Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Igboho arrested in Cotonou (Punch)
Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo also known as Sunday Igboho, has been arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, The PUNCH has learnt.
He was arrested at an airport in Cotonou on Monday night, a top source familiar with the matter told our correspondent.
Igboho was arrested by the security forces in Benin Republic about three weeks after the Department of State Services declared him wanted for allegedly stockpiling arms, an allegation he has since denied.
The source told The PUNCH that Igboho will be repatriated to Nigeria on Tuesday (today) from Benin Republic, one of Nigeria’s neighbouring countries in the West African sub region. Read more
Missing nightgown: Court refuses to discharge Danish accused of killing wife (Vanguard)
A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafa Belewa Square, on Monday dismissed an application seeking to discharge a Danish, Peter Nielsen, accused of killing his Nigerian wife and daughter.
Nielsen’s counsel, Mr Olasupo Shasore (SAN), had prayed the court to discharge him on the basis that an exhibit, his wife’s nightgown, was missing.
According to Shasore, the nightgown the woman wore the night she was allegedly killed, could no longer be found in the court’s record due to burning of the court by hoodlums who hijacked the October 2020 #EndSARS protest.
He submitted that substantial justice will not be done in the absence of the exhibit.
Nielsen, 54, is standing trial on a two-count charge of murder.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defendant was accused of killing his Nigerian wife, Zainab, a singer, and their three-year-old daughter, on April 5, 2018.
At the resumed hearing, Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile dismissed the defendant’s application after hearing arguments of both defence and prosecution. Read more
Sallah ram sales at Kara market halt movement on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Guardian)
Ahead of the Eid-el Kabir celebration, Lagosians, yesterday thronged the popular Kara market, located along the Lagos- Ibadan expressway for their Sallah rams.
Eid al-Adha, Arabic for Festival of the Sacrifice, is one of the latter holidays celebrated among Muslims.
It honours the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God’s command. Before Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, however, Allah provided a lamb to sacrifice instead.
Muslim faithful often commemorates the day with the slaughtering of rams. Read more
Yoruba Nation rally: Autopsy faults police claim, says salesgirl was shot (Punch)
Jumoke Oyeleke, the salesgirl who was allegedly killed by a stray bullet during the Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos on July 3, died from a missile injury.
This was revealed by the report of an autopsy conducted on the remains of the 25-year-old on Monday.
The report contradicted the claim by the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, that Jumoke was abandoned after she was stabbed.
The autopsy report, which was obtained by PUNCH Metro, was signed by one Dr S.S. Soyomi of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. Read more
Nigerians Mark Bleak Sallah Amidst Biting Economy, Insecurity (DailyTrust)
Nigerian Muslims mark the Eid-el-Kabir Sallah festivities today, amidst harder bite of the economy and security concerns. The duo, according to respondents, have made it nearly impossible to celebrate the Sallah as planned.
A cross section of Muslim faithful interviewed across 16 states by Daily Trust correspondents’ lamented that with the worsening economic situation, coupled with the growing insecurity, they opted for a low-key celebration.
Many of the respondents lamented that their plans to celebrate the Sallah has changed in one way or the other due to the economic hardship.
But in his Sallah message yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari said the government was addressing hardship in the land as he extolled Nigerians for being patient with his administration. Read more
Anambra 2021: Courts order INEC to enlist Uba, Soludo as PDP, APGA candidates (Tribune)
Two Anambra State High Courts sitting in Awka, the state capital, have ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to enlist Senator Ugochukwu Uba and Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, as the governorship candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), respectively for the November 6 poll in the state.
Tribune Online had earlier reported that INEC had excluded Uba and Soludo from the list it published recently for Anambra State governorship poll, citing court cases as the reason for doing so.
But on Monday, court 5 of the High Court presided over by Justice Obiora Nwabunike in a matter brought before it by Senator Ugochukwu Uba against Mr Valentine Ozigbo, a factional governorship candidate of PDP and INEC said Uba’s faction of the party held its primary election in line with a subsisting live court judgement, stipulating the guidelines for the exercise. Read more
Irabor hails pilot of downed fighter plane for his bravery, gallantry (ThisDay)
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, yesterday commended the pilot of the downed Alpha Jet fighter aircraft, Flt. Lt. Abayomi Dairo, for his bravery.
Irabor, who met the pilot in company with the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, before proceeding to a meeting with military veterans in the North-west, commended the pilot for the gallantry and bravery he demonstrated in the fight against banditry.
Earlier, the NAF had announced the crashing of a fighter jet in Zamfara State while returning from an interdiction mission.
A statement by the spokesman of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, said the aircraft came under enemy fire, forcing Dairo to eject from the aircraft. Read more
Delta variant: Experts warn as FG begins camping for 49,950 corps members (Punch)
The National Youth Service Corps is set to mobilise about 49,950 corps members in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory next week while another set will be mobilised in August.
This was revealed during a virtual meeting with prospective corps members which was also attended by the Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu; and the Director-General of the NYSC, Brig.Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim.
The NCDC revealed that between 1,200 and 1,500 corps members would be deployed in each orientation camp across the country, bringing the total to at least 49, 950 if an average of 1, 350 corps members is housed in each camp.
Although virologists, including the Chairman of the Expert Review Committee on COVID-19, Professor Oyewale Tomori, who spoke to The PUNCH, were not against the orientation, they warned that there would be problems if COVID-19 protocols were not obeyed in the camps. Read more
Iraq attack: Bombing at Baghdad market kills Eid shoppers (BBC)
At least 25 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in a bomb attack on a busy market in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, security sources say.
The device exploded in a market, in the northern Sadr City area, as families prepared for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha on Tuesday.
It was the deadliest bombing in Baghdad in six months.
Islamic State group (IS) has claimed responsibility, saying one of its members detonated an explosive vest. Read more
Ethiopia News Website to Resume Operations After Suspension (VOA)
A portion of the Addis Standard is seen in this screenshot.
Ethiopia’s news website Addis Standard says it has been given approval by the government to resume operations this week after it was suspended over accusations it advanced the agenda of fighters in the war-torn northern Tigray region.
The English-language website and monthly magazine said Monday that the country’s media regulator admitted legal missteps in revoking the outlet’s license but reiterated that the news media must stop publishing specific references it says mischaracterize the Tigray region.
The Ethiopia Media Authority (EMA) has warned media outlets, including the Voice of America, not to refer to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) as a national army by calling it the Tigray Defense Force or TDF.
Ethiopia’s government has been battling the TPLF in the country’s north since November, and in May it designated the group a terrorist organization. The TPLF is a former member of the coalition that ruled Ethiopia for more than 30 years. Read more
Jeff Bezos to blast into space aboard New Shepard rocket ship (BBC)
Billionaire Jeff Bezos will blast into space on Tuesday, in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard.
He will be accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student.
They will travel in a capsule with the biggest windows flown into space, offering stunning views of the Earth.
New Shepard, built by Bezos’ company Blue Origin, is designed to serve the burgeoning market for space tourism. Read more
Zoom stock tanks on news of $14.7 billion Five9 deal (NYPost)
Zoom’s stock tanked Monday morning after the video conferencing company revealed plans to buy call centre software company Five9 for $14.7 billion.
An hour after markets opened, Zoom shares were trading down 3.9 per cent at $348.00, according to MarketWatch data, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index was down just 1.5 percent.
Meanwhile, shares of Five9 — which sells software used by call center workers for companies like Under Armour and Lululemon — were up about 4.3 percent at $185.17.
Under the terms of the all-stock deal, which was approved by the boards of both companies, Five9’s shares are valued at about $200 each — a serious premium over their current price. Read more
Germany floods: Officials rebuke criticism amid cleanup efforts (DW)
Top German officials have defended their handling of the country’s worst flooding in decades. Local residents in western Germany are reeling from the devastation, as cleanup efforts persist.
With survivors facing the scale of destruction wrought by the deadly flooding in western Germany, the authorities have defended their response to the disaster.
So far, at least 165 people have been confirmed dead from the floodwaters. This tally includes 117 people in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and 47 fatalities in neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia. One person is confirmed to have died in Bavaria.
The German military has deployed around 1,000 soldiers for relief efforts in the three states most impacted by the flooding. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing. Read more
Prince Harry promises to share ‘highs and lows’ in memoir (BBC) The Duke of Sussex will share “mistakes and lessons learned” during his life in a memoir to be published next year.
Announcing the deal with publishers Penguin Random House, Prince Harry said he would reflect “the highs and lows” and be “accurate and wholly truthful”.
Harry, who alongside his wife Meghan stepped back from royal duties last year, will donate proceeds to charity.
The BBC has been told the duke has recently spoken privately with his family about writing the book. Read more
Achiuwa, Vincent in, Moneke, Gbinije out of D’Tigers Olympic squad (Punch)
D’Tigers coach, Mike Brown, has named eight NBA stars in his final 12-man roster for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan with Miami Heat trio Precious Achiuwa, Gabe Vincent and KZ Okpala set to make their debuts at the global sports showpiece.
The Nigerians are billed to open their Olympics campaign against Australia at the Saitama Arena in Tokyo on July 25, with hopes of making it to the knockout stages after their impressive outings at their recent exhibition games in Las Vegas, where they beat No.1 ranked United States and fourth-ranked Argentina.
Josh Okogie (Minnesota Timberwolves), Miye Oni (Utah Jazz), Jordan Nwora (Milwaukee Bucks), Caleb Agada (Hapoel Be’er Sheva), Obi Emegano (Fuenlbrada, Spain), Chimezie Metu (Sacramento Kings) and Ike Nwamu (Samara, Russia), are all in line to fight for a starting berth at the Games
Others are centres Ekpe Udoh and Jahlil Okafor (Detroit Pistons). The players who failed to make the final roster are – Michael Gbinije (Nevėžis Kėdainiai); Stan Okoye (Herbalife Gran Canaria), Ike Ireogbu (Élan Chalon) and Chima Moneke. Read more
Gambia’s Gina Bass, the ‘poor Olympian’ sprinter, goes for the gold in Tokyo (RFI)
Gambia’s track queen Gina Bass, aka the “poor Olympian”, is one of four athletes all set for this year’s Tokyo Olympic Games as she aims to win a medal for the Gambia in the 200 metres.
It’s been a hard road to the Olympic games, but of late, Bass has had a series of successes despite other challenges.
Training has been a major challenge for sprinter Bass due to the Covid-19 restrictions. She had to spend most of her time at the country’s independent stadium to work towards her Olympic dreams, even though it wasn’t a standard training facility.
And this is in part where she earned the moniker the “poor Olympian”—she was given this name when she returned from the Rio games in 2016 as she struggled and continues to struggle to get enough money to even use public transport to go training.
Bass secured an Olympic qualification at the 2019 African games where she defeated Cote d’Ivoire’s star Marie Jose Talou to become Africa’s 200 meters champion. Read more
Sancho’s Man United move imminent, says Solskjaer (Vanguard)
Jadon Sancho’s proposed move to Manchester United is seemingly close to being confirmed after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suggested only “small details” are preventing an announcement.
United revealed a deal had been agreed with Borussia Dortmund for the transfer of Sancho at the end of June, with Stats Perform understanding the fee involved to be £72.9million.
That will make the England international United’s fourth most expensive player after Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, and Romelu Lukaku.
United, who had been keen on Sancho last year, said at the time that the winger’s medical and personal terms would be completed after his involvement in Euro 2020. Read more
Nigerian EPL stars worth N56.5bn (Punch)
A total of eight Nigerian players with a current value of €116,700,000 (N56,528,792,053) will file out for three clubs, Everton, Leicester City and Watford in the 2021/22 English Premier League campaign.
The latest financial value of the players were posted on respected independent football statistics website transfermarkt.com.
Some of the players, who arrived at their EPL clubs at higher value, have seen their stock slide, while others have seen their value increase due to consistent improvement in their play.
Watford boasts the highest number of Nigerian players this season – William Troost-Ekong, Emmanuel Dennis, Oghenekaro Etebo, Tom Dele-Bashiru, and Isaac Success
Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi are with FA Cup champions Leicester City, while Alex Iwobi will file out in the colours of Everton. Read more
Tokyo Olympics: Female USA gymnast tests positive for Covid-19 (BBC)
A female USA gymnast has tested positive for Covid-19 and another team member has been identified as a close contact.
The gymnast, who is not displaying any symptoms, tested positive at the team’s training camp in the city of Inzai.
Both athletes have now been transferred to a hotel to quarantine with the rest of the squad having moved to Athletes’ Village in Tokyo.
The US Olympic Committee (USOC) told BBC Sport the athlete was an alternate. Read more
Olympics chief admits ‘sleepless nights’ over troubled Tokyo Games (RFI)
Olympics chief Thomas Bach revealed “doubts” and “sleepless nights” over the postponed Tokyo Games on Tuesday as the opening ceremony nears after a year’s delay and coronavirus chaos that has made them deeply unpopular with the Japanese public.
Bach, speaking at the International Olympic Committee session in Tokyo, said the unprecedented step of postponing the Games had proved more complicated than he thought.
The build-up to Friday’s opening ceremony has been exceptionally rocky, with Tokyo still under a state of emergency and public opinion consistently against the Games, which will be held largely without spectators.”Over the past 15 months we had to take many decisions on very uncertain grounds. We had doubts every day. We deliberated and discussed. There were sleepless nights,” said Bach. Read more