Friday
Leeds beat Derby 3-1, Barnsley score late to keep survival bid alive
Champions Leeds United mounted a second half comeback to win 3-1 at Derby County while Barnsley’s hopes of staying up in the second-tier Championship were given a huge boost when they beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 with a stoppage time goal on Sunday. Leeds, who sealed promotion on Friday and won the title on Saturday after West Bromwich Albion and Brentford failed to close the gap, extended their lead to eight points with one more round of fixtures left. Derby, who gave Leeds a guard of honour, took the lead when Chris Martin pounced on a pass inside the box and curled his shot past the keeper. The visitors struck back two minutes later when Pablo Hernandez fired home from the edge of the box. Tyler Roberts then threaded a weighted pass through the Derby defence to find Jamie Shackleton and t...
CCTV reveals Gokada founder’s ex-PA buying electric saw
Fresh facts have emerged that the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of Gokada founder and Chief Executive Officer, Fahim Saleh, bought an electric saw and some cleaning supplies seen at the scene of the incident. Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said Closed Circuit Television showed 21-year-old Tyrese Haspil buying the electric saw suspected to have been used in the grisly murder. Manhattan prosecutors revealed the details in a criminal complaint filed against Haspil, who was arraigned on a second-degree murder charge on Saturday, according to The Wall Street Journal. The video surveillance from a hardware store showed Haspil purchasing the saw and cleaning supplies found at the seventh-floor apartment on the Lower East Side, according to the complaint. Haspil, a former personal ass...
China discovers 16 new coronavirus cases in Xinjiang
A China’s western Xinjiang region saw a spike in coronavirus cases in the last one week, with 16 new cases reported by midnight Friday, according to China’s National Health Commission. Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang and home to 3.5 million people, has been on lockdown since Thursday after one patient tested positive midweek and four were found to be asymptomatic, according to Chinese news outlet ‘The Paper’. Since then, a handful of cases have emerged. Transportation, including flights and trains in Urumqi, has also been suspended, the Paper said. China has largely brought the coronavirus pandemic under control, but a small number of infections continue, according to official government figures. There are currently 252 active cases nationwide, according to the NHC. The new cases in Xinjia...
South Africa Super Rugby teams back in training on Monday
South Africa’s Super Rugby franchises will be allowed to start training next week, officials confirmed on Friday, a step closer to a return to the playing field after a frustrating four months. The game has been suspended in the country since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with South African Rugby having to sit idle as domestic competitions took flight in New Zealand and Australia. “This is an important first step back to playing, and we have taken it carefully to ensure full compliance and having thoroughly interrogated the regulations with government,” SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said in a statement. “Contact training will not be permitted for the moment but the players will be allowed back onto the field with a rugby ball and back into the gym – while observing strict proto...
Police ask Governor Wike to handover ex-NDDC chief
Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, has called on Governor Nyesom Wike to handover former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Joy Nunieh, to him. On Thursday, July 17, 2020, Governor Wike stopped police operatives from arresting Nunieh from her residence. The governor, who argued that the police had no arrest warrant, thereafter took Nunieh under protective custody in Government House, Port Harcourt. However, while addressing journalists at his office on Friday, July 18, 2020, in Port Harcourt, Mukan asked Wike to handover Nunieh to him, saying the former NDDC MD was under investigation. He said the police officers from the Inspector General of Police Monitoring Unit had been endorsed the Rivers State Police Command before going to Nunieh’s residence to arrest he...
Troops kill kidnap kingpin, rescue 32 hostages in Benue
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have killed a notorious kidnap kingpin, Zwa Ikyegh, at Tomayin village in Logo LGA of Benue State. The soldiers also rescued 32 hostages held captive for over a month. The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, in a statement on Friday, said that the operation was carried out on Thursday. It said that some suspected kidnappers escaped with gunshot wounds. The statement read, “Following credible intelligence on the activities of a notorious kidnap syndicate operating in the general area of Igbom village in Nenzev council ward of Logo LGA, troops of Sector 2 and 4, on July 16 carried out a raid operation on a suspected kidnappers den at Tomayin village in Logo LGA of Benue State. “The gallant troops responded with superior fire forcing...
Serge Aurier returns to home following brother’s tragic death
Tottenham star Serge Aurier has returned home to France to be by his mother’s side following the tragic death of his brother earlier this week. Christopher Aurier, 26, was reportedly shot in the stomach outside Kin’s nightclub in Tolouse around 5am on Monday morning. Aurier shared a heartfelt picture on Instagram on Friday of him embracing his mother, as the family continue to mourn Christopher’s death. The Ivorian international revealed he learned of the news after being sent a tweet by a friend and had to break the news to his mother. But despite the pain of the situation, Aurier insists he does not feel any ‘hatred’ towards the killer. Speaking to French publication La Depeche, Aurier said: ‘It was 7am. I was in bed at home when a friend sent me the image of a tweet. ‘I asked if he was ...
Lagos assemblymen go for coronavirus tests, fumigate complex
Pool Photo The Lagos State House of Assembly has directed all lawmakers to go for COVID-19 test following the death of the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Tunde Braimoh. Newsmen also gathered that the Assembly has been closed for fumigation. Braimoh, who represented Kosofe Constituency, died last Friday after a brief illness and was buried at the Ikoyi Cemetery. He was said to be close to the late Senator representing Lagos East, Bayo Osinowo, who died on June 15 of suspected COVID-19. The lawmaker representing Ifako Ijaiye, Temitope Adewale, in a statement on Tuesday, said he had gone for the test, adding his result returned negative. “As directed by the leadership of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Sunday, July 12, 2020, I went and submitted myself f...
Presidency: Why 2020 budget was increased despite drop in revenue
File Photo The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Umar El-Yakub, has said the decision of the Presidency to increase the 2020 Budget despite drop in revenue was meant to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s economy. President Muhammadu Buhari had on Friday signed the Appropriation (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2020 into law. The revised budget provides for aggregate expenditure of N10.81trn, which is an increase of N216bn over the level of expenditure initially proposed in the 2020 Appropriation Act. El-Yakub, in an interview with State House correspondents, attributed the increase to the government’s decision to prioritise infrastructure projects that would reflate the economy. He said, “One needs to und...
Court adjourns suit challenging Akindele, others’ conviction
Reuters A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday adjourned until July 21, to hear a suit challenging the legality of the conviction of Funke Akindele, her husband, Abdu-rasheed Bello, and 236 others. A Lagos-based Lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, had approached the court seeking a declaration that the law upon which Akindele and others were convicted was inconsistent with the 1999 constitution. Recall that Akindele, a popular actress; Bello, and others were arrested, tried and convicted for violating the Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020. She was said to have hosted a birthday party in her Lagos residence to celebrate her husband’s birthday, an act viewed as a violation of the state government’s regulation on infectious disease prevention. Akindele rose to...
NUJ: Restore military checkpoints on Okene-Lokoja-Abuja road
File Photo Amidst worsening security situation on the Okene-Lokoja-Abuja highway, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called for immediate restoration of military checkpoints on the road. The Chairman of the Kogi State council of NUJ, Adeiza Jimoh, made the appeal in a statement issued in Lokoja on Friday. He said that the incessant kidnappings and killings almost on a daily basis on the road by armed bandits necessitated the call. Mr Jimoh gave kudos to the police for their efforts at checkmating the criminals but said that the establishment of military checkpoints will further reduce criminal activities on the road. According to the statement, the Osara-Irepeni section of the road has become notorious for the activities of the men of the underworld. Newsmen recall that on the same...
Union Bank to provide potable water to six geo-political zones in Nigeria
File Photo Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) said on Friday that it would provide potable water to the six geo-political zones in the country as part of its support and Corporate Social Responsibility to Nigerians. Mrs Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, Head, Strategic Corporate Communications and Marketing, UBN, made the disclosure at a Virtual Media briefing organised for Financial Correspondents in Lagos. According to her, citizenship is a key pillar of how we want to build up our brand and support Nigerians. “What we want to do for our employee volunteer year this year is with the token our employees will donate and the small donations which the bank will bring. “We want to give the gift of potable water to the six geo-political zones in the country. “We will be working with a non-governmental organi...
