Residents panic as suspected land grabbers, thugs invade Lagos estate (Punch)
Residents of the Millennium City Centre Estate in the Gbagada area of the Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State are in a panic mode over the invasion of the estate by armed thugs and alleged land grabbers allegedly working for a family.
PUNCH Metro gathered from the residents that the invasion had become a reoccurring incident for a decade and that various factions of the five families, Oyedele Ashamu, Antonio Miranda, Atunrase, Alashe and Odutola, claiming ownership of the land, usually come to the estate to accuse residents of illegal occupation and demand that they should repurchase the land.
They alleged that members of the Alashe family recently invaded the estate with armed thugs and pasted posters claiming ownership around the estate, adding that the thugs were stationed at various locations to intimidate residents.
The Chairman of the estate residents’ association, Soji Adeniji, told PUNCH Metro that residents bought land from five different families and that various factions of the families had been coming at intervals to harass them. Read more
N10.7b Ponzi scheme: 22-year-old gets N2b bail (Nation)
A Federal High Court in Lagos Wednesday granted bail to a 22-year-old man, Joshua Adeyinka Kayode, who was alleged to have defrauded 170 people of N10.7 billion via a Ponzi scheme.
Justice Nicholas Oweibo admitted Kayode to bail in the sum of N2 billion with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties, the judge said, must be landed property owners within the court’s jurisdiction and must depose to affidavit of means.
The defendant was also ordered to deposit his international passport with the court’s registrar, while he and the sureties must deposit two passport photographs each.
The vacation judge adjourned the case till November 10, for trial. Read more
Suspected bank hacker, BDC operators nabbed over N1.868b scam (Punch)
A suspected hacker, Femi Salau, has been arrested by the police Special Fraud Unit in Lagos State for allegedly hacking into the system of a first generation bank to defraud it of about N1.868b.
Two Bureau De Change operators, who allegedly acted as Salau’s accomplices to perpetrate the fraud, were also nabbed.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Salau was arrested for allegedly using a software to create fictitious credits totalling N1,868,900,000, which he deposited into the accounts of some of the affected bank’s customers.
The spokesman for the SFU, Eyitayo Johnson, said in a statement on Thursday that Salau successfully made debits amounting to N417,542,000 through Internet banking transfers to other banks. Read more
Motorists groan over hike in registration, licence fees (DailyTrust)
Commercial and private drivers have decried the upward review of rates payable to obtain driver’s licence and new number plates across the country.
The federal government while making the announcement last week said it was part of measures to increase revenue for the country to execute projects that will benefit the citizenry.
However, many people interviewed in some states across the six geopolitical zones dismissed the reasons advanced by the Joint Task Board (JTB) which finalised the decision.
They said they were being taxed beyond what their income could afford at a time when the cost of living had gone high.
Some of those interviewed said there was the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to speak on behalf of the poor by calling on revenue-generating agencies to order. Read more
Buhari, Tinubu, Fayemi, Odumakin mourn Mohammed Fawehinmi (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family of the late Gani Fawehinmi, over the death of their son, Mohammed.
The President, in a statement, yesterday, also condoled with Ganiat, mother of the deceased, and the entire family.
IN the same vein, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in a condolence message sent to Fawehinmi’s family, described the death of Mohammed as shocking and depressing.
Also, Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, yesterday, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, described Mohammed’s sudden death as shocking and very unfortunate. Read more
Hi-Impact reschedules park activities as fire guts studio (Punch)
Activities at the Hi-Impact Amusement Park and Resort in the Ibafo area of Ogun State have been rescheduled as fire gutted its TV studio on Thursday.
The TV station is an arm of Solution Media and Infotech and operates from the premises of the Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park and Resort.
It was gathered that properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by the inferno, which started around 8am.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the fire, whose cause could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, was extinguished by the personnel of the Ogun State Fire Service and the Redeemed Christian Church of God Fire Service. Read more
J&J single-dose COVID-19 vaccine rolls out next week (DailyTrust)
A first batch of 177,600 doses of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine against COVID-19 arrived Nigeria on Thursday and there are efforts to commence vaccination in hard-to-reach areas, starting from next week.
It is Nigeria’s first consignment purchased through the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), a trust launched by the African Union and UNICEF, to ensure member states have access to affordable COVID-19 vaccines.
More shipments are expected, reaching a total 1,173,132 doses this August alone.
Regular shipments will continue to come in every month until Nigeria reaches a target 29.8 million doses.
The target is to deliver 50 million doses before December end. Read more
Mpape: FCTA demolish worship centre, shops build on road corridors (Guardian)
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Thursday demolished worship centres, shops, shanties and other illegal structures built on road corridors at the densely populated Mpape Community in Abuja.
Mr Ikharo Attah, the Chairman, FCTA Ministerial Taskforce on City Sanitation, who led the operation alongside security agencies, said that the exercise would last for the next three weeks.
He said that most of the affected worship centres extended their buildings and fence to the road shoulders.
Attah explained that the exercise was part of efforts of the FCTA to rid the nation’s capital of environmental nuisance and to curb criminality in the terriory.
He vowed that the administration would leave no stone unturned in the course of the exercise. Read more
Tinubu, Buhari meet in London (DailyTrust)
President Muhammadu Buhari visited Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), at his residence in London on Thursday.
Bashir Ahmad, Personal Assistant to the president on New Media, confirmed the development but said he had no details of their discussion.
Tinubu, who was seen with a walking stick, pulled his face mask down to his chin as he posed for a photograph with the president, who also adjusted his mask.
Although both men have been in the United Kingdom for weeks, this is the first time that they will be seen together. Read more
Britney Spears’ father steps down as conservator (BBC)
Britney Spears’ father has agreed to step down as the singer’s conservator after 13 years, US media report.
The singer’s career has been in the hands of legal guardians since public concerns over her mental health in 2008.
The court-ordered agreement gave her father, Jamie Spears, control over her estate and other aspects of her life.
But she later sought to remove him from the role, calling for him to be charged with “conservatorship abuse”. Read more
Home Alone reboot confirmed for Disney Plus and the release date’s just in time for Christmas (Metro)
Brace yourselves, as a brand new Home Alone film is coming to Disney Plus just in time for Christmas.
The streaming service has officially announced Home Sweet Home Alone, which is intended as the first film in a reboot of the franchise.
Produced by 20th Century Studios, the upcoming project boasts a star-studded cast, consisting of Archie Yates, Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Aisling Bea, Kenan Thompson, Tim Simons, Aly Maki and many more.
Disney Plus has also shared images of the cast holding up the title of the film across social media, and confirmed it will be available to stream from November 12. Read more
Taliban claims Kandahar as onslaught continues (AlJazeera)
The Taliban has claimed to have taken Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second biggest city, in what would be a major blow to Afghan government forces.
Citing witnesses, the Associated Press reported the Taliban had seized the governor’s office and other buildings. The witnesses declined to be named publicly as the government had not yet acknowledged the defeat.
“Kandahar is completely conquered. The Mujahideen reached Martyrs’ Square in the city,” a Taliban spokesman tweeted on an officially-recognised account, AFP news agency reported, adding that a city resident confirmed the Taliban was in control of the city.
Reuters news agency later reported an unnamed government official saying the city, once a Taliban stronghold, had fallen but government forces remained in control of the airport. Read more
Metabolism peaks at age one and tanks after 60, study finds (BBC)
Middle-aged spread cannot be blamed on a waning metabolism, according to an unprecedented analysis of the body’s energy use.
The study, of 6,400 people, from eight days old up to age 95, in 29 countries, suggests the metabolism remains “rock solid” throughout mid-life.
It peaks at the age of one, is stable from 20 to 60 and then inexorably declines.
Researchers said the findings gave surprising new insights about the body. Read more
Instagram apologises after removing poster of Penelope Cruz film which features lactating nipple (Metro)
Instagram has issued an apology after initially banning the poster for Penelope Cruz’s latest film because it features a lactating nipple.
The official poster for Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s new film Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers) features what appears to be a female nipple which, as many people who support the #FreeTheNipple movement know, is banned on the platform.
This ban doesn’t extend to male nipples.
After it was taken down, the poster’s designer complained of censorship, with Instagram’s parent company Facebook later telling Associated Press the images of the poster were removed ‘for breaking our rules against nudity’. Read more
Amazon moves “Lord of the Rings” production to UK (BBC)
Technology giant Amazon’s TV and film business is moving production of its multi-million dollar Lord of the Rings series to the UK from New Zealand.
The as-yet-untitled fantasy epic is set thousands of years before the events in JRR Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
The company said the move was part of a plan to expand its production space and consolidate its footprint in the UK.
Amazon Studios spent $465m (£336.5m) on the first season of the show. Read more
Chelsea re-sign Belgium Romelu Lukaku striker from Inter Milan for a club record £97.5m (BBC)
Chelsea have re-signed striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97.5m.
The 28-year-old Belgian returns to Stamford Bridge on a five-year deal, having left the Blues to join Everton for £28m in 2014.
The fee is just short of the British transfer record of £100m paid by Manchester City for Jack Grealish.
“I came here as a kid who had a lot to learn, now I’m coming back with a lot of experience and more mature,” Lukaku said.
“I have supported Chelsea as a kid and now to be back and try to help them win more titles is an amazing feeling.” Read more
African clubs retain away goals after Europe scraps rule (Punch)
The 2021-2022 African club competitions, whose qualifying draws are scheduled for Cairo on Friday, will retain the away-goals system despite Europe scrapping the rule.
European football body UEFA abandoned the rule for its three club competitions this season, saying statistics proved that the original motive of encouraging away teams to attack was no longer relevant.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said the away-goal rule actually discourages home teams from attacking, especially in first legs.
Some African football followers believed the change was introduced by world governing body FIFA and applied to all continents. Read more
Team GB Olympic silver medallist CJ Ujah provisionally suspended for alleged doping violation (Metro)
CJ Ujah, part of the Great Britain team that won silver in the men’s 4x100m relay at the Tokyo Olympics, has been provisionally suspended for an anti-doping violation.
The British sprinter was among four athletes from different nations suspended pending an investigation by the Athletics Integrity Unit for testing positive for a banned substance.
If the suspension is upheld, Great Britain face the possibility of being stripped of the silver medal they won six days ago.
Ujah was part of the team alongside Zharnel Hughes, Richard Kilty and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake that finished second behind Italy. Read more
Tokyo Olympics 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs won’t run again until 2022 (BBC)
Olympic 100m champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs has said he will not compete again until next year.
In response to a question on social media about when he would next race, the 26-year-old responded with “2022”.
Jacobs followed up his shock 100m victory in Tokyo with another gold as part of Italy’s 4x100m relay team.
His manager Marcello Magnani said injury was not a factor in the decision to take a break, but the time off is a preventative measure. Read more
Mikel Arteta explains why Arsenal have made just three signings so far this summer (Metro)
Mikel Arteta has defended the lack of headway Arsenal have made in the transfer this summer, having promised an ‘unprecedented’ overhaul of his squad.
The Gunners have spent nearly £80million so far on their three new signings with Ben White, Albert Sami Lokonga and Nuno Tavares adding some youthful exuberance to a squad which finished eighth last season.
A failure to qualify for Europe for the first time in 25 years prompted Arteta to claim that what Arsenal ‘have to do in the summer is unprecedented for a club of this stature’, but movement both in and out of the Emirates has been limited so far. Read more
Tiger Woods sues former lover Rachel Uchitel (Guardian)
Still misadventures for Tiger Woods, but off the golf course. The American champion, often made headlines for his love affairs, has decided to sue his ex-lover, Rachel Uchitel, accused of having violated his NDA (the non-disclosure agreement) from $8 million, reports tennisworldusa.org.
Uchitel was bound to a confidentiality pact that obliged her, for a fee, not to disclose details about the relationship with Tiger Woods: in the details revealed to the New York Times it was revealed that the agreement was more than 30 pages long and it was signed in 2009, after the relationship came out.Rachel Uchitel obtained $5 million and an additional $1 million for the three years following the signing of the agreement in exchange for her silence. Despite this, about two years ago, in 2019, she broke the silence and agreed to talk about his relationship with Woods for the HBO documentary “Tiger”, which was launched in this 2021 and which sparked the immediate reaction of the lawyers of Woods. Read more