2 ex-SARS officers bag death sentence for murder (Punch)
A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted and sentenced to death by hanging, two former members of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad for extra-judicial killing.
Recall that five members of the SARS team, ASP Samuel Chigbu, Shedrack Ibibo, Magus Awuri, Ogoligo, and Olisa Emeka were standing trial for killing Michael Akor and Michael Igwe, while in their custody for allegedly stealing recharge cards in Oyigbo, Oyigbo Local Government Area in 2015.
But ASP Samuel Chigbu and Ogoligo died in custody at the correctional centre in Port Harcourt, while Shedrack Ibibo, Magus Awuri, and Olisa Emeka continued with the trial. Read more
Fire guts 3-storey building on Martins Street, Lagos (Guardian)
Quick response by the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS), yesterday, saved traders from losing all their goods to inferno at 74, Martins Street, by LSDPC Building, Lagos Island.
This is coming barely a week after fire incident was reported at 5, Gbajumo Street, Balogun, Lagos Island.
Men of the Ebute Elefun, Oniru and Alausa Fire Crews confined the fire to the topmost floor of the three-storey building where it emanated from. The outbreak was reported at 12:19p.m yesterday.
The building is being used for trading and storing textile. Read more
CBN naira policy targeted at Tinubu, says Lagos lawmaker (Independent)
Member of the Lagos House of Assembly representing Oshodi Isolo Constituency 2, Hon. Jude Idimogu has berated the naira note swap policy, embarked upon by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Idimogu, while describing the policy as an ill-timed move, explained that it was purely targeted at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
The lawmaker said that Nigeria being a cash-based economy, needs a gradual approach till when the old notes fizzle out of the system as against the drastic change that is bringing untold hardships on the masses. Read more
NSCDC arrests 12 with petroleum products in Lagos (Punch)
Men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have arrested 12 suspects for allegedly dealing in petroleum products and hard drugs.
The suspects were paraded by the NSCDC Commandant in Lagos State, Usman Alfadarai, on Wednesday, at the agency’s office at Alausa, Ikeja.
The NSCDC spokesperson, DSC Abolurin Olumide, in a statement, “The anti-vandal unit of the command has again made successful arrests of two persons suspected to be involved in illegal dealings in petroleum products, particularly Automotive Gas Oil, and another five suspects involved in the same crime. We also recovered unquantified oil products as well as arrested five additional suspects in connection with two intercepted boats laden with 54 bags of cannabis sativa, also known as Indian hemp, in another operation and recovered exhibits. Read more
Gunmen kill judge during court session (Nation)
Gunmen have shot dead the presiding President of Ejemekwuru Customary Court in the Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, Nnaemeka Ugboma.
The gunmen ambushed the court president, dragged him out while the court was in session and shot him dead at a close range.
The Nation gathered the gunmen, who came on motorbikes, shot sporadically as the people fled the scene. Read more
Buhari’s Visit: Yahaya Bello, Kogi monarch settle rift (DailyTrust)
The paramount ruler of Ebiraland, Dr Ado Ibrahim, has finally resolved his rift with the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Governor Bello and the royal father had a face off recently over issues bothering on President Muhammadu Buhari’s state visit to Okene.
It was gathered that a peace meeting between the duo took place at Okene on Thursday, shortly after the burial ceremony of the late Tafida of Ebira Land, Dr. Abdulazeez Umar Farooq, and the issue was resolved. Read more
Scores injured, vehicles damaged as soldiers storm UNIBEN in ‘‘reprisal’’ attack (Leadership)
It was tales of woes, sorrow and blood for some students and staff of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Edo State when unspecified number of yet-to-be identified military men from the S&T Barracks Ugbowo, stormed the Ivory Tower in the wee hours of Friday in what looked like a reprisal attack.
At the end of the midnight invasion, scores of University of Benin security guards at the main entrance gate and passersby were injured as the sound of sporadic gunshots were heard by neighbours and passersby, which was said to have lasted for almost an hour.
Vehicles said to belong to the University and its staff parked within the institution’s premises were not spared as their windscreens were smashed by the rampaging unknown soldiers. Read more
Makinde suspends campaign activities over fuel, naira crisis (Guardian)
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has suspended his campaign activities until further notice over unending fuel and new naira-note crisis in the state.
Makinde, whose campaign trail had visited some parts of the state, announced the suspension of his campaign activities at the flag off of the Omi-Adio-Ido Road on Friday.
This is contained in a statement by Dr Wasiu Olatubosun, the
Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism. Read more
Shania Twain releases dynamic new album Queen Of Me (CanadaToday)
Shania Twain has released her highly-anticipated, confident, and dynamic new album Queen Of Me.
The country icon and five-time Grammy award-winning legend’s sixth studio album comes after the release of the fan-favorite bops “Waking Up Dreaming,” “Last Day Of Summer,” and “Giddy Up!” Those singles all appear on the album alongside more cool, catchy, and compelling anthems.
Shop the best of Shania Twain’s discography on vinyl and more.
Queen Of Me is a record that serves as a limitless expression of pop, allowing it to sit comfortably next to Twain’s many chart successors, enshrining it as the most upbeat, playful, and joyous of all her albums. Sonically inspired by the 70s and 80s funk and rock the star grew up with, it’s a departure from the past and a strident step into an ever-improving future. Read more
Seth Rogen says Marvel films are “Just not for me” (Deadline)
Seth Rogen has drawn a line on superhero stuff. During a recent interview with Total Film, Rogen confessed he doesn’t love the MCU and its films.
While that’s hardly an uncommon take, what makes it interesting is that Rogen is a comic book fan and has been involved in such adaptations as AMC’s Preacher, and is an EP on The Boys and Invincible.
The difference, Rogen explained, is that the Marvel films are geared toward kids, in his mind. Read more
Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly beats OK Computer to become highest-rated album of all time (MusicRadar)
Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly has been named as the highest-rated album of all time by Rate Your Music. The ratings platform announced that Kendrick’s Grammy-winning hip-hop epic had surpassed Radiohead’s OK Computer to snag the top spot on Thursday Jan 31.
Rate Your Music is a website that allows listeners to rate, review and discover music. Users catalogue items from their personal music collection, add reviews and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also features charts that list the highest-rated releases.
The platform’s statistics display an average score of 4.34/5 for To Pimp a Butterfly that’s distilled from 59,586 ratings and 491 reviews. OK Computer has fallen behind to take the number two spot with a rating of 4.26. Read more
Jennifer Connolly doesn’t know what a nepo baby is (NME)
Jennifer Connolly had no idea what a nepo baby was until a recent interview.
The Top Gun: Maverick actor was quizzed about the Hollywood debate while at the Sundance Film Festival this week. However, Connolly said she “didn’t know” what the fuss was about.
She was asked by IndieWire for her opinion on whether it was right that children of famous actors and other figures enjoyed unparalleled access and opportunity in the industry. “I haven’t been following the nepo baby debate,” Connelly replied. “I don’t know what the debate is.” Read more
Paco Rabanne: Legendary Fashion designer dies aged 88 (Hello)
Paco Rabanne, the Spanish-born designer who was renowned for his iconic metallic dresses, has passed away at the age of 88 in Portsall, Brittany.
Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo as he was originally named, (Paco Rabanne was a pseudonym), will go down as one of the most revered fashion designers in history.
His origins are equally as fateful and as intriguing as his designs, born on 18 February 1934 in the Basque town of Pasajes, Gipuzkoa. His father was a Republican Colonel and was executed by Francoist troops during the Spanish Civil War. Read more
Gary Glitter released from prison (MusicNews)
Disgraced former glam rock singer Gary Glitter has been freed from prison after serving half of his sentence.
The 78-year-old, real name Paul Gadd, was sent to prison for 16 years in 2015 for sexually abusing three girls aged 13, 12 and 10.
According to the PA media agency, he was released from HMP The Verne in Dorset, England on Friday after serving eight years. He was freed automatically halfway through his sentence and will be subject to licence conditions. Read more
Mafia hitman found working as pizza chef in France after 16 years on the run (NBC)
A mafia hitman who had been on the run for 16 years was arrested Thursday in France, where he had been working as a pizza chef.
Edgardo Greco, 63, who authorities say has links to Italy’s notorious ‘ndranghetha crime group and was convicted of killing two people in the early 1990s, was arrested by French police in the city of Saint-Étienne in southeastern France.
Described as a dangerous fugitive, Greco has been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of brothers Stefano and Giuseppe Bartolomeo in 1991. Italian police said in a statement that the pair were beaten to death with a metal bar in a fish shop in Calabria. “Their bodies were made to disappear and never found again,” police said. Read more
Adesanya, Pereira rematch raises concerns (Punch)
A rematch between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira for the UFC middleweight belt has been officially announced for April 8, but former champion Daniel Cormier has expressed his concerns about the timing of the bout.
Adesanya had been dominant in the middleweight division until Pereira’s arrival. The two warriors faced off in a mixed martial arts match, which marked their first MMA encounter but the third overall including their kickboxing battles.
Despite Adesanya leading the match entering the fifth round, Pereira knew that only a finish could secure their victory, as they proclaimed before the final round. With bravery and determination, Pereira entered the fifth round and defeated Adesanya by technical knockout, becoming the new middleweight champion. Read more
NFF lectures clubs on CAF licensing system, stadium regulations (Leadership)
The Nigeria Football Federation yesterday organised a seminar for general managers and club licensing managers of teams in the Nigeria Premier Football League and the Nigeria Women Football League, with a view to briefing them adequately on the Confederation of African Football’s new regulatory framework for the Club Licensing System and Stadium Regulations.
The regulations include a fresh edition of the CAF Men’s Club Licensing Regulations, first-ever edition of the CAF Women’s Club Licensing Regulations, a fresh CAF Club Licensing Quality Standard, a dedicated CAF Club Licensing Catalogue of Sanctions and a fresh CAF Stadium Regulations.
Inside the Conference Room of the NFF/FIFA Goal Project facility of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, the Club Licensing Unit of the NFF took participants through the frameworks, regulations and requirements that strengthen the Club Licensing System for men and women’s football for continental and domestic competitions, define the minimum standards that Member Associations or affiliated Leagues (as Licensors) must comply with in order to operate the Club Licensing System, establish a categorization of stadium technical requirements per type of CAF Competition and set out sanctions to be applied for lack of proper implementation by Member Associations. Read more
Patrick Vieira: Crystal Palace manager ”troubled” by lack of black managers (BBC)
Patrick Vieira says he is “troubled” by the lack of black managers in the Premier League and Women’s Super League.
The Crystal Palace boss, 46, was named on the Football Black List this week – an award which recognises the efforts of black figures working in the sport.
Vieira is the only black manager to be leading a club in the top flight of men’s or women’s football in England. Read more
Postecoglou: Giakoumakis future off my radar (Sky)
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou revealed the future of Giorgos Giakoumakis was no longer on his radar as the striker nears a departure from the Scottish Premiership leaders.
Giakoumakis remained at Celtic at the end of the transfer window but different deadlines in Japan and the United States mean he can still wrap up a move to suitors such as Urawa Red Diamonds and Atlanta United.
Postecoglou is not concerned about when any deal is finalised. Read more
Red Bull announce shake up of F1 car livery plans with special designs for 3 US races (Mirror)
Red Bull plans to run cars with special fan-design liveries at three Formula 1 races this year in a notable departure from tradition.
Since the brand first began competing in the sport in the 2005 season, Red Bull have generally avoided any major livery shake-ups. Their colour palettes and designs have broadly remained the same, with few major changes made to the look of their cars.
But that will be different for three races this year. At each of the Grands Prix due to take place in the United States, the team plans to field cars with liveries that have been designed in a fan competition. The news was announced at the team’s season launch event in New York, where the main paint job of the RB19 was also revealed. Read more
WWE: Ric Flair says Charlotte can “absolutely” be as big as Serena Williams (GMS)
Ric Flair is undoubtedly his daughter Charlotte‘s biggest fan when it comes to her wrestling career.
So much so that he has tipped her to become as big as tennis legend Serena Williams if she can equal the record number of WWE world title reigns.
The current record is held by Flair himself and John Cena, who both won 16 during their full-time careers. Read more