The Presidency has described the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, as the Nigerian version of former US President and Republican candidate for the US 2024 election, Donald Trump. The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Bola Tinubu, Temitope Ajayi, drew the comparison in a post on social media platform, X on Wednesday. This comes following the US presidential debate between Trump and Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. “Peter Obi is the Nigeria version of Donald Trump. Like Obi, Trump will use the most negative epithets imaginable to describe a country he wants to lead again just to make a point and rile up his base,” he wrote. During the debate, Harris and Trump clashed on many issues ranging from abortion rights to immigration, as both candidates sought to sway voters in a tightly contested race. Ajayi added, “Kamala Harris prosecuted Trump very well in their first face to face debate yesterday night. Kamala convincingly won the debate and left no one in doubt about his capacity. “Vice President Harris knew Trump’s weakness and set traps for him. Trump fell for her baits. Both candidates have been fact-checked on their claims in the debate. While Harris was reported to have made just one incorrect claim, Trump made 33 false claims in the same 90 minutes debate.” Media reports revealed that Trump often responded to Harris’s provocations by repeating conspiracy theories and making false statements regarding the 2020 election and immigration. Despite being fact-checked by debate moderators, the former president stood by his controversial claims, including the assertion that immigrants were consuming the pets of U.S. residents. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs — the people that came in — they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country,” Trump said, contradicting the Springfield city manager, who said such accusations had no basis in fact. The 2024 US elections are slated to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

A 55-year-old woman, identified only as Ifeoma, reportedly died shortly after collapsing while sharing a testimony at the Ministry Church in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State. PUNCH Online learnt that the incident, which occurred around 8:48 am during Sunday service on September 8, 2024, ultimately led to her death a few minutes later. The spokesperson for the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to PUNCH Online on Wednesday. The 55-year-old woman had allegedly gone to the front of the church, singing songs of gratitude as she prepared to give her testimony when she suddenly collapsed. Hundeyin said that the 55-year-old was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. He stated, “The Zonal accountant of the church in Ejigbo came to the station and reported that during testimony hour in the church, while the service was on, Ifeoma came out singing songs to give her testimony when she suddenly slumped. “She was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital but was referred to the General Hospital in Isolo, where she was confirmed dead. “Based on the report, detectives were detailed to visit the hospital with the complainant. On getting there, they were told that the husband and family of the deceased had taken the corpse to Anambra State, where she came from for burial.” PUNCH Online reports in May 2024, a 30-year-old man who went to Elegushi Beach in Lagos for prayer was alleged to have drowned.

Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has shed light on his recent ordeal with the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies following his arrest on Monday. The DSS had detained Ajaero for over 16 hours at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, seizing his phones and international passport. However, Ajaero confirmed on Tuesday that his items had been returned. He said, “Yes, it is true. My phones and passport have been returned to me by the DSS.” Reflecting on his experience, Ajaero described it as a troubling episode. “It was like the DSS arrested me on behalf of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) department of the Police because IRT operatives came to interrogate me and take my statement while I was detained,” he explained. “The DSS also interrogated me and took my statement. I do not know why they had to embarrass me publicly like that.” Ajaero detailed the nature of the interrogations. “The same IRT operatives in whose office we were on August 29, 2024, alongside Mr. Femi Falana, came and asked the same questions I was asked in the previous meeting with them. “They asked about the operator of Iva Valley Bookshop on the second floor of the NLC secretariat building. They asked me whether we had communicated on phone, whether he (the Iva Valley operator) communicated with me in writing, and so on.” He continued, “They also asked if I know the protesters (#EndBadGovernance or #EndHunger), especially Eleojo Opaluwa, a staff of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE). I told them I knew him because I employed him at NUEE.” Regarding the Labour Party, Ajaero noted, “They equally asked about the Labour Party (LP), whether we are running the party. I told them we do not run Labour Party, but that we are a trustee of the party. “I also told them that the Labour Party they see today was founded when Adams Oshiomhole was President of NLC.”

A 19-year-old girl, Fatimo Agboke, has allegedly stabbed her friend Faruk Azeez to death following a heated argument in the Ijegun area of Lagos on Monday night. The incident occurred around 9:20 PM, and despite efforts to rush the 20-year-old victim, Faruk Azeez, to the hospital, he succumbed to his injuries. According to the Lagos State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the father of the deceased, reported the incident to the Isheri Oshun Division shortly after receiving a distressing call from a neighbour. “The complainant from Ijegun informed us that his son, Azeez, had a disagreement with a female friend, Fatimo Agboke, which escalated into a physical altercation. During the fight, Fatimo allegedly stabbed Faruk in the neck with a broken bottle, causing serious injuries,” Hundeyin stated. “Upon receiving the report, police detectives swiftly responded and arrived at the scene, where they discovered Azeez lying lifeless in a pool of blood with a deep cut on his neck. The body has since been transported to Mainland General Hospital, Yaba, for an autopsy. SP Hundeyin confirmed that the suspect, Fatimo Agboke, was immediately apprehended and is currently in police custody. He assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the full circumstances surrounding the tragic event. “This is a deeply unfortunate incident, and we want to reassure the public that justice will be pursued,” Hundeyin added. “The suspect is in our custody, and we are investigating all angles to ensure that the truth is uncovered.” The case has sent shockwaves through the Ijegun community, where neighbours and friends are grappling with the sudden loss of Azeez, who was described by many as a vibrant young man with a promising future. As the investigation continues, police are urging members of the public with any additional information to come forward.

Super Eagles interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen says he is still in in charge of the three-time African champions. According to OwnGoalNigeria, a sports website, Eguavoen said his assignment was limited to two matches. The Nigerian tactician was quoted to have said he was given a mandate to oversee the Eagles’ matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda in the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. “I have been given a mandate to handle two games. I will want to say I am very pleased with the boys and again, thanks to the NFF leadership and all the boys who supported me in terms of discipline and working hard.” “It ends today, which is the two games mandate. I can’t talk about Libya, because I haven’t been told but I can talk about it a little bit in case we have another coach, we can talk about it.” he reportedly said. But speaking on arrival at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja in the early hours Wednesday, Cerezo as he is fondly called, denied quitting his role. According to him, he only said he was going to discuss with the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation )NFF) on how to prosecute the remaining qualifying series. “It’s quite unfortunate that people trigger something that is not correct and the situation we are in now, we don’t need negative stories. “I only talked about how I will sit down with the hierarchy of the Federation after these two games and see how we will prosecute the next games. When I saw the story, I was kind of worried and concerned. Whatever people are reading out there is not correct. I’m still very much in charge as the technical director of the federation and saddled with the responsibility of taking charge of the Super Eagles at this moment,” he clarified Recall that Eguavoen was named the interim coach after German coach, Bruno Labbadia declined the role after being unable to reach an agreement on tax payment. Eguavoen led the team to 3-0 win over Cheetahs of Benin before being held to a 0-0 draw by Wasps of Rwanda in the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.

The UK says it will nominate Dapo Akande, a professor of public international law at the University of Oxford, for election as a judge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In a statement, Joanna Roper, UK ambassador to the Netherlands and ICJ representative, said Akande will be nominated in 2026. “The UK is pleased to announce that Professor Dapo Akande will be nominated for election as a judge to the International Court of Justice in 2026 by the UK National Group,” the statement reads. Roper said Akande is an “outstanding” international lawyer “who will bring deep legal expertise and experience to the ICJ”. She said Akande reflects the UK’s “firm commitment to international justice, human rights and the international rule of law”. In November 2021, Akande was elected to the UN International Law Commission (ILC). He was co-nominated by the UK, Nigeria, Japan, Kenya, and Slovenia. The ILC is a body of experts responsible for developing and codifying international law. Akande was born and raised in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. He received his LLB at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He is a renowned expert in public international law with more than 25 years of legal experience. Akande began his legal career as a research assistant to Bola Ajibola (KBE SAN), a former attorney-general of Nigeria. He has also worked as a counsel on international litigation before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Criminal Court (ICC), and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Akande has served as a consultant to several international organisations, including the ICC, UN, the African Union (AU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the Commonwealth secretariat.