Another man jumps from cab into Lagos Lagoon (Punch)
Another young man, who is yet to be identified, around midnight on Thursday, leapt from an Uber car and jumped into the Lagos Lagoon.
This is coming barely 10 days after a man alighted from a cab and jumped into the same Lagos Lagoon.
The man jumped into the Lagoon from the Third Mainland Bridge at midnight, sources in the Rapid Response Squad told The PUNCH on Thursday.
The PUNCH gathered that he landed on floating logs of wood beneath the Third Mainland Bridge.
The cab driver told officials of the RRS that he picked the passenger from Igando, a suburb of Lagos. Read more
Three docked over alleged theft of N400,000 property (Tribune)
Three men- Gbenga Jimoh, 29, Lukmon Adegbola, 27, and Abubakar Mohammed, 35, were on Thursday brought before an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly stealing property valued at N400,000.
The trio, who live at Alagbado, Lagos, is being tried for conspiracy, stealing and receiving stolen goods.
The defendants allegedly committed the offences on Feb. 9 at Alagbado, Lagos, the Prosecutor, ASP Ezekiel Ayorinde, told the court.
He said that two of the defendants, Jimoh and Adegbola, unlawfully entered into the workshop belonging to one Mr Shola Akinborode and stole his property.
“Jimoh and Adegbola stole three batteries, two jerrycans of diesel, one steering box and a tyre, all valued at N400,000 and sold the items to Mohammed.” Read more
‘Policeman’ flees as lover dies during sex in Ekiti (Nation)
A yet -to- be identified police officer is on the run after his lover died while allegedly making love inside the room of the deceased located at Atayese street, Bawa Estate, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state capital.
A source who craves anonymity told The Nation that the incident happened Wednesday’s night at the deceased house.
The suspect, who was a lover to the deceased was said to have visited Ekiti from Lagos, where he works as a policeman. Read more
Medical students stranded, groan as clinical lecturers begin strike (Guardian)
Activities at medical schools across the South East were at standstill yesterday as clinical lecturers embarked on an indefinite strike over the refusal of the National Universities Commission (NUC) to withdraw its circular demanding that they must possess a doctorate for career progression.
The lecturers, under the auspices of Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), had asked their members to withdraw their services from the medical schools with effect from yesterday over the decision.
The Guardian, which visited some of the medical schools met empty classrooms as examinations, practical and clinical tutorials had been suspended. Read more
Court nullifies impeachment of ex-Kogi deputy gov, Simon Achuba (Punch)
The impeachment of the former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Simon Achuba, has been declared null and void by a State High Court in Lokoja.
Achuba was in October 2019 impeached by the State House of Assembly.
But Justice John Olorunfemi on Wednesday faulted Achuba’s removal from office, describing it as a violation of the Constitution. Read more
Troops rescue 143 victims as B’Haram fighters surrender (Nation)
No fewer than eight Boko Haram fighters and their family members including six women and eight children have surrendered to troops of 152 Task Force Battalion deployed at Banki Town in Bama Council Area of Borno State during clearance operations by troops.
The surrendered terrorists according to a statement by the Nigerian Army Operations Media Coordinator, Colonel Aminu Iliyasu, include Tija Bo Isa, Ba Amodu Aba Kaka, Modu Zantalami, Malam Zantalami and Bakura Aba Kaka (Boko Haram Logistics Supplier).
Others were Bulama Modu Zantalami, Abukar Izahi and Bana Katum.
“During preliminary interrogation, the surrendered terrorists regretted their involvement in the dastardly acts of killing and abduction of innocent people as well as attacks on security agencies. Read more
Police bust Rivers baby factory, rescue 24 infants, pregnant teenagers (Punch)
The Rivers State Police Command on Tuesday uncovered a baby factory in Port Harcourt, the state capital and rescued 24 babies between the ages of one and two years, as well as four pregnant teenagers.
The Command’s Spokesman, Nnandi Omoni, said on Wednesday that the syndicate was exposed on Tuesday, following a covert operation by the Eagle Crack Unit of the police in the state.
Omoni added that the babies, who appeared frail and malnourished when they were rescued, were currently receiving medical attention, as an investigation had commenced to identify the masterminds of the child trafficking syndicate.
He said, “The men of the Eagle Crack Unit, in a covert operation yesterday (Tuesday), around 3.00 pm, burst a child trafficking syndicate at Woji in Port Harcourt, where 24 babies between the ages of one and two; and four pregnant teenagers were rescued. Read more
Two brothers in court for allegedly beating, stabbing neighbour (Tribune)
The police on Thursday arraigned two brothers who allegedly beat up and stabbed their neighbour with a broken bottle in a Magistrates’ Court in Kaduna State.
The police charged Bamini,20, and Ahmadu Umaru, 25, who both reside in Kugeri Village, Kaduna, with two counts of conspiracy and assault.
They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution counsel, Insp. Chidi Leo told the court that the defendants committed the offence on Feb. 1, in Kujeri village. Read more
Forced sterilisation in South Africa: They removed my uterus (BBC)
A woman in South Africa has told the BBC how she was sterilised without her consent after she gave birth at the age of 17, and only learned about it 11 years later when she tried to have another child.
Bongekile Msibi was among 48 women sterilised without consent at state hospitals, the Commission for Gender Equality found.
Despite being a statutory body, the commission said its inquiry was hampered by the “disappearance” of patients’ files, and its investigators had received a “hostile reception” from hospital staff.
The commission said its investigators visited 15 hospitals after civil rights groups brought the cases, some dating back to 2001, to its attention. Read more
Woman tests positive for coronavirus for second time after shaking off disease (Metro)
A woman in Osaka, Japan, is the first person to catch coronavirus twice (Picture: Getty Images) Share this article via facebookShare this article via twitter 12.1k SHARES Lucy Middleton Thursday 27 Feb 2020 8:21 am A woman in Japan has tested positive for coronavirus for a second time. The tour-bus guide, in Osaka, is the first person in the country to do so amid growing concerns as the virus spreads. Eight people in Japan have died from coronavirus, while more than 2,800 people have died worldwide. Doctors have previously spoken about the potential for reinfection from coronavirus, as the strain is still new and scientists are unable to say how long immunity will last. Read more
Climate campaigners win Heathrow expansion case (BBC)
Controversial plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport have been thrown into doubt after a court ruling.
The government’s decision to allow the expansion was unlawful because it did not take climate commitments into account, the Court of Appeal said.
Heathrow said it would challenge the decision, but the government said it would not appeal.
The judges said that in future, a third runway could go ahead, as long as it fits with the UK’s climate policy.
The case was brought by environmental groups, councils and the Mayor of London. Read more
Boris Johnson threatens no-deal Brexit if he doesn’t get what he wants by June (Metro)
Boris Johnson has threatened to walk away from post-Brexit trade talks in June unless there is a ‘broad outline’ of his desired deal by then. The government has unveiled a tough negotiating mandate that pits the PM on a collision course with Brussels for the next four months as the two sides seek to hammer out a new relationship. According to an official government document released this morning, Johnson’s administration wants to see the ‘broad outlines’ of a ‘Canada-style’ deal by the time he meets with EU leaders in the summer. Read more
China prepares 100,000 ducks to battle Pakistan’s locust swarms (BBC)
China is preparing to deploy 100,000 ducks to neighbouring Pakistan to help tackle swarms of crop-eating locusts.
Chinese agricultural experts say a single duck can eat more than 200 locusts a day and be more effective than pesticides.
Pakistan declared an emergency earlier this month saying locust numbers were the worst in more than two decades.
Millions of the insects have also been devastating crops in parts of East Africa.
The Chinese government announced this week it was sending a team of experts to Pakistan to develop “targeted programmes” against the locusts. Read more
Nasa films mystery UFO following the International Space Station for 20 minutes (Metro)
Cameras on board the International Space Station (ISS) have picked up a strange, cone-shaped object in orbit around Earth. The unexplained object seemingly keeps pace with the space station as the cameras remain locked on it for over 20 minutes. Naturally, the footage has been picked up and circulated around parts of the internet dedicated to discussing alien technology. Fanning the conspiracy flames even further, the camera zooms in on the object at one point suggesting that Nasa is aware of its presence. For the bus-sized object to keep pace with the ISS, it would need to be travelling at around 7.8 kilometers-per-second. Read more
CDC warns men about facial hair dangers as coronavirus spreads (NYPost)
Men may need to hack off their muttonchops, void their Van Dykes or pluck their ducktails if they plan on using a respirator, according to information from the CDC about how facial hair can interact with the devices.
A graphic released by the agency shows the fashionable facial-hair-wearer which styles will conflict with potentially life-saving respirators as the US braces for the quickly spreading coronavirus to emerge state-side.
Handlebar, walrus, and Zorro mustaches are fine, but the CDC says folks may need to lose their Fu Manchus, Dalis, and Englishes — because they could prevent respirators from making a seal on wearers’ faces. Read more
Obama blasts ‘plantation politics’ attack ad against Biden (BBC)
Barack Obama has made a rare intervention in the 2020 White House race to decry a “despicable” racially charged attack ad against Joe Biden.
A pro-Trump group put out the clip that twists Mr Obama’s own words in order to undermine the Democratic contender.
Mr Biden is hoping the black vote in South Carolina’s primary on Saturday will revive his campaign.
Though Mr Biden was his vice-president, Mr Obama has observed neutrality in the race, refusing to endorse a contender. Read more
Pope Francis has some tech advice for Lent (Metro)
The Pope has urged Catholics to put down their phones and turn off the TV this Lent. In a world ‘polluted by too much verbal violence’, Pope Francis warned of the ‘offensive and harmful words’ being amplified online in a speech to a general audience on Ash Wednesday. Pope Francis said Lent should be a time to switch from such technology and ‘open the Bible’ instead. ‘Lent is a time to disconnect from cell phones and connect to the Gospel,’ he said, according to Vatican News. ‘It is the time to give up useless words, chatter, rumours, gossip, and talk and to speak directly to the Lord.’ Read more
Taylor Swift literally plays The Man in new video (BBC)
Taylor Swift plays a man-spreading, cigar smoking, strip-club-going male business executive in the new video for her track, The Man.
The song, taken from her seventh studio album Lover, is the first new music released since her departure from Big Machine Records.
It takes a swipe at male music executives, following her feud with Big Machine owner Scooter Braun last year.
The credits show how the video was directed, produced and owned by Swift. Read more
Nadal cruises into quarter-finals at Acapulco tennis (Punch)
World number two Rafael Nadal stepped up his bid for a third ATP Mexico Open title with an impressive display of serving and shotmaking to beat Serbian youngster Miomir Kecmanovic on Wednesday.
The Spaniard hit 20 winners as he kept his hopes alive of regaining the top ranking with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over the 20-year-old Kecmanovic to reach the quarter-finals at the Acapulco hard court tournament.
“He’s a very dangerous player. Young, with a lot of power. I’m very pleased with the victory,” Nadal said.
“I played a very good first set and that’s important for me. That gives me confidence.” Read more
BAL: Hoopers signs Baptist, Hamdy (Nation)
Three-time league champions Rivers Hoopers have secured the signature of American Billy Baptist and Egyptian Ahmed Hamdy Mohamed ahead of their participation in the forthcoming Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Baptist spent his 2013/2014 season in the NBA Developmental League for the Bakersfield Jam. He appeared in 42 games for the Jam and averaged 7.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG and 1.2 APG.
The 32-year- old small forward moved on to London Lightning in Canada where he averaged 5.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.5 APG. Read more
Former Club Brugge manager mocks Andreas Pereira ahead of Manchester United Europa League clash (Metro)
Manchester United are far from the force they once were and Andreas Pereira would struggle to even get into the Club Brugge team. That’s the view of former Club Brugge manager Henk Houwaart, who has urged current boss Philippe Clement to deploy his strongest side at Old Trafford. United drew 1-1 away in Belgium in the first leg but Houwaart thinks the tie is still there to be won against a United outfit that are far from their glory days. And he name-checked Pereira as a player who would struggle to break into the Brugge team as an example of how far Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have fallen. Read more
Real Madrid v Barcelona: The key questions in Sunday’s pivotal El Clasico (BBC)
With 13 games remaining and Barcelona leading Real Madrid by two points, El Clasico at the Bernabeu on Sunday could be pivotal in deciding the most compelling La Liga title race for years.
Neither team has looked particularly convincing this season, both have been hit by significant injury blows, and Real now have a Champions League home defeat to bounce back from, so there are plenty of uncertainties heading into a game that is likely to be tense and closely contested.
Here are some of the key storylines to look out for on Sunday.
Can Benzema carry the load for shot-shy Real? Read more
Serie C player becomes first professional footballer in Italy diagnosed with coronavirus (Metro)
A Serie C player in Italy has been diagnosed with the coronavirus making him the first professional footballer to contract the disease in the country, according to reports. Italian newspaper La Nazione report a 22-year-old footballer, who has not been named but plays for US Pianese ASD, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization. Pianese ASD play in the Serie C and are based in the commune of Piancastagnaio located in the Tuscany region of western Italy. The report claims the footballer ‘put himself in voluntary quarantine’ before doctors decided to test him for the virus which has now reportedly come back as positive for COVID-19. Read more
Dubai Tennis Championships: Dan Evans beats Andrey Rublev to reach semi-finals (BBC)
Great Britain’s Dan Evans beat Russian sixth seed Andrey Rublev in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The British number one, 29, claimed an impressive 6-2 7-6 (11-9) victory over the world number 14.
He set up a last-four encounter against German Jan-Lennard Struff or Greek second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Read more
Premier League Hall of Fame to announce first inductees in March (BBC)
The Premier League is launching a Hall of Fame, with the first inductees to be announced in March.
Two players will be inducted initially alongside a shortlist of nominees for future inclusion, voted for by fans.
The Hall of Fame will recognise players of “exceptional skill and talent” from home and abroad who have played in the top division since it began in 1992.
A separate English Football Hall of Fame has existed since 2002 and is housed at the National Football Museum. Read more
Adam Yates retains UAE Tour lead, but loses out in sprint on stage five (BBC)
Britain’s Adam Yates was edged out in a sprint finish by Tadej Pogacar and Alexey Lutsenko on the final climb of stage five at the UAE Tour but retained his overall lead.
Slovenian Pogacar secured UAE Team Emirates’ first stage win at their home race, as Kazakhstan’s Astana rider Lutsenko celebrated too soon and lost by a matter of centimetres.
Mitchelton-Scott’s Yates, 27, leads Pogacar by 61 seconds overall.
Chris Froome finished in the peloton.
British Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider James Knox made a stunning breakaway up the Jebel Hafeet in the final 10km of the 167km stage. Read more
Dare hopes for new talents at Nigeria Police Games (Nation)
The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has expressed hope that the 12th Nigerian Police Games which will take place in Awka, Anambra from Saturday to March 7 will throw up new talents for the country.
Dare, while receiving AIG Alkali Mohammed, the Chairman, Police Games Planning Committee and Force Secretary who visited him in Abuja, noted that the Police Games had produced great talents for Nigeria.
“The Games have produced talents such as Sunny Isekwena, Julius Aghahowa, Chioma Ajunwa, Samuel Peters, late Sunday Bada among others. Read more