Accountant shot by robber dies following rejection by Lagos hospitals (Punch)
An accountant, Odiri Onosigho, has lost his life after being shot during a robbery operation at First Gate bus stop, Festac, in the Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Odiri and his friend, Michelle, were at the bus stop around 6am waiting to board a bus to work.
It was learnt that the robbers suddenly appeared and shot the 32-year-old in the chest while attempting to dispossess him of his phone.
During the attack, it was learnt that passers-by and commuters ran away, but when Michelle returned to search for Odiri, he found him lying on the ground in a pool of his own blood.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro, Odiri’s elder sister, Atarhe, said efforts to resuscitate him proved abortive as the hospitals that Michelle and some good Samaritans rushed him to for treatment rejected him because of the absence of a police report. Read more
Ministry, NAPTIP join forces against human trafficking in Lagos (Guardian)
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Dr Olugbemiga Ayoola Aina, has pledged to collaborate with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and CLEEN Foundation to tackle human trafficking, prostitution and child labour in the state.
Aina made this known during a meeting between the Lagos State Zonal Coordinator, NAPTIP, Mr Aganran Ganiyu and members of CLEEN Foundation on the gender audit report, which captured protection services and shelters in Lagos State for the prevention of forced migration, trafficking of women and girls in Nigeria.
Aina stated that human trafficking had become an endemic problem in Nigeria, and Lagos State had been a melting point for traffickers whose cause could also be linked to societal ills. Read more
Lawyers differ over lagos taking over corruption cases from EFCC, ICPC (Independent)
Nigerians on Sunday expressed divergent views over a new law signed by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos which mandates agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to hand over corruption cases to the state government.
According to the legislation entitled, ‘Lagos State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law’, a new anti-corruption agency will have the exclusive right to investigate financial crimes and corruption cases involving the finances of the Lagos State government.
Section 13(3) of the law reads, “The commission shall upon the commencement of this law take over the investigation of all anti-corruption and financial crime cases involving the finances and assets of Lagos State government being investigated by any other agency.”
Section 13(5) also states, “The commission shall have the power to the exclusion of any other agency or body to investigate and coordinate the investigation of corruption and financial crime cases involving the finances and assets of the state government.” Read more
Deadly Sunday as gunmen run amok in Kaduna, Rivers, Borno (Guardian)
Yesterday, the risk map of the troubled Northwest was stretched to include worship centres after bandits attacked Haske Baptist Church in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing two persons while many worshippers were abducted.
Before yesterday’s attack, all tiers of educational institutions have been serially targeted.
An unspecified number of worshippers also sustained degrees of injuries with a medical doctor, Zakariah Dogo Yaro, of the Kaduna State Ministry of Health, among those killed during the incident.
The church, located in Manini Tasha village, Kuriga Ward of the local government area, was attacked around 9:00a.m. by the bandits. The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the incident. Read more
FG Bans Importation of Refined Sugar, Derivatives from Free Trade Zones (ThisDay)
As part of the efforts to protect the sugar industry, which is governed by the Nigerian Sugar Master Plan (NSMP), the federal government has banned the importation of refined sugar and its derivatives from the nation’s Free Trade Zones (FTZs).
The prohibition move, which came through a directive from the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, was conveyed in a letter by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, Lagos, to one of the terminal operators of the Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Apapa, Lagos.
The NPA letter dated April 8, 2021 and titled ‘RE: Prohibition of Importation of Sugar from the Free Trade Zones into the Nigerian Customs Territory,’ was signed by Mr. Buba Jubril for the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex.
According to the letter: “We have for reference a letter from Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment ref: HMIT1/GEN/ CORR/008/ VOL. I, dated February 15, 2021 on the above subject. Read more
Police Trust Fund partners NPA for better personnel welfare (Guardian)
In a quest to garner support for the funding of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF), the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF), Aliyu Ahmed Sokoto, has sought the support from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
The executive secretary, who was received by the Managing Director of NPA, Hajia Hadiza Bala-Usman, gave the assurance to support the NPTF.
“The NPA will support you in every way it can, even beyond our mandate, but also as individuals to build a police force that will provide the attendant security needed,” she said.
She also charged the executive secretary on the need to expedite action on executing the mandate of NPTF. Read more
Troops raid Benue monarch’s palace, chief escapes (Punch)
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have reportedly uncovered arms and ammunition at the palaces of district heads of Cha (Mue Ter Cha), His Royal Highness, Chief Utambe Adzer, and Chief Teran Kwanghbo, all from Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
It was gathered that while the former was arrested, the latter escaped with AK-47 rifles through the back door of his palace when soldiers stormed the palace on Saturday.
Military source said that troops stormed the palaces of the monarchs based on intelligence report. Read more
Nigeria Loses N23.5bn Yearly To Offshore Aircraft Maintenance (Independently)
Six years after the Federal Government promised to establish a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility for airlines in the country, the government is yet to fulfill that undertaking with many failed attempts.
This is as Nigerian airlines expend at least N23.5 billion annually on heavy maintenance of their aircraft outside the country.
Investigations by Daily Independent indicated that it costs a minimum of $1 million (about N470 million) to carry out a C-check on aircraft, while such check may go as high as $2 million (N940 million), depending on the scope of work to be carried out on such an aircraft.
So far, no fewer than 50 aircraft are flown by about eight scheduled operators in the country at the moment. Read more
Shelter for homeless widow (ThisDay)
Fortune recently smiled on Mrs. Philomena Ubaka, a widow living with her children in a dilapidated thatch house, as a philanthropist who was touched by her family’s deplorable condition of living constructed a two bedroom bungalow for her. At the handing over ceremony, David-Chyddy Eleke reports that her joy knew no bounds
Though Ebenebe, a rusty agrarian community is situated in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, just a little distance away from Awka town, which is the capital of Anambra State, the community is still far away from development. The roads around the community are bad, just as finding potable water is also a task which residents of the community have to grapple with on a daily basis.
For Mrs. Philomena Ubaka, a widow in the community and mother of five children, her worries are not about the roads as even though she is a farmer, she does subsistent farming, such that her harvest are just for herself and her children. She does not have to worry about hiring vehicles to ply the horrible roads to evacuate her farm produce to the market. As far as she is healthy enough, she walks all the way to the farm or to the market, without a worry about the state of the roads. Read more
Chad crisis: Army refuses to negotiate with rebel ‘outlaws’ (BBC)
Chad’s ruling military council has rejected an offer of ceasefire talks with rebels it has been fighting since the unexpected death of president Idriss Déby.
The military council took power earlier this week after Mr Déby was killed during clashes with rebels.
Headed by Mr Déby’s son, the council said it would oversee an 18-month transition to elections.
Opposition politicians and rebels have condemned the army takeover as a coup. Read more
Oscars: ‘Nomadland’ wins best picture and its director Chloe Zhao makes history (France24)
The critically acclaimed “Nomadland” — about a marginalised, older generation of Americans roaming the West in rundown vans — on Sunday won the coveted Oscar for best picture.
China-born filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who told the story of financially stretched van dwellers in the U.S. recession-era tale “Nomadland,” on Sunday became the first Asian woman and second woman ever to win best director at the Academy Awards.
It was the first Oscar for Zhao, 39, who featured real-life nomads alongside actress Frances McDormand to show the lives of older Americans who travel from job to job trying to scrape together a living.
Zhao was born in China and lived in Beijing until age 14, when she went to boarding school in London and later finished high school in Los Angele. Read more
Somalia violence: Rival units fight amid row over president’s term (BBC)
Fighting has broken out in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, between different sections of the security forces.
Reports said heavy weapons were used and mortar rounds were fired near the presidential palace.
Some of the military units support President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed while others are opposed to him.
Last week Mr Mohamed – known as Farmajo – controversially approved a two-year extension of his term in office. His mandate officially ended in February. Read more
Oscars 2021: Regina King delivers powerful opening speech (Metro)
Regina King kicked off the 2021 Oscars in a powerful way, delivering an opening speech that that addressed the coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. The One Night In Miami director welcomed attendees and audiences to the 93rd Academy Awards, saying: ‘It has been quite a year and we are still smack dab in the middle of it. ‘We are mourning the loss of so many.’ She went on to address the verdict of Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd and said that had it ‘gone differently’ last week, ‘I may have traded in my heels for marching boots.’ Read more
German opera star Christa Ludwig dies at the age of 93 (BBC)
The celebrated German opera singer, Christa Ludwig, has died at the age of 93.
The mezzo-soprano, who was born in Berlin, died at her home near the Austrian capital, Vienna, on Saturday, her family confirmed.
Ludwig made her debut in Frankfurt aged 18 just after the end of World War Two. She retired in 1994.
The singer was widely praised for the rich quality, range and amplitude of her voice. Read more
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons bassist Joe Long dies aged 79 (Metro)
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons star Joe Long has died at the age of 79, it has been confirmed. The band’s surviving members; Valli, 86, and Bob Gaudio, 78, announced the bassist’s death on Wednesday in a Facebook post. They said: ‘It is with great sadness that we learned that our dear bandmate, Joe Long, has passed away. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans. ‘We will miss Joe.’ The Jersey Boys’ official Twitter account also posted a tribute, which said: ‘Joe Long, a true Jersey boy and bassist with the Four Seasons, has passed away. Read more
Alber Elbaz: Fashion designer dies in Paris aged 59 (BBC)
Designer Alber Elbaz, who worked at some of France’s best-known fashion houses, has died in Paris aged 59.
From 2001, Elbaz was artistic director at Lanvin, where he was credited with rejuvenating the brand, until he was sacked in 2015.
He had recently launched his own label, AZ Factory.
His business partner Johann Rupert said Elbaz had died from Covid. Mr Rupert praised Elbaz’s “inclusive vision of fashion”. Read more
Rafael Nadal battles past Stefanos Tsitsipas for 12th Barcelona Open title (BBC)
Rafael Nadal won his 12th Barcelona Open title, saving a match point in a thrilling three-set victory over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Nadal trailed 4-2 in the opener but recovered, breaking twice to take it.
World number five Tsitsipas showed great grit in the second set, saving two match points in game 10 game before levelling the match on a tie-break.
In a tight third set, Nadal faced a match point before piling on the pressure to win 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 7-5. Read more
UFC 261: Usman earns $1.5m from Masvidal win (Punch)
Nigeria’s UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, is set to earn a whooping $1.5m after his second round knockout win over Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday.
The fight which happened in front of 15,000 sold out fans lived up to the billing with the Nigerian knocking out his opponent in the second round in front of his home supporters to retain his UFC title for the fourth time.
According to sportekz.com, the Nigerian is set to smile to the bank with an astonishing $1.5m while Masvidal will earn as much as $900,000 thanks to the crowd at the venue and a high Pay Per View sale.
The Nigerian has a guaranteed $750,000 for the fight appearance and another $60,000 promotional bonus. He earned himself an extra $50,000 as his bout was selected as one of the two Performances of The Night as well as that of teammate, Rose Namajunas. Read more
Pep Guardiola confirms Manchester City defender Eric Garcia is set to join Barcelona (Metro)
Pep Guardiola caught many by surprise after Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final victory over Tottenham as he announced that Eric Garcia is set to join Barcelona on a free transfer. Garcia has made just two starts in the Premier League this season and was left out of Guardiola’s squad altogether this weekend as City claimed their fourth straight League Cup thanks to Aymeric Laporte’s late header at Wembley. The 20-year-old centre-back, who has been capped seven times by the Spain national team, is said to have grown frustrated by a lack of regular game-time at the Etihad and City’s attempts to tie him down with an extension have been unsuccessful. Read more
Lille fights back against Lyon to retake top spot in Ligue 1 (France24)
Burak Yilmaz scored twice and set up another as Lille staged a brilliant comeback to claim a thrilling 3-2 victory at title rivals Lyon on Sunday and reclaim top spot in Ligue 1 from reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
The away side trailed by two goals shortly before half-time, but Yilmaz inspired an unlikely fightback to send Lille one point clear of PSG with four matches remaining.
Monaco are just a point further back in third after Wissam Ben Yedder’s late goal grabbed a 1-0 win at Angers, but fourth-placed Lyon’s title challenge appears all but over, sitting six points off the pace.
Lyon struck first in the 20th minute as Islam Slimani drilled Maxence Caqueret’s cut-back into the roof of the net. Read more
Late Villa equaliser hurts West Brom (BBC)
West Brom’s faint hopes of avoiding relegation suffered a significant setback after substitute Keinan Davis scored a 92nd-minute equaliser for Aston Villa.
The Baggies fell behind when Anwar El Ghazi marked his return to the side by firing Villa ahead from the penalty spot after Semi Ajayi had clipped Ross Barkley.
They were then awarded a penalty of their own, Matheus Pereira beating Emiliano Martinez to equalise after Ezri Konsa caught Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
Brazilian forward Pereira then hit the bar from a free-kick after creating chances for Okay Yokuslu and Maitland-Niles before Mbaye Diagne’s deflected finish off Tyrone Mings looked to have sealed a third win in four games. Read more
Paul Scholes ‘surprised’ Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani didn’t start against Leeds and questions Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s post-match comments (Metro) Paul Scholes criticised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s upbeat comments after Manchester United’s goalless draw with Leeds and said he was ‘surprised’ both Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani started on the bench at Elland Road. Chances were few and far between in Sunday afternoon’s stalemate, with United forward Marcus Rashford closest to breaking the deadlock with a well-hit free-kick shortly before the half-time break. The result brought the Red Devils’ five-match winning streak to an end and means runaway leaders Manchester City have a 10-point advantage at the top of the table with five games remaining of the campaign. Read more