Author: Akintayo Adams

The Federal Government has spent over $1.5 billion from 2020 to date to protect the nation’s oil installations and curb crude oil theft, according to the Secretary of the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume. Akume, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services, Maurice Nandi made this known on Thursday at a public hearing of the House of Representatives on crude oil theft. The statement noted that the Federal Government was worried about the report of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) which pointed to over $46 billion worth of stolen crude between 2009 and 2020.…

Andy Murray has withdrawn from the singles competition in the Olympics but will play doubles in Paris in the final event of his career. The three-time Grand Slam champion has confirmed he will retire at the end of his fifth Games. This means the final singles match of his career was against Jordan Thompson in the second round at Queen’s in June, when he was forced to retire with a back injury. That injury also led him to withdraw from the singles at Wimbledon, but he did play a final doubles match at the venue where he won two of…

Mai Son District has experienced continuous heavy rain since Tuesday, leading to severe flooding. As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, three residents have been confirmed dead and five others are missing due to landslides. “The damage from the floods is extensive, and the numbers [of dead and missing persons] will constantly change,” said a district official. In Thuan Chau District, another woman went missing amid the flooding. Son La City, the capital of Son La Province, saw main roads turning into torrents, flooding homes. Rescue teams have been dispatched to assist with evacuations. In Hoa Binh Province, Provincial Road 433 leading…

The Osi Balogun of Ibadanland, Oba Lateef Gbadamosi Adebimpe, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 79. According to reports, Oba Adebimpe attended the coronation of the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Akinloye Olakulehin, Ige Olakulehin I, on Friday, July 12. He had been hospitalized since July 13 due to illness. A family source confirmed that the late Osi Balogun’s remains will be buried at his family compound in Odinjo, Ibadan. It should be noted that his father, Oba Gbadamosi Akanbi Adebimpe, was the 35th Olubadan of Ibadanland, reigning for 18 months from December 10, 1976, until his…

A man has been charged with attempted murder over the stabbing of an army officer outside a barracks in Kent. The soldier suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital after the attack in Sally Port Gardens in Gillingham, which happened at 5:55 pm on Tuesday. Anthony Esan, 24, was arrested following the incident and is due to appear in court on Thursday, Kent Police said in a statement. “Detectives investigating the serious assault of a soldier in Gillingham have charged a man with attempted murder,” a spokesperson said. “Kent Police was called to Sally Port Gardens at around 5.55pm…

The Defence Headquarters, Abuja has said that the proposed nationwide protest is uncalled for. It said the demonstration is intended to replicate what happened in the East African country of Kenya. Addressing journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj Gen Edward Buba, said based on intelligence at its disposal, the proposed nationwide protest would be hijacked by some unscrupulous elements. “While citizens have the right to peaceful protest, they do not have the right to mobilise for anarchy and unleash terror.” “It is easy to see that the contemporary context of the planned protest is…

A man, who prefers to be known as Zurrad, advertised and sold one of his kidneys for RM100,000 to pay off his father’s debt to loan sharks. It was reported that his father took a loan to be used for investment purposes but ended up incurring losses. He said he then decided to advertise his organ on Facebook because he could no longer endure being chased by loan sharks every day in Dec 2022. “Our family didn’t know that my father was in debt until he sold his old car, claiming it was rarely used. “It turned out that my…

The first event of the Paris Olympics 2024 was marred by controversy as the football men’s Group B match between Argentina and Morocco had to resume behind closed doors after the full-time whistle. The match ended in chaos at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint Etienne, with fans storming the pitch and objects being thrown at players, leading to an immediate suspension with the score at 2-2. The official Paris Olympics website released a statement: “Argentina vs Morocco to resume behind closed doors — the players will be back out at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard shortly. Three minutes will be played with…

Embattled American music mogul, Sean Combs, aka Diddy, has been implicated in the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur. According to court documents obtained by the U.S. Sun, Diddy is accused of paying $1 million for Shakur’s assassination by suspect Duane “Keefe D” Davis, who was arrested for the murder last year. The documents, filed on Thursday, July 18, name Diddy 77 times using various pseudonyms: Puffy, Puff Daddy, Puff, and his government name, Sean Combs. They state, “Defendant [Keefe] has asserted publicly that he only told on himself and wasn’t trying to provide evidence against anyone else in his…

A passenger plane crashed on take-off in Kathmandu on Wednesday, killing all 18 aboard except the pilot, who was rescued from the wreckage, Nepali police reported. The Saurya Airlines flight carried two crew members and 17 staff members. Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki stated, “The pilot has been rescued and is being treated. Eighteen bodies have been recovered, including one foreigner. We are in the process of taking them for post-mortem.” The Civil Aviation Authority identified the deceased foreigner as a Yemeni citizen. A news release from the airport explained the aircraft “veered off to the right and crashed on…