*2 petrol tankers explode at filling station (Channels)*Gunmen kill Rivers stadium chief security officer, son (DailyTrust)

by Editor2
12 minutes read

2 petrol tankers explode at filling station (Channels)

Fire gutted two petrol-laden tankers at an MRS filling station along the Numan Road, opposite the Jezco filling station near the Yola International Airport on Tuesday.

The road leading into Yola, the state capital, was blocked as curious residents of the area rushed out to catch a glimpse of the inferno, ignoring the inherent danger.

Two fuel tankers have been consumed by the fire as of press time but men of the fire service have arrived at the scene. Read more 

Gunmen kill Rivers stadium chief security officer, son (DailyTrust)

Some gunmen have shot dead the Chief Security Officer of Rivers State-owned Adokiye Amiesimaka International Stadium, Omagwa, in Ikwerre Local Government Area, Mr Timothy and his son.

The Rivers State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Tuesday, said the tragic incident occurred on January 31, 2025, at about 11.40pm

Iringe-Koko said the 59-year-old Chief Security Officer and his first son were brutally murdered by the unknown gunmen. Read more

Former NCDC DG, Ihekweazu, appointed acting WHO regional director for Africa (Vanguard)

Chikwe Ihekweazu, former Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has been appointed as the acting Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Africa.

His appointment was announced on Tuesday during the ongoing 156th session of the WHO Executive Board in Geneva, Switzerland.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in Ihekweazu’s leadership, stating that Africa is in “capable hands” for the next four months until a new regional director is elected in May 2025. Read more

Fear as monarch begins demolition in Lagos communities (Punch)

Fear and panic swept through the Bello, Kusumi Lane, and Onakoya communities in Ketu, Lagos State, on Monday and Tuesday as bulldozers and caterpillars rumbled into the areas, reducing homes to rubble allegedly without warning.

Terrified tenants and landlords told our correspondent, who visited the communities on Tuesday, that they witnessed heavily armed policemen, fierce-looking thugs, and suspected land grabbers enforcing the demolition.

Several distraught tenants alleged that the Onikosi of Ikosi, Alamu Onikosi, orchestrated the demolition based on a court order he purportedly obtained from an Ikeja court. Read more

Tinubu, Exxonmobil leadership hold talks (NewTelegraph)

President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of ExxonMobil on Tuesday held talks at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Among the ExxonMobil delegation include the Chairman in Nigeria, Mr Shane Harris; outgoing President of ExxonMobil Upstream, Mr Liam Mallon; Incoming President of ExxonMobil Upstream, Mr Dan Amman and Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil Companies in Nigeria, Mrs. Adesua Dozie.

Mallon in an interview said they visited Tinubu to introduce his successor and to thank Tinubu for his support to the multinational company. Read more 

Communities get rural electrification boost (Nation)

Lagos State Rural Electrification Initiative, powered by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has continued to transform underserved communities.

On February 3, the initiative reached areas across Lagos Mainland, fulfilling the government’s promise to uplift rural residents through improved power supply.

In Ajegunle (Apapa Axis), Baale Ayetoro, Chief Saheed Adekunle, lauded Governor Sanwo-Olu for his commitment to meeting the needs of marginalised communities. Read more 

EFCC raids NAHCON, picks spokesperson Usara, 3 others (Guardian) 

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday raided the headquarters of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) in Abuja over alleged fraud.

The operatives, who arrived at the commission in a white bus at exactly 11 a.m. on Tuesday with a valid warrant of arrest, left the premises with the spokesperson of the commission, Fatimah Usara, and three other yet-to-be-identified staff members.

Sources close to The Guardian revealed that the arrest was linked to an ongoing investigation concerning the misappropriation of funds. Read more 

Albinism: Group advocates for skin cancer coverage in NHIA on World Cancer Day 2025 (Independent)

To mark World Cancer Day 2025, the Al­binism Association of Nigeria (AAN) has urged the government to include skin cancer in the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) scheme. This initiative aims to enhance access to essential healthcare services for in­dividuals at risk of skin cancer, partic­ularly those with albinism.

In a statement to mark the 2025 World Cancer Day, which is commem­orated on February 4 globally, Dr. Mrs. Bisi Bamishe, the President of AAN, said sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats, and protective clothing should be made accessible and affordable, especially to low-income persons with albinism (PWAs), through gov­ernment intervention programmes and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

The AAN used the 2025 World Can­cer Day, observed under the theme ‘United by Unique,’ to amplify the voic­es of persons with albinism in Nigeria. The theme speaks to the power of unity in addressing the global cancer burden. Read more 

‘A Simple Favor 2’ gets new title, Blake Lively seemingly confirmed to attend premiere (JustJared)

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively’s A Simple Favor 2 has a new title, and more news about the film’s debut!

The sequel to the 2018 hit is now titled Another Simple Favor, and was announced as the March 7 opening night movie for the 2025 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas!

Should Blake attend, this could be her first major public appearance since her It Ends with Us lawsuit.

Director Paul Feig said in a statement, “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back at my favorite festival in the world where we successfully launched ‘Bridesmaids’ and ‘Spy,’ and I cannot begin to say how honored I am to have our film opening it all. I’ve avoided making sequels to any of my films but these characters were just too much fun not to revisit. Read more 

Calls for Oscars to revoke Karla Sofia Gascon nomination as backlash mounts (Metro)

All eyes on are the Academy right now as fans are applying pressure for them to take action over Karla Sofia Gascon’s Oscar nomination.

The 52-year-old actress made history as the first out trans person to be nominated for an Academy Award in the best actress category for her role in Emilia Pérez.

But she has faced intense scrutiny over her former comments – with the recent one dating back to 2022 – on X targeting Muslims, George Floyd, Oscar diversity, and even her co-star Selena Gomez. Read more 

Jesse Eisenberg distances himself from Mark Zuckerberg and The Social Network (NME)

Jesse Eisenberg, who played Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network in 2010, has put distance between himself and the billionaire.

Eisenberg said on BBC Radio 4 earlier February 4 that he hadn’t been following Zuckerberg of late, due to some of his recent actions.

He explained: “I don’t want to think of myself as associated with somebody like that. It’s not like I played a great golfer or something and now people think I’m a great golfer.

“It’s like this guy that’s doing things that are problematic — taking away fact-checking and safety concerns, making people who are already threatened in this world more threatened.” Read more

Paradise Lost Director Joe Berlinger to helm present-day reimagining of cold war thriller ‘‘Fail-Safe’’ (Variety)

Joe Berlinger, the groundbreaking U.S. director known for HBO’s Emmy-winning true crime docuseries Paradise Lost, is set to direct a feature film that will reimagine the cold war thriller “Fail-Safe.”

The 1962 novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, which was originally adapted for the big screen by Sidney Lumet, depicts a harrowing scenario in which a “fail-safe” mechanical failure jams the United States military’s chain of command and sends the country hurtling toward nuclear war with the Soviet Union. 

According to a statement, Berlinger’s take on the novel will use a “faux-cinéma vérité approach” to “reimagine what the world would look like today had the events in the book really happened in 1967, with the total nuclear annihilation of New York and Moscow.” The film “will combine high-stakes international drama and classic documentary-style storytelling to reinvent the Cold War political thriller for new audiences.” Read more 

Kanye West hit with scathing response from former CNN host after Grammys controversy (Independent)

Former CNN host Don Lemon has criticised Kanye West following confusion surrounding he and his wife Bianca Censori’s nudity stunt at the Grammys.

The controversial rapper, 47, made headlines at the awards show after he and Censori appeared on the red carpet, with his spouse wearing a transparent dress. Rumours soon began circulating that the pair were escorted out of the ceremony but this was disputed, with some claiming they left of their own accord.

In response to the speculation, West lashed out at former CNN host Don Lemon, claiming that the broadcaster spread a story that he and Censori were ejected from the Grammys. In a since deleted Instagram post, West wrote: “This the goofball that started the rumour that me and my wife got kicked out the Grammies. 3 decades of innovating music and they always koons like this.” Read more 

Twisted Sister guitarist details why “rock is dead” in 2025 (Loudwire)

The discussion of “Rock Is Dead” has been bandied about frequently in the decade since Gene Simmons notably broached the idea in an interview, but during a chat with Sean P. McKenna on Rimshots With Sean for Barstools & Bandtalk, Twisted Sister’s Jay Jay French broke it down as to why that argument has some weight to it.

Much like Gene Simmons, Jay Jay French pointed to how music was in his youth to help bolster his argument that rock is dead. Read more 

Ex-UK soldier Daniel Khalife sentenced to 14 years for spying for Iran (AlJazeera)

A former British soldier who sparked a manhunt after escaping from prison before his trial has been sentenced by a court in the United Kingdom to 14 years for spying for Iran.

A judge at Woolwich Crown Court in southeast London said on Monday that Daniel Khalife, 23, had embarked on a “dangerous and fantastical plan” that involved passing sensitive information to Iranian intelligence for cash.

Khalife was convicted in November of espionage and “terrorism” charges as well as for escaping prison in 2023. Read more

RTS

S’ Africa eyes World Cup berth, aims to edge Nigeria in qualifiers (DailyTrust)

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos is confident that South Africa can secure a 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket ahead of Nigeria—if they overcome Benin Republic in their crucial qualifier in Côte d’Ivoire on March 27, 2025.

South Africa, Rwanda, and Benin currently lead Group C with seven points each, while Lesotho sits fourth with five points. Nigeria and Zimbabwe, struggling to keep pace, have just three and two points, respectively. With the top team securing automatic qualification, every match is critical.

Before their clash with Benin, South Africa will face Lesotho on March 17, the same day Nigeria takes on Rwanda away. The Bafana Bafana will then travel to Côte d’Ivoire to battle Benin on March 24, coinciding with Nigeria’s home game against Zimbabwe in Uyo. Read more 

Fans hail Taye Taiwo on Marseille Hall of Fame induction (Punch)

Football fans have taken to social media to celebrate former Super Eagles defender Taye Taiwo’s induction into Olympique Marseille’s prestigious Club of Legends, The PUNCH reports.

The 39-year-old, who made 271 appearances for the French club between 2005 and 2011, scoring 25 goals with 23 assists, joins an elite group of footballers including Samir Nasri, Lori Cana, Mamadou Niang, Fabrizio Ravaneli and Paulo Cezar in Marseille’s hall of fame.

“Naija Represented. Taye Taiwo is in the house tonight as the former Olympien and Super Eagle is inducted into the #OMLegends club,” Olympique Marseille wrote on their official X English account. Read more 

Alphonso Davies renews Bayern Munich contract until 2030 (Forbes)

It is finally official. Alphonso Davies has committed his long-term future to Bayern Munich. On Tuesday, one day after the transfer window shut, the 24-year-old Canadian men’s national team player signed a contract that will keep him at the club until 2030.

Bayern Munich initially signed Davies in a deal worth $20 million with add-ons from the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2018. Since then he has scored 12 goals and 34 assists in 220 games across all competitions for the Bavarian giants.

Although a deal was reported to be close two weeks ago, today’s announcement puts to rest speculations that Davies could be off to another club. After all, Davies’ contract at Bayern was set to expire this summer, and there was reported interest by Real Madrid. Read more

Iker Casillas breaks silence on links to former porn star Claudia Bavel (DailyMail)

Former Real Madrid and Spain star Iker Casillas has slammed attempts to ‘violate or undermine my honour’ after recent declarations by former porn star Claudia Bavel.

Claudia Bavel, who made her X-rated film debut as a teenager and now earns around £17,000 a month from Only Fans, has spoken out over her alleged relationship with the 2010 World Cup winner in recent days.

The 28-year-old gave an interview with Spanish TV channel Telecinco programme De Viernes detailing their reported relationship last week. Read more 

Tiger Woods announces mother Kultida’s death (CBC)

Kultida Woods, the Thai-born mother of Tiger Woods who instilled his dominant spirit and encouraged him to wear a red shirt on Sunday as his power colour, died Tuesday.

Woods announced the death of his 80-year-old mother in a social media post. He did not disclose a cause or other details. She was at his indoor TMRW Golf League match last week in South Florida, where she lived.

He described her as a “force of nature” who was his biggest supporter from the time she drove him to junior golf tournaments in California to being there for his 15 major championships, often wearing her wide-brimmed visor and sunglasses. Read more 

Voter who snubbed Ichiro Suzuki still unknown as ballots revealed (ESPN)

The Hall of Fame voter who declined to select Ichiro Suzuki remains a mystery.

All 321 voters who allowed their ballots to be made public Tuesday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America selected the Japanese star. Suzuki appeared on 393 of 394 ballots when voting was announced on Jan. 21.

“There’s one writer that I wasn’t able to get a vote from,” he said through an interpreter later that week. “I would like to invite him over to my house, and we’ll have a drink together, and we’ll have a good chat.” Read more 

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