We use tyre jack as guns to scare victims – Uber driver (Vanguard)
Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS Lagos State Police Command have arrested an Uber driver, Andrew Valentino, 38, who used his car for ‘ Catch-in-the –air’ robbery, otherwise known as one chance, dispossessing unsuspecting passengers of their cash, phones, and valuables.
He is not alone. He confessed to be operating with the trio of Tony Onwoluwe, 29; Adesoji Oluwafemi, 36 and Idoko Michael, 33, who were also arrested.
Their modus operandi involved picking passengers from designated points. While one of them would drive the car, others would stand at designated bus-stops where they would board the car with unsuspecting passengers, only to point a gun at him or her, with an order to surrender everything in his possession, on reaching a convenient place. Read more
2 salesmen arraigned over N1.2m theft (DailyTrust)
Two salesmen, who allegedly conspired to steal items worth over N1.2 million from a supermarket, were arraigned yesterday before a Tinubu chief magistrate court in Lagos on a three-count criminal charge.
The police said the defendants, Godwin Alade Ochui and Linus Ola Obriku, both 30 years old, allegedly committed the offence between January 1, 2020 and July 19, 2020 at BL Supermarket, Yomade Shopping Complex, Awoyaya, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, by stealing different types of supermarket items worth the N1.2m, property of Mrs Alero Jidenwo. Read more
Defilement: A’Court affirms ex-school supervisor’s 60-year imprisonment (Punch)
The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal on Monday affirmed the 60-year jail term imposed on a former Supervisor at Chrisland School, Adegboyega Adenekan, who was convicted of defiling a two-year old female pupil of the school.
Adenekan was convicted of the offence in October 24, 2019, by Justice Sybil Nwaka of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja.
Displeased with Justice Nwaka’s verdict, Adenekan had, through his lawyer, Mr Olatunde Adejuyigbe (SAN), approached the Court of Appeal, seeking to overturn it. Read more
Man in court over N1.3m accumulated bills while lodging in hotel (Vanguard)
An Igbosere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Monday, docked a 33-year-old man, Chimezie Mba, who allegedly accumulated N1.3 million while lodging in a hotel and refused to pay.
Mba, whose address was not given, is standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on fraud and assault.
He, however, pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Cyriacus Osuji, had told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offences between November 2019 and July 23, at 2:00p.m. at No. 3, Sakiru Anjorin St., Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State. Read more
FG extends ease of lockdown by one week (ThisDay)
The federal government has extended the phase two of the ease of lockdown in the country by another one week.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, disclosed this yesterday during the PTF briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja.
“We informed you two weeks ago that the process of submitting the Sixth Interim Report and recommendations for the next steps had commenced. The PTF has reached advanced stages of the process. Read more
Obasanjo missing as Buhari names railway stations after ‘prominent Nigerians’ (Vanguard)
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the naming of some railway stations along the Lagos-Ibadan and Itakpe/Ajaokuta/ Aladja/Warri corridors after some “deserving Nigerian citizens”. Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi disclosed this
through a statement by his ministry’s Director of Press, Eric Ojiekwe.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was, however, missing in the list of what the Ministry of Transportation termed ‘prominent Nigerians.” Read more
NUT insists on PPE, others as SSS3 pupils resume Aug 4 (Punch)
The Federal Government on Monday said the Senior Secondary School 3 pupils will resume on August 4 in preparation for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination, which is starting on August 17.
The Federal Ministry of Education’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Ben Bem Goong, who disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘Exit classes to reopen August 4,’ said the decision to recall the pupils was taken during a virtual meeting involving the ministry and commissioners of education in the 36 states of the federation. Read more
WASSCE: Students optimistic as teachers, parents fear mass failure (DailyTrust)
Graduating students in secondary schools across the country yesterday expressed joy over the reopening of schools for them to write their final year examinations.
Many of those interviewed said they were tired of staying at home and saw the reopening of schools as a glad tiding. Officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) said they have registered 1, 549, 463 candidates from 19, 129 schools to write the West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Nigeria. Read more
Senators deny alleged NDDC contract awards, tackle Akpabio (ThisDay)
Senators accused by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, of collecting contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) have rebutted the allegation and told the minister to stop deflecting attention from the demand to give an account of how the commission spent N81.5 billion.
In separate reactions yesterday, the Chairman of Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and his predecessor, Senator James Manager, said they did not take any contract from NDDC between 2017 and 2019 as claimed by the minister. Read more
Egypt jails TikTok women influencers over ‘indecent’ content (Aljazeera)
An Egyptian court has sentenced five female social media influencers to two years in jail each on charges of violating public morals.
The verdict against Haneen Hossam, Mowada al-Adham and three others came after they had posted footage on video-sharing app TikTok.
The ruling, which can be appealed, included a fine of 300,000 Egyptian pounds ($18,750) for each defendant, the source noted.
Haneen Hossam, 20, a Cairo University student, was charged for encouraging young women to meet men through a video app and build friendships with them, receiving a fee according to the number of followers watching these chats. Read more
How to lock Facebook Messenger so only you can open it (Metro)
Millions of people around the UK use Facebook Messenger for chatting with mates, family members and romantic partners. But like many apps, if someone gets into your phone then there’s no way to stop them opening it up and having a scroll through your messages. Thankfully, Facebook appears to have realised its users may crave a little more security for their conversations. The company has pushed out an update to Messenger called App Lock that adds an extra layer of protection. Read more
Kylie Moore-Gilbert: Lecturer jailed in Iran ‘moved to remote prison’ (BBC)
A British-Australian woman serving a 10-year sentence in Iran for espionage has been transferred to a notorious prison in the desert, according to Iranian human rights activists.
Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a lecturer at Melbourne University, has been in jail since September 2018.
She strongly denies all the charges against her.
She spent almost two years sleeping on the floor in a cell in the capital Tehran, according to a friend. Read more
Primal Scream and New Order singer Denise Johnson dead aged 53 (Metro)
Primal Scream and New Order singer Denise Johnson has died aged 53. The news was confirmed by Primal Scream’s bassist, Simone Marie, via Twitter, as she wrote: ‘Very sad news… love and prayers to Denise’s family and loved ones. Rest in Power Denise Johnson x.’ Her cause of death is not yet known, with a statement from her family simply confirming that she had ‘died suddenly’. The performer has given her voice to a number of groundbreaking records, most notably Primal Scream’s 1991 Screamdelica album. Performing with the band from 1990-1995, she later went on to join band A Certain Ratio and remained with them for 25 years. Read more
US Republicans unveil plan for another coronavirus stimulus (Aljazeera)
Republicans in the United States Senate on Monday announced their version of a $1 trillion coronavirus aid package hammered out with the White House, paving the way for negotiations with Democrats on a plan to help Americans before expanded unemployment benefits for millions expire this week.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced what he called a “tailored and targeted” plan focused on getting children back to school, employees back to work and support for a healthcare system grappling with an illness that has killed 150,000 Americans.
He urged Democrats to compromise with Republicans on the plan, called the “HEALS Act”. Read more
New Zealand suspends Hong Kong extradition treaty (BBC)
New Zealand has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to China’s new national security law for the territory.
The widely criticised law makes it easier to punish protesters and reduces the city’s autonomy.
Travel advice has also been updated to alert New Zealanders to risks presented by the law.
Australia and the United Kingdom earlier suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong. Read more
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet finally gets release date after being indefinitely postponed Comment (Metro)
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet has finally got a new release date – and its not far away. The ambitious blockbuster, starring John David Washington and Robert Pattinson, has had its release postponed numerous times over the last few months due to coronavirus, and it was even at one point pulled from Warner Brothers’ release schedule altogether. But now, it seems things are starting to get on track. It’s been announced that Tenet will begin its international rollout from next month, but it won’t be launching in the US just yet. As reported in Variety, European and UK audiences can expect to see the mind-bending thriller in cinemas from 26 August. Read more
Ajayi nominated for West Brom’s POTY award (Punch)
Super Eagles defender, Semi Ajayi, has been nominated for West Brom’s Ideal Boilers Supporters’ Player of the Season award.
Ajayi joined the Baggies in the summer from League 2 side, Rotherham United, and has gone on to establish himself in the heart of the team’s defence, helping them go unbeaten in their first nine games of the season.
The 26-year-old scored five goals in 43 league appearances for the Baggies to help them gain promotion to the English Premier League, finishing second behind Leeds United.
A total of 14 West Brom players are up for the award. Read more
Iorfa named Sheffield Wednesday Player of the Year (DailyTrust)
Dominic Iorfa has been named Sheffield Wednesday’s player of the year for the 2019/20 season. In a topsy-turvy campaign for the Owls, the defender has been one of the few shining lights.
The 25-year-old made 45 appearances across all competitions this term. After arriving at S6 as predominantly a right-back, this term has seen Iorfa morph into a solid centre-half and his athleticism and natural ability has seen him flourish in his new position. Read more
Onyekuru flies out to Monaco with family at first wedding anniversary (Vanguard)
Super Eagles forward, Henry Onyekuru, has flown out with his family in a private jet to Monaco, “to meet up with club commitments”.
The former on-loan Galatasaray winger, who featured for the three-time African champions at the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Egypt, where they scooped bronze, on the back of a slim 1-0 victory over Tunisia, departed the shores of Nigeria last night aboard a private charter flight, which flew direct to the Principality city of Monaco, France. Read more
US Major League Baseball season roiled by COVID-19 postponements (Aljazeera)
Just four days after beginning a truncated coronavirus-delayed season, Major League Baseball (MLB) ran into a serious obstacle on Monday with the postponement of two scheduled games due to a COVID-19 outbreak among Miami Marlins players.
The postponement of the games in Philadelphia and Miami was a potentially ominous development for MLB and other major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada hoping to forge ahead during the pandemic. Read more
LMA awards: Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp named manager of the year (BBC)
Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp has been named the League Managers’ Association manager of the year.
Klopp’s team won the Premier League – the Reds’ first English top-flight title for 30 years.
Emma Hayes recently won the FA Women’s Super League manager of the year award after leading Chelsea to the title. Read more
Manchester United’s opening offer for Jadon Sancho rejected by Borussia Dortmund (Metro)
Borussia Dortmund have rejected Manchester United’s opening offer of €98 million (£89m) for Jadon Sancho, according to reports in Germany.
The 20-year-old is United’s priority target for the summer transfer window with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to strengthen the right side of his attack.
United’s transfer budget has been boosted after Solskjaer’s side secured qualification for the Champions League on the final day of the Premier League campaign on Sunday. Read more