Tears as colleagues explain how Yabatech graduating student was murdered (Guardian)
Tears flowed freely last week as friends and colleagues of the late Tosin Osatuyi, a final year student of Yabatech College Education, allegedly killed in a fight, narrated how he was murdered.
The Civil Engineering (HND 2) student, popularly known as Moore, was allegedly murdered while celebrating his final examinations on July 28.
Deputy Registrar of the institution, Mr. Joe Ejiofor, had, on Tuesday, disclosed that the fight, which broke out among Osatuyi and his peers, occurred outside the college premises, having concluded their examination and left the vicinity.
But colleagues of the deceased, who gathered on Tuesday evening for a candlelight procession in his memory, said he was gruesomely murdered. Read more
Customs arrests 3 suspects, intercepts N22.3bn pangolin scales, elephant tusks (Sun)
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Tuesday, said it arrested three suspected smugglers in connection with different kilograms of Pangolin scales and Elephant tusks worth N22.3 billion in Lagos.
While displaying the seizures to newsmen in Lagos, the Controller General of Customs (CGC), Col. Hammed Ali, said the 17,137.44 kilograms of Pangolin scales (196 sacks), 870.44 kilograms of Elephant tusks and 4.60 kilograms of Pangolin claws were evacuated at a location on eastern side of Ijeoma Street, Lekki, Lagos State after proper examination.
According to him, NCS’s extensive collaboration yielded credible intelligence that triggered swift and comprehensive actions by the Customs Intelligence Unit and Headquarters Strikeforce.
He added that the seizures is inline with Section 63 “e” and “g” of Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA), Cap 45 LFN 2004 as amended, adding that it falls under Export prohibition schedule VI of the extant Common External Tariff, which prohibits their exportation. Read more
Osbourne Foreshore residents protest in Lagos (Tribune)
The residents of Osbourne Foreshore Estate in Ikoyi area of Lagos state, at the weekend, took to the streets to protest against what they described as the defiance to the order of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, restraining two development companies, Lekki Gardens Estate Ltd and Foreshore Waters Ltd. from further construction within the estate premises pending the hearing and determination of a suit before the court.
The residents, wearing red shirts with the inscription ‘Save Our Souls’ on it were led by the Osbourne Foreshore Residents Association (OSFRA), bearing diverse placards with different messages to protest the seeming ‘overbuilding’ in their estate following attempts by the Lekki Gardens to build 84 housing units in the estate after 28 were allegedly originally approved by the state.
OSFRA chairman, Chinwe Ezenwa-Mbah Esq. while speaking during the protest, stated that the estate had secured a court order restraining the company and its Managing Director, Richard Nyong from further development plans.
“We are here to say enough is enough. People should build what they are approved to build. We are saying no to overbuilding. You cannot give somebody approval for 28 units and he is building 84, and Lagos state is asking us to look the other way. We’re asking Lagos state to hear us, we have been crying to them, they just ignored us (sic). Read more
FG postpones vaccination resumption indefinitely, lists 3,707 cases in seven days (Punch)
The federal government has postponed the administration of the second phase of the coronavirus vaccine doses.
The Director of Press, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Willie Bassey, had announced on Saturday that the administration would commence on Tuesday.
However, in a notice on Sunday, Bassey said the exercise had been postponed due to unforeseen circumstances.
The notice titled, ‘Postponement of phase II of national vacation programme,’ reads, “This is to announce the postponement of the national flag-off exercise of phase II vaccination programme earlier scheduled for Tuesday this week due to unforeseen circumstances. Read more
Sultan declares Tuesday Muslim New Year (DailyTrust)
The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared Tuesday as the first day of the Muslim New Year 1443 A.H.
This is contained in a statement, on Sunday in Abuja, signed by NSCIA Director of Administration, Arc. Zubairu Haruna Usman-Ugwu.
This means that Monday is the Dhul-Hijjah 30 and the last day of the Hijrah 1442.
“Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, after considering the report of the National Moon Sighting Committee, has declared Tuesday, 10th August 2021 as the 1st day of Muharram, 1443 AH,” Usman-Ugwu said. Read more
NDLEA arrests 15, recovers 8,268kg of cocaine (Leadership)
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have arrested15 suspected drug dealers and seized a total of 8,268.2311 kilogrammes of assorted illicit drugs including cocaine, heroin, tramadol, methamphetamine and skunk among others in a week-long coordinated raids across seven states.
The states are Ondo, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Enugu, Bauchi Edo and Anambra.
The suspects, including a woman on a wheelchair, were arrested during the “offensive action” operations, which began on Sunday August 1, 2021 and lasted till Saturday August 7, 2021 in the seven states. Read more
President , PFN describe Badejo’s death as shocking (Sun)
Bishop Wale Oke, president, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has described the death of Dr Wilson Badejo as shocking and great loss to the Christian community.
Badejo, former General Overseer of the Foursquare Church, died on Saturday at the age of 73.
The PFN president in a condolence message in Ibadan said Badejo gave his all to the service of the Lord while alive.
He noted that his dedication enhanced the spread of the gospel to nations of the world. Read more
Apprehension, counter-directives over today’s sit-at-home order by IPOB (Guardian)
The planned sit-at-home order declared for Monday, August 9, 2021, by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been suspended indefinitely.
According to the announcement credited to one Kanunta Kanu, who is said to be the IPOB leader’s younger brother, the suspension was due to the National Examination Council (NECO) examination for junior secondary schools, scheduled to hold same Monday.
The IPOB said that a new date for the commencement of the sit-at-home order would be announced later.
The group stated that its suspension of the order followed pleas by well-meaning individuals and groups within and outside Biafra land that the order is suspended to allow students from Igboland to participate in the NECO examinations. Read more
Buhari, Obaseki, Oshiomhole mourn businessman, Okunbo (Punch)
The President, Major general Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole were among Nigerians who commiserated with the family, friends and associates of the Chairman of Ocean Marine Solutions, Idahosa Okunbo, over the death of the renowned businessman and philanthropist at 63.
Okunbo passed away on Sunday in the United Kingdom where he had been receiving treatment for cancer.
Buhari’s condolence message was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled, ‘President Buhari mourns Captain Okunbo’.
The statement read in part, “The President notes that the late Okunbo with investments spanning the petroleum, telecommunications, maritime, and power sectors, among others, contributed immensely to the development of the Nigerian economy, providing sustenance to many families in the process.” Read more
The best books of 2021 so far (BBC)
What to read now, from a fast-paced debut to an ‘exquisitely cruel’ comic novel and visceral survey of slavery. Rebecca Laurence and Lindsay Baker round up the BBC Culture picks.
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Harris’s debut novel – about two young black women working in the all-white office of an upmarket US publishing house – became an instant New York Times bestseller when it was published in June. The Other Black Girl is a fast-paced, gripping read that mixes horror and satire with sci-fi and biting social commentary, and has been described as “Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada” by Cosmopolitan, “imaginative and audacious” by the Guardian and “an engrossing contemplation of the gap between success and authenticity” by the FT. Hulu is adapting the book, with Harris on board as co-writer. (RL)
Peaces by Helen Oyeyemi
In her fiction, award-winning British-Nigerian author Helen Oyeyemi playfully reinvents genres and tropes – the realms of magic and the real world frequently merge. Her latest novel Peaces is set on a whimsically ramshackle train, the Lucky Day, and centres around five enigmatic individuals and two pet mongooses. As the complex trajectory of the characters’ interaction gradually moves towards a denouement, secrets are revealed, and a puzzle falls into place. The New York Times said: “Oyeyemi is a master of leaps of thought and inference, of shifty velocity.” While The New Republic says: “Like all of Oyeyemi’s novels, Peaces goes to places in fiction that feel almost impossible.” (LB) Read more
Dev Patel says he’s stuck in a cultural no-man’s land (Metro)
Dev Patel feels ‘not British enough to be fully British’ and ‘not Indian enough to be fully Indian’ on screen.
The actor, 31, told the Guardian that, after starring in Slumdog Millionaire, he would ‘wait for an Indian role to come by, where I could put on a thick accent’ as ‘there wasn’t anything else, it was literally the cliches: goofy sidekick, taxi driver’.
The star said: ‘Sometimes I feel stuck in this cultural no-man’s land.
‘I’m not British enough to be fully British, not Indian enough to be fully Indian.’ Read more
Wondering why your glasses are so pricey? One company controls almost everything about them (CBC)
A global eyewear giant could be one of the reasons that eyewear is so expensive for consumers in North America.
As part of a series answering listener questions, CBC Radio’s The Cost of Living took a closer look at the cost of sight for Canadians and why it can be pricey.
Prescription eyeglasses can range anywhere from $240 to about $1,000 a pair in Canada, according to the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology.
The answer to these high costs, in part, may be due to the market dominance of a single player.
EssilorLuxottica is a single company that reported more than $27 billion in revenue for 2019. It makes everything from the lenses to the frames in a pair of glasses. Read more
Shooting outside Target leaves 1 dead in Pennsylvania (NYPost)
One person was killed and another wounded in a shooting outside a Target store in Pennsylvania on Sunday, according to reports.
The gun-down took place around 2:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the Lower Nazareth Commons strip mall in Lower Nazareth about 13 miles northeast of Allentown, WPIV-TV reported.
Police said an altercation erupted outside the Target there after at least two cars pulled into the lot, and the shots were fired, the outlet said.
Two victims were wounded, with one later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Read more
Mozambique insurgency: Key port retaken from insurgents – Rwanda (BBC)
Rwandan and Mozambican troops have retaken a key port city from Islamist militants in northern Mozambique, the Rwandan military says.
It says Mocímboa da Praia was the rebels’ last stronghold. It is located in Cabo Delgado province, home to one of Africa’s biggest gas fields.
The insurgents have not yet commented.
Last month, Rwanda sent 1,000 soldiers to Mozambique to fight the militants, who launched an insurgency in 2017. Read more
Chrissy Teigen, H.E.R. and Gabrielle Union among celebrities partying at Barack Obama’s 60th birthday bash (Metro)
Barack Obama welcomed an intimate number of celebrities to celebrate his 60th birthday party this weekend, making for one star-studded guest list.
Chrissy Teigen, H.E.R. and Gabrielle Union were among the stars who flocked to Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday for the former President of the United States’ milestone birthday.
The event had been shrouded in controversy after Obama was forced to cut the guest list down from close to 700 people after concerns over health and safety as the Delta Variant of Covid continues to spread across the US. Read more
Brazil criticizes triumphant soccer team for refusing to wear official Olympic uniform at medal ceremony
(CBC)
The Brazilian Olympic Committee will take action against its men’s soccer national team after the players refused to wear the nation’s official Olympic uniform during the medal ceremony at the Tokyo Games on Saturday.
The committee released a statement on Sunday condemning attitude of the players and the Brazilian soccer confederation after the team beat Spain in the final to win gold.
“After the end of the Games the Brazilian Olympic Committee will make public the measures that will be taken to preserve the rights of the Olympic movement, of our sponsors and of other athletes,” the committee said. Read more
Joe Willock: Newcastle agree deal to sign Arsenal midfielder for more than £20m (BBC)
Newcastle have agreed a fee with Arsenal in excess of £20m to sign midfielder Joe Willock.
Magpies boss Steve Bruce has made no secret of his desire to sign the 21-year-old on a permanent deal after a successful loan spell last season.
Willock scored in seven consecutive Premier League games to help steer the club away from relegation after joining in January.
It is understood personal terms are yet to be agreed. Read more
IOC increases own power to remove sports from Olympics (CBC)
The IOC gave itself more power Sunday to remove sports from the Olympic program.
The International Olympic Committee voted in the new powers amid prolonged issues with the leadership of weightlifting and boxing. Both sports already had their quota of athletes cut for the 2024 Paris Olympics and weightlifting could be dropped entirely.
The Olympic Charter was amended so the full IOC membership can remove a sport if its governing body does not comply with a decision made by the IOC executive board or if it “acts in a manner likely to tarnish the reputation of the Olympic movement.” Read more
Bukayo Saka: Arsenal forward clapped on to pitch by Tottenham fans in pre-season friendly (BBC)
Tottenham fans put north London rivalries aside to welcome Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka back to domestic duties for the first time since Euro 2020.
Saka’s introduction into Arsenal’s 1-0 pre-season defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was his first appearance since he was racially abused after missing a penalty in England’s shootout defeat by Italy in the final.
With no away fans for any of the Mind Series matches, the Spurs fans gave Saka a warm ovation as he replaced skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Where is your club playing in pre-season?
Tottenham fans also displayed a banner which read “North London stands with Bukayo Saka and all players against racism and discrimination”. Read more
Simone Biles rocks tie-dye bikini after winning bronze at Tokyo Olympics (PageSix)
Simone Biles is having fun in the sun after retuning home from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The 24-year-old gymnast couldn’t stop smiling while posing in a tie-dye bikini in a pair of photos posted to Instagram Sunday.
“sweet like candy,” Biles captioned the pictures, in which her toned, medal-worthy abs were on full display.
She matched her bikini with fluffy slippers, which she showed off in a mirror selfie posted to her Instagram Story the same day.
Biles spent the afternoon with her boyfriend, Jonathan Owens, who was on pool duty in another video that showed the Houston Texans safety, 26, skimming the water. Read more
Didier Drogba confirms Romelu Lukaku’s Chelsea return (Metro)
Chelsea legend Didier Drogba has seemingly confirmed Romelu Lukaku’s return to the club with a revealing post on Twitter.
Lukaku is set to sign for the Blues after Inter Milan reportedly reluctantly accepted a £97.5m offer amid their ongoing financial difficulties.It is understood that the Belgium international will complete his medical early next week before signing a five-year deal with the Champions League holders and and official announcement appears imminent, judging by Drogba’s social media activity. Read more