Tribunal dismisses LP’s petition, reaffirms Sanwo-Olu as duly elected Lagos Governor (Punch)
An Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lagos State on Monday dismissed a petition filed by the Labour Party and reaffirmed Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the duly elected Governor of Lagos State in the March 9 polls. The tribunal described the petition as a “futile and wasteful exercise”, noting that the petitioners (LP and Ifagbemi Awamaridi, its governorship candidate in the election) could not prove their allegations of mental incompetence against Sanwo-Olu in their evidence before the tribunal. Read more
You’re too small to diminish me, Peter Obi tells Ngige (Punch)
The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February general elections, Mr. Peter Obi, has said the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige cannot diminish him. He said Ngige’s achievement as the governor of Anambra State was too little to erase his (Obi’s) achievements and reputation before the people of Anambra State who he served for eight years. He asked Ngige to focus his energy on how to make Nigeria work, rather than dissipating energy on how to pull him down. Read more
Nnamdi Kanu leads delegation to US for UN General Assembly (Nation)
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu would lead other members of the group to the United Nations General Assembly slated for New York, United States of America. The Media and Publicity Secretary of the group, Emma Powerful made the disclosure in a statement made available to newsmen in Onitsha on Monday. It said the trip was something the leadership of the movement was looking forward to with great enthusiasm. Read more
Trial of Sowore runs against progressive philosophy, says Shehu Sani (Nation)
Former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debt, Senator Shehu Sani, yesterday said that the charges filed against the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, contradicts the philosophy of progressivism being practiced by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC). Sani who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate told The Nation that the country’s democracy is being hampered by the growing culture of intolerance and opposing opinions. Read more
Sowore may assume status of Prisoner of Conscience, says CSNAC (Punch)
The Network of International Human Rights Organisations and Coalitions say it may soon adopt detained Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Mr Omoyele Sowore, as a “Prisoner of Conscience”. The Civil Society Network Against Corruption said on Monday in Lagos State that it was working with renowned rights groups across the world to ensure that Sowore was adopted as a Prisoner of Conscience unless the Federal Government releases the activist without further delay. Read more
Suspected herdsmen kill community leader, two others in Plateau (Punch)
Three people, including a 40-year-old community leader, Elder Musa Yevuh have been killed in a fresh attack which occurred in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. Our correspondent gathered that the killings occurred in Hukke Village of Miango District of the council area on Monday. Read more
Abducted SAN Onyemenam regains freedom (Nation)
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Chike Onyemenam, who was kidnapped a week ago along Benin/Asaba highway has been released by his abductors after paying the sum of N7.5 million ransom. Onyemenam was kidnapped, Monday, Sept. 16, 2019, at Utulu junction along Benin- Asaba expressway Issele-Azagba near the Delta State capital. Read more
We will unravel cause of FUOYE incident, insists Fayemi (Punch)
Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on Monday, reiterated his commitment to unravelling the root of the circumstances that led to the incident that took place at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti, FUOYE. The students of FUOYE had on September 10, protested the irregular supply of power to their campuses. Their protest allegedly led to an attack on the convoy of the wife of the governor, Bisi Fayemi. Read more
Courts orders Shekarau, others to submit international passports (Guardian)
Justice Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court Kano on Monday struck out the ‘no case submission’ filed by former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, Aminu Wali and Mansur Ahmed against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Besides, the court ordered the accused persons to submit their international passports and other relevant documents before the next court date. Read more
Unilorin wins N120m labs equipment grant (Punch)
The University of Ilorin says the institution’s Department of Chemistry has secured a Seeding Labs Equipment grant worth over N120m. According to the University of Ilorin Bulletin issued on Monday, the department submitted two research proposals on cancer and cosmeceuticals that eventually won the grant for the institution. Read more
Man jailed for robbing policeman (Nation)
An Oredo Magistrate Court has sentenced an 18-year old boy, Chetamu Ominyi, to five months imprisonment for assaulting and stealing the cell phone of a policeman, Sergeant Danguma Abdul. Chetamu was said to have committed the offence on September 18, 2019 at Adesuwa Junction off Mission Road, Benin City. Sergeant Abdul was going to have lunch when he was attacked by Chetamu and his gang now at large. Read more
Dad inflicts injuries on son for defecating on his own body (Punch)
A 28-year-old man, Temitope Ajayi, on Monday appeared before an Ado-Ekiti Magistrates’ Court for allegedly assaulting his own son. The defendant, whose address was not given, is being tried on one count of assault. The prosecutor, Sgt. Olubu Apata, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on September 18 at Ilupeju-Ekiti. Read more
DRC approves use of second experimental Ebola vaccine (Guardian)
The Democratic Republic of Congo will introduce a second Ebola vaccine next month, the World Health Organization said Monday, as a top medical charity accused the UN agency of rationing doses. DRC’s latest Ebola epidemic, which began in August 2018, has already killed more than 2,100 people in the country, making it the second deadliest outbreak of the virus, after the West Africa pandemic of 2014-2016. Read more
South African cab drivers ‘arrest,’ manhandle foreigners on allegation of drug running (Punch)
As serious tension mounts in the Pretoria Central Business District over some apprehended drug peddlers that were beaten by taxi drivers, the Nigerian Union South Africa has implored Nigerians in and around the area to be vigilant. NUSA on Monday in a statement by its President, Mr. Adetola Olubajo, obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, said Nigerians should avoid Pretoria CBD, especially Bloed Street and Sunnyside area as much as possible on Monday (today). Read more
Mugabe died of cancer, says Zimbabwe media (Guardian)
Zimbabwe’s founding president Robert Mugabe had “advanced cancer” when he died in hospital in Singapore on September 6, the state-owned newspaper reported on Monday. The former guerilla leader, who died aged 95, came to power at the end of white minority rule in 1980 and ruled Zimbabwe uninterrupted for 37 years and seven months. He was toppled on November 2017 in a military-backed coup, ending an increasingly iron-fisted rule marked by political oppression and economic ruin. Read more
Supreme Court to rule on Parliament suspension on Tuesday (BBC)
A ruling on the legality of Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament will be announced by the Supreme Court on Tuesday at 10:30 BST. Ministers say the five-week suspension – or prorogation – is not a court matter, but critics argue the PM wants to limit scrutiny of his Brexit policy. Parliament is currently due to return on 14 October, with the UK scheduled to leave the EU on 31 October. Read more
Man jailed for sexual assault after ejaculating on stripper’s leg (Metro)
A man has been jailed for sexual assault after grabbing a stripper as she was about to perform a private dance and ejaculating on her leg. Amranuzzman Chowdhury, 40, handed over £20 for the striptease after turning up at the woman’s place of work in August 2017. Despite the strict no-contact rule, he ‘put his arms around her, causing her to fall into a mirror’ as she went to put the money away, Bristol Crown Court heard. Read more
Climate change: UN summit opens without key leaders (BBC)
Several key world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, will not take part in a special UN climate summit opening in New York. UN Secretary General António Guterres said countries can only speak at the summit if they come with action plans to reduce carbon emissions. Brazil and Saudi Arabia are also among the countries staying away. Read more
At least 20 killed, dozens injured in Papua unrest (Guardian)
At least 20 people were killed and dozens more injured as fresh unrest erupted in Indonesia’s restive Papua region Monday, with some victims burned to death in buildings set ablaze by protesters, authorities said. “Most of them died in a fire,” said Papua military spokesman Eko Daryanto. “The death toll could go up because many were trapped in burning kiosks,” he added. Read more
Racist who posed with shotgun jailed for online rants against Muslims (Metro)
A man who posed topless with a shotgun then posted photos online with racist captions has been jailed. Jay Davison, 38, made the deranged posts on his private Instagram, urging people to ‘Stand up’. Other posts and comments read: ‘F**k you racist Allah c***s’, ‘Ever seen a white man cut a head off?’ and ‘Heil, heil, heil, f*** Allah c***’. Read more
Mediator: French weight-loss drug trial over ‘up to 2,000’ deaths begins (BBC)
A landmark French trial is due to begin to decide whether a diabetes pill prescribed for weight loss was behind the deaths of up to 2,000 people. Servier, the drug’s manufacturer, is accused of deceiving users over the killer side effects of a drug later used to treat overweight diabetics. Believed to be one of France’s biggest healthcare scandals, the firm is on trial for manslaughter and deceit. Read more
Pensioner hurt innocent mum and baby when he set fire to neighbour’s bin (Metro)
A pensioner who torched his neighbour’s wheelie bins over a dispute about left out rubbish has been jailed for three years. Hospital worker Michael Court started the fire close to his home in Ramsbottom, near Bury, on December 15, 2018. The blaze spread to the property of innocent mum Jamie Hocking, who was asleep with her newborn baby next door. Read more
Thomas Cook customers to fly home after firm collapses (BBC)
The first of 155,000 British tourists are being flown back home after travel agent Thomas Cook collapsed on Monday. The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is coordinating the repatriation, the biggest in peacetime, after the tour operator “ceased trading with immediate effect”. Thomas Cook’s administration puts 22,000 jobs at risk worldwide, including 9,000 in the UK. Read more
Mystery milk thief has stolen 1,000 cartons from primary school in four months (Metro)
A mystery milk snatcher has been captured on CCTV after stealing 1,000 cartons in four months. The thief has taken more than 200 litres of milk intended to be enjoyed by children aged four to 11 at Kincraig Primary School in Blackpool, Lancashire. Headteacher Karen Appleby has released CCTV footage in the hope of tracking the perpetrator down after school officials were left hundreds of pounds out of pocket by the ongoing thievery. Read more
Google seeks permission for staff to listen to Assistant recordings (BBC)
Google has said it will let its human reviewers listen to audio recordings made by its virtual assistant only if users give it fresh permission to do so. The company said the option had always been opt-in but it had not been explicit enough that people were involved in transcribing the clips. The pledge follows Apple’s switch to an opt-in model in August. Read more
Cameroon’s new coaching team admit there are challenges ahead (BBC)
Cameroon’s new coaching team of Portugal’s Toni Conceicao and former Indomitable Lion player Francois Omam-Biyik admit they have challenges ahead. On Friday 57-year-old Conceicao replaced Clarence Seedorf, who was sacked after the Indomitable Lions round 16 exit at the 2019 Africa cup of Nations in Egypt. The Portuguese tactician’s first gesture in Cameroon was to visit the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium where the Indomitable Lions are unbeaten for more than three decades. Read more
Jose Mourinho says Kepa and Mateo Kovacic could have done more to stop Liverpool opener (Metro)
Jose Mourinho feels Chelsea duo Kepa Arrizabalaga and Mateo Kovacic both could have done more to try and prevent Liverpool’s opener in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Liverpool. The Reds went ahead early on thanks to a clever free-kick, with Mohamed Salah rolling the ball back to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who thumped a ferocious shot into the back of the net. Read more
Two wins will end our crisis says Barcelona boss (Guardian)
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has demanded his side bounce back from the weekend’s embarrassing away defeat when they host Villarreal in La Liga on Tuesday. The Spanish champions are in an unlikely eighth position after five Liga games after the shock 2-0 defeat at promoted Granada left the all-star outfit on seven points, their worst league start in 25 years. Read more
Paul Merson predicts Mauricio Pochettino to leave Tottenham before next season after Leicester defeat (Metro)
Paul Merson doesn’t think Mauricio Pochettino will be in charge of Spurs next season after claiming that the team has lost its spark in recent months. Spurs suffered their second Premier League defeat of the campaign on Saturday as they were beaten 2-1 by Leicester City at the King Power after leading 1-0 at half-time. Read more
Bernardo Silva: Kick It Out calls on FA to act over Man City player’s tweet (BBC)
Kick It Out has called on the Football Association to act after the governing body confirmed it was investigating a tweet sent by Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva. Silva compared City team-mate Benjamin Mendy to the character on the packet of Conguitos – a sweet brand available in Spain and Portugal. “We are extremely disappointed to see the tweet posted by Bernardo Silva,” said the anti-discrimination body. Read more
Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham outlines January transfer plans (Metro)
Arsenal managing director Vinai Venkatesham has played down the likelihood of the Gunners being as active in the January transfer window as they were over the summer. The north London club broke their transfer record to sign Nicolas Pepe in a £72million deal, while they also brought in William Saliba, Kieran Tierney, David Luiz and Dani Ceballos on loan. Read more
Balotelli in “great shape” before Brescia debut against Juventus (Guardian)
Mario Balotelli said he was “in great shape” as he prepares to return to Serie A on Tuesday with his first game for his hometown club Brescia against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Italian champions Juventus. “Mario will be there Tuesday,” confirmed coach Eugenio Corini of the Italian striker whose debut was delayed by a four-game suspension for a red card while playing for former club Marseille. Read more
Racism in football: Italy should issue stadium bans – Gianni Infantino (BBC)
Italian football should apply English-style punishments to supporters guilty of racism, says Gianni Infantino, the president of world governing body Fifa. Sunday’s game between Atalanta and Fiorentina was halted after reports of racist chanting, the latest in a line of similar incidents in Italy. In England, fans who engage in racist behaviour face stadium bans. Read more
Monaco coach Jardim in spotlight amid awful start to season (Guardian)
Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim insists he is unfazed by the speculation over his future as the 2017 French champions go into a midweek derby against Patrick Vieira’s Nice still without a win this season. The principality club battled to a 0-0 draw in Reims at the weekend but have a meagre three points after six games and sit in the Ligue 1 relegation zone. Read more
Emiliano Sala ghouls who leaked picture of his body are jailed (Metro)
An ‘evil’ CCTV company director and her employee have been jailed for leaking mortuary pictures of the body of footballer Emiliano Sala. Sherry Bray, 49, and Christopher Ashford, 62, have been jailed at Swindon Crown Court for 14 months and five months respectively for illegally accessing footage showing the post-mortem examination of the footballer. They were sentenced today at Swindon Crown Court. Read more