Tears as Nigerian military buries 20 soldiers killed in Niger (Vanguard)
The Nigerian Army has commenced the burial of not fewer than 20 officers and soldiers, who were killed in action by terrorists in Niger State.
The military had, last week, revealed that 36 personnel were slain during an ambush by terrorists at Zungeru-Tegina Road and the subsequent jet crash that happened in Chukuba area of Shiroro, all in Niger State.
Reports from the burial have it that the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and his counterpart for State, Bello Matawalle, as well as the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, are at the burial. Read more
Paul Okoye’s GF reveals she was 5 when “Bizzy Body” came out (Guardian)
Ivy Ifeoma, an Instagram influencer and Paul Okoye’s girlfriend, has revealed how old she was when Psquare’s “Bizzy Body” song was released.
The 23-year-old posted a video of herself dancing to “Bizzy Body” on her Tiktok account, which prompted a fan to ask how old she was when the song was released. Ivy danced to the music in a black leather skirt, a white crop top and chic Y2K glasses.
“How old were you when ur boo and his brother released this hit?” the fan commented. Ifeoma replied with the simple number “5”. Read more
Niger Crisis: Cow, sheep shortage looms as border closure bites harder (DailyTrust)
Importation of cattle, camel, sheep, dates (Dabino) and other food items from Niger Republic has been grounded following the closure of borders by Nigerian authorities as part of efforts to restore civil authority to the neighbouring country, Daily Trust reports.
Traders, transporters and middlemen said they are losing their means of livelihood and called for a re-think by all contending parties. And within Nigeria, retailers and consumers of the items said they are becoming scarce amid rising prices.
President Mohamed Bazoum was toppled in a palace coup by the Nigerien military led by Abdourahamane Tchiani on July 26 and few days after, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) vowed to invade Niger if the junta failed to restore democratic order. Read more
BBNaija All Stars: I’ll have a baby next year — Mercy (Leadership)
Big Brother Naija All Stars housemate, Mercy Eke, has told house guest, Omashola about her plan to start a family.
Mercy, who emerged winner of BBNAIJA season four said, “I think next year, I’ll have a baby.”
She added: “I’ll get married. Let me not be saying have a baby, I’ll be married. I will spoil my child and will give my baby everything I did not have as a child. Read more
Bandits demand N4m for release of NYSC member kidnapped in Zamfara (Channels)
Some bandits have demanded N4 million as ransom to secure the release of one of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted within the Zamfara State territory.
The armed bandits reportedly abducted eight members of the NYSC along a highway within Zamfara State last weekend.
The recent graduates were said to have been travelling with an Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) bus from Uyo, Akwa Ibom to Sokoto State, to take part in the mandatory National Service when their vehicle was intercepted. Read more
Lagos traffic disappears as residents besiege BRT parks over cost of petrol (Tribune)
In recent weeks, Lagos roads have been devoid of the characteristic traffic of Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre. In this report, TOLA ADENUBI looks at why more vehicles are disappearing from the roads.
The ever-busy roads of Apapa, Ikeja, Marina and Victoria Island area of Lagos State in recent weeks have experienced a new breath of life devoid of the usual heavy traffic that runs mostly on the state roads.
Checks by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the disappearance of the heavy traffic on most Lagos roads is not unconnected with the rising cost of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS), which currently varies between N580 and N600 per litre, depending on locations and places. Read more
Rtd Justice Magareth Igbetar murdered in Makurdi (Sun)
A former President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Benue State, Margaret Igbetar, has been murdered in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
Our correspondent gathered that Igbetar was murdered at her residence at No. 1 Wantor Kwange Street opposite the Benue State University, BSU, School of Medicine, Gboro Road, Makurdi.
A reliable source said she was assassinated by yet to be identified persons and her body was discovered days after she was murdered. Read more
Mysterious deaths of ESUT students cause tension in Enugu (Nation)
There is palpable tension in the Agbani Campus of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT), Agbani, Enugu, following the alleged mysterious deaths of some students of the institution.
It was gathered that many students have died in mysterious circumstances within the last few weeks, a development that forced the National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS) to demand the immediate shut down of the institution.
According to a statement issued by the coordinator of NANS, Zone F, Southeast, Comrade Chidi Nzekwe and titled: ‘Call to shutdown Enugu State University Of Science & Technology (ESUT) immediately’, was obtained by our correspondent in Enugu. Read more
Behind the Beef: Lil’ Kim’s cross-town feud with Foxy Brown (AmericanSongwriter)
In the mid-1990s, when New York still maintained a stranglehold over the hip-hop world, two game-changing female emcees began to make their mark on the city. Both raised in Brooklyn and both attending Brooklyn College Academy simultaneously for a period of time, Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown were poised for greatness. But, unfortunately, they were also destined to be at odds.
As she began to gain traction with her impressive raps and introduction of sex appeal into the genre, Lil’ Kim was taken under the wing of The Notorious B.I.G. and his crew Junior M.A.F.I.A. As for Brown, whose approach to rap strongly resembled Kim, she would instead find allegiances with Jay-Z and Nas, who were the leading New York hip-hop acts alongside Biggie at the time.
In 1997, following their respective 1996 debut albums that were released a week apart from each other, Kim and Brown graced the cover of The Source magazine, as the publication platformed their marriage of sex and hip-hop. “Harlots or Heroines?” the cover read. Read more
Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali form military pact (DW)
The junta in Niger, which seized power in a military coup on July 26, has formed a military alliance with the neighboring countries of Burkina Faso and Mali, whose rulers also seized power in coups.
The three countries’ foreign ministers made a joint announcement in Niamey, Niger’s capital on Thursday.
What have the leaders agreed?
Niger junta leader General Abdourahamane Tiani has authorised the armed forces of Mali and Burkina Faso to intervene on Nigerien territory in case of attack, the foreign ministries of the three countries said in a joint statement on Thursday. Read more
Paul Kagame issues warning to Catholic tourists who “worship poverty” (AfricaNews)
Rwandan President Paul Kagame has warned Catholics who visit pilgrimage sites known to have been sites of Marian apparitions each year, accusing them of “worshipping poverty”.
Every year, thousands of pilgrims travel, sometimes on foot, to the town of Kibeho, known for several apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three young girls in the early 1980s.
This year, however, the Rwandan president lashed out at the pilgrims after a mass in Kibeho attracted more than 20,000 people on Assumption Day, August 15. Read more
SAG-AFTRA suggest members promote interim agreement productions before autumn festivals (FarOut)
The SAG-AFTRA issued a statement that arrived on Thursday, August 25th, encouraging their members to audition and promote approved interim agreement productions to “strengthen the union’s bargaining position”.
The statement offered by the guild has given guidance to its members on how to promote a project with an interim agreement, which has caused problems for some of the members ever since the writers’ strike started in July.
The likes of Viola Davis and Sarah Silverman have come out asking whether or not members of SAG-AFTRA should be working under such conditions and circumstances. Read more
Ben-Gvir lashes out at supermodel Bella Hadid over Palestinian rights (AlJazeera)
Israel’s far-right national security minister has sparred with US supermodel Bella Hadid over comments this week that Palestinians condemned as racist.
In an interview with N12 News on Wednesday, Itamar Ben-Gvir said that the right to life and movement for settlers in illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank trumped the right to movement for Palestinians.
Palestinians have long railed against travel restrictions, including checkpoints, imposed on them by Israel in the occupied West Bank, an area where they exercise limited self-rule. Read more
88 UK deaths linked to Canada ‘poison seller’ (BBC)
Dozens of people in the UK died after buying a poisonous substance from a seller in Canada, who is accused of helping people to take their own lives.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) could not confirm the chemical was the direct cause of the 88 deaths but has launched a criminal investigation.
British police have been making welfare visits to hundreds of addresses to trace buyers across the country. Kenneth Law was arrested in Toronto in May, accused of assisting suicide. Read more
“Absolute lie” Russia killed Prigozhin, claims Kremlin (RTE)
The Kremlin has dismissed suggestions that it was involved in the death of Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin two days ago as an “absolute lie”.
“There is a lot of speculation around the plane crash and the tragic death of the passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a briefing.
“Of course, in the West, this speculation is being presented from a certain angle. All of this is an absolute lie,” he insisted. Read more
Super Falcons move up to 32nd position in latest FIFA world ranking (Guardian)
Super Falcons of Nigeria moved up from 40th to 32nd in the latest FIFA Coca-Cola women’s world ranking released on Friday.
The latest ranking was published on FIFA’s official website.
The nine-time African champions were one of the outstanding teams at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Randy Waldrum-Falcons were the lowest-ranked team in their group that had Australia, Olympic champions Canada and the debutant Republic of Ireland. Read more
“I’ll be back stronger,” Amusan says after 100m world title defeat (Punch)
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan says she will be back stronger next year after losing the world women’s 100m hurdles crown to Jamaica’s Danielle Williams on Thursday in Budapest.
In an interview with journalists after the game, Amusan said, it was quite “a journey getting into the final” despite all she had gone through in the last couple of weeks.
“I Just want to say a huge thank you to who has been supporting me through the ups and downs, Ya’ll stood by me, kept praying for me, God Bless you all, I am sorry I might have let you all down, but we will back stronger definitely. Read more
Lyles into final of World 200m despite golf buggy collision (DailyTrust)
Newly-crowned world 100m champion Noah Lyles kept his quest for a first sprint double since 2015 on track Thursday despite being involved in a golf buggy crash en route to the track.
Lyles and the seven other sprinters in his 200m semifinal were travelling by buggy from the adjoining training ground to the track of the National Athletics Centre when a second buggy crashed into theirs.
A volunteer was thrown to the ground and Lyles was caught on microphone saying Jamaica’s Andrew Hudson thought he may have some glass in his eye from the collision. Read more
Chelsea to allow Lukaku leave on loan (Vanguard)
Chelsea are set to allow ‘wantaway’ striker Romelu Lukaku to leave on loan after failing to reach an agreement over a permanent move.
According to football journalist David Orsten, the club are now willing to allow Lukaku to leave on loan, provided the deal includes an obligation to buy or is a straight loan that includes a meaningful fee.
Barcelona, Juventus, Roma, and teams from the Saudi Pro League are reportedly interested in signing the Belgian following the latest development. Read more
Belgian De Decker, 22, dies after training accident (BBC)
Belgian cyclist Tijl de Decker has died at the age of 22 after an accident while training.
De Decker crashed into the back of a car on Wednesday and had surgery in a hospital in Lier before being moved to the Antwerp University Hospital.
His Lotto Dstny team announced De Decker, who won this year’s Paris-Roubaix Under-23 race, died on Friday.
“We are devastated by the loss of our cyclist,” said chief executive officer Stephane Heulot. Read more
Daniel Ricciardo taken to hospital after Dutch Grand Prix practice crash (Metro)
Daniel Ricciardo has been taken to hospital with a hand injury after crashing during practice for the Dutch Grand Prix.
In the second of Friday’s practice sessions, Oscar Piastri lost control and ended up in the barriers at Turn Four of the Zandvoort circuit.
Moments later, Ricciardo bizarrely crashed at the same corner after being forced to take evasive action having been late in noticing his fellow Aussie’s stricken McLaren. Read more
