Why I created Police Affairs, Special Duties ministries – Buhari (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday presided over the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. The meeting, which is the first under the second term administration of President Buhari, started around 11am in the Council Chamber with rendition of the National anthem. In his brief remarks at the beginning of the meeting, the President charged the ministers that they cannot afford to fail Nigerians. Read more
House of Reps set for agenda, reforms –Gbajabiamila (Nation)
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) has said that the house is set to unveil its legislative agenda and reforms soon. Gbajabiamila made this known while receiving the Director-General of Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Mr Dasuki Arabi on Wednesday in Abuja. The parliamentarian said that the house would deal seriously with members of the executive that do not honour invitations to appear for public or investigative hearings. Read more
N537m debt: Donald Duke settles AMCON, recovers house (Punch)
The Federal High Court in Lagos has discharged its August 8, 2019 order, which empowered the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria to take over an Ikoyi property of a former governor of Cross River State, Mr Donald Duke, over an alleged debt of N537,334,360.77. Justice Nicholas Oweibo discharged the takeover order on Wednesday after the parties presented him with their terms of settlement of the case. Read more
Tribunal: My victory renews hope for PDP, masses in Imo — Lawmaker (Nation)
Mr Frank Ugboma (PDP-Oguta State Constituency) says his victory at the Election Petitions Tribubal sitting in Owerri, Imo, has renewed hope for the party and common man in the state. The Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Owerri on Tuesday, dismissed the cases filed against Ugboma, contesting his victory at the Imo House of Assembly poll in the state. Read more
I didn’t instruct policemen to shoot FUOYE students-Erelu Fayemi (Nation)
Wife of Ekiti Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi, has denied she instructed security details attached to her to shoot protesting students of the Federal University Oye Ekiti(FUOYE) on Tuesday. The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) had alleged Mrs. Fayemi ordered policemen to shoot the students, leading to the death of at least one of them. Read more
Flooding: Edo cautions residents over heavy rainfall (Nation)
The Edo State Government has cautioned residents in the state to be careful and vigilant as they move around in the rains to safely wade through the momentary flooding that may arise from the heavy rainfall witnessed in the state. In a statement, Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, urged residents to be wary of momentary flooding in parts of the state and exercise caution when they move around as pedestrians or motorists, so as to avoid casualties. Read more
Niger floods killed 57 (Guardian)
Deadly floods across Niger has left 57 people dead and affected more than 130,000 since they began in June, according to the latest government toll. Extreme weather is common in Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries, but the capital and even desert areas in the North were hit during this year’s rainy season, which typically lasts three months. Read more
Children’s school fees drove me into kidnapping — Suspect (Punch)
A 30-year-old suspected kidnapper, Samaila Abdullahi, has told officers of the Niger State Police Command and journalists that he became a kidnapper to raise money to pay the school fees of his five children. The suspect, who is a herdsman, said his cattle herding business had not yielded the required returns to enable him meet his financial obligations. Abdullahi made this confession in an interview with Northern City News in Minna on Tuesday. Read more
My brother was killed for being stingy – Suspect (Punch)
A 24-year-old man, Ebenezer Olorunleke, said on Tuesday that his four-man gang killed his brother, Sunday Olorunleke, in his residence at the Abe Cocoa area of Ado Ekiti and stole his motorcycle on August 29, 2019, for being stingy. Ebenezer said he and members of the gang invaded his brother’s residence, where they attacked Sunday with a knife and long screwdriver. Read more
Robert Mugabe’s body arrives home from Singapore (BBC)
The body of Robert Mugabe has arrived back in Zimbabwe after a private flight from Singapore, where he died last week aged 95. Mr Mugabe was Zimbabwe’s first leader after the country became independent in 1980. He held on to power for almost four decades before being ousted in a coup in 2017. He will be buried on Sunday after a state funeral on Saturday. Read more
Oxford students want Boris Johnson banned from returning to former college (Metro)
Students at the college attended by Boris Johnson have called on Oxford University leaders to ‘disavow’ the PM and remove all traces that he ever studied there. Boris Johnson is among the impressive list of alumni that attended Balliol College in Oxford – but current students want him banned from his former place of study. A petition started by Balliol students calls on the college to publicly condemn the PM for suspending parliament and pushing for a no-deal Brexit. Read more
Brexit: Scottish judges rule Parliament suspension is unlawful (BBC)
Boris Johnson’s suspension of the UK Parliament is unlawful, Scotland’s highest civil court has ruled. A panel of three judges at the Court of Session found in favour of a cross-party group of politicians who were challenging the prime minister’s move. The judges said the PM was attempting to prevent Parliament holding the government to account ahead of Brexit. Read more
PM Justin Trudeau calls Canadian general election for 21 October (BBC)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a federal election for 21 October. Opinion polls are indicating it will be a tough race for Mr Trudeau, who is seeking a second term in office. The campaign is expected to focus on issues of affordability, the economy and climate issues. Read more
‘Justice for Victoria’: Toddler testifies in Myanmar ‘nursery rape’ case (BBC)
A three-year-old girl who it is alleged was raped at her nursery in Myanmar has given evidence via video link at a trial in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw. The case of the toddler, who by law cannot be named, has caused outrage in the country. Campaigners have given her the name “Victoria”. Police say the attack took place on 16 May. A school employee is under arrest and charged with raping her. Read more
Sex attacker who claimed he was ‘being friendly’ by groping strangers is jailed (Metro)
A ‘dangerous’ sex attacker who targeted strangers in the street has been jailed for more than two years. Mentesnot Cheru, 29, chose random victims in their twenties for his violent sex attacks, minutes apart on the morning of April 4. He touched the first woman’s bottom and privates, then called her a ‘f***ing bitch’ and punched her five times in the face and shoulder, leaving her ‘shocked and traumatised’, with a swollen eye requiring hospital treatment, the court heard. Read more
London Stock Exchange gets £32bn Hong Kong bid (BBC)
The company that owns Hong Kong’s main stock exchange has made a £32bn bid to buy its rival in London. Shares in the London Stock Exchange Group jumped by more than 15% on news of the offer, but fell back later. Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing said in a statement that combining the two exchanges would bring together “the largest and most significant financial centres in Asia and Europe”. Read more
Dutch euthanasia case: Doctor acted in interest of patient, court rules (BBC)
A doctor accused of failing to verify consent before performing euthanasia on a dementia patient has been cleared of any wrongdoing by a Dutch court. The 74-year-old patient, who died in 2016, had expressed a wish to be euthanised but also indicated that she wanted to determine the right time. Judges said the doctor acted lawfully as not carrying out the process would have undermined the patient’s wish. Read more
Teenage dad admits shaking 23-day-old baby to death (Metro)
A teenage dad who shook his newborn baby daughter so hard she slipped into a coma and died has pleaded guilty to killing her. Thomas Haining, who was 19 at the time, had stayed up on the night of June 7, 2017, to look after his baby Mikayla who had been ‘unsettled’ for a few days. Read more
Rihanna takes New York Fashion Week into the streaming era (BBC)
Rihanna’s designer lingerie show was the talk of New York Fashion Week – but the A-list guests were banned from using their phones after Amazon Prime Video bagged the rights to stream it. Those watching the star-studded catwalk show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center were not allowed to post photos before Amazon streams it from 20 September. The event featured music stars like DJ Khaled, Halsey, Big Sean and Migos. Read more
Gemma Chan backs Crazy Rich Asians screenwriter Adele Lim who quit sequel over pay dispute (Metro)
Crazy Rich Asians’ star Gemma Chan has voiced her support for screenwriter Adele Lim who quit work on the sequel after a pay dispute. Producers on the upcoming sequels had hired Adele Lim and Peter Chiarelli – who co-wrote the 2018 hit comedy – to pen the two follow-ups, one of which will focus on Chan’s character. Read more
Toronto 2019: Renee Zellweger gets standing ovation for Judy Garland role (BBC)
A new film based on the life of Judy Garland has been warmly welcomed at the Toronto Film Festival. Renee Zellweger plays the titular role in Judy, which is released in the UK next month. Set in 1968, the film follows Garland as she was battling addiction issues and struggling financially. Read more
Alex Rodriguez happy to invite Jennifer Lopez’s exes to their wedding because he’s a very understanding man (Metro)
Jennifer Lopez may have ghosts of her dating past sitting in the pews of her upcoming wedding, as her fiance Alex Rodriguez says he’s open to inviting her ex-boyfriends. The happy couple are currently planning their nuptials after Alex, 44, proposed to the popstar in March during a romantic holiday in the Bahamas to celebrate their two-year anniversary. Read more
I want to be one of Nigeria’s greatest wrestlers —11-year-old (Punch)
As the 5th National Youth Games is ongoing in Ilorin, a young wrestler, Abigail Ogbuike, says her love for wrestling should not be misconstrued to mean engaging in it to bully her mates. The Imo-born Ogbuike, who made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Lagos State, said she chose to be one of Nigeria’s greatest wrestlers, adding it was the reason she started off as a wrestler at her early years. Read more
Falcons lament N55,000 bonus after Algeria win (Punch)
The Super Falcons are reportedly unhappy over the N55,000 win bonus paid to each player following the team’s 1-0 win over Algeria in a 2020 Olympic Games second leg qualifier at the Agege Stadium, Lagos on September 3. The Barcelona forward Asisat Oshoala’s strike helped the African secure a 1-0 win and 3-0 aggregate, having won the first fixture in Blida 2-0. Read more
Kanu faults Arsenal over Iwobi sale (Punch)
Nigeria football legend, Nwankwo Kanu, has faulted Arsenal for selling Super Eagles forward Alex Iwobi to Everton. Kanu wondered why Arsenal sold Iwobi, describing the player’s transfer to Everton as “a big mistake.” Iwobi left the Emirates on the English Premier League transfer deadline day to Everton in a deal worth £40m. Read more
Vincent Kompany: Ex-Manchester City defender to miss own testimonial (BBC)
Former Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany will miss his own testimonial due to a hamstring injury. The 33-year-old was due to play for a City legends team against a Premier League legends team on Wednesday evening at Etihad Stadium. But the Belgian, who left City after 11 years to join Anderlecht as player-boss in the summer, will not take part. Read more
Martinez hat-trick fires Argentina over Mexico (Guardian)
Lautaro Martinez fired a 22-minute hat-trick as Argentina thrashed Mexico 4-0 in a friendly international in San Antonio on Tuesday. Inter Milan striker Martinez scored in the 17th, 22nd and 39th minutes at the Alamodome to give Argentina a deserved win over a lacklustre Mexico team. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes scored Argentina’s other goal from the penalty spot after 33 minutes as the South American giants romped into a 4-0 lead at halftime. Read more
Sean Longstaff admits he was ‘distracted’ by Manchester United transfer speculation (Metro)
Newcastle star Sean Longstaff has admitted he was ‘distracted’ by talk of a potential move to Manchester United this summer. Longstaff, 21, caught Rafael Benitez’s eye ahead of the 2018/19 campaign and made 13 appearances in all competitions before a knee ligament injury cut short his season in March. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was immediately alerted to Longstaff’s potential and United were weighing up a big-money move this summer despite the midfielder’s lack of experience in the Premier League. Read more
Arda Turan: Barcelona player gets suspended sentence for firing gun in hospital (BBC)
Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan has received a suspended jail sentence of nearly three years for firing a gun in a hospital after a fight with a singer. Turan – currently on loan to Istanbul Basaksehir – got into a brawl with Berkay Sahin last year which ended with a broken nose for the pop star. The footballer, 32, then turned up at the hospital and shot at the floor. Read more
Christian Coleman: American sprinter says he will never fail a drug test (BBC)
American sprinter Christian Coleman has defended himself and said he has “never failed a drug test and never will”. Coleman, 23, had been charged with missing three drugs tests and was facing an automatic one-year ban. But the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) withdrew the charge earlier this month after receiving guidance from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). Read more