27 arrested during raids on Lagos criminal hideouts (Punch)
No fewer than 27 suspected criminals have been arrested by men of the Lagos State Police Command during raids on criminal hideouts in different parts of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement on Sunday that the Commander, Rapid Response Squad, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, while acting on the order of the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, raided different black spots in the metropolis on Thursday and Friday.
He stated that the raids were to strengthen efforts to reduce traffic robbery, cultism and other social vices in the state.
Adejobi said, “In line with the commitment of the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, to continually take the anti-crime fight to the dens of criminals and miscreants in the state, the police command has arrested 27 suspects in planned raids of different black spots in the Lagos metropolis in the late hours of Thursday, February 4, and the early hours of Friday, February 5, 2021. Read more
Panic as Piggyvest, Risevest, others deactivate users’ Providus Bank accounts (Guardian)
Nigerians were thrown into a world of panic on Sunday as major technology-driven financial institutions removed their bank account details on their platforms.
Some of the fintech firms include investment and savings platform Piggyvest, Risevest, Agropartnership, Chaka and others. The removal of the account details is not a coincidence. All fintechs that make use of virtual accounts provided by Providus Bank for subscriber’s savings and investments announced the change.
“We received information from our virtual account provider that the existing Providus Virtual Accounts are inactive,” Piggyvest said in a statement.
Consequently, the fintech company had to change the bank account connected to each users’ savings on Piggyvest.
The company assured users of the platform that all their funds are safe and secured. Read more
Abia asks killer herdsmen to leave state (Independent)
The Abia State government has asked killer herdsmen to leave the state or be prepared to face the full weight of the law henceforth.
According to a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, a situation whereby some criminals hiding under the guise of herdsmen unleash mayhem and terror in some parts of the state would not be tolerated by the government.
He urged Fulani herdsmen operating in the state to obey the anti-open grazing law of the state passed by the Abia State House of Assembly in 2018, adding that it was of great importance that all Nigerians, including herdsmen, obey the laws of their host communities.
The Abia commissioner noted, in the statement, that some criminals masquerading as herdsmen had recently infiltrated some forests in the state and disclosed that these criminal elements rob, kidnap, rape and sometimes kill their victims even after collecting ransom. Read more
NCC, others to strengthen collaboration with FIRS (ThisDay)
The inter-agency committee set up by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ibrahim Pantami, recently held an interactive session with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) in Abuja, where they discussed areas of collaboration in relation to the Finance Act 2020.
Chaired by the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, the membership of the committee is made up of the Executive Chairman of FIRS and heads of the six agencies in the ministry, which include NCC, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Galaxy Backbone, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), and Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST).
The Committee was set up to discuss critical areas of synergy for the implementation of key provisions in the amended Finance Act 2020 as they affect the operations of the agencies in the ministry. Read more
Lady demands N1b, employment for family of man allegedly killed by soldiers (Guardian)
A nurse, Chinwendu Osigwe, has asked the authorities to compensate her family with N1 billion for the alleged killing of her brother, Ebere Osigwe, by a soldier on October 23, 2020.
She said this at the weekend while testifying before the Abia State panel on police brutality, extra-judicial killings and related matters headed by a retired Chief Judge of the state, Sunday Imo.
She also demanded the offer of employment to the widow and another family member as part of the compensation.
Ebere Osigwe, who resided at Osigwe Lane, Aba, Abia State, was allegedly killed in cold blood by a soldier at Osigwe Lane, off Ngwa road by about 9 a.m. Read more
Abiodun bans Ogun NURTW from revenue collection at parks, garages (Punch)
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has banned the leadership of the National Road Transport Workers in the state from resuming collection of dues and revenues on behalf of the government at the motor parks and garages in the state.
The governor had suspended the NURTW activities following internal wrangling within the ranks of the union over the leadership positions.
The leadership crisis, however, has been laid to rest with the taking over and re-opening of the union Secretariat in Asero, Abeokuta, last year, under the chairmanship of Mustapha Ismai. Read more
Osun imposes 24-hour curfew on 2 LGAs (Independent)
The Osun government on Sunday declared a 24-hour curfew in Irepodun and Orolu local government areas of the state.
The curfew followed violence that broke out between Ilobu and Erin-Osun communities in the affected local government areas on Saturday.
A statement by Mr Wole Oyebamiji, Secretary to the State Government in Osogbo on Sunday, said the declaration of curfew became necessary to douse tension in the troubled areas.
Oyebamiji said the curfew would subsist until further notice. Read more
Prioritise election integrity over polling units expansion, PDP tells INEC (Punch)
Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to prioritise election integrity over the expansion of polling units ahead of 2023 polls.
Lagos PDP Spokesman, Taofik Gani, told the News Agency of Nigeria, on Sunday, that INEC should rather direct its efforts at achieving robust electoral reform that would make people’s votes count.
Gani said, “The issues of INEC and acceptable election processes are beyond polling units. Creating 100 PUs on a street won’t change the integrity problem in our elections.
“Why can’t we have electronic voting linked to voters’ ID and the election can be done online.” Read more
Why Nigerians are afraid to accept COVID-19 vaccine, says Kaigama (ThisDay)
Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, has explained that many Nigerians are afraid to accept the COVID-19 vaccine because they believe that the health crisis is being manipulated by some people.
Kaigama, who stated this yesterday in Abuja during his homily at St. Jude’s Parish Zuba, however, urged Nigerians to disregard insinuations that the vaccine is not medically safe and affordable.
He argued that even though many people will seriously question facts about COVID-19 and fear that there is manipulation by some people, he insisted that the pandemic is real.
He said: “People very dear to us have died of COVID-19. There is no doubt that our world is currently sick, ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
South Africa halts AstraZeneca jab over new strain (BBC)
South Africa has put its roll-out of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on hold after a study showed “disappointing” results against its new Covid variant.
Scientists say the strain accounts for 90% of new Covid cases in South Africa.
The study, involving around 2,000 people, found the vaccine offered “minimal protection” against mild and moderate cases of Covid-19.
South Africa has received 1m doses of the AstraZeneca jab and was due to start vaccinating people next week. Read more
Cameroon says female circumcision resurfacing because of COVID-19, other crises (VOA)
Rights groups in Cameroon marked the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation Saturday by protesting the resurgence of the practice, also known as FGM. The government says COVID-19, the country’s separatist crisis and Boko Haram terrorism have stopped campaigns on the dangers of the practice and made providers return to FGM, which was being abandoned. Rights groups and FGM victims are pushing for an end to the practice.
At least 100 women Saturday visited the Briqueterie and Tsinga neighborhoods in Cameroon’s capital, Yaoundé, where they say female genital mutilation, or FGM, is resurging. The visit was part of activities marking the 14th International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation. The government said there is a resurgence of FGM in the neighborhood because some practitioners have relocated from Cameroon’s northern border with Nigeria to Yaoundé.
This year’s theme for the day in Cameroon was “No excuse for inaction even in a COVID-19 context, unite, fund and act to end FGM.”
Among the women was Comfort Mvoto of the NGO Action Against FGM. Mvoto says people her association had convinced three years ago to stop FGM are again circumcising girls. Read more
George Shultz: US secretary of state who helped end Cold War dies (BBC)
George Shultz, a former US secretary of state who significantly shaped foreign policy in the late 20th Century, has died at the age of 100.
He died on Saturday at his home in Stanford, California, the Hoover Institution think tank said.
He served three Republican presidents – Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan – in various roles.
Under Mr Reagan, Mr Schultz spent much of the 1980s trying to improve relations with the Soviet Union. Read more
Roadside bomb kills 12 Somali soldiers (VOA)
Twelve members of Somalia’s security forces were killed, and two others wounded on Sunday following a powerful roadside explosion in the central state of Galmudug, officials said.
The attack occurred near the village of El Dhere, 28 kilometers west of Dhusamareb town, during a security operation, officials said. Dhusamareb is about 510 kilometers north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
The chief of the intelligence agency in the town of Dhusamareb, Major Abdirashid Abdinur Qoje, was among those killed, the state’s information minister, Ahmed Shire Falagle, confirmed to VOA Somali.
“A vehicle carrying the officer, Qoje, and other soldiers accompanying him were hit by a landmine; the officer and some of the soldiers died, so it was a bomb,” Falagle said. Read more
Heavy snow and strong winds hit parts of the UK (BBC)
Heavy snow has blanketed the east and south-east of England, with forecasters warning of further showers overnight.
The Met Office said it was “bitterly cold” due to strong easterly winds and temperatures in parts of the UK would continue to remain around freezing.
An amber warning – meaning travel disruption and power cuts are likely – is in force until midday on Monday.
And less severe yellow warnings have been issued for much of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Read more
Jennifer Lawrence ‘hit in eyelid by glass’ as explosion during filming goes wrong (Metro)
Jennifer Lawrence was reportedly hit by glass on the set of her new movie Don’t Look Up. The 30-year-old is currently filming the Netflix disaster comedy in Boston, Massachusetts, and was filming scenes with Timothée Chalamet on early on Friday. However, a controlled glass explosion went awry during a scene, with glass reportedly striking Jennifer’s eyelid. According to TMZ, the pair were filming a final scene at 1am, where Jennifer was inside a restaurant where a window would explode as part of the scene. Read more
Sicily offers 422 migrants safe port before storm (VOA)
A vessel carrying 422 migrants rescued off the coast of Libya has been given permission to dock in Italy after issuing an urgent appeal for shelter from a looming storm, its operator said Sunday.
The SOS Mediterranee group, which operates the Ocean Viking rescue ship, said it had received the green light to bring the migrants ashore in the Sicilian port of Augusta after several earlier appeals went unheeded.
It said it expected the vessel to arrive in Sicily on Sunday evening.
The French-based group said its passengers included babies, children, pregnant women and unaccompanied minors. Read more
Morocco defeat Mali to win CHAN championship (Punch)
Morocco became the first back-to-back winners of the African Nations Championship when they scored twice after corners to defeat Mali 2-0 in the final in Yaounde Sunday.
Soufiane Bouftini broke the deadlock on 69 minutes and captain Ayoub el Kaabi doubled the lead 10 minutes later to ensure the north Africans created history.
It was the second CHAN final loss for Mali, after 2016, and they are still seeking a first Confederation of African Football senior national team success.
Morocco won five of six matches at a tournament reserved for home-based players, scored 15 goals and conceded only three as they matched the Democratic Republic of Congo in lifting the trophy twice.
Morocco went into the title decider as favourites having scored 12 goals against Uganda, Zambia and hosts Cameroon in their previous three matches. Read more
The father-daughter relationship behind the success of rising Canadian tennis star Leylah Annie Fernandez (CBC)
Sitting on the living room couch at their Boynton Beach home in Florida, Leylah Annie Fernandez and her father, Jorge, are intently watching All or Nothing: Manchester City.
The pair are huge fans of City manager Pep Guardiola, considered one of the greatest soccer managers the game has known. As the intensely cerebral Spaniard breaks down the patterns he wants his players to exhibit on the pitch, Leylah and Jorge sink their teeth in.
“I love Real Madrid but right now we’re kind of taking a break from them and supporting Man City,” Leylah said. “I like Pep Guardiola, his style is kind of like my tennis game so I’m learning from him.” Read more
Manchester United’s Lauren James the latest player to be racially abused online (Guardian)
The Football Association has called for swift government action after Manchester United’s Lauren James became the latest player to be sent racist abuse on social media. The forward was targeted just over a week after her brother Reece James, who plays for Chelsea.
On Saturday Axel Tuanzebe, of United’s men’s team, received racist messages online for the second time in less than a fortnight. His clubmates Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, West Brom’s Romaine Sawyers and Southampton’s Alex Jankewitz are also known to have been targeted during that period.
Lauren James marked the abuse she got on Instagram as “boring nowww” and wrote: “Instagram on a real need to do something about it or they will lose so many individuals on their platform – cause [sic] that’s the only way they will actually listen … Could even just remove any emojis with racist meanings. Too easy for some kid to press a few emojis in order to try and grab some attention. Too much talk around these days, and nothing ever gets done. Usual story.” Read more
Alisson mistakes help Man City to big win at Liverpool (BBC)
Manchester City took a potentially decisive hold on the Premier League title race as they thrashed Liverpool at Anfield – helped by a virtuoso performance by Phil Foden and a nightmare display from the champions’ goalkeeper Alisson.
City’s comprehensive triumph, their first at Anfield since 2003 and Pep Guardiola’s first away to Liverpool as a manager, was achieved in such comfort that they were able to recover from Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty miss.
Gundogan, who skied his spot-kick after Fabinho fouled Raheem Sterling, made amends when he put City ahead four minutes into the second period, after Alisson could only push out Foden’s shot.
Mohamed Salah equalised for Liverpool from the spot just after the hour after he was hauled back by Ruben Dias – but then came the combination of Alisson’s errors and Foden’s genius as the hosts were run ragged. Read more
Dan Evans reacts after winning first ATP Tour title on eve of Australian Open (Metro)
Dan Evans claimed a first ATP title on the eve of the Australian Open, beating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets. Evans, the British No. 1 from Birmingham, was too strong for the 20-year-old from Canada and strolled to a 6-2 6-3 win. There is little time to celebrate for Evans, 30. He has to gear up for his first round match at the Australian Open, against compatriot Cameron Norrie, on Tuesday. Coachless Evans is now set for a career-high ranking of around world No. 26 and he ticked off one of the goals that had eluded him during his career, although his main focus is having a good run at the upcoming Grand Slam. Read more
Chelsea win at Sheffield to move up to fifth (BBC)
Chelsea recovered from Antonio Rudiger’s own goal to move up to fifth in the Premier League, as Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start as manager continued with victory at Sheffield United.
The German, who took over from Frank Lampard last month, watched as his side struggled in the opening half hour on a freezing night as Oliver Burke fired wide in the opening minute.
But the visitors went ahead before the break when Mason Mount found the bottom corner following Timo Werner’s cross from the left.
Chelsea then conceded the first goal of Tuchel’s four-game reign in calamitous circumstances when Rudiger poked past Edouard Mendy into his own net.The winner arrived in bizarre circumstances. Read more