1 killed, others injured as NURTW members clash in Ondo (ThisDay)
One person was killed and several others injured on Tuesday morning, when members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), engaged in free for all Akure.
The confrontation among the members of the transport workers union, caused pandemonium at the popular Old Garage area of Akure metropolis.
During the clash, dangerous weapons including guns, cutlass, axe and charms were freely used.
The man that was killed was identified as Ademola Ademoyegun. Read more
CP redeploys DPO, others for aiding COVID-19 violators, 113 arrested (Punch)
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has redeployed the Divisional Police Officer, Ajao Estate Division, and other senior police officers attached to the division for allowing clubbing at the Garbana Club in the area.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement on Monday that Odumosu warned DPOs against encouraging the violation of COVID-19 protocols in the state, adding that he would monitor compliance in the various police divisions.
Adejobi stated, “The DPO, Ajao Estate Division, and his senior officers in the division have been redeployed to a yet-to-be disclosed offices in the state for allowing night clubbing at the Garbana Club on Sunday, March 7, 2021. Read more
Lagos receives COVID-19 vaccines (Punch)
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has confirmed that doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines have arrived in the state.
He said this on Tuesday at the 2021 International Women’s Day celebration organised by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Nigeria took delivery of about four million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines as part of an overall 16 million doses planned to be delivered to the country in batches over the next few months. Read more
I don’t know anything about kidnapping, Wakili says (Tribune)
A Fulani man, Iskilu Wakili, accused of being a kidnap kingpin and mastermind of several cases of abduction at Ibarapa zone of Oyo State, has denied his involvement in such crime, asking his accusers to come out in the open with their claims.
Wakili, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, at the State Criminal Investigation Department at Iyaganku, Ibadan, said he has never been involved in crime during his stay in the zone for over 20 years.
He also disclosed that two of his children were kidnapped in 2020, and he had to pay millions of naira to secure their release.
Wakili said he was at home on Sunday when he heard women among his household members shouting that some ‘Amotekun’ (OPC) members were approaching his camp and were armed. Read more
James Ibori: UK promises to return to Nigeria £4.2m stolen by ex-governor (BBC)
The UK has promised to return to Nigeria £4.2m ($5.8m) which was stolen by a former governor.
Former Delta State Governor James Ibori was convicted of money laundering in the UK in 2012.
He is thought to have stolen around £50m from the oil-rich state.
This is the first time that money recovered from criminals will be returned to Nigeria since an agreement was signed in 2016, the UK authorities say. Read more
FCT gives businesses in Maitama 7-day notice to quit (Vanguard)
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has given a seven-day ultimatum to business organizations operating in Maitama to vacate the highbrow district and relocate to the Central Business District or risk being sealed.
Acting Director, Department of Development Control, Garba Kwamkur gave the warning on Tuesday when the Department stormed the popular Gana street in Maitama to sensitize business operators to their original residential purposes.
According to him, “the Department had a week ago served all the buildings that have currently been converted to commercial uses, notifications to revert to residential purposes which they were meant for, but failed to comply”.
Kwamkur who directed the business organizations to relocate to the Central Business District or Idu Industrial Estate as provided for in the FCT masterplan warned that their business premises will be sealed off at the expiration of the ultimatum. Read more
Mixed reactions as jailed Uber driver smiles in mugshot (Punch)
Driver with the ride-hailing platform, Uber, Lawal Oluwatosin, in Ibadan, Oyo State, has been sentenced to a three-month prison term by the state High Court over N19,000 ($50) internet fraud.
In a picture shared on the verified Twitter handle of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the bright smile of the convict cannot be missed and this has generated mixed reactions on social media.
The Court sitting on Monday, March 8, presided over by Justice M. Odegbola sentenced Lawal after he pleaded guilty to the charge bordering on obtaining money by false pretence brought against him by the EFCC. Read more
Court sentences 20-year-old man for cryptocurrency fraud (Guardian)
Federal High Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue state, has sentenced a 20-year-old man Victor Chinemerem Ogaraku, for cryptocurrency fraud.
The 20-year-old was prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Makurdi Zonal Office on a one-count charge that borders on obtaining by false pretence before Justice Mobolaji Olajuwon of the court.
“That you, Victor Chinemerem Ogaraku, sometime in November 2020, in Makurdi, within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, did obtain the aggregate sum of N257,500 from one Otokpa Joseph Orinya as payment for cryptocurrency under the pretence that you have same for sale, which you knew was false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1)(a) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006,” the charge read. Rea more
Enugu gov begins construction of multi-million naira flyover road project to ease traffic (Tribune)
Determined to give Enugu the Enugu State capital a facelift, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, on Tuesday begun construction of multi-million naira Flyover road project in the metropolis.
To this end, the state government has shutdown Abakpa Road T-Junction and its adjoining roads to commence the construction work in the area.
A government inspection team led by the commissioner for information, Hon Chidi Aroh, visited the construction yard of the IDC Construction Limited, during which the contractor said it would deliver the project before the end of 2021.
Aroh was accompanied by his Works and Housing commissioner counterparts, Hon Greg Nnani and Hon Vitus Okechi respectively. Read more
Prince Charles in ‘state of despair’ after Prince Harry’s Oprah interview (PageSix)
Prince Charles returned to public duties Tuesday morning – despite reports that his son’s explosive Oprah Winfrey interview has left him in a “state of despair.”
The 72-year-old heir to the throne visited a National Health Service COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinic in London — the morning after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s damning tell-all aired in the UK.
Charles appeared in good spirits as he thanked helpers, Sky News said — but declined to comment on the interview when pressed by reporters.
Charles was the subject of some of his son’s most personal attacks, with Harry saying he felt “really let down” by his dad but hoping the two could one day “heal that relationship.” Read more
World economy bouncing back from COVID-19 faster than expected, OECD says (CBC)
The world economy is bouncing back from the pandemic crisis faster than expected, thanks in part to successful coronavirus vaccines and US stimulus efforts, but the improvements are uneven and joblessness remains a big concern, according to a new forecast.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on Tuesday raised its expectations for global GDP growth to 5.5 per cent this year and four per cent next year. That is up from a December forecast of 4.2 per cent growth in 2021 and 3.7 per cent for 2022.
After the virus plunged the world economy into crisis last year, the OECD now expects global output to surpass pre-pandemic levels by the middle of this year. Read more
Syria’s hospitals face systematic attacks: report (DW)
Over the past decade, hospitals across Syria have been attacked more than 400 times. Data obtained by DW suggests the attacks formed part of a larger strategy to cripple access to medical facilities in rebel-held areas.
The Kafr Zita Cave Hospital was built nearly 20 meters (65 feet) into a mountainside in the hope of escaping aerial bombardment.
It was established in 2015 far from military facilities and residential areas north of the city of Hama, the fourth-largest city in Syria, in order to ensure continuity of medical services to civilians after the main hospital was destroyed.
Yet, the cave-dwelling medical facility was attacked several times in the following years until the rebels were pushed out of the area. Read more
Jobless law grad sues parents to get them to support him for rest of his life (Metro)
An unemployed lawyer is taking his own parents to court to try to force them to cover his living costs for the rest of his life, according to reports. Faiz Siddiqui, 41, claims he is entirely dependent on his wealthy parents who allow him to live rent free in their £1million Hyde Park home and give him a £400-a-week allowance. After a family row, his Dubai-based mother Rakshanda, 69, and father Javed, 71, threatened to withdraw some of the support. But Mr Siddiqui – who three years ago tried to sue Oxford University after he didn’t get the degree he wanted – is arguing he is entitled to a lifelong maintenance grant. Read more
21 breakfast recipes for brighter mornings (CBC)
Sit down, grab-n-go, and make-ahead meals that may be the tastiest thing you eat all day.
If breakfast is the best part of your morning, we can relate. But if you find yourself getting a little sick of your go-tos, well, we can relate to that too. The good news is this list is for you. We’ve rounded up some delightful and delicious recipes for weekday breakfasts — depending on what type of morning meal you’re after: grab-and-go ease, a simple but sit-down affair, and more. Here’s to brighter mornings ahead! Read more
Samuel Paty: French schoolgirl admits lying about murdered teacher (BBC)
A French schoolgirl has admitted to spreading false claims about a teacher before he was murdered last year.
Samuel Paty was beheaded in October after showing students cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
The girl, whose complaints sparked an online campaign against Paty, has now admitted that she was not in the class.
Mr Paty’s killing stunned France and led to an outpouring of support at memorial ceremonies and marches around the country. Read more
At Dubai airport, travelers’ eyes become their passports (NYPost)
Dubai’s airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, can already feel surreal, with its cavernous duty-free stores, artificial palm trees, gleaming terminals, water cascades and near-Arctic levels of air conditioning.
Now, the key east-west transit hub is rolling out another addition from the realm of science fiction — an iris-scanner that verifies one’s identity and eliminates the need for any human interaction when entering or leaving the country.
It’s the latest artificial intelligence program the United Arab Emirates has launched amid the surging coronavirus pandemic, contact-less technology the government promotes as helping to stem the spread of the virus. But the efforts also have renewed questions about mass surveillance in the federation of seven sheikhdoms, which experts believe has among the highest per capita concentrations of surveillance cameras in the world. Read more
Ahmed Musa: Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr names clubless captain in Super Eagles squad (BBC)
After weeks of speculation, Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr has selected clubless captain Ahmed Musa for his 24-man squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
The 28-year-old has been inactive since leaving Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr in October and debate has already started in the local media as to what role Musa can play for the Super Eagles later this month against Benin and Lesotho.
Rohr had previously announced that only players actively competing in the top flight would be involved in his squad, but appears to have gone against his words.
“Musa has been keeping fit and we hope he can find a club soon,” Rohr had said last month. Read more
Enyimba aim for first Nigerian CAF Confederation Cup title (Punch)
Enyimba coach Fatai Osho has thrown down the gauntlet to the 15 other CAF Confederation Cup contenders by declaring that his Nigerian club can lift the trophy this season.
“We have a good chance of winning this competition,” he said ahead of matchday 1 on Wednesday when the last Nigerian team to win an African club competition host Libyan outfit Al Ahly Benghazi.
“Enyimba are title contenders and not just participants. We have what it takes to go all the way and become the first Nigerian winners of the Confederation Cup.” Read more
Plans revealed for new Champions League format and when it will start (Metro)
Plans have been revealed for a new Champions League format that will see the group stage increased to 36 teams from the current 32 and come into being in 2024. The details have not been finalised but are expected to be completed in the coming weeks, according to European Clubs’ Association (ECA) chairman Andrea Agnelli. Former Manchester United and Netherlands goalkeeper, and current Ajax chief executive Edwin van der Sar has been given the credit for the idea behind the changes. Read more
PSG’s Neymar ruled out of Barca tie (BBC)
Paris St-Germain have ruled Neymar out of the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie against Barcelona.
The Brazil forward missed the first leg against his former side, which PSG won 4-1, with a thigh injury.
“Neymar returned to partial training with the squad last week and will continue to work back to fitness individually,” said a PSG statement.
PSG’s on-loan Everton striker Moise Kean will also be absent as he is self-isolating because of coronavirus. Read more
Evander Holyfield calls out Mike Tyson for ducking fight (NYPost)
Evander Holyfield has called out Mike Tyson ahead of their potential trilogy fight and asked: “Where you at?”
The two heavyweight legends are set to renew their iconic rivalry, 24 years since the infamous rematch.
Talks are progressing for a sensational trilogy to add to their series, with the pair both training.
And in Holyfield’s latest post, he wrote: “Getting back in my rhythm just waiting on my dance partner now @miketyson to show up. Where you at?”
Tyson, 54, made an astonishing comeback in November when he came out of retirement to draw an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr, 52. Read more
Joachim Löw will quit as Germany coach after European Championships (DW)
Germany’s national team manager, Joachim Löw, will step down after this summer’s European Championships, the German Football Association (DFB) announced on Tuesday.
Löw took over from Jürgen Klinsmann in 2006 and led his country to World Cup glory in 2014.However, following Germany’s ignominious exit from the first stage of the World Cup in 2018 and a string of poor results since, Löw’s position as national team coach became the subject of intense speculation. Read more