Being Tinubu’s puppet, a compliment, Sanwo-Olu tells Agbaje (Punch)
The war of words between the Lagos governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Peoples Democratic Party, Jimi Agbaje, continued on Friday, as the APC flag bearer promised to retire his rival after the March 2 election. Sanwo-Olu said he was proud of being called a puppet of the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, adding that it meant he had mastered the art and science of governance. He spoke while reacting to a statement by Agbaje, in which the latter described him as a puppet. The APC candidate, in a statement by his media team, said he sympathised with Agbaje over the “imminent disgraceful defeat awaiting him at the March 2 poll, and consequent retirement from four years electoral cycle contest.” Read more
Elections: INEC expresses confidence in card readers (Nation)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed confidence in the performance of the Smart Card Readers to be used at the forthcoming general elections. INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee Mr. Festus Okoye expressed the confidence yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja. Okoye confirmed that the card readers had been enhanced for better performance. Read more
Victim severs suspected rapist’s manhood in Katsina (Punch)
Information obtained by the police from the Kankara General Hospital, Katsina State, led to the arrest of a suspected rapist, whose manhood was allegedly severed by his victim. The suspect, Bishir Yau, of Yargase village, was reportedly rushed to the hospital for treatment after which information about his alleged atrocities leaked to the police. According to the police, the 30-year-old suspect allegedly lured his 14-year-old victim residing in the same compound with him to a nearby uncompleted building, where he repeatedly raped her. Read more
PDP’s Kano rally: Three feared dead, 30 fainted (Nation)
No fewer than three people were feared dead and over 30 others fainted yesterday while waiting for the campaign team of the People’s Democratic People (PDP) presidential candidate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano. Unconfirmed reports claimed that the death of the three people was as a result of a clash between rival PDP groups outside the stadium. A large crowd of PDP supporters had gathered at the venue for several hours, waiting for Atiku’s and his team’s arrival. It was gathered that people fainted as a result of suffocation inside the stadium. Read more
Bauchi vigilantes allegedly torture butcher to death over goat theft (Punch)
Members of a local vigilante group, popularly known as ‘Yan Kwamiti’, have allegedly tortured a 28-year-old butcher, Abdulrazak Hassan, to death in the Wuntin Dada area of Bauchi State. Northern City News gathered that the incident, which occurred on Friday, provoked the youth of the area, who threatened revenge but were prevented from doing so by the elders. Speaking to newsmen, the father of the deceased, Sarkin Pawa Wada, said somebody was caught with a goat and was taken to the vigilantes’ office. Wada stated, “The leader of the ‘Yan Kwamiti’, Mallam Abdulmumini Abbas, sent his boys to arrest my son, who was busy at his place of work, just because the suspected thief said he knew my son. Read more
US shutdown talks stall ahead of deadline (BBC)
Talks between congressional Republicans and Democrats aimed at averting another US government shutdown have broken down without agreement. The negotiators were hoping for a deal by Monday to give Congress time to pass legislation by Friday, when last month’s federal funding deal runs out. The disagreement centres on President Donald Trump’s insistence on a bill that funds a US-Mexico border wall. The previous shutdown, lasting 35 days, was the longest in US history. Read more
Onyekuru eager to extend Galatasaray stay (Guardian)
Galatasaray of Turkey striker, Henry Onyekuru has confessed that he is already seriously thinking about extending his stay with the Turkish Super Lig club, which he joined on loan from Everton of England. Onyekuru’s move to Gala came after a stormy similar spell on loan at RSC Anderlecht of Belgium, but the Super Eagles rookie says he is having a comfortable time in Istanbul. With the settings Onyekuru has seen at Galatasaray and Anderlecht turning out to be drastically different, footballlive.ng gathered that the former KAS Eupen of Belgium winger-cum-attacker is now thinking of remaining at his present base. Read more
Man City hit humiliated Chelsea for six to go top once more (Guardian)
Sergio Aguero grabbed a hat-trick as Manchester City scored four times inside 25 minutes to thrash Chelsea 6-0 and leapfrog Liverpool again to top spot in the Premier League on goal difference on Sunday. Aguero should have had even more than three as the Argentine missed a glorious early chance and hit the bar in the second-half in a humiliating afternoon for Maurizio Sarri’s men. Raheem Sterling started and ended the scoring and Ilkay Gundogan also netted in the first quarter of the game as City ended what could have been a testing week with a trip to Everton in between the visits of Arsenal and Chelsea with maximum points. Read more
RRS nabs Uber driver’s suspected killers (Nation)
Two of five suspected killers of an Uber driver, Sunday Obasi, murdered on February 1, have been arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS). The Nation gathered that the suspects, Humble Peter-Robert, 33, and Gideon Achibong, 36, were nabbed on February 4, at Aboki Estate, Lekki, three days after they allegedly committed the murder. The suspects and others identified as Emma, David and Dolapo were alleged to have killed the driver about 11pm while he was taking them to Ikate. They were said to have flagged down the driver, who was in his Hyundai Elantra car with registration number EPE676EC. He billed them N1,000. Read more