Stop fighting your brother, northern youths caution Igbo politicians (Vanguard)
Northern Youth Leaders Forum, NYLF, has cautioned South-East leaders to stop using youths who are not even northerners to fight their brother. They were reacting to the statement credited to one Comrade Elliot Afiyo on behalf of Northern youths. The statement called for the Presidential flag-bearer of the PDP to look for another running mate that would be acceptable to them, saying that they would not support the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi for being anti North. Read more
Ekweremadu insists on inclusiveness in PDP (Nation)
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday debunked reports of his planned defection from People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Ekweremadu also underscored the need for inclusiveness as well as social and political environment, where everybody and every section count. He was emphatic that every decision bereft of inclusiveness and consultation cannot stand. Read more
Our decisions on primaries final, APC tells protesters (Nation)
The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday explained the crises that rocked some of its state chapters as a result of the primaries to pick candidates for next year’s elections. Party spokesman Lanre Issa-Onilu spoke on the outcome of the governorship primaries in Ogun and Imo states, the senatorial primaries in Kaduna and Enugu states as well as the submission of the list of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for Zamfara State. Read more
Alleged forgery: British solicitor testifies against Obasanjo’s brother-in-law (Punch)
A British Solicitor, Charlene Cross, on Wednesday affirmed before the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja that John Abebe, brother to a former First Lady, the late Stella Obasanjo, forged parts of an oil contract. Cross, who was the in-house lawyer and Assistant General Manager Dispute Resolution Projects for BP Exploration in London, maintained that parts of a Net Profit Interest Agreement were forged. Read more
Evans thought he’d never be arrested, says witness (Punch)
Lagos State High Court in Igbosere yesterday heard that suspected multi-millionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike (alias Evans), considered himself invincible. Testifying, Police Inspector Idowu Haruna said Evans never believed he could be arrested. According to him, Evans exclaimed during his arrest: ‘Oh God! I never knew this day will come!’ Read more
Political thugs stop court from sitting in Umuahia (Vanguard)
Scores of suspected political thugs said to have been mobilised by a faction of the APC in Abia State yesterday, disrupted activities at the State High Court sitting at Okpuala Ngwa and stopped the court from sitting. The activities of the thugs alleged to be supporters of the Donatus Nwankpa faction of the party in the state, had arrived the court premises early in bus and were positioned by one of their leaders in strategic places in the court premises, including the two entrances through which lawyers and litigants enter the court room. Read more
Accident: Young Shall Grow switched off phone after drunk driver was reported, says survivor (Punch)
More details have emerged on the accident involving a Marcopolo bus belonging to Young Shall Grow Motors Limited in which 10 people died. Our correspondent learnt on Wednesday that the bus driver allegedly smoked and drank during the journey and when cautioned by passengers, he threatened to deal with them. Read more
Navy arrests six for oil bunkering (Nation)
The Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS Jubilee) personnel have arrested six persons foralleged theft of automotive gas oil (AGO). NNS Jubilee is situated in Ikot Abasi Local Government of Akwa Ibom State. Items seized from the suspects include three truckloads of illegal AGO, five storage tanks, generators and three oil hoses. The operation, which took place in the early hours of Tuesday in Ikot Ibiok, Eket Local Government, was made possible by intelligence report. Read more
Gunmen abduct 10 in Rivers community (Punch)
A group of unidentified gunmen have abducted 10 persons in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. The victims were said to have been seized while returning from Idama community in the same area on Wednesday. Though the State Police Command had yet to confirm the incident, a source said that the kidnap victims were taken to an unknown destination by their captors. Read more
Trump calls for more civility in politics (BBC)
President Donald Trump has called on people to be more civil in politics, after a series of suspected explosives were sent to high-profile US figures. He was speaking after parcels were sent to CNN and top Democrats, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. None of the packages exploded. The FBI has launched a hunt for their sender. The president’s critics called his latest remarks hypocritical, as he often uses vicious language against his opponents and the press. Read more
Prince vows to punish Khashoggi ‘culprits’ (BBC)
The Saudi crown prince has vowed to punish all the “culprits” responsible for the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. Speaking at a business forum in Riyadh, Mohammed bin Salman said “the crime was painful to all Saudis” but he would never allow any rift with Turkey. The Saudis have previously denied accusations that the prince, the de facto ruler, had a role in the killing. Read more
Kansas man guilty in death of boy found encased in concrete (Independent)
A Kansas man was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder in the killing of a 3-year-old boy whose body was found encased in concrete in the laundry room of his home four months after his death. Stephen Bodine, 41, of Wichita, was accused in the May 2017 death of Evan Brewer. Prosecutors called dozens of witnesses and presented more than 550 pieces of evidence, including parts of the concrete tomb found in the rental home where the boy had lived with his mother, Miranda Miller, and Bodine. Read more
Pochettino pessimistic as PSV pummel Spurs’ Euro hopes (Guardian)
Mauricio Pochettino conceded Tottenham Hotspur will need little short of a miracle to get past the group stage after the Premier League giants’ Champions League hopes were dented by a 2-2 draw away to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. With no points from their opening two Group B fixtures, this was make-or-break for both Spurs and PSV at the Philips Stadion. Read more
Di Maria stunner rescues point for PSG against Napoli (Guardian)
Angel Di Maria’s stunning goal in injury time allowed an out-of-sorts Paris Saint-Germain to snatch a 2-2 draw with an impressive Napoli side in their Champions League clash on Wednesday. PSG looked beaten until Di Maria curled home in the third minute of time added on, salvaging a point from a game in which they had been second-best for long spells. Read more
Dockworker tells court he didn’t kill his wife (Vanguard)
A dockworker, Lekan Shonde, accused of killing her banker wife, Ronke at their Egbeda home, yesterday told an Ikeja High Court that he did not kill her, but the lady fell. Lekan denied killing Ronke, while under cross examination by the prosecuting counsel, Mr Y.G. Oshoala before Justice Josephine Oyefeso. Read more