Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum confirmed the attack on a convoy of government officials by suspected Boko Haram which led to the death of many security personnel.
At least 15 security personnel, comprising soldiers, police officers and operatives of the Civilian-JTF were killed in an ambush while on escort duty to officials of the state government as they headed towards Baga town.
Governor Zulum was billed to officially return the people of Baga to their communities nearly three years after Boko Haram sacked them.
The governor’s spokesman, Isa Gusau, in a statement issued on Saturday explained what happened.
He said three separate convoys, one of the governor, the second, that of a government committee, and the third, a security escort team, were arranged for the trip.
Mr Gusau explained the security team was attacked long after the others had arrived Baga.
Mr Gusau said his boss was saddened by the loss of lives.
One person died and three others sustained different degrees of injuries on Sunday following an accident involving two vehicles in front of Golden Gate, Ikoyi.
Mr. Nosa Okunbor, Head, Public Affairs, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) confirmed this while in Lagos.
Okunbor said the accident was as a result of over-speeding by the drivers, saying, “ the vehicles ran into each other at the intersection of the road”
He further said that the crash involved an unregistered Ford Ranger SUV and a Nissan SUV with registration number KD 499 GE.
“They had a head-on collision at the traffic stop junction of the road, our investigation shows that both vehicles were on top speed.
“One person, a man, died while three others sustained various degrees of injuries,” the LASEMA official said.
Okunbor said that two of the injured persons were attended to by the LASEMA’s paramedics before they were taken to the hospital.
He said that the affected vehicles had been moved to a police station.
Big Brother Naija housemate, Erica Nlewedim, was conspicuously missing at the all-white party on Saturday.
However, former contestants like Kiddwaya, Eric, Ozo, Tolanibaj, Wathoni and Prince were present for what will be the last party for this year’s competition.
Erica, interestingly posted a picture of herself in her all-white costume on social media, but never showed up for the event.
It might not be unconnected to the fact that she was disqualified from the reality show, after she got three strikes.
Recall that three weeks ago, Erica was not interviewed by host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, following her disqualification.
Erica became the fifth Big Brother Naija housemate to be disqualified in the history of the show, after Tacha, KBrule, Khloe and Kemen.
As with those before her, organizers had stayed away from associating with disqualified housemates for official engagements.
Ogun State Police Command has arrested eight suspected members of Black Axe (aka Aiye) confraternity.
They were nabbed on September 24 while mourning a colleague.
Public Relations Officer of the command, Abimbola Oyeyemi, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
The names and ages of those in custody are Olatunji Opeyemi, 26; Ayuba Oduola, 25; Sobowale Abiodun, 28; Sobowale Sunday, 25; Adelowo Olalekan, 32; Kareem Lanre, 21; Emmanuel Adebisi, 21; and Tobiloba Wasiu, 20.
The spokesman disclosed that they were nabbed following a complaint to Ogijo police station.
A 16-year-old boy, Onome Iduru, was shot during the cultists’ procession and was rushed to the station.
Oyeyemi said the cultists after opening fire on the victim, took his phone and unleashed terror on the community.
“Upon the report, the DPO Ogijo division, Muhammed Suleiman Baba led his men to the scene where eight members of the violent group were arrested after serious encounter with the policemen.
“A banner designed with the group insignia to announce the death of their member was recovered from them while the injured victim was taken to Oladayo hospital for medical attention,” he noted.
The Commissioner of Police, Edward Awolowo Ajogun, has ordered the transfer of the suspects to the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department.
Thirteen suspected Boko Haram terrorists alongside 6 women and 17 children from Kodila village have surrendered.
The suspected terrorists and their family members surrendered, on Saturday, September 26, to troops of 151 Task Force Battalion at Banki Junction in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.
A credible source from the Defence Headquater in Nigeria said they took the decision following the aerial bombardment and aggressive intensive clearance operation of the troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE on their village.
“They survived the aerial bombardment but were starving with nothing to fall back on. They have no choice than to surrender,” the source stated.
The suspected terrorists and their family members are now receiving medical attention at the 21 Special Armoured Brigade Medical Centre.
The suspects are also currently undergoing thorough profiling and investigation in line with global best practice in handling such cases.
The Nigeria Police Force has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress over the planned strike action and protest from Monday over the recent hike in electricity tariff and fuel price.
The two labour bodies have vowed to go ahead with the protest despite two court injunctions restraining the plan.
The National Industrial Court in Abuja had on Thursday granted an order of interim injunction restraining the unions from disrupting, restraining, picketing or preventing the workers or ordinary Nigerians from accessing their offices to carry out their legitimate duties on September 28, 2020, or any other date.
Justice Ibrahim Galadima, who also issued an interim order restraining the labour unions from embarking on the strike action, gave the ruling following an ex parte application filed by a group, Peace and Unity Ambassadors Association, through their counsel, Sunusi Musa.
The court also granted an order compelling the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General, Department of State Services, to provide protection for workers engaged in their legitimate duties from any form of harassment, intimidation and bullying by the officers, agents or privies of the unions pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
In another ruling on Friday, the judge issued another order restraining the unions from going ahead with the strike, following an ex parte application by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The Federal Government of Nigeria and the AGF are the plaintiffs in the second suit marked NICN/ABJ/257/2020. The ex parte application was signed by the AGF, Abubakar Malami (SAN).
However, the labour unions on Saturday insisted that they are yet to be served the court orders.
The labour unions added that the planned strike and protest will only be shelved if the Federal Government reversed the recent hikes.
The Nigerian police, however, reacted to the statement of the labour unions on Saturday.
The police said they would be guided by the position of the law on the matter.
“What does the law say in this circumstance? We would enforce the law. That is the only thing I can say,” Force spokesperson, DCP Frank Mba simply stated.
The United State Government said it will be conducting a survey that will cost it a total of $2.1million to determine the extent of Covid-19 transmission in three selected states of Gombe, Enugu, and Nasarawa states in Nigeria.
The US government in a statement over the weekend, said the survey will increase the current understanding of Covid-19 transmission and burden in these three states and inform Covid-19 response efforts of the Government of Nigeria and its partners.
According to the statement which was published on the twitter handle of the U.S Mission Nigeria, @USinNigeria, the survey will be conducted through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the University of Maryland, Baltimore which is one of its implementing partners in Nigeria, to provide technical assistance and oversee field implementation of the survey.
The survey which will be conducted between September and November with preliminary results expected to be released by December 2020, is part of the U.S. government’s bilateral efforts to improve the health and well-being of the Nigerian people.
The statement reads: “The survey will estimate the proportion of the population in these states who have ever been infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease.
“This will be accomplished by measuring the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the blood of volunteers. The survey will also estimate the proportion of people who have the disease but are not showing any symptoms, determine risk factors for infection, and measure the intra-household transmission of COVID-19.
“The survey will also estimate the prevalence of malaria and its potential relationship to SARS-CoV-2 infection. All members of selected households will be offered the opportunity to participate in the survey.
“If they agree, participants will answer a brief questionnaire, have their blood drawn and tested for the presence of COVID-19 antibodies, and receive a nasal swab and oropharyngeal swab to test for acute COVID-19. They will also have a rapid malaria test and receive malaria treatment if the test is positive.”
Superstar musician, David Adeleke professionally called Davido has announced the signing of a new artist, Deinde to his Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) record label.
In his announcement, he asked fans to join him in welcoming, Deinde to the record label.
Davido also appreciated the new artist’s talent saying he is a real gem with the microphone and with the pen.
“Everyone join me in welcoming my new artiste to the DMW family, Davido twitted.
“A real gem with the mic and pen. Trust me when I say watch out for what’s to come! Time for you to soar bro! Everyone go over to his page show him some love for me! #DMW shit! Bomb Smiling face with horns #Stay tuned!!
Other music acts signed to DMW are Mayorkun, Dremo, Yonda, Peruzzi, Idowest, DJ Ecool, Ichaba, Lil Frosh, new signing Deinde and Davido himself.
Nigerian-born UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya Adesanya, retained his title with a second-round knockout of Brazilian Paulo Costa.
The win is his 20th career MMA victory.
There was less action in the first round as both MMA fighters traded few kicks and punches with Costa pressing the champion but throwing few shots.
Adesanya came out with more purpose in the second round, outboxing his opponent and landing deadly shots.
In his previous fight, Adesanya beat Yoel Romero by decision at the UFC 248 pay-per-view event from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Adesanya delivered a perfect performance on Fight Island to retain his UFC middleweight title for the second time.
‘The Last Stylebender’ was absolutely flawless in Abu Dhabi, picking apart his far bigger opponent before landing brutal ground strikes in the second round.
Costa was left bloodied and bruised on the canvas, with his undefeated record in tatters after being picked apart so ruthlessly needing medical attention after the referee waved off the fight.
The Brazilian simply could not close the distance, eating brutal lead leg kicks, desperately swinging to try and land a powerful performance.
Adesanya became the new UFC middleweight champion when he finished Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 last October by TKO. Before that, he picked up a decision win over Kelvin Gastelum in the co-headliner of the UFC 236 pay-per-view event. Heading into this fight, he fought six times in less than a year-and-a-half total in the UFC and won all six bouts.
Costa was coming off a big win over Yoel Romero at the UFC 241 pay-per-view event. He previously beat Uriah Hall on the preliminary portion of the UFC 226 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Nevada. He entered this fight on a 12-fight winning streak.
Amid uncertainty over the planned nationwide strike and mass protest against the recent hike in prices of electricity tariff and petrol pump price scheduled for tomorrow, Organised Labour, has dismissed court orders aimed at stopping the strike.
Saying it does not obey rumours, Deputy President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and President of National Union of Construction, Civil Engineering, Furniture Workers, Amechi Asugwuni, said traditional allies have been mobilised ahead of tomorrow.
This came as the umbrella body for private sector employers in the country, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, warned of dire consequences for the nation’s struggling economy should it be disrupted by a national strike.
Recall that last Thursday’s meeting between representatives of the Federal Government and Labour leaders ended in a deadlock.
Affiliates of the two Labour centres in the country, the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, have been mobilizing workers for compliance.
Three persons have died of Covid-19 in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has announced.
Two of the deaths occurred in Plateau and one in Lagos, according to NCDC data.
“Till date, 58198 cases have been confirmed, 49722 cases have been discharged and 1106 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory”, NCDC said.
The announcement came as the virus spread slowed again, with the number of infections plunging.
From 213 cases reported on Friday, the infections fell to just 136 on Saturday.
Game Of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie are expecting their first child together.
The actress, who played Ygritte on the fantasy series opposite Kit’s Jon Snow, showed off her baby bump in stunning photos for Make Magazine.
Speaking to the publication, she explained that the pair of them have moved home to England ahead of having their baby.
‘What a glorious thing to be able to run to the countryside and recoup,’ she said.
‘It’s a great privilege to be surrounded by greenery, birdsong and hedgerows, and our delightful neighbours. It’s so peaceful.’
The couple met on the set of the fantasy series, and played on-screen lovers.
Kit, 33, previously opened up about falling in love with his wife on the set of the show, when the pair of them visited Iceland to shoot.
He told Vogue Italia: ‘Because the country is beautiful, because the Northern Lights are magical, and because it was there that I fell in love.
‘If you’re already attracted to someone, and then they play your love interest in the show, it’s becomes very easy to fall in love.’
They got engaged in 2017 before tying the knot in 2018 in a fairytale wedding, with the likes of Sophie Turner, Emilia Clarke, and Peter Dinklage attending the big day in Scotland.
Ahead of the sweet announcement, the actor opened up about his own childhood, revealing he was raised ‘gender-fluid’.
He told The Telegraph: ‘I asked for a Mighty Max and she bought me a Polly Pocket
‘I asked for an Action Man and I got a doll – it was very gender fluid from the word go. And I went with it.’
A Brazilian judge on Saturday called off the league match between Palmeiras and Flamengo due to be played on Sunday.
This was after at least 16 players from the Rio club as well as the team coach tested positive for COVID-19.
Flamengo said it only had nine outfield players and three goalkeepers available for the match, which will pit last year’s champions against home club, Palmeiras.
Palmeiras are the only team in the Serie A to remain unbeaten after 10 games.
The decision, taken by a Rio de Janeiro labour court and reported by Brazilian news sites, followed an appeal by the union of football club employees.
The union said its members and their families would be at risk if the game went ahead.
Both the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and the country’s sports tribunal had rejected Flamengo’s request to halt the game.
The CBF said clubs had the right to register 40 players and so Flamengo should have enough players available.
It has not yet responded to the court decision.
Brazil has recorded the second-highest number of coronavirus deaths after the U.S.
More than 140,000 Brazilians have died from the virus.
Football restarted in the country in June with Flamengo kicking off the Rio de Janeiro state championship.
Former Minister of Education (State), Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, on Saturday, reacted to the report that four staff of Signatious Hotel, who were allegedly stripped n.a.k.e.d, photographed, arrested and dragged before a Magistrate Court in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State over missing money.
Gbagi, who is gunning for the governorship position in Delta State, spoke at a press conference held in his Oginibo country home in Ughelli South Local Government Area.
He denied any involvement in the act, which has been widely condemned by the members of the public especially the human rights community.
Gbagi also said none of his children had a hand in the act, which he claimed were politically motivated.
The politician, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of the hotel, noted that there was no warrant for his arrest from the Inspector-General of Police to him concerning the incident.
“There’s no invitation to me from the Police. I will honour the Police invitation if am invited. The Police had invited people who are higher than me, even presidents. Who am I? I will honour the Police invitation.”
While pointing out that he was at the burial ceremony of his late elder Sister, Mrs. Doris Gbagi Emareyor, Gbagi said he was never arrested by any team of policemen from Abuja.
He, however, promised to honour the invitation of the IGP if he is invited for questioning over the incident.
It was widely reported on Friday that the Inspector-General of Police had issued a warrant for the arrest of Chief Gbagi over his alleged involvement in the incident after the police raided the hotel and arrested two staff.
A middle-aged man, Idowu Moses, on Saturday sustained gunshot injury following a clash between men of the Nigerian Customs Service and smugglers in Oja Odan, in Yewa South Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Moses, who is the Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Panel Beaters, Oja Odan branch, was hit by a stray bullet allegedly shot by a customs officer who was chasing smugglers in the area.
He was rushed to a hospital for medical attention.
Sources said some operatives of the NCS were in Oja Odan in about three patrol vehicles.
The sources said residents of the community could not identify what really led to the shootings by the Customs personnel.
“We didn’t know what happened. We just heard gunshots from the Customs officers and we saw Idowu on the floor. This was not the first time things like this was happening. We are tired,” an eyewitness recounted.
It was said that the NCS officers fled the community immediately they discovered somebody was hit by their bullet.
It was gathered that Idowu went into a coma as he was shot in the head.
“The bullet entered his head. We rushed him to the hospital immediately. They told us to go and remove the bullet. We took him somewhere to remove the bullet and we took him back to the hospital after that. We are just praying he doesn’t die. He is presently in a coma,” a source said anonymously.
Reacting to the incident, a member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon Wahab Haruna Egungbohun condemned the indiscriminate shooting of innocent souls in Yewa area of the state by men of the Nigeria Customs Service.
He frowned at the unprofessional act of Nigeria Customs saying that they are only mandated by the law to arrest and arraign smugglers in their pursuit to protect national integrity.
He added that it is not part of their duty to pursue smugglers to the town and start shooting, stressing that innocent souls are most times killed while shooting in the name of chasing smugglers.
Egungbohun, therefore, appealed to the Federal and State governments to as a matter of urgency take a look at the way men of the Nigeria Customs discharge their duty, reiterating that it’s becoming unbearable for people again as the community can no longer continue to be losing innocent souls in the hands of customs every day.
When contacted, the Ogun 1 NCS Area Command Spokesperson, Hammed Oloyede, said he has not received any information about the incident.
He promised to get back to our correspondent as soon as he receives detail about the incident
Just a few hours to the Lockdown season’s grand finale, the finalists were treated to one last Saturday night party, this time with evicted housemates in attendance.
It was all fun until the party ended and housemate, Nengi broke down in tears, lamenting that most of the evicted housemates who she thought were her friends ignored her during the party, including her ‘best friend’ Ozo.
Officers of Umunze division of Anambra Police Command, working with members of the local vigilance group in the early hours of Saturday arrested a 26-year-old man, Chisom Ogum, for allegedly clubbing his father to death and burying him in a shallow grave.
The suspect narrowly escaped being lynched to death by an angry mob who beat him to stupor at Umuomaku Community in Orumba South LGA of Anambra State where he committed the grievous crime.
Ogum allegedly ran amok in circumstances yet to be ascertained and in the process, attacked and killed his 70 years old father, Christopher Ogum with a shovel.
He proceeded to bury the remains of his father in a shallow grave.
It was gathered that after the incident, the suspect attempted to run away from the village, but was apprehended and beaten to stupor by some youths in the community who also forced him to exhume the corpse of his father from where he buried it.
Meanwhile, SP Haruna Mohammed, Spokesman of Anambra State Police Command said detectives have visited the scene of crime, photographed the remains of the victim before it was taken the mortuary for autopsy.
He added that the offensive weapon used in perpetrating the crime was also recovered as exhibit, while the Commissioner of Police ,CP John B.Abang, has ordered the case to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka for further investigation.
German automaker BMW has been slammed with an $18 million fine for allegedly inflating its sales figures while raising billions of dollars from investors.
The Munich-based company’s North American unit inflated US sales numbers from 2015 to 2019 to close the gap between its actual performance and internal targets, the Securities and Exchange Commission said.
The scheme involved a “bank” of unreported vehicle sales that BMW of North America used to meet its monthly goals regardless of when the sales actually occurred, officials alleged. The luxury automaker also paid dealers to inaccurately label cars “loaners” or “demonstrators” so it could falsely claim they had been sold to customers, authorities said.
BMW used these practices while raising about $18 billion through several corporate bond offerings, officials said. The information BMW gave investors for those offerings contained “material misstatements and omissions” about its US retail vehicle sales, according to the SEC.
“Companies accessing US markets to raise capital have an obligation to provide accurate information to investors,” Stephanie Avakian, director of the SEC’s enforcement division, said in a statement.
BMW and its American subsidiaries involved in the case, BMW of North America and BMW US Capital, agreed to the $18 million penalty without admitting or denying any of the SEC’s findings, the agency said.
The fine was less than 1 percent of the amount of money BMW allegedly raised from the bond offerings. But the SEC said it accounted for BMW’s cooperation with its probe even as the coronavirus pandemic forced companies around the world to close their offices.
BMW said most of the sales inflation happened more than three years ago and claimed it was the result of negligence rather than “intentional misconduct.”
“The BMW Group attaches great importance to the correctness of its sales figures and will continue to focus on thorough and consistent sales reporting,” the company said in a statement.
At least, 130 houses at the Kano Main Hajj Camp Quarters have been demolished by the Kano State Government to give way for a befitting Hajj Operational Center.
The demolishing exercise was carried out by the Kano Road Traffic Agency, KAROTA.
The Managing Director of KAROTA, Alhaji Baffa Babba Danagundi-led taskforce team was received by anguished from residents of the area.
Baffa Danagundi said for the last three years, government issued a notice to the occupants of the houses who were tenants, but remained adamant.
Danagundi maintained that in an effort to ease the pains of the people affected, government supported each tenant that has been drawn out of the house with a gesture of one hundred thousand naira each.
It could be recalled that sometime last year, the Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board took the matter to the court, seeking the court to eject the occupants from their houses.
