BAMY BLOG

Vanessa Marquez, an actress who had a recurring role in the hit TV series “ER,” was fatally shot by police as she waved what turned out to be a BB gun, authorities said on Friday. Officers had gone to her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena on Thursday to conduct a welfare check when the 49-year-old Marquez grabbed what looked like a handgun and pointed it at officers, said Sergeant Joe Mendoza, of the LA Sheriff’s Department. He said after the incident “officers checked the weapon and they discovered it was a BB-type gun that resembled a semi-automatic handgun.” Mendoza said Marquez’s landlord had called police to check on her and when officers arrived she appeared to be having a seizure. He said the officers and a mental health clinician spoke with Marquez “for over an hour and a half in an attempt to offer her medical care.” “She then armed herself with a handgun and pointed it at the officers, at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred,” he said. Marq

Jamaican sprint legend, Usain Bolt has made his first appearance as a professional footballer in a pre-season friendly in Australia today.  Bolt, who has been trianing with Australia's A-League club Central Coast Mariners since last week, debuted against an amateur side at the club's stadium in Gosford, 80km north of Sydney, in front of more than 12,000 Bolt took on the field with a smile in the 71st minute, wearing jersey number 95, after the crowd chanted "We want Bolt". The Mariners had already scored six goals by the time Bolt came on as a left winger. Before now, the 100 and 200-metre world record holder Bolt ended his running career last year and has been trying to start a new career as a professional footballer, trialling with German, Norwegian and South African teams.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has assured aspirants to elective positions in 2019 general elections of a level-playing ground in the primaries to be conducted by the Peoples Democratic Party. He gave the assurance while receiving former Governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, on Friday in his office in Yenagoa. Jonathan said that with free and fair primaries, no aspirants who lost would be aggrieved but would support others for the progress of the party. He said that Bafarawa was one of the aspirants he trusted, because of what he had done in Sokoto state as governor. “As leaders, we must plan for our grandchildren; we don’t have to plan for ourselves, but for the society to grow. “When you plan for your grandchildren, you do things properly; you will not be in a hurry and the society will grow. “The more people are interested, the better for the party. If you have only two aspirants in a political party, it is not too good for democracy,” the former p

Earlier today, American rapper Eminem set the Internet abuzz with the surprise release of a new album titled 'Kamikaze'. Produced by Eminem himself and his long-time collaborator Dr. Dre, Kamikaze immediately began trending on social media worldwide. The 13 track album features collaborations from Joyner Lucas, Royce Da 5'9, and Jessie Reyez with production credits from Eminem's longtime collaborator, Dr Dre and his alter ego, Slim Shady.  "Kamikaze" is the rapper's 10th studio album, with a number of songs touching on the criticism he got from his last album "Revival'' released last year. The album includes a song titled Venom, which is from the upcoming superhero movie starring Tom Hardy. The album is definitely living up to expectations as its #1 trending topic worldwide in less than 30 minutes after release.

Chris Giwa, factional President, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has faulted a statement credited to a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Festus Keyamo, on the leadership crisis rocking the country’s football. Habilla Ardzard, Mr Giwa’s lawyer, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said that Mr Keyamo misinformed Nigerians on the NFF leadership tussle. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mr Keyamo, lead counsel to Amaju Pinnick, in a statement on August 26, alleged that there was no Supreme Court order preventing his client from acting as NFF President. He also said that there was no Supreme Court order to install Chris Giwa as President of NFF. According to Keyamo, “There is no Supreme Court order or any other subsisting order restraining Amaju Pinnick from acting as President of the NFF or installing Chris Giwa as president of the NFF. “We hereby challenge anybody who disputes this to publish the Supreme Court judgment or order where the names of Amaju Pinnick or Chris

The President of the Nigerian Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday declared to run for the office of the President of Nigeria. This came about 24 hours after his Senate colleague, Rabiu Kwankwaso, also declared to run for the same office at an elaborate rally in downtown Abuja. Messrs Saraki and Kwankwaso are among about a dozen presidential aspirants of the main opposition party, PDP. Mr. Saraki made his declaration at a public dialogue organised by the #NotTooYoungToRun Movement, a youth-based group that successfully lobbied for the passage of a new law that reduced the age of qualification for political office across the country. The event, themed: “Youth Candidacy and the Future of Nigeria Beyond 2019”, is a series of political engagement aimed at broadening the political participation of young Nigerians ahead of the elections next February. Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were invited as part of the series on Thursday, with Mr Saraki being asked to deliver

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has ordered four banks namely Citibank, Diamond Bank, Standard Chartered bank and Stanbic-IBTC, to pay a total sum of N5.87 billion for allegedly issuing irregular certificates of capital importation (CCIs) on behalf of some offshore investors of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited. The apex bank has also written to MTN, asking it to refund $8 billion to the coffers of the central bank. Standard Chartered Bank received the highest fine of N2.4 billion. Stanbic IBTC Nigeria was fined N1.8 billion. Citibank Nigeria got a fine of N1.2 billion and Diamond Bank was directed to pay the sum of N250 million for violating extant rules. According to CBN’s director, corporate communications, Isaac Okoroafor, the fine was necessary after allegations of remittance of foreign exchange with irregular certificates of capital importation issued on behalf of some offshore investors of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited and subsequent investigations carried out b

Leading internet services provider, Spectranet 4GLTE has announced the relaunch of its website and the unveiling of Spectranet Mobile app to simplify and offer seamless internet connectivity and solutions to Nigerian homes and businesses. The move is aimed at bringing innovative disruptions to internet service market in Nigeria whilst offering more value to customers. Riding on aesthetics, the website has been made more visually appealing and comes with new features comprising Spectranet Enterprise Business Solutions and improved means of accessing and purchasing the brand’s data modems and plans. Speaking on the strategic moves, Chief Executive Officer, Ajay Awasthi notes: “Spectranet is keen on keeping homes and families connected as we push frontiers in providing innovative, internet solutions with customer-centric mindset. “The new look of our corporate website is visually appealing and engaging. It’s an all-in-one hub with sufficient information on our services, data

The Nigerian military has handed over 23 children who were formerly associated with Boko Haram insurgents, to UNICEF through the Borno State government.  The children were picked up during various military operations around the north-east region. Aged between 17 and 10 years, the boys and girls confessed to the military that they have been assisting the Boko Haram insurgents either as fighters or domestic helps in the camps. The Theatre Commander of a military counterinsurgency force, Abba Dikko, said the 23 children were released in line with Nigeria military’s commitment to the observance of human rights. He observed that the children and other vulnerable persons were victims who faced with the highly unstable circumstances induced by the conflict would have had little option but to fall under the thrall of the insurgents.  “We were able to identify this category of people, especially the women, the aged and children to whom it behooves our sense of duty and responsibili

The 57 suspected homosexuals arrested at the Kelly Ann hotel in Egbeda, Lagos state,  last weekend, have been granted bail. They were arraigned at the Magistrate court by the police yesterday August 29th and were granted bail. Recall that the Lagos state police command arrested the suspects on Saturday August 25th on allegations that they were being initiated into Homosexuality. The 57 suspected homosexuals were paraded before newsmen on Monday August 27th. The Lagos state police spokesperson, CSP Chike Oti, in a chat with reporters, said the case against the suspected homosexuals is still very much alive as they are expected to appear before the court again. 

The former governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a statement titled ‘Moving On To The Bigger Playing Field’, the former explained why he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) saying 'the toughest challenge for any leader in the Niger Delta since 1997 has been the issue of Peace and Security'. Read the full text below; For over 12 years, I was deeply involved in the management of the issues of the region, first as Secretary to State Government, SSG, and then as Governor of Delta State for 8 years. Strategically, we had ENGAGEMENT as our major tool. This involved government officials, with me in the forefront (sometimes personally going into the creeks without security at nocturnal hours), community leaders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, our youths, retired military officers, activists, etc. Of

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has called on Governor Rauf Aregbesola to order the immediate payment of the backlog of workers salaries and allowances which necessitated the warning strike embarked upon by the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state. The Chairman of the PDP in the state, Mr. Soji Adagunodo, made the call in a statement made available to reporters in Osogbo on Wednesday. The statement read, “The withholding of workers and pensioners’ financial entitlements for a period of 34 months is callous and unwarranted. “The state government has no justification for the brazen oppression of workers who toil day and night to sustain the running of public institutions. “To make matters worse, Ogbeni Aregbesola continues to make senior citizens who are pensioners object of ridicule in the society by refusing to pay their meagre pensions and gratuities. “Rather than attend to the germane issues raised by the labour unions while the ultimatum lasted, O

The Naira on Wednesday gained 30 kobo to exchange at N359 to the dollar at the parallel market in Lagos, against N359.30 on Tuesday. The Pound Sterling and the Euro closed at N464 and N414, respectively. At the Bureau De Change (BDC) window, the naira traded at N360 to the dollar, while the Pound sterling and the Euro closed at N464 and N414, respectively. Trading at the investors’ window saw the naira close at N363.06, while it exchanged at N361.10 at the official CBN window. Meanwhile, the CBN had continued to boost liquidity at the forex market with the injection of 210 million dollars on Tuesday.

Senator President Bukola Saraki met with former President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja. Saraki visited the former president in company with ex-National Chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje; Senators Albert Akpan Bassey, Dino Melaye, Rafiu Ibrahim, Dr. Doyin Okupe and other members of the Senate President’s entourage. See the photographs courtesy Senate President’s Media Office:

The UK Government has announced a new £70 million programme to create 100,000 jobs in Nigeria says the Minister of State for Africa, Harriett Baldwin. Baldwin said this during a business event as part of the activities for Prime Minister Theresa May’s visit to Nigeria on Wednesday. Baldwin, who led a business delegation to the event, said that the programme would raise the income of three million people from the poorest parts of Nigeria. “We are here today to talk about technology links between the UK Fintech sector and the Nigerian Fintech sector and will bring inward investment in terms of this important sector of technology. “Today, it is all about celebrating those links through technology and I am very excited that the Prime Minister is announcing today a new £70 million programme that will create some 100,000 jobs in Nigeria and will also raise the income of three million people from the poorest parts of Nigeria.” The minister said that the event was celebrating the

The Federal Government says it has entered into a new partnership with the governments of Niger, France and the United Kingdom to tackle cross-border crimes. The Minister of Interior, Lt.- Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), disclosed this in a statement issued by his Secretary, Mr Ehisienmen Osaigbovo, on Tuesday in Abuja. Dambazau said the partnership was initiated by the UK and France to strengthen collaboration with Nigeria and Niger Republic in the area of border management, intelligence sharing and legal cooperation. He also said that the partnership sought to strengthen cooperation among security agencies of the four countries in combating human trafficking, drugs peddling, illicit arms proliferation and terrorism. According to the minister, the partnership is expected to deliver on its objectives 12 months to 36 months. Dambazau disclosed that the development was a fallout of a sideline meeting of the four countries at the Regional Conference on Anti-human Trafficki

Former world number one Andy Murray marked his first Grand Slam tournament in 14 months with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 win over Australia’s James Duckworth at the US Open on Monday. Murray, the 2012 champion in New York and playing just his fifth tournament of the year after undergoing hip surgery in January, last featured in a major at Wimbledon in 2017. Murray, whose world ranking has slumped to 382, triumphed over number 448 Duckworth and goes on to face either Fernando Verdasco or Feliciano Lopez for a place in the last 32.

Rapper and Chocolate City Music president, Jude Abaga, aka MI, insists that there is no bad blood between the record label and its former signee, Koker. The rapper, who just released his fourth studio album, Yung Denzel: A Story on Self Worth, told reporters that the record company was proud of Koker’s progression as an artiste. He stated, “Koker just started his own record company, but Dice Ailes is still signed to Chocolate City. Koker was with us for five years and his contract expired before he left.” On claims that Koker left out of discontentment, MI said he had yet to hear or read such. He added, “I feel I need to respond to it to clear the air. Koker didn’t wake up one day and leave Chocolate City. He had a five-year contract with us and we are proud of what he did. No one knew him before he joined us but now, he is popular in the music industry.” Reacting to Wizkid and Burna Boy’s endorsement of a South African artiste, Nasty C, as the biggest rapper in Africa, MI

Fans queued en masse on Tuesday to pay their respects to legendary US singer and “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, whose body lay in a golden casket dressed in a ruffled red dress and matching heels in Detroit. The 76-year-old icon, beloved by millions around the world, died of cancer on August 16, bringing down the curtain on a spectacular six-decade career that made her one of America’s most celebrated artists. Thousands of people are expected to bid her farewell at the Charles H. Wright Museum for African American History on Tuesday and Wednesday, followed by an afternoon viewing at her father’s New Bethel Baptist Church on Thursday, and a star-studded funeral on Friday. White-gloved, sharp-suited pallbearers escorted her casket into the museum on Tuesday, ahead of the two days of 9 am to 9 pm viewing, where she lay in state surrounded by enormous clouds of pink, white and purple roses. Considered royalty in her Michigan hometown of Detroit, people reportedly camped out thr

Nollywood actor, Jim Iyke, was on Monday afternoon arrested at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, for slapping an employee of Dana Air. It was gathered that the actor arrived late for his 12:15pm Abuja flight and the airline’s security personnel tried to help him to meet up with the flight by searching him. According to eye witnesses, Iyke refused to be searched and pushed the man away, but the man insisted that he must be searched before boarding. The man’s insistence was said to have angered Iyke, who slapped the man for ‘wasting his time.’ Iyke was later arrested by officers from the Airport Police Command. Dana Air’s Media and Communications Manager, Kingsley Ezenwa, who confirmed the incident, said Iyke was, however, released, after he had apologised to the airline employee. Ezenwa added that the actor eventually missed the flight, which was still on ground when the incident happened. The Public Relations Officer, Airport Command, Alabi Joseph, a Deputy Super

A bitter spat between Egypt star Mohamed Salah and his country’s football authorities escalated Monday, casting a fresh shadow over his involvement with the national team. Salah, 26, and the Egyptian Football Association have previously been at loggerheads due to a disagreement over image rights. Now the conflict has flared up again after the striker and his lawyer accused the FA of failing to respond to a list of requests dealing with the player’s treatment. Salah’s lawyer Ramy Abbas Issa said the demands involved the player’s “well-being whilst with the national team, and assurances that the image rights violations wouldn’t happen again”. In an angry rebuttal the football federation said Monday that it would not accept the requests, blasting some as “illogical” and insisting it would not “favour one player over another”. Salah hit back with a pair of Facebook videos, insisting he was asking for better security for the whole squad at team hotels. He said that he did not

The acting Chairman of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Ibrahim Magu, says some Senior Advocates of Nigeria have been frustrating the anti-corruption war by knowingly supplying the technical know-how and helping in the dispersal of the proceeds of crime. Without mentioning any specific names, Magu said a particular senior advocate received N1.7bn in legal fees from a corrupt politician without a qualm. He said the same senior advocate received N300m from a governor in the South-South as legal fees for an election petition case and failed to pay tax but quickly took advantage of the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme when he realised he was under probe. The EFCC boss said this in a piece titled, ‘Need for Ethical Reforms as NBA Conference Begins.’ The piece was written to coincide with the annual general conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, which kicks off in Abuja on Monday (today). Magu said, “It is personally disheartening to see lawyers who

Multichoice Nigeria, owners of DStv and GOtv, says it has filed an appeal and stay of execution following an interim court order from the Federal High Court directing the company to stop the hike in its subscription rates. The company, in a statement on Sunday, said the Consumer Protection Council had also been joined in the suit. The cable company described the order, restraining it from effecting price changes, as a slight on the free market economy. As such, it said the price changes still applied. The statement read, “We believe that the order is an affront to the free market economy and we have now filed a Notice of Appeal and an application for stay of execution, pending the hearing of the appeal. The CPC has been accordingly served with the requisite processes. “In light of the application for a stay of execution, the status quo therefore prevails. “MultiChoice Nigeria will always operate within the ambit of the law and will continue with the authorities to ensur

Liberian President George Weah gave his country’s top honour to Arsene Wenger and Claude LeRoy, the two French coaches who gave his football career an early boost, on Friday. At a red-carpet ceremony in the suburbs of the capital Monrovia, Wenger, who signed Weah when the now-president was 22, was praised for the “development of the youth in Africa” throughout his coaching career. “Your positive role has not only affected the professional success and personal life journey of many African footballers, but also the entire generation of young Liberians who follow President Weah as a mentor,” the ceremony’s speaker told Wenger as he received the distinction of Knight Grand Commander of the Humane Order of African Redemption, the highest in the country. Wenger signed Weah when he was in charge of Monaco in 1988. After four seasons with Monaco, Weah moved to Paris Saint-Germain and then to AC Milan in 1995 — the year he became the only African to win the coveted Ballon d’Or for th

The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Ibrahim Idris, has ordered members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to wear police uniforms with full identification, pending the launch of new FSARS uniform. The force Spokesman, Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Jimoh Moshood, said in a statement in Abuja on Friday that Idris gave the order at meeting with critical stakeholders. Moshood said that Idris was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of police in Charge of Operations, Mr Habila Joshak. He said that the meeting was convened to brief the stakeholders on the progress made so far in the overhaul of the SARS now known as Federal SARS. The Police boss said that the overhaul of SARS was beyond rhetoric as strategic reforms were being implemented. He said that the FSARS operatives had been ordered to desist from attending to civil or commercial matters henceforth and focus strictly on armed robbery and kidnapping cases only. According to Moshood, the Commissi

The Independent National Electoral Commission has reacted to reports that N6bn was budgeted for Police feeding in the 2019 general elections. According to INEC, 'the estimated budget for this is more than 25% less than what is being bandied around and it covers all elections including bye elections, re runs, run offs and court ordered elections.'. INEC also said the budget covers 'feeding all election personnel on election days and it covers all INEC permanent and ad hoc staff, presiding officers, supervisors, monitors, collation and returning officers and all security personnel on election duty including the police, NSDC, Immigration, Prison & NDLEA officers, etc numbering in excess of a million people'. Source:Lib

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has yet to find the back of the net this season but boss Unai Emery is relaxed with the situation. “The first idea for us is to create chances and then the players’ confidence for starting to arrive in the box, to score,” Emery said. “Maybe the players can not score three good chances in one match and on another day, I am sure they are going to do maybe the same chances in one match and score three. “For that, Aubameyang is a player who, in his career, has scored a lot and he is going to do that here also.” Meanwhile Emery insists he has the upmost respect for Jack Wilshere’s ability and expects the midfielder will receive a warm welcome when he returns with West Ham on Saturday. Wilshere, 26, spent 17 years with the Gunners, 10 with the first team. But despite prolonged negotiations, the England international couldn’t come to an agreement on a new deal with Arsenal before leaving as a free agent. “I spoke with him for 15 minutes here in

Two security guards at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, were, on Thursday, rewarded with N250,000 each after returning a passenger’s missing bag full of dollars and jewelry. The security guards are Messrs Achi Daniel and Francis Emepueaku of Halogen Securities Ltd. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Daniel was with his colleague, Emepueaku, when he found the bag on August 18 at the airport. Daniel said: “Inside the bag, we saw a mobile phone, jewelry and huge amount of money in dollars and several other documents. “At that point, I went straight to the manager’s office who now put a call through to somebody in Atlanta, Georgia, and the person happened to be the daughter of the owner of the bag. “If the money was in multi-millions of foreign currencies, I would still have returned it. “I saw the bag on a trolley at the car park, and I said to myself that somebody must have forgotten it there. “It was not padlocked and without opening it, I

Tennis players make up the majority of the world’s highest paid female athletes, according to an annual list published by Forbes on Tuesday ahead of next week’s US Open, ESPN reports Serena Williams topped the list for the third consecutive year, despite dropping out of Forbes’ ranking of the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes in June. The American, who returned to competition in March after giving birth last September, earned £48,000 in winnings in the year through to June, but received £14m  from an endorsement portfolio unmatched among women in sports, Forbes said. Williams, who will try to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles when she competes at the US Open in New York, earned twice as much off the court as any other female athlete, according to Forbes. Dane Caroline Wozniacki, who captured her maiden grand slam title at this year’s Australian Open, was second on the list with combined earnings of £10.1m while reigning US Open champion Sloane Stephens £8

Arsene Wenger landed in Liberia on Wednesday as he prepares to receive the country's highest honour from president George Weah. Weah was signed by the former Arsenal manager when he was coaching Monaco in 1988. And he is now inducting the Frenchman into his country's Order of Distinction and given the title of Knight Grand Commander of the Humane Order of African Redemption. The award not only conveys their personal connection, but also that he 'has contributed to sports in Africa and has given many Africans opportunities, according to information minister Eugene Nagbe. Weah is the only African to have been named World Player of the Year, claiming the honour in 1995. The award not only conveys their personal connection, but also that he 'has contributed to sports in Africa and has given many Africans opportunities, according to information minister Eugene Nagbe. Weah is the only African to have been named World Player of the Year, claiming the honour in 1

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) plans to increase the flow of credit to the real sector of the economy to consolidate and sustain the nation’s economic recovery. To this end, the apex bank on Thursday released new guidelines for its intervention in the sector. Speaking on the guidelines, the CBN Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okorafor, said that the bank intended to achieve this through the commercial banks The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at its meeting on July 23 and July 24 introduced revised guidelines for Accessing Real Sector Support Facility (RSSDF) through Cash Reserves Requirement (CRR) or Corporate Bonds (CBs). Okorafor said that commercial banks would, henceforth, be incentivised to direct affordable, long-term bank credit to the real sector. He said that priority sectors included the manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors considered by the CBN as employment and growth stimulating. Okorafor said that Corporate/Triple-A rated companie

Liberian President and former  football  star George Weah is being criticised for his plan to award former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger the West African country’s highest honour, AP reports. Weah, who was elected president of his country last year, plans to honor Wenger and another French  coach Claude Le Roy at a ceremony on Friday. They both played crucial roles in Weah’s career. Le Roy discovered Weah playing for a club in Cameroon in the late 1980s and recommended him to Wenger, then the coach of Monaco. Wenger took the advice, signed the Liberian and Weah went on to play for Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, and became the first and still only African to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995. Liberian sports minister  Zeogar Wilson said Wenger is to be given the Humane Order of African Redemption with the rank of Knight Grand Commander. Wenger is expected to attend Friday’s ceremony. But Darius Dillon, an opposition politician, criticised Weah o