Troops burst gun-manufacturing syndicate, recover weapons (Sun)
Special Forces troops under the Hakorin Damisa IV have burst a gun manufacturing syndicate which has been used in fuelling crisis in Kaduna and neighbouring Plateau States. The troops also recovered 26 assorted weapons, combat gears and caches of ammunition in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The Media and Information Officer, Operation Safe Haven, Captain Oya James on Friday said the discovery followed a week-long intelligence operation that finally led to the capture of a wanted gunrunner Napoleon John who has been on the wanted list of OPSH.
He said the suspect confessed to the crime which led troops to a concealed factory where arms of different calibre were sold by another miscreant identified as Monday Dunia, who confessed to have been in the business for more than five years fuelling the crisis in Kaduna and neighbouring Plateau States. Read more
NLC holds back from declaring indefinite stike (Leadership)
The Nigeria Labour Congress says it has not declared an indefinite strike.
In a telephone interview with TVC News, NLC spokesman, Benjamin Upah, described as fake, news making the rounds that the congress was to commence an indefinite industrial action.
With the expiration of its 21-working day timeline to the federal government, Nigerians await NLC’s next line of action.
The NLC spokesman said contrary to reports on social media; it had not declared an indefinite strike at the expiration of its 21 day ultimatum to the federal government. Read more
Reps to resume legislative activities Tuesday (Tribune)
Barring last-minute changes, the House of Representatives will on Tuesday, 26th September, 2023 resume its annual recess to continue the first legislative year of the 10th Assembly.
This was conveyed in correspondence to honourable members by the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr Yahaya Danzaria on Friday.
While confirming the development, Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Akin Rotimi in a statement made available to Parliamentary Correspondents, Read more
Sanwo-Olu approves appointment of Agoro as 22nd HoS (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the appointment of Mr. Olabode Shuaheeb Agoro, as the 22nd Head of Service, HoS, of the state.
The appointment of Agoro, who succeeds Hakeem Muri-Okunola, takes effect from September 30, 2023.
In a circular released on Friday, the outgoing HoS, Muri-Okunola, wished the new appointee a successful tenure.
The new Head of Service joined the Lagos State Public Service on July 1 2003 and had since served the state meritoriously before his elevation to the status of a Permanent Secretary on August 3, 2015. Read more
Sanwo-Olu moves to strengthen safe school initiative with inaugural awards (Guardian)
The Lagos State government is set to strengthen its commitment to safety in schools across the state at the inaugural Beacon of Safety Annual Awards and Conference.
The event, slated for Tuesday, September 26, this year, underscores Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s commitment to safety in schools in the state.
The one-day conference and awards ceremony will bring together the largest gathering of school safety experts and education thought leaders in Lagos State and beyond, with over 2000 school administrators, members of the Safe Schools Lagos ecosystem and Education District Teams, school staff, school resource officers, safety experts and other professionals expected to attend. Read more
3-Cathedral Choirs Festival holds at Lagos Mainland (ThisDay)
Lovers of choral and classical music will keep a date at All Saints’ Anglican Church, Yaba on Sunday afternoon when the annual 3-Cathedral Choirs Festival takes place there.
It is a day when the three Anglican cathedrals in metropolitan Lagos—the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina; Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja; and the Cathedral Church of St. Jude, Ebute Metta—will perform individual and joint musical pieces to the delight of music lovers.
Each choir in rotation hosts and organises the programme annually. Whilst St. Jude’s Choir in the Diocese of Lagos Mainland is the host this year, last year, AVMCC, Ikeja in the Diocese of Lagos was the host. Next year, the choral festival will move to Marina in the Diocese of Lagos. Read more
Mob lynches man over alleged organ disappearance in Abuja (Punch)
A mob on Thursday attacked a yet-to-be-identified man in the Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory over an alleged disappearance of a male organ.
Our correspondent gathered that the man identified as John had raised the alarm that his organ could not be found after coming in contact with the yet-to-be-identified person.
Angered by the claim, the mob gathered around him and reportedly beat him to a pulp and demanded that he restore the purported missing organ. Read more
Bayelsa PDP inaugurates campaign council for 2023 guber elections (Nation)
Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state yesterday inaugurated its campaign council for the re-election of Governor Douye Diri and his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo.
The party state’s secretariat on Isaac Boro expressway was filled to the brim as Diri, Ewhrudjakpo, state Chairman of the PDP, Solomon Agwanana, many chieftains and members were present at the inauguration.
Hon. Obordor Mitema, a first-term member of the House of Representatives in the 10th National Assembly, representing the Ogbia Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, emerged the Director General of Diri/Law Campaign Council. Read more
Taylor Swift gets 35k Swifties to register to vote with her post on National Voter Registration Day (People)
Look what Taylor Swift got the Swifties to do!
The superstar, 33, is confirmed to have gotten over 35,000 first-time voters registered to vote from the Instagram post she made on Tuesday for National Voter Registration Day.
The CEO of Vote.org Andrea Hailey shared on X the numbers that resulted from the link in the pop star’s statement encouraging her fans to use their voices and vote. In addition to signing up over 35,000 registrations, 50,000 people also confirmed that they were registered. Read more
Guinean cycles across 6 countries for spot at Egypt’s Al-Azhar University (BBC)
A student has cycled 4,000km (2,500 miles) across West Africa, enduring arrests and blazing heat, for a spot at his dream university.
Mamadou Safayou Barry set off from Guinea for Egypt’s prestigious Al-Azhar in May, hoping he would be accepted.
The 25-year-old cycled for four months through countries wracked by Islamist militants and coups. Read more
DRC President Tshisekedi tells UN peacekeepers to leave the country from December (CNN)
President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has asked for an accelerated withdrawal of a United Nations peacekeeping mission, against a backdrop of successive anti-UN protests over its failure to rein in rebel groups more than 20 years after its deployment to the country.
Parts of the DRC are almost overrun by armed militias who mastermind deadly attacks against civilians in their battle for territory and control over the country’s mineral wealth.
Many locals have called for the UN mission to leave the Congo, and demonstrations against the peacekeepers have turned bloody, sometimes with dozens of civilians killed. Read more
US senator refuses growing calls to resign amid corruption charges (Global)
Powerful US Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey was charged Friday with secretly aiding the authoritarian government of Egypt and trying to thwart the criminal prosecution of a friend in exchange for gold bars and cash under a corruption indictment that accuses him of using his foreign affairs influence for personal gain.
Menendez was forced to relinquish his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee but said he would not resign from Congress, though New Jersey’s governor, a fellow Democrat, said he should.
The indictment, the second in eight years against the 69-year-old senator, alleges an illegal commingling of Menendez’s obligations to advance U.S. priorities and his private interest in cultivating relationships with wealthy businessmen. It also includes charges against his wife and three New Jersey businessmen who authorities say showered the couple with money, gold and a luxury car in exchange for official favors. Read more
Take That tour dates and locations revealed as band announce huge comeback after 6 years (Mirror)
Take That trio Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald have revealed their ninth studio album, and a brand-new single titled, Windows. Avid fans of the nineties boy band have gone wild after the Back For Good hit-makers announced the exciting news after a six-year break.
While Gary, Mark, and Howard have reunited, there’s no sign of the former five-piece-band getting back together anytime soon however. Much to the disappointment of some die-hard Take That fans, ex band members Robbie Williams and Jason Orange will be nowhere to be seen or heard on the new album, titled This Life – which is out for release on November 24.
Opening up about the new album amid rumours of a full Take That reunion, Gary, 52, has insisted that the speculation surrounding Robbie and Jason making a comeback are sadly untrue with them having no substance behind them. “The one thing I keep hearing is that Take That are coming back but there’s no Robbie and Jason. Robbie hasn’t been in the band since 2011 and Jason left in 2014,” Gary revealed. Read more
Ukraine war: Missile hits HQ of Russia’s symbolic Black Sea navy (BBC)
Russia says a soldier is missing after an attack on the headquarters of its flagship Black Sea fleet in Crimea.
Video on social media shows plumes of smoke over the building in Sevastopol, after Moscow claimed it was hit by a Ukrainian missile.
The Moscow-installed governor warned residents another attack was possible and urged people to stay inside. Read more
Pope Francis begins two-day trip in French city of Marseille (UPI)
Pope Francis started his two-day stay in the French city of Marseille as he attended the annual Catholic Church-led Mediterranean Meetings.
Some 70 bishops and 120 young people aged 20-35 from throughout the Mediterranean region are expected to join the pontiff to “promote fraternity throughout the Mediterranean,” church officials said. Several Muslim leaders and those of other faiths will attend as well.
One of the highlights of the trip will be Pope Francis participating in a mass at the city’s Orange Velodrome stadium on Saturday afternoon, where French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to attend. Officials said they expected a crowd of about 50,000. Read more
Olympian, DCP Ajunwa bows out after illustrious career (DailyTrust)
It was a Buddhist monk in India, Jack Kornfield, who said “everything that has a beginning has an ending. Make your peace with that and all will be well.”
This saying is apt in the life of Nigeria’s first and only individual Olympic gold medallist, Chioma Ajunma who recently retired from the Nigeria Police Force as a Deputy Commissioner of Police after 35 years of meritorious service.
Ajunwa who also became the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a field event was born on December 25, 1970. She is the only girl and last born of nine children in her family. Read more
Osimhen unfazed over goals drought (Punch)
Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, has revealed he is ‘not bothered’ about his goal drought this season, PUNCH Sport Extra reports.
The Nigeria international failed to score in his third successive game during Napoli’s 2-1 win over SC Braga in a UEFA Champions League game on Wednesday but believes that he will rediscover his goal scoring touch soon.
The 24-year-old enjoyed a spectacular season last term where he led Napoli to their first Serie A title scoring 31 goals in all competitions. Read more
Messi to miss Miami-Orlando match with scar tissue problem (ABC)
Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino has confirmed that Lionel Messi will not be fit for Sunday’s game against Florida rival Orlando City, after revealing that the World Cup winner is still dealing with a scar tissue problem suffered while with the Argentina national team earlier this month.
Miami returned to training Friday without Messi and his former Barcelona teammate Jordi Alba, who both left Wednesday’s 4-0 win over Toronto FC before the end of the first half, just four days after they skipped the team’s trip to Atlanta.
“Basically, Leo is still dealing with his old scar tissue, and Jordi with muscle pain,” Martino said at a news conference Friday. “They are both day-to-day.” Read more
Sweden players stand in solidarity with Spain (RNZ)
Sweden and Spain players stood together in solidarity before their Uefa Women’s Nations League meeting on Friday, following the scandal which has engulfed Spanish football.
Both sets of players held a banner reading “se acabo” which translates to English as “it’s over”, a phrase used on social media amid the scandal.
The banner also read “our fight is the global fight”, and the Spanish players were applauded onto the field for their warm-ups by the home fans in Gothenburg. Read more
Ferrari handed Suzuka challenge by Leclerc in Red Bull pursuit (RN365)
Charles Leclerc has challenged Ferrari to be able to “put together” the remainder of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in a bid to catch Red Bull.
Max Verstappen was in strong form on Friday at Suzuka, topping both practice sessions by at least three-tenths as Red Bull looks to bounce back from losing its spotless win record in 2023, to Ferrari in Singapore.
A new floor was trialled by the Scuderia on Friday, with the aim of improving airflow, as Leclerc ended the two sessions fourth and second, 0.320s down on Verstappen’s benchmark in the latter. Read more
Novak Djokovic reveals what he learned most from ‘‘intimidating’’ Rafael Nadal (Tennis365)
Novak Djokovic has outlined the most important lesson he has learned from his great rival Rafael Nadal, highlighting the Spaniard’s “incredible tenacity and combativeness.”
The Serbian declared that Nadal’s “level of tenacity intimidates you” and compared facing the Mallorcan on court to “entering a bullfight.”
Djokovic and Nadal form what is arguably one of sport’s greatest rivalries, having faced off a remarkable 59 times – a record in men’s tennis. The Serbian holds a 30-29 lead – with their clashes to date having taken place over a 16-year period from 2006 to 2022. Read more