Tension in Lagos community after murder of cult gang leader (DailyTrust)
Tension hovers around the Ojo area of Lagos State following the killing of a suspected cult gang leader in the area at the weekend.
The deceased, simply identified as Shulee, was said to be the number two man of the Eiye confraternity in the area.
Shulee was allegedly hacked down by members of a rival group in the area and his head cut off. Read more
Protest in Kano over Appeal Court judgement (Vanguard)
The Police in Kano State, on Wednesday, dispersed defiant protesters, who took to the streets of the ancient city over the contradicting Appeal Court judgment.
Information gathered had it that the protest broke out around the Kofar DanAgundi area in Kano Municipal.
There has been tension since a Certified True Copy, CTC, of the Court of Appeal judgment on the state governorship election went viral. Read more
Textile workers beg Tinubu to revive industry, blame Northern governors for woes (Independent)
Textiles workers have blamed the ailing fortune of the textile industry in the North on the governors, just as they set an agenda for President Bola Tinubu in reviving the manufacturing sector of the economy in the country.
The members of the National Union of Textiles Garment and Tailoring Workers Nigeria (NUTGTWN), at the 35th Annual Joint National Education Conference organized by the union, in conjunction with the Nigerian Textile Garment and Tailoring Employers’ Association (NTGTEA) has lamented over the ailing situation of the manufacturing sector, urging President Tinubu to rescue the Industry from total collapse. Read more
Schools must equip students with multiple skills – Gbajabiamila (Punch)
The Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has advised higher education stakeholders to focus on training students in multiple fields and skills.
Gbajabiamila, who was the guest lecturer at the 35th Convocation Lecture of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, spoke on, ‘Empowering Nigerian Youths in the Present-day Economy.’
Gbajamila, according to a statement made available to The PUNCH, said most skills that guaranteed employment and a healthy income for previous generations had been made redundant by technological advances. Read more
APC dissolves Rivers executive council, appoints caretaker committee (ThisDay)
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday dissolved the Rivers State Executives of the party at all levels.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the meeting of the NWC held at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
He announced the NWC’s decision to appoint a seven-member Caretaker Committee to steer the party’s affairs in the state for the next six months. Read more
Chief Judge reshuffles Federal High Court judges (Nation)
The Chief Judge (CJ) of Federal High Court (FHC), Justice John Tsoho, yesterday released new postings of judges to various divisions across the country.
In a statement in Abuja by the court’s Assistant Director of Information, Dr. Catherine Oby-Christopher, the CJ directed the affected judges to report at their duty stations before the date of resumption, after Christmas vacation.
The statement reads: “Sequel to the appointment of 23 new judges, the Honorable Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Hon. Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, has released a new posting of the court’s judges to various divisions across the country. Read more
Ogun demolishes shanties over environmental law violations (Punch)
The Ogun State Government has demolished shantytowns and disturbed buildings occupied by street traders in the Kara, Isheri, and OPIC areas on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as a result of environmental violations.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Environment, Farook Akintunde, stated that the exercise was conducted following the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum previously issued to the street vendors to vacate the area.
According to him, the traders had degraded the environment by defecating openly in spite of multiple warnings and abatement notices, which constituted a nuisance to the environment. Read more
Jenna Ortega exits “Scream 7” due to schedule conflict (DigitalSpy)
Jenna Ortega reportedly won’t be returning for “Scream 7”.
The actress, who played Tara Carpenter in the latest two installments of the long-running slasher franchise, is sitting out the next film due to a scheduling conflict, according to reports from Deadline.
The publication states that discussions about continuing the film series without Ortega occurred even before the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA went on strike earlier this year (a day before “Beetlejuice 2”, which Ortega stars in, was originally set to wrap). Read more
Jamie Foxx accused of 2015 sexual assault in new lawsuit (Fox)
Jamie Foxx allegedly sexually assaulted “Jane Doe” in 2015 at Catch NYC restaurant in a claim filed in a New York court Wednesday.
The lawsuit was filed the day before the New York Adult Survivors Act expired, which allowed sexual assault survivors to file lawsuits against alleged abusers after the statute of limitations runs out.
In documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Doe, the Plaintiff, claimed Foxx was “intoxicated” when he grabbed her by the arm and proceeded to assault her in the back area of the rooftop lounge. Read more
Christopher Nolan says he’s not directing the next James Bond film (NME)
Christopher Nolan has said that he will not be directing the next James Bond film.
The Oppenheimer director has long been linked with a possible involvement in the British spy franchise, and has spoken multiple times in the past about his admiration for the films, even expressing direct interest in becoming a part of it.
In a new interview with Associated Press, however, he has formally distanced himself from Bond. When asked whether that might be his next project, he said: “No, sadly no – no truth to those rumours.” Read more
Chad struggles with soaring refugee crisis (AfricaNews)
Chad accommodates over one million refugees, constituting one of Africa’s largest and rapidly growing refugee populations.
Ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan has propelled hundreds of thousands across the border, exacerbating humanitarian needs while resources to address them are diminishing.
Sudanese refugee numbers in Chad have doubled in the last six months, paralleling the total arrivals over the past two decades since the Darfur crisis in 2003. The refugee influx, particularly from the recent surge near Darfur’s border, intensifies tensions between host communities and newcomers in a country grappling with multiple crises. Read more
Girls Aloud announce 2024 UK arena tour in memory of late bandmate Sarah Harding (ITV)
Pop group Girls Aloud are getting back together for a 2024 arena tour in memory of their late bandmate Sarah Harding, ending their 11-year hiatus.
Nadine Coyle, Cheryl, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh revealed their hotly anticipated return in a video posted on their social media accounts.
The four, rocking bedazzled monochrome outfits, emerge from a drive-in cinema where a medley of clips of the band performing their hit tracks including Sound Of The Underground, Love Machine, Call The Shots and Biology plays. Read more
Israel-Hamas war: Hostage-for-prisoner swap and truce in Gaza ‘’delayed’’ (Sky)
A temporary truce in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, lasting at least four days, has been delayed until Friday, according to Israel officials.
As part of the deal, there are plans for a hostage-for-prisoner swap and for more much-needed aid to get into the besieged coastal territory to help civilians suffering from severe shortages of food, medicine and basic services, including power.
The truce had been set to take effect at 10am local time on Thursday (8am UK time). Read more
No sign of terrorism in blast that killed 2 at U.S.-Canada border in Niagara Falls, governor says (NBC)
Two people were killed in an explosion at the Canadian border when an “airborne” car crashed into a checkpoint at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York, on Wednesday, officials said.
So far, there are no immediate signs of terrorism, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters.
“At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist attack,” she said. “Let me repeat that: At this time, there is no indication of a terrorist-involved attack here at the Rainbow Bridge in Western New York.” Read more
Super Falcons star Echegini set to join Juventus (Guardian)
Super Falcons midfielder Jennifer Echegini is set to seal a transfer to Juventus women’s team in January.
According to Italian journalist Mauro Munno, Echegini is expected to depart her US side Florida State Seminoles for the Italian giants.
Born in London, England, the 22-year-old made her debut for the Super Falcons in 2022. Read more
Elegbeleye says NPFL broadcast rights still available, no exclusivity (Sun)
Companies seeking to acquire Broadcast rights of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) have been invited to approach the league body with offers for negotiation.
Chairman of the NPFL, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye on Wednesday clarified that the adopted marketing approach of the board is for non-exclusivity which has not foreclosed the signing up of more rights holders.
Elegbeleye described as shocking, claims by an individual alleging that there was an offer for $11m dollars to the NPFL for the rights before the StarTimes deal was executed. Read more
Venezuela in diplomatic row with Peru after controversial football match (France24)
The government of Venezuela lambasted Peru on Wednesday following a controversial football match, at one point accusing Lima of kidnapping its national team by refusing to allow the aircraft bringing the players home to refuel.
The diplomatic spat began following a 1-1 draw between the two countries’ teams in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, after which Venezuelan players accused Peruvian police of beating them as they went to greet fans Tuesday night.
Following a delay in the plane’s departure on Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said Peru had carried out “another arbitrary act against the Venezuelans by preventing the plane bringing the team back from refueling.” Read more
Harry Maguire responds to belated apology from Ghana MP over ruthless public mockery (Standard)
Harry Maguire has accepted a public apology from a Ghanaian politician who ruthlessly mocked the Manchester United defender in parliament.
Last December, MP Isaac Adongo made headlines with a cruel jibe at the England centre-back’s high-profile decline in form as a comparison with his criticism of Ghana vice-president – and economist and former banker – Mahamudu Bawumia’s performance on the economy.
“If you are a fan of football, and I was happy to see the jubilation when Ghana won, but there was a player in the United Kingdom, in England called Maguire who was playing for Manchester United,” Mr Adongo said 11 months ago. Read more
Australia rallies into Davis Cup semis over Czech Republic (ESPN)
A game away from elimination, Australia found a way to rally and make its way back to the Davis Cup semifinals.
Australia came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and reach the last four for the second straight year Wednesday.
Alex De Minaur recovered from a set and a break down to keep the Aussies alive, then Max Purcell and Matthew Ebden won the decisive doubles match to set up an encounter with Finland on Friday. Read more
UK Snooker Championship: 3-time winner Ding Junhui among first qualifiers (BBC)
Three-time winner Ding Junhui has booked a place at the UK Snooker Championship by winning in qualifying on Wednesday.
World number 17 Ding, who lost 10-7 to Mark Allen in last year’s final, beat Robbie Williams 10-7 in Leicester.
The world’s top 16 qualify for the main draw as seeds for the last 32, which begins in York on Saturday. Read more