UNILAG alumnus accused of rape knows fate August 17 (Independent)
An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has fixed August 17 as judgment date in the case involving John Otema, an alumnus of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) accused of raping two undergraduates of the institution.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Abiola Soladoye on Monday fixed the date after hearing the Final Written Addresses of the defence and prosecuting counsel.
“The case is adjourned to Aug. 17 for judgment,”Justice Soladoye said. Read more
NDLEA files drug trafficking charge against 25-year-old man (Guardian)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Monday, filed a one-count charge of drug trafficking, against a 25-year-old man, Joshua Benson, in a Federal High Court in Lagos.
According to the charge signed by the prosecutor, Mr Jeremiah Aernan, the defendant committed the offence on June 28.
The NDLEA alleged that Benson was arrested in Ajah area of Lagos, with 45 bags of Cannabis Sativa, which he unlawfully trafficked.
Hemp is listed in the schedule of the NDLEA as a restricted narcotics similar to Cocaine and Heroine. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos records 12 deaths within 24 hours- NCDC (Independent)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 12 COVID-19 related mortality were recorded within 24 hours in Lagos State on July 12.
The NCDC made the disclosure in its COVID-19 Situation Report for July 12.
According to the centre, 16 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours in four states: Lagos has 12, Abuja two, while Enugu and Gombe recorded one death each.
It said that the new deaths had increased the numbers of COVID-19 related mortality in Lagos to 172. Read more
More males died in Lagos between Jan and June – NPC (Punch)
The National Population Commission data reporting deaths in the 20 local government areas in Lagos shows that more deaths were recorded among males, compared to females, between January and June this year.
According to the data, Surulere Local Government Area of Lagos State recorded 480 deaths in the first six months of the year, being the highest figure among the 20 LGs.
The data, obtained by PUNCH HealthWise from the Lagos State Director of NPC, Mr. Mufutau Akanni, shows a breakdown of deaths per local government from January to June. Read more
NSCDC parades 8 suspects for armed robbery (DailyTrust)
The Oyo State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), on Monday, paraded eight suspects for alleged armed robbery. The Command said it also recovered three motorcycles from the suspects. The NSCDC state Commandant, Iskilu Akinsanya, while briefing newsmen at the NSCDC’s headquarter, Agodi, said the suspects were arrested at Awososo area, along NNPC road in the early hours of Sunday. NSCDC arrests leader of Shila gang, others in Adamawa NSCDC uncovers fake fertiliser factory in Zamfara Akinsanya said two of the suspects attacked a commercial motorcyclist at about 6:30am around Awososo area of the state. Read more
Motorist fleeing arrest crushes two to death (Punch)
A motorcyclist, Joseph Idodo, and his passenger, Igho Avwata, have lost their lives in the Ogorode area of Delta State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the accident happened when policemen chased a suspected fraudster to the area and allegedly shot at the suspect’s vehicle tyres in a bid to stop and apprehend him.
As the bullet hit one of the tyres, the suspect reportedly lost control of the vehicle and rammed into Idodo and Avwata, who were on their way to a destination in the area. Read more
FG inaugurates governing council of 13 federal universities (DailyTrust)
The Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Council of 13 federal universities as parts of its effort to improve Nigerian universities in the next four years.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu who inaugurated the council members in Abuja on Monday urged them to come up with ideas that will shore up the internally generated revenue of the universities.
He said: “The major critical areas of challenge is inadequate funding as well as judicious use of available resources, so let me advise you to come up with new creative ways to improve funding in your institution. Read more
Herbs I took made me sodomise 11-year-old boy –Suspect (Punch)
A 25-year-old man, Yusuf Bello, has confessed to luring an 11-year-old boy to a public toilet and sodomising him.
Bello said this followed his inability to control his libido after consuming a concoction he bought from a herbalist in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
He claimed that the mixture was to cure his stomach ache.
“The herbalist told me that the medicine had no side effects. But some hours after I took the medication, my manhood became hard. Read more
Zindzi Mandela, daughter of South Africa’s anti-apartheid icons, dies (VOA)
Zindzi Mandela, daughter of South African anti-apartheid icons Nelson and Winnie Mandela, has died in Johannesburg at the age of 59.
State broadcaster SABC said Mandela died at a hospital in the South African capital, but did not reveal a cause of death. Her death was confirmed by the ruling African National Congress, which her father led in the struggle against South Africa’s white minority-ruled apartheid regime, then as the country’s first Black president.
Zindzi rose to prominence in 1985 when she read a letter from her father rejecting then-President P.W. Botha’s offer for freedom in exchange for rejecting the ANC’s strategy of violent resistance to apartheid. Read more
Bill Gates says coronavirus vaccine shouldn’t go to ‘the highest bidder’ (Metro)
Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates has said that vaccines and other drugs to treat Covid-19 shouldn’t go to ‘the highest bidder’.
The former Microsoft boss has been at the forefront of coronavirus research and says the drugs must go where they’re most needed.
That means not necessarily to the wealthier countries like the US and UK. ‘If we just let drugs and vaccines go to the highest bidder, instead of to the people and the places where they are most needed, we’ll have a longer, more unjust, deadlier pandemic,’ Gates said in a video released on Saturday during a virtual Covid-19 conference organised by the International AIDS Society. Read more
Lisa Marie Presley’s son Benjamin Keough dies at 27 (BBC)
Elvis Presley’s only grandson died on Sunday, his mother Lisa Marie Presley’s manager has confirmed.
Benjamin Keough was 27, but manager Roger Widynowski gave no further details about his death.
He said Lisa Marie, 52, was “heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated”.
“She adored that boy. He was the love of her life,” Widynowski said, adding that she was “trying to stay strong” for her three daughters. Read more
Taliban launch deadly attack in Afghanistan for 2nd consecutive day (CBC)
Taliban insurgents launched a complex attack on an intelligence compound in northern Afghanistan on Monday that began with a suicide bombing and killed at least 11 intelligence agency personnel, officials said.
The attack took place in Aybak, the capital of the Samangan province. Sediq Azizi, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said another 63 people were wounded in the attack and the ensuing clashes.
A suicide bomber struck the compound, followed by two insurgents who opened fire. Read more
Scientists figure out how bees reproduce without having sex (Metro)
The ‘virgin’ gene that allows a species of honeybee to reproduce without sex has been discovered, scientists believe.
For hundreds of years it has been known that particular honey bees can reproduce asexually, but now researchers have discovered a gene in the Cape honeybee in South Africa that causes these virgin births.
They believe the discovery this could have huge implications for farming and agriculture. Read more
Ivory Coast’s Vice President Duncan resigns, days after PM’s death (France24)
Ivory Coast Vice President Daniel Kablan Duncan has resigned, the presidency said on Monday, further unsettling the political outlook days after the sudden death of prime minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, President Alassane Ouattara’s preferred successor.
The death last week of Gon Coulibaly, hand-picked by Ouattara to run in October’s presidential election, has left the ruling party scrambling to find a replacement candidate, a process likely to reveal internal divisions, analysts say.
Duncan is leaving for “reasons of personal convenience”, Patrick Achi, a top aide to Ouattara, told reporters, adding that Duncan had first tendered his resignation in February. Read more
Earth invades Mars: 3 countries sending ships to the Red Planet this month (Metro)
Three separate countries – the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – are all launching missions to Mars within the next few weeks.
All the missions are unmanned but they will all lay the groundwork for humans one day setting foot on the Red Planet.
Each craft will have to travel over 300 million miles to reach Mars and will likely arrive sometime next February. But there’s a reason that all the countries are launching their missions so close together. The orbits of Mars and Earth align on the same side of the sun once every 26 months – and only for a period of one month. Read more
Nigerian manager on verge of history in Europe (Punch)
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Ndubuisi Egbo is two wins away from leading KF Tirana to the league title in Albania, The PUNCH reports.
If Tirana emerge league winners, it would be the first time a Nigerian would lead a European team to the league title.
Egbo’s Tirana currently lead the Albanian top flight with 66 points from 33 games and need at least six points to be crowned champions of the division. Read more
Washington Redskins officially drop nickname and logo: ‘developing new name’ (TMZ)
It’s official. The Washington “Redskins” are no more.
The NFL franchise announced Monday morning it’s finally changing the team nickname they’ve had since 1933 effective immediately.
“Today we are announcing we will be retiring the Redskins name and logo,” the team said.
The team says owner Dan Snyder and head coach Ron Rivera are “working closely to develop a new name and design approach that will enhance the standing of our proud tradition, rich franchise and inspire our sponsors, fans and community for the next 100 years.” Read more
Tottenham player Serge Aurier’s brother killed in France (Punch)
The younger brother of Tottenham defender Serge Aurier was killed in a shooting in Toulouse on Monday, according to a police source.
When emergency services arrived on the scene at 5:00 am local time (0300 GMT), the 26-year-old was injured in the abdomen and he later died in hospital, the fire service said.
A source close to the investigation said the gunman fled.
According to local radio, the victim was Christopher Aurier, who plays for French fifth-division team Toulouse Rodeo. Read more
Manchester City back in the Champions League after ban gets lifted (Metro)
Manchester City will be in the Champions League next season after their two-year ban from UEFA competitions was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
City were initially hit with a two-year suspension from all UEFA competitions, plus a £25 million fine, for ‘serious breaches’ of Financial Fair Play rules.
City were accused of artificially inflating income generated by sponsorship deals in order to meet FFP rules, which require clubs to break even. But following an appeal to CAS, City’s ban has been overturned, while their fine has been reduced to £8.9m. Read more
France kicks off spectators’ return to European football as PSG take on Le Havre (France24)
For the first time since the coronavirus shut down sports and chased away spectators, fans returned Sunday to elite European soccer, turning out in their thousands to see Paris Saint-Germain’s superstars back on a field.
For their return to work, PSG’s marquee attacking duo of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe sported face masks in red, white and blue PSG colors on their way into the arena and wore messages of thanks for health workers on their kit.
“Now it’s for real … we’re back,” Mbappe tweeted before kickoff against Le Havre. Read more
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard reacts to Man City escaping Champions League ban (Metro)
Frank Lampard insists Chelsea were never pinning their hopes on Manchester City’s Champions League ban being upheld.
On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed that City’s two-season suspension from all UEFA competitions was lifted, while the club’s fine was reduced from £25 million to £8.9m.
The prospect of City being banned from next season’s Champions League had meant that the team who finished fifth in the Premier League table would secure a place in next season’s competition. Read more
