Lucid's blog

A plumber , Bankole Adeshina , has lost his life while working inside a well on Abosede Awolola Street in the Itamaga area of Ikorodu , Lagos State . PUNCH Metro gathered that Adeshina and his apprentice, Tajudeen Akasoro , were working together when the 50 - year - old , who was said to have supported himself with a rope, entered the well to do some repairs. While coming out , it was learnt that the rope snapped and Adeshina fell into the well . Immediately the incident happened , PUNCH Metro gathered that emergency responders , including personnel of the Lagos State Fire Service and the state police command from the Igbogbo Police Division were contacted to rescue the victim. However , efforts by Tajudeen and some residents to quickly rescue Adeshina proved abortive as he drowned. When PUNCH Metro visited the scene of the incident , residents who spoke on condition of anonymity , said officials of the fire service were assisted by the police to recover Adeshina ’ s corpse from the we...

A former Head of State , Gen. Yakubu Gowon ( retd ) , on Thursday raised the alarm that some persons with sinister motives did not want peace to prevail in Nigeria. Gowon , however , expressed optimism that through prayers, the country would overcome such challengers so that Nigeria would not break up . He spoke at a thanksgiving service and reception in honour of the Executive Secretary , Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission , Rev . Yakubu Pam , at the National Christian Centre, Abuja. Represented at the event by a former governor of Benue State and Minister of Special Duties and Inter - Governmental Affairs , Senator George Akume, the former head of state also warned against undermining the territorial integrity of Nigeria. Gowon said , “ There are people with sinister motives who wouldn ’ t want peace , but through prayers we will overcome so that Nigeria will not go asunder . This country is too big and too versed , with a population of 200 million people . A scholar said that we...

The Nigerian Army has dismissed over 300 soldiers from service for deserting the Operation Lafiya Dole counter - insurgency campaign in the North- East and going away without leave , among other allegations . Findings by our correspondent revealed that the men were disengaged by their unit commanders between 2015 and 2016 . Investigations showed that some of the soldiers were also discharged for certificate forgery , age fraud, inconsistent Bank Verification Number and other conduct deemed inappropriate by the various unit commanders . Records obtained by The PUNCH on Thursday show that 24 soldiers of the 118 Task Force Battalion , Kaura Cross, Baga , were dismissed from the military on December 13 , 2015 , for refusing to board an articulated truck from Maimalari cantonment to Baga . The men had complained about the mode of transportation and proceeded to trek for five days to the battlefront at Baga to retake the location from Boko Haram. On arrival , their Commanding Officer, Col . ...

Dutch airline KLM said Friday it would shed up to 5 , 000 jobs due to a “ crisis of unprecedented magnitude ” caused by the coronavirus pandemic . The carrier , part of the Air France KLM group , said the cuts through the end of 2021 were necessary as it had made huge losses despite a 3 . 4 - billion - euro ( $ 4 . 0 -billion ) Dutch government bailout . The cuts would involve around 1 , 500 compulsory layoffs from KLM ’ s current workforce of 33 , 000, the airline said . There would also be 2 , 000 voluntary redundancies announced earlier this year , while further cuts would be made through non - renewal of 1 , 500 temporary contracts. “ KLM is in the throes of a crisis of unprecedented magnitude … Expectations are that the road to recovery will be long and fraught with uncertainty, ” KLM said in a statement . “ This means that KLM ’ s structure and size must be rigorously adjusted even further in the years ahead . Consequently , a total of 4 , 500 to 5 , 000 positions in the entire K...

A soldier serving with the 202 Battalion of the 21 Special Armoured Brigade , Bama , Borno State , has shot dead his adjutant , Lt . Babakaka Ngorgi, for allegedly refusing to give him a travel pass to enable him resolve his inability to access his salary account , which had been frozen for about eight months . The private , whose identity could not be ascertained , was said to have fired some rounds at the officer, who was making a phone call in front of the unit headquarters on Wednesday . The killer soldier was immediately taken into custody at the scene of the incident , while the remains of the officer were evacuated to the 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital . The shooting reportedly threw the officers and men of the 202 Battalion into confusion . Military sources said the suspected killer ’ s bank account was frozen by the authorities because he went AWOL ( away without official leave ) for six months . He was said to have returned to his unit in Bama and had been pestering...

SOME NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER HEADLINES, 31/07/2020 Punch Buhari, Afenifere, others mourn as Fasanmi dies at 94 COVID-19 guidelines not designed to oppress Nigerians –Buhari I will deploy hunters if military cannot secure Baga – Zulum Army dismisses 300 soldiers for desertion, BVN inconsistency Widows, IDPs knock FG over amnesty for B’Haram fighters Soldier goes berserk, kills senior officer over frozen salary account WHO fears increased COVID 19 infections as Muslims celebrate Sallah Brazil’s first lady contracts COVID-19 Foreign reserves drop by $673.13m in two months IMF introduces new transparency code for Nigeria, others 2023: PANDEF, MASSOB knock Daura over comment on zoning MTN Nigeria posts 4.7% decline in profit after tax Bama gets Nigerian factory Group unveils ‘Naija Unity House’ reality show Ganduje organises prayer against COVID-19 Don’t come to Benue with Miyetti Allah’s vigilante – State Diri hails Diete-Spiff on 78th birthday Ban on religious gatherings subsists –Ondo Oyo ope...

The Chairman , Nigerians in Diaspora Commission , Abike Dabiri- Erewa , has appealed to the Niger Delta Development Commission to pay the allowances , tuition and other incentives of students on its scholarship scheme in the United Kingdom. She said the students had turned beggars following the non - payment of their tuition and allowances by the NDDC. Some of the affected students had complained that they had been suspended by their schools for non - payment of tuition and other fees. But Dabiri - Erewa in a statement on Tuesday by Mr Gabriel Odu of the NiDCOM Media , Public Relations and Protocol Unit , made reference to a letter written to the Minister of the Niger Delta , Sen . Godswill Akpabio, dated June 18 , 2020 , drawing attention to the plight of the students , and urging the NDDC to pay them . The statement read , “ At the moment , there have been persistent calls by the students for urgent intervention . “ While the deadline for payment of the fees of some of the students h...

The Peoples Democratic Party has postponed its scheduled party primaries in Ekiti, Niger, Sokoto and Taraba States indefinitely . This was contained in a letter titled : “ Re : Re : Year 2020 Party Congresses in 26 ( Twenty Six ) Chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) , Postponement of Party Congresses in Ekiti, Niger , Sokoto and Taraba States ” addressed to the Chairman , Independent National Electoral Commission , on Monday, July 27 th . It was signed by the PDP National Chairman , Uche Secondus and National Secretary , Senator Umar Tsauri . In the letter which was received and acknowledged by INEC on Tuesday , the party said it was postponing the primaries in the four states because of “ unforeseen circumstances . ” A copy of the letter sighted by The PUNCH late on Tuesday read in part “ Please refer to our earlier letter with reference No : PDP / DOM CF . 2 / VolIC /20 - 094, in which we informed the Commission ( INEC ) of our Time table and schedule of activities for th...

When in 2017 farmers were attacked in Saki in the Atisbo local government area of Oyo state many discerning observers shrugged it off as just another in a series of attacks that had assumed the dimension of the norm while others survived, Shina Jaiyeola whose brother Jaiyeola Ayokunle has a farm in the area and Jelili an indigene of Shaki and a famer were not so lucky as they paid the supreme price. Going farther north of Nigeria, people of the Agatu community in Benue state were also in the firing line of marauding herdsmen with some observers in that part of Nigeria positing that the rampage that led to the killing of hundreds of villagers and the sacking of villages and communities is of genocidal proportion and that the perpetrators may not be Nigerians. Since the beginning of the year, the issue of security has again become a major sticking point between the government and most Nigerians with killings spread over most parts of Nigeria from Niger state to Zamfara to Kaduna and even...

A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress , Adams Oshiomhole , has declared that he sold a bad product to Edo State people in 2016 . He stated that he supported the governorship aspiration of Godwin Obaseki in 2016 to ensure the continuity of his projects and programmes. Oshiomhole stated these on Sunday at the Government Reservation Area, Benin , while addressing members of the APC. He said , “ Obaseki is MoU ( Memoranda of Understanding) governor , but Pastor Osagie Ize - Iyamu is a man of God, who will ensure good governance in Edo State from November 12 this year . “ I have made my honest mistakes . Only God is perfect. I am now 68 years old . I have come to apologise for the mistake of supporting Obaseki in 2016 . I am in Edo State to repair my mistakes . “ Obaseki has abused the trust of Edo people . With our permanent voter cards , we shall punish Obaseki on September 19 . Ize - Iyamu will not repeat the mistakes of Obaseki. Ize - Iyamu will take Edo State to t...

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs , Godswill Akpabio, has linked some members of the National Assembly to some contracts awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission , The PUNCH has learnt . Akpabio, however , did not state if the lawmakers were directly awarded the contracts or they nominated the projects under their Zonal Intervention Projects , also known as constituency projects. The former Chairman , House of Representatives Committee on the NDDC, Mr Nicholas Mutu , who represents the Bomadi /Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State , is among those linked by the minister with contracts. The minister listed Mutu ’ s name against 74 projects, including various emergency road projects in Delta , Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers states . The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had on February 3 , 2020 , arraigned Mutu before Justice Folashade Giwa - Ogunbanjo of the Federal High Court in Abuja for alleged abuse of office and fraud involving about N 320m . Akpabio also link...

A former Executive Director with First Bank of Nigeria Plc , Dauda Lawal , appeared before the Justice Ayo Salami - led presidential panel on Saturday to give evidence against the suspended Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission , Ibrahim Magu . Lawal is currently standing trial before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly receiving $ 25 m out of the $ 153m loot traced to a former Minister of Petroleum Resources , Diezani Alison- Madueke . A source close to the panel said the former banker was invited as part of a probe into the investigative deficiencies of the EFCC under Magu . He said Lawal was asked to testify without prejudice to his ongoing corruption trial . It was learnt that while the former banker was giving his testimony , Magu walked into the venue at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa around 12 pm , three hours before he was scheduled to appear . A top source said , “ Lawal appeared before the panel to clarify some allegations he had made in...

555 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-156 Kano-65 Ogun-57 Plateau-54 Oyo-53 Benue-43 FCT-30 Ondo-18 Kaduna-16 Akwa Ibom-13 Gombe-13 Rivers-12 Ekiti-9 Osun-8 Cross River-3 Borno-2 Edo-2 Bayelsa-1 40,532 confirmed 17,374 discharged 858 deaths 

Tunisia ’ s interior minister Hichem Mechichi has been appointed to form the next government , the president ’ s office said , amid political tensions among major parties in the North African country . The 46 - year - old lawyer succeeds Elyes Fakhfakh , who resigned as prime minister earlier this month — but Mechichi was not one of the names proposed by the ruling political parties to President Kais Saied . In a statement following Saturday’ s announcement , Mechichi said he would “ work to form a government that meets the expectations of all Tunisians ” . Tunisia has been praised as a rare success story for democratic transition after the Arab Spring regional uprisings sparked by its 2011 revolution . But its leaders have struggled to meet the expectations of the Tunisian people and the already fragile economy has been battered by the closure of the country’ s borders because of the COVID - 19 pandemic . The disease has claimed around 50 lives and infected more than 1 , 400 people in...

Regis Philbin, an award - winning fixture of American talk show culture , has died at the age of 88 , media reports said Saturday. Philbin, a playful and self - deprecating New Yorker with a thick Bronx accent , died Friday of natural causes , People magazine reported, quoting a statement from the family . Philbin was best known to many Americans as co - host of a daytime talk show that began in 1988 called “ Live ! With Regis and Kathie Lee . ” Working with Kathie Lee Gifford and later with another co - host , Philbin appeared on the show for 23 years . Part of his popular shtick was to spend a few minutes at the beginning of each show talking about banalities like where he had dinner the night before . Philbin also hosted the wildly popular “ Who Wants to be a Millionaire ” game show , which ran from 1999 to 2002 . He won Emmys as a talk show and game show host . And he held the Guinness record for number of hours spent on television in America — about 17 , 000 , according to The New...

South Africa ’ s Trade Minister Ebrahim Patel on Saturday tested positive for COVID - 19 , the cabinet said , the fourth minister to contract the virus in Africa ’ s hardest - hit country . Cabinet spokeswoman Phumla Williams said in a statement that Patel , 58 , received his results on Saturday. “ Minister Patel is in good spirits and is in self - quarantine , and will continue to work from home , ” Williams said . “ Those that have been in contact with the Minister are also in self - isolation and have been encouraged to get tested , ” she added . Four ministers and several MPs have so far contracted coronavirus in South Africa , which has the highest numbers of diagnosed infections in Africa and ranks fifth in the world after the United States , Brazil , India and Russia. On Monday, both Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi , 61 , and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe , 65 , were separately admitted to hospital with the virus . The fourth is Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula...

There is no doubt that controversial singer , Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley , has a lot of fans and their numbers seem to be growing by the day . Despite his vulgar lyrics , the Opotoyi singer ’ s admirers are drawn from various walks of life . However , many were surprised when a 56 -year - old actor , Jude Chukwuka , became an Internet sensation after posting video clips of himself singing along to one of Marley’ s songs titled , Mafo . In an interview with Sunday Scoop , Chukwuka , who speaks Yoruba fluently , said , “ I enjoy singing and in recent times , Naira Marley has become my favourite artiste . It ’ s like I help my contemporaries to hear and understand what these young boys are doing. I don’ t know why the video of Mafo that I posted went viral . I had actually wanted to do another song but I changed my mind and that one went viral . I didn ’ t know it was going to spark such an interest globally and I’ m glad it did . I cannot say how long it took me to learn the lines b...

SOME NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER HEADLINES, 26/07/2020 Punch Military chiefs got N238bn for weapons, others in two years –Report 601 repentant terrorists graduate, paid N20,000 each Magu replacement: Senate seeks Nigerians’ input to amend EFCC Act COVID-19: Death toll now 856 as cases hit 39,977 COVID-19: NAFDAC completes lab analysis of Madagascar drug COVID-19: Poor Ghanaians to enjoy free electricity till 2021 Abuja-Kaduna train service resumes July 29 — Amaechi Minister orders NIPOST to suspend new courier service fees Student arrested for opening Jonathan parody account denied access to lawyers NIESV president opposes FIRS duty on lease agreements Police arrest boyfriend after lover dies of stomach ache How policemen brutalised me, beat my mum — 22-year-old student TUC to mobilise mass protest over NDDC graft, others Buhari, Tinubu, Lawan, Saraki, APC govs mourn AbdulRazaq’s father Buhari came into government without tested programmes – Yakasai Poll: PDP considers Ondo deputy gov as Jegede...

A Rohingya migrant is feared to be the only survivor from a boat carrying at least two dozen asylum seekers that is believed to have run into difficulty off the Malaysian coast near Thailand , a coastguard official said Sunday. Mohamad Zawawi Abdullah , coastguard chief for the northern states of Kedah and Perlis, said the 27 - year - old named Nor Hossain was detained by police after he swam to shore on the resort island of Langkawi . “ Based on the information from the police, the illegal Rohingya migrant had jumped off the boat that had 24 other people and that he was the only one who managed to swim to the shore safely , ” Zawawi said . A search and rescue operation had been launched, but another official told AFP that no bodies or survivors have been found . It is not clear what happened to the boat . Muslim - majority Malaysia is a favoured destination for Rohingya , who face persecution in their mostly Buddhist homeland of Myanmar , but authorities have in recent months been try...

The Federal Government has approved 14 airports to restart flight operations after months of closure due to lockdown occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic . The Minister of Aviation , Hadi Sirka , announced this on Sunday morning , noting that the airports were authorised to resume domestic operations only as the date for international flights was yet to be announced. The airports are the Murtala Muhammed International Airport , Lagos ; Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport , Abuja; Malam Aminu Kano International Airport , Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport , Omaguwa ; Sam Mbakwe Aiport , Owerri . Others include Maiduguri Airport , Maiduguri ; Victor Attah Airport , Uyo ; Kaduna Airport , Kaduna ; Yola Airport , Yola ; Margaret Ekpo Airport , Calabar; Sultan Abubakar Aiport , Sokoto ; Birnin Kebbi Airport , Kebbi ; Yakubu Gowon Aiport , Jos; and Benin Aiport , Benin . “ Glad to announce that the following airports are open for full domestic operations , hence ministerial approval...

An American man has been arrested at Toulouse airport while trying to flee to Indonesia after allegedly killing his French wife whose dismembered remains were found by police , prosecutors said on Saturday. The man has confessed to killing Laure Kruger , 52 , who taught French at a school in Jakarta , the prosecutors said . He is due to appear before a judge on Sunday . Kruger ’ s LinkedIn profile states that she had been living in the Indonesian capital since 2015 and had earlier worked in Shanghai, Cairo and Hawaii . The couple used to vacation in France and had a holiday home in the village of Peyriac - sur - Mer on the Atlantic coast in southern France. Kruger ’ s father alerted police when the couple failed to visit him as planned before leaving for Indonesia . The police found her luggage in the apartment and her dismembered remains in a rainwater drain nearby . The man was arrested at the airport just before he was about to board the plane . This latest murder brings the number ...

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a man , Amosu Funso , over the death of his girlfriend , Precious Udochi , in Ogombo , Ajah area of the state . Funso had gone to the Ogombo Police Division on July 18 to report that Udochi died after complaining of stomach pains and the police detained him . Our correspondent learnt from a police report that Funso and Udochi were both live- in - lovers in Abraham Adesanya Estate , in the Ogombo area before the incident occurred . The police report said Udochi ’ s corpse was found in the house and no mark of violence was observed on her body . A police source said , “ On June 17 , his girlfriend who is living with him , one Udochi , returned from work at about 7 . 20 pm and complained to him that she was having a stomach ache . She started going to the toilet and later asked him to buy her food . After eating , she slept off. At midnight , she started vomiting . “ On June 18 , at about 8 am , she was rushed to a private hospital in the Sangot...

A high school reunion trip in Vietnam took a fatal turn on Sunday when a bus carrying the alumni crashed and flipped over at a bend on the highway , killing more than a dozen passengers . The nearly 40 passengers on the bus were classmates from Dong Hoi High School who were travelling to visit the area in central Quang Binh province for the 30 th anniversary of their graduation . But the driver lost control on a sharp turn on the highway, said state media . At least 13 people were killed , and many more injured. “ People on the coach said that when the coach was travelling down the slope, there were signs the brakes were broken, ” reported Tuoi Tre newspaper . Images shared on news websites showed a bus on its side in a gutter by the asphalt road , with bystanders looking on as rescuers tended to the injured. Travelling on Vietnam ’ s roads can be a hazardous affair , and World Health Organization says traffic accident injuries are the leading cause of death for those aged 15 - 29 .

Controversy has continued to trail the reported order by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed , to the National Broadcasting Commission to shut down the Big Brother Naija reality television show . The Acting Director - General of the NBC , Armstrong Idachaba , had allegedly told senior management members of the commission at a meeting during the week that he had been directed by the minister to shut down the show due to the coronavirus pandemic . MultiChoice Limited had subsequently replied the NBC stating the measures taken to forestall any violation of the COVID - 19 protocols advised by the Presidential Task Force on COVID - 19 , adding that the Lagos State Safety Commission gave approval for the show . Meanwhile , Nigerians on Twitter have expressed diverse views on the matter . @ VirginSearcher tweeted , “ I’ m not his fan /APC fan but this one , I support it because it ’ s a very useless show . How can one sit at home every day watching people seated in a house d...

The annual Osun Festival was held in the ancient town of Ile - Ife in Osun State on Saturday. This happened at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has forced a number of states to ban traditional festivities so as to maintain social distancing and curb the spread of the lethal virus that has killed over 800 Nigerians in the last five months . the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland , Oba ( Dr ) Sikiru Adetona , recently called off this year ’ s edition of the annual Ojude Oba Festival scheduled to hold August 2 , 2020 . The Ojude Oba Festival , arguably one of the biggest culture fiestas in Nigeria which takes place two days after Eid - el - Kabir , was cancelled due to the need to avoid large gatherings, said a statement by the coordinator of the festival and Baagbimo of Ijebu , Chief Fassy Yusuf. Similarly , the Ekiti State COVID - 19 Response Task Force last week banned the celebrations of all traditional festival for the same reason . However , the Osun Festival which is nota...

Three more corpses have been recovered from the scenes of the rainstorm that wrecked havoc in Rafin Sanyi in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State , bringing the death toll to ten. The Chairman of the LGA , Abdullahi Maje , disclosed this in an update on Saturday. Seven dead bodies had earlier been recovered following the torrential rains which occurred on Friday night in the area . Maje said the search operation was being conducted by a combined team of the Nigeria Police Force , the Niger State Emergency Management Agency and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps , among others . He said the three corpses had already been deposited at the Sabon Wuse General Hospital morgue . “ The search operation is ongoing and I appeal to members of the public , especially those residing around Unguwar Gwari, Rafin Sanyi , to support and cooperate with the search team for the success of the exercise, ” he said . He warned that the local government would not tolerate the erection of str...

Dapo Adelegan has emerged the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress in Ondo State . The Chairman , Electoral Matters of ADC , Anayo Arinze , described the party ’ s primary as peaceful while appreciating four aspirants who stepped down for Adelegan to fly the party ’ s flag in the forthcoming October 10 governorship election in the state . This was contained in a statement signed by the party ’ s National Publicity Secretary , Yemi Kolapo . Arinze said , “ Today , history is being made in Ondo State with the victory of Prince Dapo Adelegan . It is clear that from all we have seen here , ADC is going to emerge victorious in the forthcoming poll . The people are tired of the ruling party ; they are also clearly tired of the Peoples Democratic Party . “ We are a credible alternative . And we are presenting one of their very best sons to lead the state out of its present state of socio - economic neglect . Surely , we shall come out victorious . ” The governorship candi...

Nobel laureate , Prof Wole Soyinka , has said he was disappointed by a comment made by the late renowned novelist , Prof Chinua Achebe , shortly after he ( Soyinka ) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986 . In a conversation with an American - based Nigerian novelist , Okey Ndibe , which was aired on Channels Television’ s Book Club , Soyinka said he considered the particular remark by Achebe uncalled for and disappointing . Ndibe had , during the conversation with Soyinka , recalled how Achebe , at one time , said , “ The Nobel Prize did not make one the Asiwaju of African Literature . ” He then asked Soyinka how he took that statement at the time . Responding , Soyinka said , “ The subject was not even literature when he ( Achebe ) made that statement and so I was disappointed that he created a nexus between my normal sociopolitical life and my normal way of articulating an opinion . “ It was almost like because I won the Nobel Prize , I have no right to offer , to do what I used...

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani militia on Thursday night reportedly invaded Agwala Magayaki of Doka Avong in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State , killing seven persons , including an 85 - year - old man . Some locals have been declared missing. Several houses were also razed during the attack . This was just as the Kaduna State Governor , Mallam Nasir el - Rufai , earlier on Thursday said banditry attacks were occurring everywhere in the North - West states of the country. He, however , said the attacks in Southern Kaduna were laced with ethnic and religious colourations . Giving the details of the latest attacks , a source told Saturday PUNCH on Friday that apart from those killed , scores were injured during the attack which took place at about 8 pm when the villagers were sleeping. The deceased had since been given mass burial while those who sustained varying degrees of injuries were admitted to the Idon General Hospital where they are currently receiving treatment . Our c...