EU says (BBC)
Iran’s recent breaches of the 2015 nuclear deal are not significant and can be reversed, the European Union’s foreign policy chief says. “We invite Iran to reverse the steps and go back to full compliance,” Federica Mogherini said on Monday. Iran stepped up production of enriched uranium, used to make reactor fuel but also potentially nuclear bombs, in May. Read more
Donald Trump says his racist tweets are okay ‘because many people agree with me’ (Metro)
Donald Trump defended a racist tweet about four non-white US Congresswomen, saying the anger it prompted ‘doesn’t concern me, because many people agree with me.’ Speaking outside the White House Monday, the President of the United States shrugged off a reporter’s question about whether white nationalists would find ‘common cause’ with what he said. Trump added: ‘All I’m saying, they wanna leave? They can leave now. Read more
Suzanne Eaton murder: Man arrested for murder of US scientist (BBC)
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murdering an American scientist on the Greek island of Crete. The 27-year-old local man has already confessed to killing Suzanne Eaton, Greek media report. Ms Eaton was reported missing by friends on 2 July after going on a run. She was found inside a World War Two bunker six days later. Read more
Sadiq Khan throws out plans for ‘giant sperm’ building in City of London (Metro)
The Mayor of London has rejected plans for the 305 metre Tulip Tower, which looks a bit like a sperm. It would have been the second tallest building in western Europe, second only to the Shard at 310 metres. The City of London had given the all clear for the skyscraper in April, despite objections over how it would impact the view of the Tower of London. Read more
Ten dead after Bangladesh train strikes wedding party (Guardian)
At least 10 people were killed in a northwestern Bangladesh town after a train hit a wedding party van at an unmanned crossing, officials said Monday. The Dhaka-bound train hit the van in Ullahpara, some 145 kilometers (90 miles) away from the capital, as 14 people were returning home from a wedding ceremony, local police chief Koushik Ahmed said. As the van neared an unmanned railway crossing without noticing the rushing train approaching, the crash occurred leaving eight people including the bride and the groom dead on spot. Read more
Boy, 12, sneaks through Heathrow security and boards flight to LA without ticket (Metro)
An 12-year-old boy somehow managed to get through Heathrow Airport security to board a British Airways flight to Los Angeles with no boarding pass or travel documents. The unaccompanied child chatted with passengers getting on the plane and was only spotted when cabin crew asked to see his boarding pass to show him his seat. Read more
Female pedophile, 78, told cops it was her fantasy to rape two young boys at same time (Metro)
A 78-year-old pedophile told police it was her fantasy to rape two young boys at the same time. Vivienne Yvette Sellers was sentenced to five years in jail for child pornography charges in Tampa, Florida, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announce Monday. Sellers told authorities that she used a cellphone app to communicate with a person whom she believed to be a nine-year-old boy about sex. Read more
Super Eagles need to quickly forget Algeria and go on to beat Tunisia, coaches say (Guardian)
Team chief coach Gernot Rohr must quickly reinforce his team to forget Sunday’s loss to Algeria and go on to beat Tunisia on Wednesday, some coaches advised in Abuja on Monday. The coaches said in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that victory on Wednesday would be a good reward for the hard work by the players. They, however, urged the Super Eagles not to be deterred by the 1-2 loss at Cairo in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals. Read more
Barcelona complete signing of rising Japan star Abe (Guardian)
Barcelona announced on Monday they had completed the signing of young Japan winger Hiroki Abe from the Kashima Antlers of the J-League. The Catalan club said they had paid 1.1 million euros ($1.25 million) for the 20-year-old and assigned him to their reserve team, which plays in the third-tier Spanish Segunda B. Barcelona said Abe had signed a four-year contract with a 40 million euro buyout clause which would rise to 100 million euros if he is promoted to the first team. Read more
Mathieu Flamini defends Laurent Koscielny after Arsenal captain refuses to travel on club’s US tour (Metro)
Former Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini has defended Laurent Koscielny’s refusal to travel on the club’s pre-season tour of the United States. Koscielny stunned the club last Thursday by stating his intention to stay in England until his future was solved instead of travelling with the rest of the squad. The 33-year-old is believed to be angry at a supposed broken promise from Arsenal that would have allowed him to leave for free this summer. Read more
Arsenal fan groups call on Kroenke to reinvigorate flagging club (Guardian)
A group of influential Arsenal supporters’ organisations, fanzines and blogs have joined forces to call for better leadership of the club and have hit out at Stan Kroenke’s “passive ownership”. A total of 16 signatories, including the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust, published a statement on Monday demanding change as the Gunners prepare for a third successive season without Champions League football. Under a hashtag “#WeCareDoYou”, it highlighted a number of issues including the “soulless” atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium and a lack of transfer strategy. Read more
Theresa May giddy with excitement as she hosts England cricket team at Downing Street (Metro)
England’s victorious cricket team paid a visit to Theresa May in Downing Street to celebrate their World Cup win. Captain Eoin Morgan led his players to meet the Prime Minister after cheers erupted from Whitehall. The Prime Minister, a self professed cricket fan who attended the final at Lord’s, couldn’t contain her joy as she laughed with players. Read more
Enzo Zidane joins Portugese side Desportivo das Aves (Guardian)
Enzo Zidane, the oldest son of Real Madrid coach Zinedine, has signed a two-year deal with Desportivo das Aves, the Portuguese club announced on Monday. The 24-year-old midfielder was a free agent after leaving Swiss second-tier outfit Lausanne-Sport earlier this month. He spent last season on loan at Spanish side Rayo Majadahonda making 34 appearances. Read more