Nigerian Newspapers: 5 Trending News You Need To Read Oct. 20, 2024
Wish you all the best this morning! Here’s 5 trending news you all love to read today Oct. 20.
1. The Nigerian Army has declared that the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja is on leave.
The development follows reports that the COAS is currently incapacitated due to ill health.
Disclosing this development, the Army spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, said there is a laid down process that ensures no vacuum in the leadership structure.
Nwachukwu said the Army Chief of Policy and Plans, Major General Abdulsalami Ibrahim, would act on behalf of the COAS during his absence.
2. In a record-breaking deportation flight, 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians were forcibly deported from the United Kingdom on Saturday, reflecting a significant escalation in the country’s immigration enforcement.
The UK Home Office confirmed the deportation as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration, which has seen over 3,600 individuals deported since the Labour government assumed office in July.
The Home Office spokesperson emphasised the government’s commitment to upholding immigration laws, stating, “We are dedicated to enforcing immigration rules and ensuring those without legal rights to remain in the UK are returned.”
3. Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface survived a crash with a lorry which saw him rushed to hospital on Sunday morning.
Boniface, 23, had scored in Leverkusen’s 2-1 Bundesliga victory over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday night but ended up in a collision with damages worth up to £167,000.
The Nigerian international shared a video of his smashed vehicle on social media and a nasty picture of his blood-drenched left hand. The right front of his car was wrecked.
He later took a selfie of himself in his hospital bed and captioned the post: ‘Thank you Lord’.
He only suffered two minor hand injuries, German newspaper Bild claims.
4. The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has advocated for forgiveness and the need for unity among the Nigerians in the wake of the 90th birthday celebration of former military leader, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.
Gowon, who clocked 90 on Saturday, October 19, 2024, has been greeted by many personalities and bodies nationwide, including President Bola Tinubu, former President Muhammadu Buhari, and the Christian Association of Nigeria, among others.
In a series of tweets Saturday, the former Anambra State Governor wished the former Head of State a prosperous life, adding that Gowon’s contributions “stands as one of sacrifice, leadership, and unity.”
5. A group of politicians in Kano who are members of the ruling New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have emerged within the popular Kwankwasiyya Movement that goes by the name “Abba Should Stand On His Feet” (Abba Tsaya Da Kafarka). The group is calling on Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso to stop meddling in the affairs of the state with Abba Yusuf as governor.
The emergence of the group has led to an internal crisis within the party for which the state governor had a reconciliatory meeting with the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Baffa Bichi. The duo addressed newsmen with the SSG declaring that his allegiance was to the governor and he would do whatever pleases the governor.