Shooting of #EndSARS protesters at Lekki: Army won’t let us through – Emergency workers (Vanguard)
Following shooting of peaceful #EndSARS protesters at Lekki Toll Gate, with reports of casualties, ambulances and emergency workers that responded to calls were turned back by soldiers.
The driver of an ambulance driving away from the scene was heard telling someone, who was off camera, that military personal didn’t allow them access to where the shot protesters were.
Vanguard had reported earlier that men in military uniform were shooting at the protesters, who had remained at the toll gate after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State had declared a 24-hour curfew. Read more
Black Tuesday: 49 killed as protests turn bloody (Punch)
Violence that rocked #EndSARS protests across the country worsened on Tuesday with 43 protesters and six policemen losing their lives.
Protesters calling for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police have been carrying out peaceful demonstrations across the country since October 8.
However, the protests assumed a violent dimension last week when thugs attacked peaceful protesters in Lagos and Abuja.
The hoodlums, who have been attacking protesters in Abuja, became emboldened on Tuesday, when they killed six protesters at Waru, Wumba and Kubuwa. Read more
Protests ground commercial, vehicular activities in Lagos (Guardian)
The ongoing #EndSARS protests, yesterday, took a more devastating dimension as vehicular and commercial activities were grounded to a halt in some parts of the state.
From Abule-Egba Bus Stop to Oshodi Motor Park, at least, seven different roadblocks were mounted at different points on the ever-busy road.
Also in Agege, the protesters were seen with several barricades across the entire area.
However, hours after the curfew was imposed, some protesters failed to abide by the governor’s directive.
From Iyana-Isolo to Ilasa, Iyana-Itire, Cele to Mile 2, it was still business as usual for the protesters. They blocked the road, with their deejays playing music with participants dancing away. Read more
Lagos seals 11 petrol stations, 19 others (Punch)
The Lagos State Government through its Physical Planning Permit Authority says it has sealed some structures including 11 petrol stations.
The General Manager LASPPPA, Funmi Osifuye, said it had reinforced its clampdown on illegally sited gas plants and other illegal developments in the state.
This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by the Director, Public Affairs, Abimbola Emdin-Umeh, titled ‘LASG clamps down on illegal gas/ filling stations, receives petitions’.
The statement said he spoke during a meeting with staff of the Monitoring and Compliance Unit and District Officers of LASPPPA. Read more
#LekkiMassacre: African Bar Association to file criminal complaints against FG (Vanguard)
The African Bar Association has said it would immediately file criminal complaints against the Federal Government before international bodies over the shooting of peaceful protesters in Lagos.
While frowning on the shooting of unarmed protesters by soldiers, Tuesday, the body said it would call for an international inquiry into the matter.
The association said this in a statement by its President, Hannibal Uwaifo.
According to the statement: “the African Bar Association is deeply saddened by the actions of the Nigerian Government in drafting Soldiers to forcefully suppress the ongoing #ENDSARS protest in the country. Read more
Lekki shootings: #EndSARS protesters rush injured to Lagos hospitals (Punch)
Protesters injured at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos on Tuesday evening have been rushed to the Reddington and Lagoon hospitals in the area.
An official of one of the hospitals told The PUNCH that no dead casualty was brought to the hospitals but many injured victims were currently being treated at both health facilities.
“They are many. I can’t count my fingers around them. We are currently treating them,” the official who did not want to be mentioned said.
Many hospitals in the area were said to have been treating wounded protesters for free since the attack. Read more
Protests echo restructuring calls, says IYC, deplores attack on leader (Guardian)
Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) has described the #EndSARS protests across Nigeria as a reverberation of the calls to restructure the country, and not just an end to police brutality.
The group’s spokesman, Ebilade Ekerefe, commended the never-say-die spirit of the youth, who were bent in making the country a better place to live.
Igbifa, who visited Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, at the Government House, Yenagoa, yesterday, met the protesters who called him names and pelted him with stones and sachet water. They attacked him for his alleged reluctance to call out Ijaw youth for the protest. Read more
Armed thugs in ‘government vehicles’ attack #EndSARS protesters (Punch)
Armed thugs conveyed in what appeared to be black government Sports Utility Vehicles with concealed number plates were seen attacking #EndSARS protesters in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja on Tuesday.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, some of the thugs are seen jumping into a black Prado driven by a man in suit on Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent Wuse 2.
The vehicle is seen reversing unto Hospital Avenue and then the doors are flung open while thugs wielding stones and sticks run riot.
Another vehicle, which is a black Range Rover, soon joins the thugs while four buses filled with thugs park on the roadside as more thugs alight from the buses. Read more
Cult clash claims four lives in Delta State (Guardian)
A cult clash at the old palace ground in Ogbe-Nti-Obi, Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha North Council Area of Delta State has reportedly claimed four lives.
Community source told The Guardian that two rival cult groups had stormed the festival fomenting trouble, but were chased away by the elders at the festival ground.
The source said, “They killed four people during the clash, but one of the youth killed was an indigene of Ogwashi-Uku. Read more
Nokia is building a 4G network on the moon for NASA (Metro)
Nokia says it has been asked by NASA to build the first mobile communications network on the moon. The Finnish telecommunications equipment maker said on Monday that its Nokia Bell Labs division will build a 4G communications system to be deployed on a lunar lander to the moon’s surface in late 2022.
NASA is awarding 370 million US dollars (£285 million) to 14 companies to provide technology for the Artemis moon-landing programme, the aim of which is to establish a long-term human presence on the moon as a warm-up for missions to Mars.
Nokia released more details of its involvement after an announcement last week by Nasa, which said it was giving the company’s US unit 14.1 million dollars (£10.9 million) for the network. Read more
Elation as Nasa’s Osiris-Rex probe tags asteroid Bennu in sample bid (BBC)
America’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft has completed its audacious tag-and-go manoeuvre designed to grab surface rock from an asteroid.
Radio signals from 330 million km away confirm the probe made contact with the 500m-wide object known as Bennu.
But the Nasa-led mission will have to wait on further data from Osiris-Rex before it’s known for sure that material was actually picked up.
The aim was to acquire at least 60g, perhaps even a kilo or more. Read more
Chadwick Boseman shines in trailer for final film role Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Metro)
Netflix has released the powerful trailer for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in his final film role.
The actor plays her trumpeter Levee who has ambitions of breaking away from Ma Rainey’s (Viola Davis) band by any means necessary. He declares: ‘I’m gonna get me a band and make me some records. I knows how to play real music, not this jug band s**t. ‘I know what I’m doing. Go on and fire me. I don’t care.’ Set in 1920s Chicago, it follows blues singer Ma Rainey as she battles the white record executives she believes are using her. Read more
Silicon Valley launches $100 million anti-Trump ad blitz – report (RT)
A super PAC bankrolled by Silicon Valley moguls is preparing a massive TV advertising campaign to help boost Democratic candidate Joe Biden against President Donald Trump in the final days before the 2020 US election.
The $100-plus million blitz includes at least $22 million from Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, according to an exclusive report from Recode, a subdivision of Vox. Another Democratic megadonor involved is former Google and Alphabet CEO Eric Schmidt, currently advising the Pentagon on technology innovation.
Called Future Forward, the super PAC has filed federal paperwork on Tuesday disclosing that it has raised $66 million between September 1 and October 15. Read more
Covid: China’s Sinovac vaccine to be included in Brazil immunisation plan (BBC)
Brazil plans to use a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine as part of a national immunisation programme, officials have announced.
São Paulo Governor João Doria said the federal government had agreed to buy 46 million doses of the vaccine CoronaVac.
He said the immunisation programme could begin as soon as January 2021, making it one of the first such efforts in the world to fight the pandemic.
Brazil has been one of the countries worst affected by coronavirus. Read more
Seth Rogen has already seen “Borat 2” ‘six times’ and says it’s hilarious (Metro)
Everyone is looking forward to Sacha Baron Cohen returning in Borat 2 when it drops on Amazon Prime this Friday, but no one is as excited about it as Seth Rogen.
While most of us learned about the comedy sequel just a few weeks ago, the Pineapple Express actor appears to have had more than a few sneak peeks. ‘I’ve seen #Borat2 around six times over the last few months, and I can’t wait to watch it a seventh,’ he tweeted this week.
Sharing his review of the film, he went on: ‘It’s crazy and wonderful and couldn’t be more timely. ‘It also has a few of the funniest scenes I’ve ever seen in a movie. I’m excited for you to see it.’ Read more
US election 2020: Congressional virus relief talks grind on (BBC)
White House officials and congressional Democrats are entering last-ditch talks to agree a stimulus bill to inject cash into the battered US economy.
Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had set a Tuesday deadline for any agreement to be reached.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump cancelled the budget negotiations, before later directing his team to resume them.
Each side has said they want a deal passed before the 3 November election, but experts say this is unlikely. Read more
#EndSARS: Ask your children to represent Nigeria in coming games, John Ogu tells politicians (Vanguard)
Super Eagles midfielder, John Ogu, has described the ongoing onslaught of #EndSARS protesters in Nigeria as devastating.
John Ogun, on his verified Twitter handle, also tweeted that “The Politicians should ask their children to go and represent Nigeria in the next @NGSuperEagles @thenff upcoming games.”
He expressed his sadness with broken heart emoji.
Nigerian youths for about 13 consecutive days have taken to streets across the most populous black nation in the world to protest the extrajudicial killings of members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS. Read more
Nigeria, Ghana in Group B of WAFU U-17 qualifying tourney (Guardian)
Nigeria will face Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in the Group stage of this year’s WAFU U-17 tournament.
At a virtual draw held in Abidjan yesterday, the Flamingoes were placed in Group B alongside their familiar foes.
Nigeria, who went on after winning the zonal competition to place fourth at the 2019 U-17 AFCON, were drawn bye for yesterday’s live draw. Read more
Messi equals another record in Barcelona win (BBC)
Lionel Messi scored in a joint record 16th Champions League season and 17-year-old Pedri netted his first senior goal as Barcelona beat Ferencvaros.
Messi struck from the penalty spot to give Barca the lead after he was felled at the end of a weaving run.
Ansu Fati volleyed Barca’s second, with Philippe Coutinho adding a third.
Gerard Pique was sent off for a foul that set up Ihor Kharatin to narrow the deficit with a penalty, but Pedri and Ousmane Dembele ensured Barca’s win. Read more
Former Real Madrid star Robinho to be jailed ‘immediately,’ says minister (Guardian)
Former Real Madrid and Manchester City star Robinho is set to be jailed in his native Brazil, the Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights in the nation has said, reports football-espana.net.
The Brazilian international was convicted of rape in 2017, with a nine-year jail sentence handed down by the courts, but his appeal process with the Italian courts has been ongoing in the years since.
Robinho has continually said he is not guilty and vows to fight the accusations, which allege he was part of gang rape of a 22-year-old Albanian woman in a Milan nightclub in January 2013. Read more
Late Rashford goal earns Man Utd win at PSG (BBC)
Marcus Rashford repeated his late heroics against Paris St-Germain with a superb winner as Manchester United marked their return to the Champions League with a fine win at the home of last season’s beaten finalists.
Rashford’s stoppage-time penalty sealed a famous victory at the Parc des Princes 18 months ago and the England striker was again on target to ensure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side took maximum points from their opening match in a formidable group.
The visitors had excelled in a first half which saw Bruno Fernandes stroke them ahead with a twice-taken penalty.
But the multiple French champions were far stronger and threatening in the second half and deservedly drew level when United striker Anthony Martial headed into his own net. Read more
Frank Lampard explains why Petr Cech has been included in Chelsea’s Premier League squad (Metro)
Frank Lampard does not expect to have to call on Petr Cech this season with the retired goalkeeper only in Chelsea’s Premier League squad in case of an emergency, though insists he is in excellent shape and ready to contribute.
The 38-year-old’s name was a shock addition to Chelsea’s squad list, which was announced on Tuesday, with the Czech having been spotted in training several times over the summer and this season.
Chelsea confirmed that his presence in the squad was only as ‘emergency cover’ and was a ‘precautionary step due to the unprecedented conditions currently caused by the Covid-19 crisis.’ Read more
Mendy ‘shows quality’ as Chelsea frustrated in home draw with Sevilla (BBC)
Edouard Mendy has established himself as Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper after again “showing his quality” in his side’s goalless Champions League draw with Sevilla, says boss Frank Lampard.
Mendy, who joined from Rennes in September, produced an excellent save to help the Blues open their European campaign with a hard-earned point against Europa League holders Sevilla.
In a game of few clear-cut chances, the Senegal international marked his return from injury by clawing away Nemanja Gudelj’s header after it had flicked off Kurt Zouma. Read more
