Survivors of Nigeria’s Lagos shooting tell their story (Guardian)
Solomon, Patrick and Samuel were wounded on October 20 during a crackdown by Nigerian security forces on protesters in Lagos who had gathered despite a curfew order.
The three say they spent several days at the Lekki toll gate, the epicentre of demonstrations that erupted on October 8 over police violence and bad governance, as they themselves had been victims of police abuse in the past.
Now discharged from hospital, the three men — whose full names are being left anonymous for safety reasons — are desperate for their stories to be heard.
It was the Nigerian army who fired, all three said. Read more
#EndSARS: We are ready to show Lekki shootings footage, LCC tells panel (Punch)
The Management of the Lekki Concession Company has expressed readiness to show the footage of the shootings of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate by soldiers.
The Head of the Legal Department of LCC, Mr Gbolahan Agboluwaje, made this known when he appeared before the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry for Restitution for Victims of SARS and related abuses and Other Matters on Friday.
Agboluwaje noted that the footage of the October 20 shootings of the #EndSARS protesters by the soldiers is available.
He said there are hours of recordings on the CCTV footage.
He said the LCC received a summons from the panel on Wednesday, to appear before it, present the October 20 footage, an investigation report and any other document.
He clarified that while the “LCC is prepared to air the footage before the panel” but no investigative report or document is available. Read more
Navy arrests 41 suspects for looting, vandalism in Lagos (Nation)
Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT have arrested 41 suspects for their alleged involvement in looting properties during the outbreak of violence across Lagos State.
Among the suspects were those alleged to have vandalised malls, private shops and houses around Surulere, Apapa, Ijora and environs with goods worth over N100m recovered.
Parading some of the suspects Friday, the Commander NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Ibrahim Shettima, said the Navy also recovered a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) looted from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters that was set ablaze as well as a truck loaded with various looted items including electronics, kitchen and home appliances, bicycles, auto spare parts, fabrics, clothes and shoes, COVID-19 palliatives, among others. Read more
Lagos announces further relaxation of curfew (Guardian)
The Lagos State Government has announced a further relaxation of the curfew imposed after the hijack of the peaceful #EndSARS protests.
Lagos State information commissioner Gbenga Omotosho said the curfew will now be from 10:00 pm till 6:00 am.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu praises Lagosians for observing the curfew, which is expected to restore normalcy in our communities,” Omotosho said. Read more
10 days after shootings, judicial panel visits Lekki toll gate (Punch)
The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry for Restitution for Victims of SARS and related abuses and Other Matters has visited the Lekki toll gate.
This is coming 10 days after #EndSARS protesters were shot at the plaza by soldiers.
During the visitation, members of the panel were taken around the scene of the shootings by officials of the Lekki Concession Company.
The Chairman of the nine-man panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi (retd.), earlier said the programme of the day for the panel was to visit the locus (scene of the Lekki shootings) and to have proceedings based on their findings from the visit.
She said this during the panel sitting Friday morning. Read more
Lagos Judicial Panel denied access to military morgue (Guardian)
Members of the Lagos State Judicial Panel investigating cases of police brutality visited Military hospital, Awolowo road Ikoyi, on Friday.
The panel is investigating the shooting of protesters by military men at the Lekki toll gate 10 days ago.
Ebun Adegboruwa, a lawyer who is also a member of the panel, said the members of the panel got confidential information that the morgue at the military facility may be crucial to the panel’s investigation. Read more
#EndSARS Panel: ‘Five bullet shells recovered at Lekki Toll Gate’ (Nation)
Five bullet shells were found at the Lekki toll gate, scene of the #EndSARS protest during the panel’s visit to the toll gate.
The Managing Director of Lekki Concession Company (LCC), the operators of Lekki Toll Gate, Abayomi Omomuwa, disclosed this Friday to the panel members, led by its Chairman, Justice Doris Okuwobi, during their visit to scene of #ENDSARS protesters.
Omomuwa said that a camera installed on the mast worked until the carnage at the Toll Gate on Wednesday, October 21.
He said that the camera stopped working after the carnage. Read more
NYSC Camp Looting: 53 suspects arrested, says IG (Thisday)
The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, Friday stated that the Nigeria police have arrested 53 suspects in connection with the looting of the FCT National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp on October 27, 2020.
In a statement by the Force Director, Press and Public Relations, Adenike Adeyemi, the IG made the assertion while inspecting the facility at Kubwa-Abuja.
According to the statement, “A total number of fifty-three suspects have been arrested and will be charged to court.”
He assured Nigerians that all those involved in the attack will be brought to justice as he appealed to members of the public to report anyone seen with any NYSC property that was looted. Read more
Westgate attack: Two jailed over Kenyan shopping mall attack (BBC)
A Kenyan judge has sentenced two men to 18 and 33 years in jail after they were convicted of helping Islamist militants attack a shopping mall in 2013.
At least 67 people died in the assault by al-Shabab on the Westgate shopping complex in the capital, Nairobi.
The state said the four militants who carried out the attack were found dead in the shopping centre’s rubble.
The militants occupied the mall for four days, in one of the deadliest jihadi attacks in Kenya.
These are the only convictions relating to the Westgate attack. Read more
Study finds 20% of grocery workers had COVID-19, most without symptoms (NYPost)
Cashier or supermarket staff in medical protective mask working at supermarket
Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Grocery store workers – particularly those who interact with customers – are at serious risk of infection by the coronavirus, according to a new study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
These workers likely became a “significant transmission source” for the illness without even knowing it because most in the study were asymptomatic, CNN reported. Read more
Earthquake hits Greece and Turkey, bringing deaths and floods (BBC)
A powerful earthquake has struck off Turkey’s Aegean coast, north of the Greek island of Samos.
The 7.0 magnitude tremor was centred off Turkey’s Izmir province, the US Geological Survey said.
Turkey put the magnitude of the quake at 6.6, saying four people had died and 120 were injured in the city of Izmir. About 20 buildings collapsed.
The shallow tremor is reported to have triggered a mini-tsunami that flooded Izmir and the Greek port of Samos. Read more
Jeff Bridges says cancer diagnosis makes him appreciate his ‘mortality’ (PageSix)
The “The Big Lebowski” star, who revealed last week that he is battling lymphoma, shared on his website on Thursday that “new s—t has come to light” because of his health issues.
“This cancer thing is bringing on feelings of preciousness, and gratitude, and good old fashion love, and lots of it, big time,” the 70-year-old wrote. “I’m feeling so much of it comin’ my way, and man, I appreciate it. It’s contagious, all this love, like some kind of positive virus.”
Bridges then thanked all of his fans and friends for their support. Read more
Kanye West gives Kim Kardashian birthday hologram of dead father (BBC)
Kanye West has surprised his wife Kim Kardashian with a hologram of her late father for her 40th birthday.
The reality star posted a recording of the hologram of Robert Kardashian, who died in 2003.
“For my birthday, Kanye got me the most thoughtful gift of a lifetime,” she wrote in the caption.
The video shows Robert Kardashian apparently telling his daughter he watches over her every day, as well as making jokes and dancing. Read more
Apple’s iPhone 12 delay knocks more than $100bn off market cap (NYPost)
Apple’s decision to not give any iPhone 12 sales guidance during its Thursday earnings call cost it $100 billion.
Shares of Apple are down more than 5 percent since it reported its fourth quarter earnings, taking a chunk out of the iPhone maker’s valuation almost twice the size of Snapchat parent company Snap, Inc.’s market value.
At issue is the fact that the coronavirus pandemic delayed the production and release of the hotly anticipated iPhone 12, which normally releases earlier in the fall, but this year did not hit stores until late October, meaning investors were unable to properly gauge how sales of the company’s first 5G iPhone are doing. Read more
Liverpool says Virgil van Dijk knee surgery ‘successful’ (BBC)
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has had a “successful” operation on his knee ligament injury, the club say.
The 29-year-old has not played since damaging anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in a challenge with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in the 2-2 Premier League draw on 17 October.
Liverpool said “no timeframe has been placed” on Van Dijk’s return.
“This time [after an operation] is always unpleasant. He is good as good as can be,” said manager Jurgen Klopp. Read more
Flick urges Alaba to extend Bayern Munich contract (Punch)
Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick on Friday urged defender David Alaba to quit stalling over his contract extension and commit to the European champions, despite reports linking him to the Premier League.
The 28-year-old Alaba is out of contract at the end of the season and is reportedly insisting on a huge pay rise.
He has repeatedly been linked to English giants Manchester United and Manchester City.
Alaba was a key part of the Bayern squad which won the treble of Champions League, Bundesliga, and German Cup titles last season and Flick says extension talks have not affected the Austrian’s play. Read more
CAF President Ahmad hospitalised after contracting Covid-19 (BBC)
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Ahmad is to spend five days in hospital in Cairo after contracting coronavirus.
The 60-year-old tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, two days after flying into the Egyptian capital from Morocco where he had attended Sunday’s Confederation Cup final.
“We have just learned that the president is to be hospitalised for five days on our doctor’s recommendation,” Caf Communications Director Alex Siewe told BBC Sport Africa.
“Patients isolate better in hospital.” Read more
Clubs grumble as Bundesliga goes back behind closed doors (Guardian)
The Bundesliga goes back behind closed doors this weekend with Borussia Dortmund leading the complaints against the government’s decision to lock out fans in an attempt to help curb record coronavirus numbers.
On Friday, Germany reported a record 18,681 new cases of Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours.
Amid measures announced Wednesday, all professional sport, including the Bundesliga, must be played behind closed doors until at least the end of November, a return to the end of last season when terraces had to remain empty. Read more
Somalia’s Ramla Ali eyes world and Olympic glory on eve of pro debut (BBC)
Ramla Ali, a former British champion turned model turned Anthony Joshua and Meghan Markle protégé, begins a professional career on Saturday which the former refugee hopes will take her to both world and Olympic glory.
The super-bantamweight fights Germany’s Eve Hubmeyer, who won her sole previous fight by knock-out, at London’s Wembley Arena on the undercard of the Derek Chisora-Oleksandr Usyk fight.
Perhaps fittingly for a woman whose life – which includes fleeing Somalia’s civil war as a child – has been highly eventful, the build-up has been anything but easy. Read more
Meet Everton’s Valerie Gauvin – the ‘old school English number nine’ from Reunion (BBC)
Wembley may be 6,000 miles from her birthplace on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, but France striker Valerie Gauvin already seems to feel at home with Everton as they prepare for Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup final.
The 24-year-old has made a big impact in front of goal since signing from Montpellier in August, scoring five times in her first eight games in all competitions, including goals in the cup quarter-final and semi-final.
Securing the signature of Gauvin – one of the biggest names to join the Women’s Super League this summer – has been described as a “real coup for the club” by Everton boss Willie Kirk. Read more
