tundetech5: Nigerian players react on social media after Liz Cambage denies calling D'Tigress monkeys.
Following Australia's Liz Cambage's explosive interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report the Nigerian basketball social media space has been on fire.
In a lengthy interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, Cambage addressed claims that she racially disparaged Nigerian players during a warm-up game for the Opals' 2021 Olympic campaign.
Cambage confirmed she had been involved in a physical incident during the warm-up game and that there "were words exchanged" before withdrawing from the Tokyo Games due to mental health issues.
The interview has brought back memories of the situation that a lot of people put in the past.
Liz Cambage's initial response to monkey speculation When the accusation was first made was a statement by Liz CXamage that apologized to the Nigerian team.
She said, "The incident that took place in the pre-Olympic scrimmage with the Nigerian national team was handled privately almost a year ago,
"I am very disappointed and hurt by the events and accusations that have unfolded in the Australian media.
"The account of what took place is inaccurate and misleading. I did not use the racial slur toward the Nigerian team that has been circulating.
"After I unintentionally fouled a Nigerian player on court, I was then physically assaulted by this player on the sideline of my bench.
"I was hit in the face and pushed to the ground, but I walked away. ... We did not have professional referees to manage and prioritize both teams' safety during this highly physical scrimmage.
"This is not an excuse of justification to the events that unfolded or my actions, however, I feel that a full picture of the environment that led to this outcome must be shared.
" I have taken responsibility and accountability for my involvement in what occurred. I genuinely apologized to the Nigerian team and I once again am sorry that these events are being rehashed.
"I truly hope that I can move forward from this incident and apply actionable effort to be my best self."
Liz Cambage explains D'Tigress monkey chants from her perspective Cambage spoke on her hesitation to compete at the Tokyo Olympics when asked about the claims and why her side of the story is so different.
She said, “A lot of girls don’t like me and a lot of times I say no to something, people really want to make me look like the issue.
“I never wanted to go into that Olympics. I spent the whole week going into that bubble saying I don’t want to be in the bubble.
"I’ll show you text messages between me and Sandy Brondello [saying] I do not want to go to this Olympics, I do not want to be a part of this Olympics, I do not believe in this Olympics.
“I feel like the Tokyo Olympics is everything against what the true Olympics is. Like the Olympics is about nations coming together, not weird bubbles.
"I’m not a bubble girl. I have anxiety and I need to be able to leave situations like that [snaps fingers]... there is so much pressure.
“This is the pinnacle of sport. This is the Olympics. I’m already struggling mentally and physically. I’m open and honest about everything...
“This one girl that has been saying I called them monkeys... I’ll call you a b***h. I’ll call you a dumb b***h. That’s what I say to people I get angry with,” Cambage said.
“I don’t really lean towards racial insults. That’s not how I go. I’m very pro-Black. I did not say these things. This girl that is saying all these things had a lot to say about me.
“Leak the tapes. I’ve never owned the tapes. Leak the tapes. Y’all want to see the truth, leak the tapes. Everyone in Australia that has seen the tapes, still lying about what is on these tapes, leak the tapes.”
Liz Cambage issues statement after new tape A section of the tapes has now been revealed on social media which has sparked more wild reactions on social media.
Liz Cambage has issued a statement following the release of an additional video showing their confrontation at a pre-Tokyo Olympics scrimmage.
She denied racist slurs, though, and added that she was "pretty annoyed at all the fake news and lies.
A opposing player was elbowed in the head by Cambage during a practice match in Las Vegas that was played behind closed doors, as seen in the footage
After the altercation, the newly released video shows Cambage leaving in the direction of the Australia bench while also appearing to speak with Nigerian players nearby.
In response to what Cambage stated, a Nigerian player then rushes toward her and appears to punch her as the two teams converge.
The statement by the 31-year-old said, “In light of the circulating footage from the 2021 scrimmage between the Opals and D’Tigress, I want to provide clarity on my recollection of the events.
“Before the scrimmage, I had expressed concerns to Opals staff about the unacceptable playing conditions within the COVID ‘Bubble’ they were imposing.
"The circulating video portrays a highly physical game with no officiating, resulting in me being attacked and sustaining a concussion.
"Contrary to false claims, I did not use racial slurs or refer to anyone as a monkey, which is evident from the footage.
“To set the record straight, I never stated that I had officially joined the Nigerian national team. Instead, I expres
"I had discussions with staff members about the necessary steps to become eligible, and thought I was doing them. I extend my best wishes to all players on D’Tigress.
“My dedication to fostering positive change in the sport I love remains unwavering. I have always taken pride in representing the game throughout my career.
“I kindly urge the media and fans to fact-check before publishing and to avoid spreading unverified claims. I also send well wishes to all my former teammates. Looking forward to seeing you all on the court.
“Love and light.”
Liz Cambage claims Nigeria wants her In the interview, a statement by Cambage that went viral was her saying the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) want her to dump Australia.
She said, “Like, why does Nigeria want me to leave Australia and represent them? We’re filing for me to leave the Australian team so I can represent Nigeria. I’ve been in cahoots, I’ve been talking with them since all of this happened.
“This is what I mean, people don’t know the truth. I honestly haven’t had one journalist that has written all these lies actually come to me and want my side of the story. There’s a whole tape with the truth out there.
D'Tigress react to Liz Cambage Nigerian basketball players have taken to social media to debunk the statements by Cambage about the incident and her international allegiance switch.
Promise Amukamara on Twitter said, “She called us Monkeys & told us to go back to our country. Yes she said that!” wrote Amukamara.
“Literally everyone from both teams have the same story BUT her, so y’all do the math! & the only person she has been in “cahoots” w/ was the former coach of our National team & he’s no longer the coach, so there’s that!”
Sarah Ogoke a key player as D'Tigress beat Senegal to win the 2023 FIBA Women's Afrobasket also added, “We are not recruiting you and you definitely spewed racist profanities against us during our scrimmage”.
There are claims that the negotiations for Cambage to switch were made by the former coach but have been shit down since the appointment of Rena Wakama.
The saga involving Cambage is not expected to end soon as many stakeholders are expected to give their opinion going forward.
GreatAxeMan: Former Opals captain Jenna O’Hea has confirmed claims that Liz Cambage told her Nigerian rivals to “go back to your third world country” in an incident that sparked a messy exit from the national program
Cambage was independently investigated and issued a formal reprimand - but not suspended or fined - after the practice game altercation derailed the Opals’ Tokyo Olympic campaign.
In the days after the Nigeria clash she withdrew from the Games citing mental health concerns and then, despite remaining available for selection for this year’s World Cup in Sydney, said she would never again play for the Opals.
However the specifics of Cambage’s on-court actions at last year's Tokyo Olympics had remained a mystery until this Sunday.
Speaking on the ABC’s Offsiders, retired Opals great O’Hea confirmed host Kelli Underwood’s claim that Cambage “turned to them (Nigerian players) and said ‘go back to your third world country’,”and that they hadn’t spoken since.
“That is all one hundred per cent correct,” O’Hea said.
It comes after Cambage, who has a Nigerian father and now plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA, told the ABC: “I’m living my best life. I’m supported, I’m protected on a level that the Opals or the Australian team never gave to me”
“My heart lies with those who want to protect me and those who want me to be the best I can be, and I never felt that at the Opals at all. So yeah, I’m good.”
O’Hea, a long-time captain of Cambage, bristled when asked for her response.
“I can hold my head up high and say I always loved her, always cared for her, supported her, had her back,” O’Hea said
“That is her reality and the listeners can believe what they want to believe.
“Everyone’s done more than enough. We’ve sacrificed a lot to try and keep her in the program.
“She doesn’t want to be here anymore. That’s her choice and we need to move on without her.”
The Opals struggled without Cambage in Tokyo but O’Hea said with proper preparation Sandy Brondello’s outfit would play to its ranking, which has long fluctuated between No.2 and No.3 in the world, at Sydney’s World Cup.
Their September campaign could also mark the return of Lauren Jackson, who has dominated at NBL1 level for Albury-Wodonga since coming out of retirement.
“There’s so many wonderfully talented basketballers in Australia, so many playing in the WNBA,” O’Hea said.
“With the right preparation we can do really well.
“There’s so many great role models ... I want the media to focus on those who want to play for the Opals and represent Australia.”
PigTormentor: How is this better than today? Do you know that the vast majority of Nigerians couldn't buy anything in those stores back then, most don't even have access to them.
Most only visit during Christmas. I still remember going there with my parents and one of my aunties was the manager of one of the departments back then. She came back from England and was given the job. Life seem better back then, but for a few privileged ones.
Now most people can walk into a supermarket and buy whatever they want, it didn't used to be like that.
And I think there was only one in Lagos island on Marina before another was built in Surulere in the 80s. Their main competitor was Leventis at that time.
You're NOT entirely correct with some of your submissions in the bolded right ABOVE. I lived through that period and many Nigerian folks in the oil boom years of the 1970s right into the early 1980s could afford visits and purchases at those Kingsway Stores, UTC Stores, Leventis Stores, etc. They were usually packed full with enthusiastic buyers especially in the evenings and weekends.
There was a vibrant Nigerian middle class and middle upper-class in Nigeria back in the day. However, just like you indicated, I can say here and now that NOT everyone visited to make purchases because we still had low-income folks living in low-income slum areas of Maroko (demolished in 1989 by Brigadier General Raji Rasaki of Lagos State, and Maroko is now known as Victoria Island Extension and parts of Lekki Phase 1), Ajegunle, slums in parts of Surulere, etc, which all housed struggling economic migrants from other Nigerian States and West Africa in general.
ElevationD: Kingsway stores. Waoh. Good to remember. Just like UTC and Leventis stores then it Lagos. There was Chellarams too just before Kingsway. They were more than Shoprite. It was facing what was they known as Quay side or “key side” as everyone pronounced the entire front facing Lagos lagoon. It had very huge shopping floors with mostly foreign goods. You could purchase everything from groceries to food to household equipments, clothes, bicycles and the now famous Mr. Biggs situated on the ground floor at a time was known as Kingsway rendezvous! Kingsway was a branch of UAC and very well organized until horrible leaderships ensured that such stores as mentioned were shut down. People took off their shoes and slippers as they walked into the place believing that it was the rule. Security personnel at the doors would ask them to please wear their shoes and slippers. Na people from Mushin, Maroko and Ajegunle dey comot shoe for leg enter Kingsway, Leventis and UTC. They were considered bush people!
Each time you get to Marina, in front of Oando before CMS bus stop, you cannot but take a look at the building, where Kingsway was housed. The entire stretch of the road between Marina and Broad street right in front of Oando was Kingsway stores. Immediately you cross Apongbon under the bridge, it was Kingsway rendezvous by the left. Chop meat pie there and you no go chop am finish. There was the regular meatpie and the peppered meatpie. Lagos too sweet before abeg. The big building by the foot of Ojota bridge was Kingsway rendezvous.
The next Kingsway rendezvous was at Niger motors bus stop, Apapa wharf. Lagos was good, not because it was beautiful, but the peace and too many places to visit. Kingsway stores had the only other Lagos showroom at Apapa, where you have the present Cash and carry stores. Infact the whole of that area is called “Kingsway” because of that Kingsway stores there. Right opposite them was UTC and adjacent to UTC was the then Leventis. That building was shared between Leventis stores and the defunct Roxy cinema. The floor containing Roxy cinema now is owned by RCCG, who I think bought it in the early 2000s. Those who lived in Apapa should know that.
Leventis stores had a branch in Surulere at James Robertson. It was situated at the junction enroute through Akerele to what was and still as known as bus corner bus stop. Those who live around Ogunlana, Shitta, Masha, Randle Avenue, Lawsnson, etc should know the popular bus corner bus stop. Lagos too sweet and peaceful, before until politicians came in 1999 and brought divisions.
True that.
You pretty much moved around the Lagos Kingsway hotspots back in the day. You have a strong memory recall of some events. The ambience, music, and fragrances that wafted through those Kingsway Stores, UTC Stores, Leventis, Chellarams Stores were way different from that experience from ShopRite outlets or other super stores located in malls that evolved after those iconic department stores wound down finally during the Nigerian Military dictatorship years of the 1980s and 1990s.
However, the "decay" in Lagos infrastructure and that of the entire Nigeria economy in general started exponentially from the corrupt military dictatorship years of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (NOT even from the stern Muhammadu Buhari and 'Tunde Idiagbon Military Government like someone incorrectly stated on this thread), then the notoriously corrupt Sani Abacha who literally stole over 4 billion USD of Nigeria's money via the Central Bank of Nigeria into foreign offshore bank accounts in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia in what is now internationally called the "Abacha LOOT" way before the politicians arrived in 1999.
Efuaye: It was my first visit to Lagos in 1982 when my elder brother took me to the Kingsway and Leventis stores. We bought a VCR after I asked him why we didn't have movies at home like the ones displayed on the TVs in the mall. Until that day in December 1982, I had never known that a video player existed.
That must have been the "Betamax" Video Player you guys got in 1982, before the newer "VHS" Video Players replaced them in the 1980s. Life was mad cool back then in the early 1980s (1980-1982) [and Nigerian folks traveled regularly on business, leisure, and studies to London and New York via the iconic British Caledonian Airways, Nigeria Airways and PanAm from Lagos and Kano International Airports] before the United States sudden increased interest rates affected the global economy heavily with many African, Latin American and Asian countries defaulting in their foreign loan payments and contending with inflation and austerity measures due to the sudden U.S. interest rate hikes.
For our Retro walk I wanna take those of us Gen X into a time in our childhood when innocence was real and true. Kingsway Stores which was the first indegenous departmental stores that first opened to the public in 1948 alongside Leventis Stores. It was unique in every way by bringing a feel of London's West End to Nigeria.
At the store you can buy imported items at affordable prices and there're so many fond memories of that era. My fondest memories was of my dad coming home with goodies for us like toy cars and water balls. It was the Shop rite and Ebeano Stores of the time.
What led to its decline was the oil price of the mid 80s and the SAP sanction of '86 which led to a ban on imported goods. It's really a sad story filled with nostalgia. Let the images below speak for themselves and you'll see Future CO of Silverbird empire as a 7 year old kid on the lap of Santa Claus in Kingsway Store.
Yeah! The last paragraph is succinct. Those of us who belong to the generation of Baby-boomers and Gen X can relate with this thread because we were deeply immersed in outings and purchases especially from the oil boom years of the 1970s to the iconic Kingsway Stores, Leventis Stores, UTC, Chellarams, Bhojson, Cash & Carry, etc, right in the major commercial cities of Lagos, Kano, etc.
The decline in the global oil price, U.S. high interest rate hikes all happened from the early 1980s and IBBs Structural Adjustment Program added more fire into the mix and the economy went south. The fantastic foreign expats and academics from Jamaica, Ghana, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, the United States, etc, who I knew back then as family buddies from the oil boom years of the 1970s leading right into the 1980s began to leave Nigeria from 1985 to the late 1980s with their families for greener pastures in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Saudi Arabia, etc.
There used to be a Kingsway Stores back in the day on Kingsway Road, on Ikoyi Island, Lagos State (renamed by the Lagos State Government of former Governor 'Bola Ahmed Tinubu after the iconic Itsekiri business mogul and one of NADECO's financier Chief Alfred Rewane who passed on after being assassinated by agents of the military dictatorship in the late 1990s).
Good to see another throwback photograph of Ben Murray-Bruce.
These turbaned guys in the video are from the Fula Adamawa Region which is the 3rd largest out of 10 regions in Cameroon (It's ALSO spelled as "Adamaoua" the Francophone way) in the North of Cameroon which shares boundaries with the same Adamawa State in Nigeria. The 92-year-old Paul Biya should have made arrangements for a successor by now instead of subjecting himself to further re-election.
There are unintended consequences from these kinds of actions and inactions by people like Paul Biya.
ednut1: Less than 300 Nigerians got it in 2024. Most Nigerian(s) get their papers through marriage (real and arrangee) and EB 1 visa. Another junk journalism
A Lexus RX 350 simply got flattened like pancakes... Just like that. This is where different insurance policies are necessary and MUST be made compulsory for everyone in Nigeria like it's done in other North African and Southern African countries for instance.
NGpatriot: China's trade volume with the US is $615.2 billion
China's trade volume with the EU is US$710 billion
China's total trade volume with the West is over $1 Trillion
China's trade volume with Russia is meager and poorly US$110.75 billion
So, do you really think China is ready to jeopardize their $Trillion trade with the West because of the small US$110.75 billion trade with poor Russia?
EU alone is China's largest trading partner so do you think China is ready to throw that away because of Russia
China's economy is at the mercy and the goodwill of the West, not Russia, Russia is a poor country with no tangible export apart from oil and wheat, no industrial production or any global brand, they don't have global consumer goods like cars, clothing, cell phones, industrial machinery.
This is why Chinese state-controlled banks, I mean banks controlled by the Chinese governments are enforcing the sanctions against Russia, meaning this is the Chinese government enforcing the sanctions so your theory is dead on arrival
China is to economically close and dependednt on the West than Russia, Russia is pretty mmuch a bad market.
Afrobeats star Burna Boy was seen enjoying dinner at a friend’s luxurious mansion last night.
The singer, known for his global hit records and energetic performances, took time out to relax and share moments with close associates in a private setting.
That's a brilliant idea you have there which shouldn't even be negotiable.
However, real professional lifeguards would have to be employed in ALL the Lagos beaches from among the Ilaje folks or from other climes.
The average Ilaje fishermen living in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Delta, and Rivers States wouldn't want to leave their lucrative fishing business (from the high seas to the smoked fish kilns) behind to become beach lifeguards.
epainos: I always laugh when I hear about buying a house in Lekki because there is an airport, a free trade zone, Dangote Airport, and so on. It is not a bad idea to have a commercial property there. If you have a residential property, target workers in the surrounding area. So, no matter how you look at it, the location is not a loss if you are prudent. However, I cannot live in Lekki and will not conduct business in the area unless I want to rent out apartments or hotels. Anything other than Lekki real estate is off the table for me.
It is true that wealthy men are leaving the area quickly. The ones who will not leave easily are in phase 1. I suppose they can always withstand a one to two-month flood every year.
Following this ordeal, Eko Atlantic will attract more investors...lol. I am sure that some of the people who own houses worth more than a billion naira will consider purchasing three to five-bedroom apartments in one of Eko Atlantic's high-rise buildings. This will be a smart move. Eko Atlantic is designed to physically push the Atlantic Ocean back from interfering with V/I. The entire Ahmadu Bello to Akin Adesola area used to be flooded due to ocean overflow, but that is no longer the case with Eko Atlantic.
The only places I can live on the island are Ikoyi and Eko Atlantic, but as I previously stated, I can rent apartments anywhere on the island. If you have been following my thread, you will know that Surulere is my favorite area in Lagos. Gbagada is not bad either, but I still prefer Surulere (not the attached fake Surulere called Ijesha and further down....even the extreme Aguda near those dirty places is not Surulere on my map). I have written about this several times.
I actually have a plan. Honestly, I am putting it out there as a seed of faith. I plan to build a new town along the Lagos-Calabar and Lagos-Sokoto highways, which are close to Lagos. Clear a minimum of 500 to 1,000 ha and convert it into a new town. VI is not up to 600 ha, while Eko Atlantic is 1,000 ha. I will not go into detail, but it will house extremely wealthy Nigerians while also creating opportunities for high-income earners. Poverty will not exist near it. And maybe we can have two of these towns, or maybe the government will appreciate my work and ask me to build more. Who knows?
On a serious note, if I were governor, my priority would be to demolish many buildings on the Lagos Mainland (Ebute Metta, Alagomeji, and Yaba) and replace them with high-rises, expanded road networks, and a good drainage system similar to the one along Herbert Marcaulay. In addition, all flyovers will be removed so that underground crossroads can be built throughout the district, complete with mini business centers and shops. I do not think Lagos will sink as predicted because we have super brains who will not let it happen. When the treat becomes a reality, the entire world will come to the aid of cities facing similar problems. Rather, we will reclaim more land from the Atlantic Ocean for Lagos. A beg talk another thing. This is why I avoid buying overpriced properties in Lekki and Ajah. Ajah near the Dangote refinery should be well planned; otherwise, it will be a dumping ground in thirty years. If properly planned, that area will become the next Ikeja. It will be even better because it will combine Apapa and Ikeja (sea and air ports).
Lagos represents the future. Trust me when I say this. This is the city that many foreigners will flee to. In the next 50 years, Lagos will be completely covered in high-rise buildings.
So, for our generation, let us simply enjoy what we have.
God bless!
Some nice submissions right ABOVE.
The Netherlands model of using "disruptive innovations and technologies" is the required strategy to use to protect Lagos State against the rise in global sea levels due to:
1. Climate change. 2. Waste disposals. 3. Limited lands for construction and for use in the agribusiness ecosystem, etc.
As of today, as small as The Netherlands is in terms of landmass, that country is the second largest exporter of commodities on Earth. Lagos State recently launched 150 CNG fuel haulage trucks for the "Produce for Lagos" program and the "Epe Central Agro Food Hub" which is meant to crash the cost of food items by 50% of it's current value by cutting off the middlemen who engage in hoarding as indicated by the brilliant FIRST EVER female Commissioner for Agriculture in Lagos State, Ms. Abisola Olusanya in May 2025.
Already, Lagos State has a very neat "Mini Agro Food Hub" in Idi-Oro, Mushin which cuts off the middlemen hence cheaper food items are sold there from the online videos I've seen. This is a further indication that Lagos State has deep thinkers in government with the foresight to use sustainable methods to solve existing problems. This is a part of the leapfrog in the use of the original "Lagos State Master Plan" of the early 2000s started by the now President 'Bola Tinubu and his economic team when he was the Governor of Lagos State. That "Lagos State Master Plan" is what has given rise to projects such as the Eko Atlantic City project [which saved Victoria Island and environs from sinking into the sea from the yearly ocean surges back in the early 2000s], the Lekki Deep Sea Port in Ibeju-Lekki, the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ) in Ibeju-Lekki, and the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, etc.
WizardOfNG: Indeed Sir, and I believe so too. Yet we will get their quicker if Nigerians can pull the rope in the same direction instead of in opposite 'tug of war' manner, as is the case currently.
Nigeria has the second highest remittance in the entire Africa behind Egypt ( the link below confirms it) and it is time diasporans have access , from their location overseas, to the whole range of what is on offer from our Nigerian financial system and services.
This is laudable from the CBN. Cardoso and his crew are doing a good job and proving that we must give leaders sensible time to work and deliver positive changes.
MrMcJay: Due to incomplete attendance, Seyi Tinubu wasn't called to bar with his set and had to wait. Son of APC National leader (As at then)
The Nigerian Law school does not joke with attendance.
This vulcaniser should spend his resources on family members instead of trying to impress strangers.
It's good to know that 'Seyi Tinubu was subjected to due procedure at the Nigerian Law School despite his father's national status as a major political party leader.
The Nigerian Law School doesn't cut corners and has laid down procedure for attendance, examinations and call to the bar.
A lot of the earlier posters on this thread are well-known known for relentlessly spreading massive disinformation, defamation and toxic hate speech on this discussion forum with the aim of causing instability as part of a larger plot, and it's time for the NL super moderators and Intelligence agencies to put them down. These insidious paid trolls who regularly derail NL threads to distract attention from the real issues aren't needed here!
HonNL: The man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a Florida golf course last year tried to stab himself in the neck with a pen shortly after being found guilty of all counts on Tuesday.
Officers quickly swarmed him and dragged him out of the courthouse.
The jury of five men and seven women found Ryan Routh guilty on all counts that he was facing after 2 hours of deliberation.
After the jurors were on their way out of the courtroom, Routh tried to stab himself in the neck. He grabbed a pen and started trying to stab himself in the neck. Marshals swarmed him and picked him up and dragged him out of the courthouse.
His daughter Sara Routh was screaming, “Dad I love you don’t do anything. I’ll get you out. He didn’t hurt anybody.”
She continued screaming inside the courtroom as her father was dragged out. She said the case against him was rigged. The daughter went outside the courthouse and was waiting by the guard gate for her father to be driven out and transported to prison.
Routh had been charged with attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, assaulting a federal officer, possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges and defended himself in court.
Prosecutors said Routh spent weeks plotting to kill Trump before aiming a rifle through shrubbery as the Republican played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club.
Routh told jurors in his closing argument that he didn’t intend to kill anyone that day.
“It’s hard for me to believe that a crime occurred if the trigger was never pulled,” Routh said. He pointed out that he could see Trump as he was on the path toward the sixth-hole green at the golf course and noted that he also could have shot a Secret Service agent who confronted him if he had intended to harm anyone.
Routh, 59, exercised his constitutional right not to testify in his own defense. He rested his case Monday morning after questioning just three witnesses — a firearms expert and two characters witnesses — for a total of about three hours. In contrast, prosecutors spent seven days questioning 38 witnesses.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that the guilty verdict “illustrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to punishing those who engage in political violence.”
“This attempted assassination was not only an attack on our President, but an affront to our very nation,” Bondi said.
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off on Routh’s request to represent himself following two hearings in July. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that criminal defendants have a right to represent themselves in court proceedings, as long as they can show a judge they are competent to waive their right to be defended by an attorney. Routh’s former defense attorneys have served as standby counsel since he took over his own defense and have been present during trial the past two weeks.
Recounting what happened at the golf course, a Secret Service agent testified earlier in the trial that he spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot, the agent said.
Law enforcement obtained help from a witness who testified that he saw a person fleeing the area after hearing gunshots. The witness was then flown in a police helicopter to a nearby interstate where Routh was arrested, and the witness said he confirmed it was the person he had seen.
Just nine weeks earlier, Trump had survived an attempt on his life while campaigning in Butler, Pennsylvania. That gunman had fired eight shots, with one bullet grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman was then fatally shot by a Secret Service counter sniper.
Routh was a North Carolina construction worker who in recent years had moved to Hawaii. A self-styled mercenary leader, Routh spoke out to anyone who would listen about his dangerous and sometimes violent plans to insert himself into conflicts around the world, witnesses have told The Associated Press.
In the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Routh tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his native Greensboro, North Carolina, he was arrested in 2002 for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself from officers with a fully automatic machine gun and a “weapon of mass destruction,” which turned out to be an explosive with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) fuse, police said.
In 2010, police searched a warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, from power tools and building supplies to kayaks and spa tubs. In both felony cases, judges gave Routh either probation or a suspended sentence.
In the early days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Routh tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his native Greensboro, North Carolina, he was arrested in 2002 for eluding a traffic stop and barricading himself from officers with a fully automatic machine gun and a “weapon of mass destruction,” which turned out to be an explosive with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) fuse, police said.
In 2010, police searched a warehouse Routh owned and found more than 100 stolen items, from power tools and building supplies to kayaks and spa tubs. In both felony cases, judges gave Routh either probation or a suspended sentence.
naptu2: Yesterday confirmed something that I had previously written (I'll search for my previous post later).
I told you that the opposition to the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road is purely political. I told you that years ago, when it was politically favourable, many of the same people that are criticising the construction of the road were actually criticising government for not building the road (this was in the period from 2006 to 2014). I also told you why they criticised government then.
They condemned government because they said that there was only one road into and out of Lekki. The Tinubu and Fashola administrations decided to expand the Lekki Expressway and people said that they were stu pid because they couldn't see that what was needed was another road. They said that the Coastal Road and Fourth Mainland Bridge should have been built instead of "Just adding one lane to Lekki Expressway".
Later, when the expressway was being tolled, they said that government should have built the coastal road before tolling the expressway.
Well, yesterday happened.
There was a monster traffic jam yesterday evening when I left the hospital. I gathered that it affected the eastern part of Victoria Island and the western part of Lekki Peninsula. It was partly due to people leaving their locations at the same time after the heavy rain that fell yesterday morning and afternoon. I was reading reactions while I was in the traffic jam.
Go to Twitter and you'll see some of the people that said that the Coastal Road is unnecessary. You'll see them complaining, insisting and appealing to government to open the completed sections of the Coastal Road. Some of them were able to go past the barriers and use the road anyway. These are the same people that say that the road is unnecessary.
See the reactions below.
Photo: Screenshot from a dashcam video of someone that used the Coastal Road yesterday night.
NOW they are gradually getting to realize the importance of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway after the insidious criticisms. This Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway construction project unknown to a lot of younger people had been proposed since the former President Shehu Shagari years in the early 1980s, BUT the current Nigerian President 'Bola Ahmed Tinubu took the bull by the horns to start it. If construction hadn't started, construction costs would have gone up again due to the below sea-level terrain from Lagos to Calabar.
@Naptu2, the highly impressive update as of today from the videos I've seen in my YouTube timeline is that construction work has already started on the Lagos International Airport (MMIA) with the foundations of the entry and exit bridge interchange of MMIA being laid out. The total reconstruction of that airport from 2025 is the BEST thing to happen since it was FIRST opened for use in 1979 (46 years ago). The same relentless critics of the MMIA reconstruction would be the first to start using the new airport background to take selfies and videos just like they began taking selfies and featuring the iconic Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge in home videos, documentaries, and adverts after unjustly and irritatingly criticizing former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji-Fashola for the bridge construction.
I've learned for years now that with these insidious groups of people, the BEST thing is to be very firm in your resolve to bring positive societal development and proceed with your major construction projects regardless of the naysayers BECAUSE their real intention is to distract and derail those who are actively involved in the different tiers of governance at the Federal, State and LGA levels.
naptu2: Anyway, the heavy rains have started again and you'll need to consider whether you need to go out today.
This has been the situation since Monday:
On Monday there was a heavy traffic jam on Victoria Island and in parts of Lekki because of the Lagos State Government. The Government had announced that they were going to fix the Lekki Expressway, but that the job would be done at night. However, workmen appeared on the road on Monday morning and a carriageway was closed. It caused a massive traffic jam that affected places as far away as Ahmadu Bello Way. The workmen were removed from the road soon afterwards, but the damage had already been done.
Tuesday: There was a massive rainstorm in the morning after people had already left home. Admiralty Way and the Lekki-Epe Expressway were flooded. This caused a massive traffic jam that began around Jakande and extended into VI (ignore people that are talking about Dangote, the traffic jam did not get anywhere near there).
Some smart people waited until the flood had subsided and used the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge. Surprisingly the Bridge was totally free while there was a monster traffic jam on the Expressway. The traffic jam extended into Victoria Island, especially places like Eko Hotel, Akin Adesola, Muri Okunola and Ozumba Mbadiwe Road.
The rain has started again this morning.
@naptu2
First off, I absolutely wish you a quick recovery from your recent operation which I only just read about today.
Second, that's a brilliant update from you on the timeline or sequence of events (traffic jams and heavy flooding) within parts of Victoria Island and parts of the Lekki Peninsula. Indeed, it's BETTER for folks to stay indoors and monitor the weather updates which are now quite accurate globally in forecasting heavy rains, hurricanes and more due to advancements in satellite technologies.
Aside from the heavy rains in Lagos, Ogun, and more due to climate change (including the ongoing night construction work and flooding on the Lekki-Epe Expressway), a major part of the problem I'm getting from convos with some of my fam and folks in those two locations is that the "existing drainage system" on the Lekki-Epe Expressway is blocked with silt and would require desilting and total removal. So, the Commissioner, 'Tokunbo Wahab and his team will have to URGENTLY do something in that area. Wahab's team has done well in the CLEARING of the existing canals in Lagos State but more has to be done in desilting and opening up those drainages which a lot of relatively new migrants to Lagos State don't even know exists.
It's indeed important to do all construction work at NIGHT like Lagos State had already intended so that these lemmings and narcissists who claimed in the past that the iconic Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge by Babatunde Raji-Fashola was a waste of resources, and that the long-awaited iconic Federal Government construction project named Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway isn't important, do NOT use this grid-lock as an excuse to spread further disinformation online among gullible people.
Biglittlelois: This is very very true, Nigeria comes to mind with the bench they used as boundary demarcation in the North, that's why fulani wanderers come into the country at will disturbing the peace there.
Nigeria has NEVER had true land borders demarcations even from the British Colonial years till they left in 1960. The far-North of modern Nigeria and Niger Republic where joined together in culture and trade pre-1800 and right till after after 1900.
Ditto, the West of modern Nigeria (Yorubaland) extended right into parts of North Central Nigeria, then modern Benin Republic and Togo. So, physically robust borders NEVER existed and it's time to commence the construction as long as it won't cost more than 1 billion USD to construct the entire structures in order to eradicate the illegal influx of foreign Fula herdsmen from the Sahel region of West African countries.
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