Timothy Adegoke’s murder: Trial stalled as Adedoyin fails to produce witness (Guardian)
The failure of the owner of Hilton Honors Hotel, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Rahmon Adedoyin to produce his witness in court and the absence of Femi Falana (SAN), yesterday, stalled the murder case of Timothy Adegoke, a postgraduate student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, a guest of the hotel, who was murdered.
Adedoyin, alongside six of his hotel workers, including Magdalene Chiefuna, Adeniyi Aderogba, Oluwole Lawrence, Oyetunde Kazeem, Adebayo Kunle and Adedeji Adesola, are standing trial over the death of Adegoke.
When the matter was mentioned for continuation of hearing yesterday, all the defendants were present in court. The trial judge, Chief Judge of Osun, Justice Adepele Ojo, asked counsel to the first defendant (Adedoyin), K. Eleja, SAN, to call his witness, but Eleja informed the court that the witness was not in court because of his posting.
According to him, the witness is a police officer and his posting did not allow him to be present in court. Read more
Vehicle owners in Lagos to receive international driver’s permit (Tribune)
Lagos State Government has said it will commence the issuance of International Driver’s Permit effective from December 2022 to all vehicle owners in the state.
The Director, Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) in the state, Akin-George Fashola, made this known on Thursday while receiving the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Abdulhafiz Toriola, who was on an official visit to the head office of the VIS at Ojodu, Lagos. He said all stakeholders have been engaged and the issuance process has been finalised.
The VIS director explained that the issuance of international certificates for vehicles and international driver’s permits is in line with international requirements as specified in section 326 (U) of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reform Law, (TSRL) 2018, some of which he said include: class or description of vehicle and examination on the vehicle. Read more
Gunmen kidnap traditional ruler in Ondo (Nation)
The Oloso of Oso, in Akoko North-West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Clement Jimoh Olukotun, has been abducted by gunmen.
Oba Olukotun was kidnapped from his palace around 10:15 pm on Thursday.
Family sources said the abductors shot sporadically immediately as they gained access to the palace.
The sources said the gunmen fired shots at the door to break into the Oba’s room after the occupants refused to open the door. Read more
Mission to missionaries unveils new book in Lagos (Independent)
Mission to missionaries, in conjunction with Boye Arts Concept has launched a book titled Daniels Revolution.
The book, which is mainly about the 10 power habits of Daniel in Babylon, is written by Ajibade Sunday.
The event took place at the Olatunji House, RCCG, Glory of His Grace Parish, Idi Iroko, Lagos.
Speaking during the event, Ajibade explained what inspired him to write the book. “I am inspired to cause a revolution in the body of Christ especially when it comes to politics. I want Christians to go into politics and I believe God will take us there. As Christians, we need to change the way we do things, especially in politics because somebody somewhere is watching. Read more
Dogara, aggrieved northern APC members adopt Atiku as candidate (Channels)
A group of mainly All Progressives Congress (APC) members of northern extraction led by the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mister Yakubu Dogara, has adopted the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for the 2023 general election.
The group named Northern Leaders’ Consultative Forum made up of Christians and Muslims adopted the PDP candidate after the report of its technical committee was presented to its members at a public forum in Abuja.
The report was signed by the Chairman of the Northern Leaders Technical Criteria Committee, Hon. Mohammed Kumaila and Secretary, Nunghe Kele,(SAN),and was presented by the former deputy governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba. Read more
FG to sanction FIRS, NNPC, other MDAs for backdoor recruitment (Punch)
Some federal ministries, departments and agencies have continued to engage in backdoor recruitment despite the employment embargo imposed by the Federal Government since 2020, findings by our correspondents have revealed.
The Federal Government has, however, threatened to sanction those involved in the illegality, including the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Customs Service, among other MDAs.
Investigations showed that some agencies issued employment letters to jobseekers, which were not accredited by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission, while others simply replaced retired or dead officials with friends and family members.
But the replacements were done without the approval of the OHCSF and the Federal Civil Service Commission. Read more
Flutterwave partners CeBIH for 2022 Conference On Payments Security Ecosystem in Nigeria (Guardian)
Africa’s leading payments technology company, Flutterwave has partnered Committee of e-Business Industry Heads (CeBIH) for the 2022 CeBIH conference.
The conference which holds in Lagos on Friday, December 2, 2022, was aimed at charting the course for combating fraud in payments, and growing and securing the payments ecosystem in Nigeria. This collaboration shows a renewed commitment by Flutterwave to support conversations that create a safe and secure digital payments ecosystem for all Nigerians.
Formed in 2008, CeBIH seeks to achieve the primary objective of promoting electronic banking services in line with global practices by serving as a forum for Heads of e-Business/e-Payments in Nigerian deposit-money banks to share ideas and experiences. This year’s annual conference, which is the 10th edition, will be a gathering of industry leaders to celebrate the gains, including the giant strides made by CeBIH in the ecosystem.
Commenting on the choice of the theme, the chairman of CeBIH, Celestina Appeal: said: “Solving the payment challenges and fraud risks in emerging markets like Nigeria requires collaborative efforts and strategic partnerships. She stated that “The focus of this year’s conference is very apt considering the menace of the increase in the volume and value of fraud incidents which undermines our collective efforts as an industry. The theme also underscores a major focus for the current leadership of CeBIH which is an effective combat against fraud through collaboration with all stakeholders, be it public or private sector.” Read more
Anambra bizman found dead in Bauchi hotel (Punch)
A 37-year-old businessman, Chukwunonso Chukwujekwu, has been found dead in mysterious circumstances.
The deceased who hailed from Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra state, was resident in Boi Village of Bogoro Local Government Area of Bauchi State where he had a provision store.
It was learnt that the incident occurred on Thursday, December 1, 2022, two days after he was declared missing.
Our correspondent reports that the incident is coming one week after the abduction of a young politician, Markus Masoyi in Boi by gunmen who are still holding him captive and are demanding for N100m ransom. Read more
Cara Delevingne insists men don’t have ‘the right tools’ to pleasure a woman (Metro)
Supermodel Cara Delevingne is studying all things sex for her new series and has told viewers that she believes men lack ‘the right tools’ to handle a woman.
In the first episode of her show Planet Sex, Cara explores ‘the orgasm gap’; with statistics showing that 95 per cent of straight men orgasm during intercourse, but only 65 per cent of straight women do.
‘For me the earliest ideas I ever got taught about sex were man plus woman, dick plus vagina equals orgasm,’ she said while speaking about the stark difference in people getting pleasured.
‘I don’t want to go into the art of making a woman come, but it’s just a lot more complicated and a lot more fun,’ she added. Read more
Helena Bonham Carter embodies Crossroads’ Noele Gordon in trailer for new drama (BelfastTelegraph)
Helena Bonham Carter embodies “Crossroads” star Noele Gordon in a first-look trailer for Russell T Davies’s upcoming drama about the rise and fall of the actress.
Gordon, known to her friends as Nolly, played widow Meg Richardson in the long-running soap between 1964 and 1981 until she was sacked unexpectedly.
The teaser clip for the forthcoming three-part ITVX series, titled Nolly, sees Bonham Carter don Gordon’s signature red locks as she prepares to tell the press the news.
Wearing a blue dress, oversized sunglasses and smoking a cigarette, the actress is first advised: “Remember, you’ve resigned, this is fine. This was always your plan. Read more
Adam Sandler learned quickly that not everyone loves his films (Deadline)
Adam Sandler has learned how to deal with haters.
During a recent conversation on his Netflix show Hustle, Sandler touched on the reviews for Billy Madison, the first film he co wrote with longtime collaborator Tim Herlihy.
“When I was 17 and I got into this, I didn’t think about critics … I didn’t even realize that stuff was coming. I just thought you made movies, people go see it,” Sandler said. “When Billy Madison came out, me and my friend who wrote it, we were just like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re going to write about this in New York!’ We grew up reading the papers, we were going to NYU. And then we read the first one and we were like, ‘Oh my god, what happened? They hate us.’ And then we were like, ‘It must have been this paper,’ but then 90% of the papers are going, ‘This is garbage.”
Naturally, the sour reaction hurt personally. But Sandler was more worried because “you know your grandmother’s reading it.” After some thought, Sandler said he and Herlihy decided to preserve their mental health. “Maybe we shouldn’t read this stuff because it’s so harsh.” Read more
Grammy Award-winning gospel star Tasha Cobbs Leonard previews new album, details mission behind her music (Fox)
Grammy-Award-winning gospel music sensation Tasha Cobbs Leonard kicked off the holiday season with a special performance.
During her appearance on “FOX & Friends” for its All-American Christmas Concert Series, she gave viewers an inside look at how her music career blossomed and how her family has influenced her.
“My entire family sings. … We were made to sing … forced to sing,” Cobbs Leonard joked as she reflected on growing up as a pastor’s daughter in Georgia.
Cobbs Leonard added that her family has always been supportive of her career. Read more
Earthshot Prize: Prince William announces five winners (BBC)
Childhood friends in Oman who figured out how to turn carbon dioxide into rock are among five winners chosen for the Prince of Wales’s prestigious Earthshot Prize.
The annual awards were created by Prince William to fund projects that aim to save the planet.
Each winner will receive £1m ($1.2m) to develop their innovation.
Prince William announced the winners on Friday at an awards ceremony in Boston in the US.
“I believe that the Earthshot solutions you have seen this evening prove we can overcome our planet’s greatest challenges,” Prince William said during the ceremony. Read more
Mariah Carey gives David Beckham’s rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You” her seal of approval (Metro)
He may not be a singer by trade, but Mariah Carey is a big fan of David Beckham covering her Christmas tune.
The “All I Want For Christmas Is You” hitmaker, 52, has defrosted once again and returned to spread festive cheer far and wide as the big day creeps closer.
And one person getting into the Christmas mood early is Becks himself, with wife Victoria doing her duty to the internet and capturing his fabulous vocals on video.
Totally unaware that he was being filmed and scrolling mindlessly on his phone, the former Manchester United player, 47, sang away as the hit song played inside their home. Read more
Takeoff: Police arrest man in fatal shooting of rapper (BBC)
Police have arrested a man and charged him with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of rapper Takeoff.
The 28-year-old, Grammy-nominated musician was shot and killed outside a bowling alley in Houston, Texas last month.
Houston police said the shooting was over a game of dice, but the singer was “an innocent bystander”.
Takeoff was the youngest member of rap group Migos, and his death was mourned by fans and fellow musicians.
At a Friday press conference, Houston Police announced they arrested Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, with the help of surveillance footage that was obtained from the night of the shooting. Read more
Athletes lament poor accommodation, blackout at sports festival (Punch)
With over 14,000 athletes competing at the ongoing 21st National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State, some participants at the Games have raised concerns over accommodation, electricity and transportation arrangements at the event tagged ‘Nigeria’s Olympics.’
There were concerns over whether Delta could host the largest number of participants ever at the national event, at the scheduled date, but the state completed the facilities for the event in record time, to the admiration of sports minister Sunday Dare and sports-loving Nigerians.
However, in separate chats with our correspondent, some of the participants rued the poor arrangement on ground for their contingents.
Team Osun Para-table tennis coach Adigun Mutiu said he had high expectations ahead of the trip to Asaba, but confessed he was now disappointed on his arrival. Read more
Osimhen returns fully after 2-week injury (Sun)
Italian Serie A side Napoli has revealed that Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen has fully recovered from the back injury that ruled him out of Nigeria’s friendly against Portugal in November.
Osimhen was on fire just before the World Cup break in November, scoring five goals in five games. And the 23-year-old Nigerian forward was expected to light up the Super Eagles’ friendly game against Portugal on the 17th of November.
However, he pulled out of the friendly because of a back injury.
Napoli resumed full training on Wednesday after the two-week break, and Osimhen was part of the session. Read more
Cameroon beat Brazil but knocked out of World Cup (BBC)
Cameroon defeated a Brazil side resting a host of regulars but still saw their World Cup campaign ended after an entertaining encounter at Lusail Stadium.
Vincent Aboubakar header the winner in stoppage time but his joy immediately turned to disappointment as he was given a second yellow card for taking his shirt off.
Cameroon had acquitted themselves well throughout as Bryan Mbuemo brought an outstanding save from Manchester City’s Ederson, deputising for Liverpool keeper Alisson, but Switzerland’s victory over Serbia ended the African team’s chances of reaching the last 16.
With his side having already qualified after their first two games, Brazil coach Tite made 10 changes and Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli took the chance to impress with a fine performance in which he was thwarted on several occasions by Cameroon keeper Devis Epassy. Read more
Top African prospects for NBA Academy Women’s Camp (Guardian)
The National Basketball Association, NBA Africa yesterday announced that the fourth NBA Academy Women’s Camp Africa would take place from Monday, December 5 to end on Thursday, December 8 at NBA Academy Africa, an elite basketball training center in Saly, Senegal, for the top high-school age prospects from across the continent.
This year’s women’s camp will bring together 25 of the top female prospects from 11 African countries to learn directly from current and former WNBA players and coaches, including Seattle Storm head coach and 2021 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup winner Noelle Quinn (U.S.), 2005 WNBA champion Hamchetou Maïga-Ba (Mali), two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin (U.S.), 2003 WNBA champion Astou Ndiaye (Senegal), 2021 WNBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings; U.S.), and 2017 WNBA All-Star Jasmine Thomas (Connecticut Sun; U.S.). The campers and coaches will also participate in life skills programming and leadership development sessions.
“In just a few years, the NBA Academy Women’s program has helped identify and develop some of the best female prospects in the world, many of whom have gone on to attend NCAA Division 1 schools,” said two-time WNBA champion and NBA Elite Basketball Women’s Operations Lead Monica Rogers. Read more
Oliseh praises Morocco, Senegal historic World Cup feat (Punch)
Former Super Eagles coach and a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group for the 2022 World Cup, Sunday Oliseh, has hailed Senegal and Morocco for reaching the knockout stage of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Morocco edged past Canada to top Group F and reach the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in 36 years.
Morocco finished on seven points, two more than runners-up Croatia, to advance from the group stage of the tournament to the next for a second time, 36 years after they became the first African country to do so at the Mexico World Cup in 1986.
The Atlas Lions, whose previous trip to the last 16 came in 1986, finished above 2018 finalists Croatia, while Belgium – ranked second in the world – are out after finishing third in the group. Read more
NSF: Delta wins gold in women’s team Table Tennis (Guardian)
Team Delta on Friday walloped Team Oyo 3-0 to win gold in the women’s team Table Tennis final at the ongoing National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the quartet of Rashidat Ogundele, Fatima Bello, Ajoke Ojomu and Aminat Fashola trashed Team Oyo in a one-sided final at the indoor sports hall of Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
Delta’s Bello beat Team Oyo’s Fatimo Kazeem 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-7) while Ajoke Ojomu fought hard to win 3-2 (11-3, 9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-3) against Halima Hussain.
An elated captain of the women’s team, Ogundele on the sideline of the event expressed delight over winning the first table tennis medal at the festival.
Ogundele said the win had given team Delta confidence, adding that her teammates are ready for the singles event. Read more