2 businessmen in court for alleged N16.5m fraud (Guardian)
Two businessmen, John Olufemi and Abraham Omotosho, on Friday, appeared in a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly defrauding a man of 10.000 pounds (N16.5million).
The defendants, who both reside at Yaba area of Lagos, are charged with three counts of conspiracy, theft and obtaining by false pretences.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, ASP Rita Momah, told the court that the defendants committed the offence in 2013, in Lagos. Read more
EFCC Arrests Lagos banker for alleged ₦34m fraud (Channels)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a Lagos banker, Elizabeth Modupe Osunjuyigbe for an alleged fraudulent diversion of funds to the tune of over ₦34m
In a statement issued on Friday by EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the Lagos zonal office of the anti-graft agency quizzed the suspect said to be an employee of Access Bank Plc.
“The suspect, who was arrested on Friday April 29, 2021, allegedly sent a fraudulent request sometime in January to the Branch Service Manager of Access Bank, Adeola Odeku, Lagos State, to issue a draft of the sum of ₦31,330,165 in favour of one Best Timland Nigeria Limited,” the statement read. Read more
Man arrested with 97 wraps of cocaine at Lagos Airport (Independent)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a suspected drug trafficker, Chigbogu Obiora, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos with 97 wraps of cocaine.
NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the 47-year-old drug trafficker was arrested by operatives of NDLEA on Sunday, April, 25 during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline.
He said that Obiora, who arrived in Lagos on board the airline from Entebbe, Uganda via Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, was subsequently put under observation. Read more
Sexual assault: Lagos lists possible charges against Baba Ijesha (Punch)
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team has waded into the sexual assault allegation against Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, also known as Baba Ijesha.
Baba Ijesha who is currently in police custody is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
In a statement shared by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Lagos, Gboyega Akosile, the LSDSVRT revealed the possible charges Baba Ijesha could face if legal action is carried out against him. Read more
Lagos East: Court of Appeal upholds Abiru’s victory (DailyTrust)
The Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the December 5 Lagos East Senatorial by-election, Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi.
The presiding judge, Justice Daniel Kallio dismissed the prayers of the appellants seeking to upturn the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Mukhail Adetokunbo Abiru, for lacking in merit.
In the ruling delivered virtually, the court said PDP and its candidate’s appeal was unmeritorious. It subsequently affirmed the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos. Read more
Fashola: Why FG Can’t Improve Access to Affordable Housing for Nigerians (ThisDay)
The federal government has expressed handicap in the area of improving access to affordable housing for Nigerians, especially in the face of Covid-19 pandemic, explaining that majority of houses available for sale or rent belong to individuals and private companies.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, noted this Friday at the 9th edition of the National Council meeting on Lands, Housing and Urban Development with the theme “Housing Delivery in Covid-19 Era and Beyond: The Strategies for Affordability and Accessibility.”
Fashola said: “So far, in the areas of housing, what the federal government can do directly is limited compared to what states can do, and state governments are also limited, compared to what private sector and individuals can do; the majority of houses available for sale or rent belong to individuals and private companies compared to what states or federal government has available. Read more
Abuja police begin clampdown on tinted glasses, covered number plates (Punch)
Joint Security Team has launched an operation to clampdown on the use of unauthorised covered number plates and tinted vehicles.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the territory, ASP Mariam Yusuf, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Yusuf said the team which is chaired by the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Mr. Bala Ciroma, was part of efforts to rid the territory of criminality.
She said the operation became necessary following the recent security threat analysis conducted by the joint team. Read more
Attacks on Prisons: FG outraged, issues shoot-at-sight order (Vanguard)
The Federal Government has expressed great outrage at the recent wave of attacks on Custodial Centres of the Nigeria Correctional Service NCoS, ordering personnel of the Service’s armed squad to shoot at sight any internal and external aggressor.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola gave the order at an emergency meeting with NCoS Squadron Commanders, Field Commanders and Heads of Armed Squads.
This was as he said some of the inmates who escaped from the custodial centres have been rearrested for murder.
He also cautioned the personnel against trafficking which he said is one way through which criminals invade the facilities having known that they could smuggle contraband into the facilities. Read more
Police arrest 2 suspected bandits, recover 137 cows (Guardian)
The Police Command in Kaduna on Friday says it has arrested two suspected bandits following an operation in Zaria.
The Command in a statement by its spokesperson, ASP Mohammed Jalige, said that 137 rustled cows were also recovered.
”On April 25, at about 9:15 p.m., the Kaduna Police Command received a distress call through DPO Zaria city that armed bandits in their numbers invaded Low-cost Housing Estate, Zaria and were shooting sporadically.
“The joint patrol team of Operation Puff adder II and IGP’s Intelligence response engaged the bandits in a gun duel. Read more
Zimbabwe’s tobacco farmers plead for a better deal (AlJazeera)
Bornface Batwero sits languidly in the driver’s seat of his lorry outside the Tobacco Sales Floor – an auction venue in the capital Harare where farmers gather from around Zimbabwe to sell their crops.
It’s mid-morning on a Monday. Batwero told Al Jazeera he was still waiting to receive payment for a consignment of tobacco he had sold on Friday, when he arrived from Centenary, a rural area in Mashonaland province, some 144km (89 miles) northwest of Harare.
“I am waiting for my payment later today,” said the 37-year-old tobacco farmer. “I don’t know how much they are going to pay me.”
Uncertainty has become a feature of Zimbabwe’s biggest agricultural export. Read more
Eurozone suffers double-dip recession as pandemic impact continues (BBC)
The eurozone’s economy has fallen back into recession as the impact of the pandemic continues to hit activity.
Europe’s economies have been set back by a renewed surge in infections this year and Covid-related restrictions.
The eurozone shrank by 0.6% in the January-to-March period – the second consecutive contraction, which is a widely-used definition of a recession.
It is the second such episode, a so-called double-dip recession, since the onset of the pandemic. Read more
Biden defends wearing mask while vaccinated (RT)
President Joe Biden defended his continued wearing of a face mask despite being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, calling it a “patriotic” duty.
During a Friday interview on NBC’s Today Show, host Craig Melvin asked Biden whether he would continue to wear a mask outdoors now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say fully vaccinated people don’t have to.
“Sure,” Biden replied, adding however that the likelihood of being outside without people coming up to him was “not very high.”
The president claimed that if he were sitting closer to Melvin, they would be wearing masks “even though we’ve both been vaccinated,” before calling face masks “a small precaution” that has a “profound impact.” Read more
German climate law puts unfair burden on young, court rules (TheHill)
Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that the government’s climate law places an unfair burden on younger generations.
The ruling came after climate activists from Germany and large environmental groups filed four complaints to the court, claiming that the rights of younger generations were in danger because the country does not have concrete goals for curbing climate change in the next decade, according to The Associated Press.
Germany, like other European Union countries, is working toward cutting emissions by 55 percent compared to 1990 levels by 2030, according to The Associated Press.
Two years ago, the country’s government approved legislation that outlined specific goals for areas like heating and transport to reach the 2030 goal, but it did not implement objectives beyond that benchmark date, the wire service noted. Read more
Starving Malagasy forced to eat leaves, locusts for survival (AlJazeera)
People in southern Madagascar have been reduced to eating wild leaves and locusts to stave off starvation after consecutive drought and sandstorms ruined harvests, leaving hundreds of thousands on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
Amer Daoudi, senior director of global WFP operations, warned on Friday the lives of Malagasy children are in danger, especially those under five years old whose malnutrition rates have reached “alarming levels”.
Speaking by videolink from Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, Daoudi told a UN briefing in Geneva he had visited villages where “people have had to resort to desperate survival measures, such as eating locusts, raw red cactus fruits or wild leaves”. Read more
Spain extending gap between AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses to address safety concerns (RT)
People aged under 60 in Spain will now receive their second dose of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine 16 weeks after their first, to allow time to address changing guidelines following blood clot fears, the Health Ministry has said.
The extension from the current 12 weeks between jabs is to allow for more studies on the Anglo-Swedish vaccine and experiences of other countries to become available, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
At first, Spain immunized key workers aged 18-65 with shots of AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria jab, but it then limited the vaccine to those aged 60 and over due to concerns about its association with blood clots in younger recipients. Read more
Nigeria misses world relays as sports ministry, Gusau feud worsens (DailyTrust)
Nigerian athletes will not be participating in the World Athletics relays billed to hold from May 1-2, 2021 in Poland no thanks to the power tussle between the Ministry of sports and a faction of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, led by Engineer Ibrahim Gusau.
A statement issued yesterday by the Gusau led AFN accused the sports ministry of scuttling Nigeria’s participation at the World Athletics Relays which is an Olympics qualifying event.
The factional president in the statement explained that Nigeria will not participate in the World Relays because the Ministry of Youth and Sports opted to take the athletes for a training tour in the United States to prepare for the same event they are yet to qualify for.
“The information at our disposal is that athletes who were supposed to represent Nigeria at the World Athletics Relays in Silesia, Poland were taken to the USA Embassy to obtain visas for a training tour of an event they were yet to qualify for. Read more
Portuguese Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton quickest in second practice for Mercedes (BBC)
Lewis Hamilton headed Max Verstappen by 0.143 seconds to lead the way in second practice at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
The second Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas was third quickest, ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and the Alpines of Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.
It is the first time this season that Hamilton has topped a practice session.
And the day suggested there will be another close fight between Mercedes and Red Bull at the front. Read more
Champions League won’t affect Liverpool’s transfer plans, says Klopp (Punch)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Friday that he is confident that failure to qualify for the Champions League would not have a major impact on his transfer plans.
Klopp was already resigned to having a reduced budget because of the financial impact of the coronavirus, regardless of where the champions finished in this season’s Premier League.
Accounts published this week showed the Anfield club made a pre-tax loss of £46 million in the year ending May 2020 and there will be more financial pain to come. Read more
Japanese sumo wrestler dies at 28, one month after hitting head during contest (RT)
Japanese lower-tier sumo wrestler Hibikiryu has tragically passed away aged 28, one month after injuring his head during the sport’s last grand tournament.
The athlete, whose real name was Mitsuki Amano, died of acute respiratory failure at a Tokyo hospital despite showing signs of recovery.
The wrestler was injured in a loss on March 26, when he collapsed in the ring, landing on his head and sustaining a concussion.
According to local reports, he was left lying on the floor for several minutes before being given medical assistance and taken away on a stretcher. Read more
David Cox: Albion Rovers striker quits football over ‘abuse’ claim during Stenhousemuir game (BBC)
Stenhousemuir and Albion Rovers
Albion Rovers’ David Cox says he has quit football after claiming he was verbally abused about his mental health struggles by an opposition player.
Cox, 32, left the stadium at half-time of his side’s game with Stenhousemuir and said he was taunted about his previous attempts to take his own life.
Stenhousemuir confirmed on Friday they have asked the Scottish FA to investigate and informed the SPFL.
They said the “serious allegations… must be robustly investigated”.
The League 2 club also confirmed that, following talks, their player would take a leave of absence until the investigation is concluded. He is denying the claims. Read more
English football begins four-day social media boycott over abuse (AlJazeera)
Football clubs and players in the United Kingdom have begun a four-day boycott of social media to protest against online racist abuse and to call on social media companies to do more to police their platforms.
There was initially a joint boycott announcement by the English Football Association, Premier League, English Football League, Women’s Super League, Women’s Championship as well as player, manager and referee bodies, anti-discrimination group Kick It Out and the Women In Football group.Ahead of the boycott beginning at 14:00 GMT on Friday until 22:59 GMT on Monday, other English sports including cricket, rugby, tennis and horse racing said they would fall silent on social media. Read more