Why Sowore is still in custody – Police (Sun)
Amid calls for Omoyele Sowore’s release, the Commissioner of Police for the Special Intervention Squad, Abayomi Shogunle, has revealed why the activist is in detention.
Daily Sun reported that protesters stormed the force headquarters on Friday, demanding Sowore’s release following his arrival after being invited over alleged “forgery and inciting disturbance.”
Addressing the crowd, Shogunle stated that Sowore is being detained because he refused to make a statement. Read more
5 injured as tanker, bus collide in Lagos (Punch)
At least five persons were injured in a traffic accident involving a fuel tanker and a commercial bus at Toyota Bus Stop, inward Oshodi in Lagos State.
According to a statement by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority on Friday, the incident occurred on Thursday, near The Guardian newspaper headquarters and involved a PMS-laden tanker with registration number T28128LA and a commercial Volkswagen T4 bus, GGE 526 YG.
The statement which was signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, noted that preliminary findings from Oloto Police Division indicated that the tanker experienced a sudden brake failure while on top speed and rammed into the moving bus, which was fully loaded with passengers. Read more
FG pays 2nd tranche of N35k wage award arrears to workers (Nation)
The Federal Government has commenced payment of the second tranche of the N35,000 wage award arrears to civil servants, signalling continued efforts to fulfil its commitments to federal workers.
In a statement on Friday in Abuja, the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) confirmed the disbursement, stating that the payment was part of the outstanding wage award introduced to cushion the impact of economic reforms on public sector employees.
Mr. Bawa Mokwa, Director of Press and Public Relations at the OAGF, said the government had earlier settled one month’s arrears out of the total five months owed to federal workers under the wage award arrangement. The payment of the second tranche reduces the outstanding balance to three months. Read more
Bago unveils plan to plant 10m shea trees in Niger (Channels)
Niger State Governor, Umaru Bago, has announced an ambitious plan to plant 10 million Shea trees across 10,000 hectares of land in the state, as part of efforts to boost Shea butter production and create jobs for youths and women.
The governor made this known at the commissioning of the Salid Shea Butter Processing Plant in Kudu, Mokwa Local Government Area, calling the initiative a major step toward industrializing the state’s agriculture sector and positioning Niger as the Shea butter hub of Nigeria.
Bago revealed that the initiative is being championed by Niger Foods and will make shea nuts readily available to attract local and foreign investors into the sector. Read more
155 associations seek INEC’s recognition as parties (Tribune)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it would commence the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) on August 18, 2025 as the total number of associations seeking registration as political parties has risen to 155.
This followed the filing of applications by eight more associations seeking to be listed with the existing 18 parties in the country.
According to a statement released in Abuja on Thursday by Sam Olumekun, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information & Voter Education Committee, the commission will kickstart the process with the online pre-registration while the in-person registration option will follow a week later on 25th August 2025. Read more
CSOs fault N712b allocated for Lagos airport reconstruction (Guardian)
A coalition of civil society organisations has called on the Federal Government to immediately shelve its planned N712 billion reconstruction of Terminal One of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
The organisations described the expenditure as excessive, misplaced and insensitive to the economic plight of millions of Nigerians.
The coalition, comprising the Socio Economic Research and Development Centre (SERDEC), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Grassroots Center for Rights & Civic Orientation (GRACO), and five other civic groups, made the demand in a joint press statement issued in Abuja on Friday. Read more
Why tight monetary policy creates new forex opportunities in Nigeria (Vanguard)
In 2025, Nigeria continues to experience the ripple effects of tight monetary policies as the Central Bank maintains its strategy to control inflation, stabilize the naira, and attract foreign investments. While these policies bring challenges for local businesses and consumers, they also open up fresh opportunities for individuals and investors engaged in currency markets.
One sector that has gained momentum due to these shifts is forex trading in Nigeria. As currency volatility rises and macroeconomic factors shift, traders now find more potential entry points than ever before.
What Is Tight Monetary Policy?
Tight monetary policy refers to deliberate actions by a country’s central bank to reduce the money supply in the economy. This is typically done by increasing interest rates, limiting access to credit, and reducing liquidity. In Nigeria, the Central Bank has raised the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) several times in recent years to address inflation that spiked due to rising energy prices, food shortages, and naira devaluation. Read more
OpenAI beats Elon Musk’s Grok in AI chess tournament (BBC)
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has beaten Elon Musk’s Grok in the final of a tournament to crown the best artificial intelligence (AI) chess player.
Historically, tech companies have often used chess to assess the progress and abilities of a computer, with modern chess machines virtually unbeatable against even the top human players.
But this competition did not involve computers designed for chess – instead it was held between AI programs designed for everyday use. Read more
South African court grants Zambia rights to repatriate Edgar Lungu for State funeral (AfricaNews)
A South African court has ruled in favor of the Zambian government, allowing it to repatriate the remains of former President Edgar Lungu for a state burial in Zambia, despite objections from his family. The decision ends a contentious legal battle over where the late leader should be laid to rest, highlighting deep political divisions and the tension between personal wishes and national protocol.
On Friday, Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba of the South African High Court ruled that Zambia had the legal right to conduct a state funeral for Lungu, who served as president from 2015 to 2021.
The court emphasized that the burial of a former head of state was a matter of public interest, overriding any personal wishes expressed by the deceased or his family. Read more
Zookeepers save life of baby porcupine with unique type of therapy (NYPost)
Heartwarming footage shows how zookeepers saved the life of a cute baby porcupine – by hand-rearing him with a bottle and giving daily physiotherapy.
Keepers at Blackpool Zoo nursed Dougie back to full health after they noticed he was struggling to move freely within minutes of being born.
The zoo said the North American tree porcupine was displaying limited use of his hind legs, possibly due to birth trauma, and was unable to feed naturally. Read more
Israel’s plan to take over Gaza “must be immediately halted,” U.N. says (CBS)
The United Nations human rights chief is among several global leaders condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for the Israeli military to take over Gaza City and expand its control of Gaza. The plan, which was approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet overnight, would see an expansion of military operations in Gaza despite growing criticism at home and abroad.
“The Israeli Government’s plan for a complete military takeover of the occupied Gaza strip must be immediately halted,” Volker Türk said in a statement Friday.
“On all evidence to date, this further escalation will result in more massive forced displacement, more killing, more unbearable suffering, senseless destruction and atrocity crimes,” Türk said. Read more
Jennifer Lopez unfazed when denied entry by Chanel store in Istanbul (People)
Jennifer Lopez’s tour stop in Turkey included a surprising moment for the pop star.
Lopez, 56, stopped by a Chanel store in Istanbul on Monday, Aug. 4, but a security guard prevented her from doing so because it was at full capacity, reports Türkiye Today.
The “Can’t Get Enough” artist was reportedly cordial about it, saying, “Okay, no problem” before walking away. Read more
Ed Sheeran on backlash to saying he “identifies culturally as Irish” (NME)
Ed Sheeran has responded to the backlash that’s followed him saying he “identifies culturally as Irish”.
The comments come around the same time that the pop star made a surprise appearance at a music and arts festival in Wexford town on Tuesday (August 5) – performing a handful of Irish folk songs and original tracks at The Sky And The Ground Pub.
The singer, who was brought up in Suffolk and has a dad from Belfast, had said before then on the Louis Theroux Podcast that he identifies as Irish, despite being born and raised in England. Read more
Extend national rewards to other sports, Igali pleads with Tinubu (Guardian)
Outgoing president of the Nigerian Wrestling Federation (NWF), Daniel Igali, has commended President Bola Tinubu for the recent rewards to the national women’s football team, Super Falcons and their basketball counterparts, D’Tigress, for winning their various continental championships.
Igali described such rewards as the elixir sportsmen and women need to push them into working harder to bring honours to the country.
He, however, pleaded with the president to extend such rewards to sports other than football and basketball, saying that setting such a standard would tell the country’s sports representatives that their efforts would not be in vain if they excelled while representing the nation. Read more
9 nations battle for N15m at Lagos e-sports tourney (Punch)
The Lagos State Sports Commission has thrown its weight behind the fourth edition of the Gamr X Africa E-sports tournament, which holds in Lagos on Friday (today).
Gamers from nine African countries will compete for a total cash prize of N15m at the tournament, which will be held at the Landmark Event Centre by noon.
Director-General of the commission, Lekan Fatodu, at a press conference held at the LSSC office on Thursday, said, “This event presents an opportunity for the government to tap into the huge market of E-sports.” Read more
Full extent of Luka Doncic’s stunning weight loss revealed after signing massive Lakers extension (NYPost)
Luka Doncic revealed just how dramatic his physical transformation has been this offseason.
The Lakers star looks like a different person than the one who finished last season, losing weight and adding muscle.
He was recently on the cover of Men’s Health, where he detailed the two-a-day workouts he’s been doing in Croatia, along with a gluten-free, low-sugar diet — complete with 250 grams of protein and one almond milk–fueled shake a day. Read more
Villa complete £30m signing of Nice striker Guessand (BBC)
Aston Villa have completed the signing of Nice striker Evann Guessand for £26m plus £4.3m in add-ons.
The 24-year-old Ivory Coast forward scored 12 goals last term and was named player of the season as Nice finished fourth in France’s Ligue 1.
The France-born attacker boosts Unai Emery’s striking options at Villa Park, with Ollie Watkins the only recognised centre forward in the Spaniard’s squad. Read more
Villarreal signs Thomas Partey amid ongoing rape and sexual assault charges (AfricaNews)
Spanish La Liga club Villarreal CF announced the signing of Ghanaian midfielder Thomas Partey on Thursday, just two days after he was granted bail in England on multiple rape and sexual assault charges.
The 32-year-old, who became a free agent after his Arsenal contract expired in June, has joined Villarreal for the 2025-26 season.
Club Acknowledges Charges but Stresses “Presumption of Innocence” Read more