Cleric docked for allegedly destroying shrine in Badagry (Guardian)
A 67-year-old cleric, Alhaji Abdul-Fatai Gbadamosi, on Thursday appeared in a Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, for allegedly destroying the Aje shrine in Badagry.
Gbadamosi, whose address was not given, is charged with malicious damage and breach of public peace.
The prosecution counsel, Insp Ade Adeosun, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 17 at about 1 p.m. at Ibereko Community, Badagry area of Lagos.
The prosecutor alleged that the defendant damaged the Aje shrine, property of Ibereko community. Read more
Alleged murder: Lagos police frees American lady after 44 days in detention (Punch)
The police in Lagos on Thursday released an American lady, Kari R’ouke, who was arrested and kept in custody over the death of her Nigerian host, Ayomide Michael.
R’ouke’s lawyer, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), announced his client’s release in a statement on Thursday.
The American, who was picked at the airport on February 9 while making her way out of Nigeria, spent about 44 days in the police cell in Lagos.
Her lawyer had raised the alarm over her continued detention by the police, saying he was “scared that something devastating may happen to Kari Ann R’ouke if she is not released forthwith.” Read more
Lagos CP redeploys DPO over harassment of citizens (Punch)
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered the immediate redeployment of CSP Francis Ani, the Divisional Police Officer, Onipanu Division,
Police spokesman in the state, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement on Thursday that the deployment was sequel to harassment and illegal detention of one Tunde Abass and one Kabir Mohammed.
He said some officers and men of the Division harassed the duo on March 19 at Onipanu Area and the proceedings were recorded on phone by Abass.
CP Odumosu also ordered that policemen involved in the unprofessional act should face orderly room trial so as to mete deserving punishment on them, Adejobi stated. Read more
Sanwo-Olu boosts teachers’ morale with 13 cars for outstanding performance (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved the award of car gifts to 13 outstanding school teachers and administrators in public schools across the state.
The 13 teachers to be honoured were among 23 semi-finalists selected from over 3,000 applications who applied for the State’s Merit Award selection process captured under the State’s Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, B.O.S Education Transformation Plan 2020.
The state Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folasade Adefisayo, stated this on Thursday, at a media briefing at Alausa, Ikeja, on the forthcoming Lagos State Annual Education Merit Award, slated for March 30, 2021.
Adefisayo stated that the recipients have been selected from public Primary, Junior Secondary and Senior Secondary Schools as well as Technical Colleges in the state. Read more
Flood: Agege residents warned against dumping refuse in drainage (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State Government has warned residents of Agege community against indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drainage channels.
The special adviser to the Lagos State governor on works and infrastructure, Mrs Aramide Adeyoye, who spoke against the backdrop of the recent flash floods experienced at the Oke-Koto and environs after a heavy downpour, blamed the disaster on clogging in the main collector drain conduits along Capitol Road.
According to her, the indiscriminate dumping of refuse inside drainage channels by residents of Agege community was responsible for the severe clogging, resulting in flooding.
The Agege Pen Cinema flyover bridge, she noted, was designed to eliminate the perennial traffic gridlocks across the intersections in the area, while adjoining roads were constructed with adequate drainage system to mitigate recurring flooding. Read more
Nigerians may pay more than N200 per litre for petrol in April, says NNPC (Guardian)
Indications have emerged that Nigerians may likely pay more for petrol in April.
This was disclosed Thursday by the Group General Manager (GMD) of the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari while reacting to a question about the status of petrol’s pump price in the country.
Kyari spoke during the weekly presidential ministerial media briefing held at the presidential villa, Abuja.
He said the NNPC absorbs the cost differential which is recorded in its financial books.
He also said the NNPC pays between N100-120 billion a month to keep the pump price at the current level, insisting that market forces must be allowed to determine the pump price of petrol in the country. Read more
Divorcee refunds N10k dowry to ex-husband (DailyTrust)
A resident of Gwagwalada, Zulhatu Sani, who divorced her husband, has returned the N10,000 dowry he paid on her.
Zulhatu had lodged a complaint before a Grade 1 Area Court in Gwagwalada, Abuja, asking the court to dissolve her marriage with Muhammed Sani.
She said she was no longer interested in the marriage due to lack of love from her husband.
Sani, therefore, urged the court to compel her to refund the N10, 000 he paid as her dowry.
The presiding judge, Adamu Isah, ordered the woman to pay back the N10,000 dowry to the respondent. She paid through the court registrar. Read more
We’ll only allow 200 Nigerian travellers every two weeks, UAE lists conditions to restart flights (Punch)
The United Arab Emirates has listed conditions for the resumption of commercial flights between Nigeria and the Emirates.
The UAE Embassy in Abuja made this known in a letter to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Amongst other things, the letter dated March 24, 2021, stated that only 200 passengers from Nigeria would be allowed into the UAE every two weeks.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on February 5 barred Emirati carriers from Nigeria, alleging flouting of COVID-19 protocols as well as the introduction of rapid antigen test as a requirement for Dubai travellers against the Nigerian government’s negative PCR requirements. Read more
Court jails professor for election fraud in 2019 (DailyTrust)
The Akwa Ibom State High Court 2 sitting in Ikot Ekpene, has found Professor Peter Ogban guilty of the case of electoral fraud levelled against him by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
INEC had taken Ogban to court on a two-count charge of fraudulently tampering with the election results in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party during the 2019 General Election in Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.
Ogban, who acted as the Collation/Returning Officer during the National Assembly elections, was standing trial for allegedly manipulating and falsifying the scores of election results in Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo local government areas in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party.
Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, was the APC candidate in the election. Read more
Britney Spears asks judge to remove her father as her conservator (BBC)
Britney Spears’ lawyer has formally asked a judge to permanently remove the pop star’s father from his role overseeing her personal affairs.
The singer’s life has been controlled by a court-ordered conservatorship since 2008 after her public breakdown.
A temporary conservator, Jodi Montgomery, was appointed in 2019 after her father Jamie Spears stepped down due to health issues.
Spears is now requesting that Montgomery be made permanent. Read more
Taiwan says it’s now making long-range missile capable of striking China (RT)
Taiwan said it is now mass producing a long-range missile capable of striking deep into China and is actively developing three more models – with the missile program deemed “a priority” by Taipei.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the research and development of missiles has “never stopped.”
“We hope it is long-range, accurate, and mobile,” he said. The missile program is being developed by Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. Earlier this month, it staged a series of six missile tests to coincide with month-long military exercises by China’s People’s Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait. Read more
Houston Tumlin, ‘Talladega Nights’ child actor, dies by suicide at 28 (USAToday)
Former child star Houston Tumlin, who’s best known for playing Will Ferrell’s son in “Talladega Nights,” has died by suicide at age 28.
The Shelby County Coroner’s Office confirmed to USA TODAY Wednesday that Tumlin died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his Pelham, Alabama home Tuesday.
Tumlin played Walker Bobby alongside Grayson Russell’s Texas Ranger Bobby, the two trash-talking sons of Ferrell’s iconic character in the 2006 NASCAR-themed comedy “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.” Despite the film’s PG-13 rating, Tumlin’s Walker frequently uses crude language like his father, including in a memorable family dinner scene. Read more
Miscarriages and stillbirths: New Zealand to allow bereavement leave (BBC)
Couples in New Zealand who have a miscarriage or stillbirth will be eligible for paid bereavement leave under a new law approved by parliament.
MP Ginny Andersen, who put forward the bill, said it would allow mothers and their partners to “come to terms with their loss” without taking sick leave.
The bill also applies to those having a child though adoption or surrogacy.
New Zealand is reportedly only the second country in the world to introduce the measure, after India. Read more
“Zombie gene” causes brain cells to come alive & grow appendages hours after death, researchers find (RT)
The human brain is buzzing with activity after a person dies, researchers have revealed, although there appears to be a logical, non-zombie-related explanation for the bizarre phenomenon.
A new paper published in Scientific Reports found that glial cells – non-neuronal cells that operate in the central nervous system – spring into action hours after a person passes away. Not only do the brain cells come alive, but they also expand in size and grow arm-like appendages.
Study author Jeffrey Loeb, who heads neurology and rehabilitation at the University of Illinois, Chicago’s College of Medicine, noted that his team’s findings may come as a surprise to many people, including other researchers in his field. Read more
Britain unveils £50 Alan Turing banknote celebrating WWII codebreaker (DW)
Alan Turing’s image, along with a landmark mathematical formula he developed, will be featured on Britain’s highest-value bank note.
The Bank of England flew the rainbow flag on Thursday as it unveiled the design of a new £50 banknote celebrating the mathematician Alan Turing.
The renowned mathematician is known for helping end World War II with his code-breaking skills and is believed to have committed suicide following a homosexuality conviction.
“There’s something of the character of a nation in its money,” Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said in a statement on Thursday as he highlighted the breadth of Turing’s accomplishments. Read more
Libya demands mercenary pullout as EU top diplomats visit (France24)
Libya’s new unity government on Thursday demanded the “immediate” withdrawal of all foreign mercenaries ahead of year-end elections, in a call backed by the visiting top diplomats of France, Germany and Italy.
The North African country descended into chaos after dictator Moamer Kadhafi was toppled and killed in a 2011 NATO-backed uprising, resulting in multiple forces vying for power.
Fighting only came to a halt last summer, and a formal ceasefire in October was followed by the establishment of a unity government led by interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Read more
Why we accepted boat ride to Port Novo – Eagles (Punch)
Super Eagles stars say their desire to get a comfortable result against Benin Republic in their 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Saturday at the Stade Charles de Gaulle, Porto Novo is one of the reasons why they’ve decided to travel by sea to the neighbouring West African country.
NFF president Amaju Pinnick had earlier stated that it would be easier for the team to travel by sea for the encounter rather than spend a lot of time in traffic if they were to ply the route by road.
The distance from Lagos to Porto Novo on road is about 105km, while the standard driving time is 1hr 40 minutes, but with the traffic situation within Lagos State, the time it will take the team to reach their destination might be longer, hence the suggestion of an alternative means of transportation. Read more
Tokyo 2020: Olympic torch relay finally begins in Japan (BBC)
A year later than planned and despite an ongoing global pandemic, the torch relay for the delayed Tokyo Olympics finally got under way in Japan on Thursday.
The 121-day relay signals the start of the build-up to this summer’s Games, which were postponed from 2020 by coronavirus.
The torch was lit during a ceremony in Fukushima and will be carried by 10,000 runners across Japan before the lighting of the Olympic cauldron at the Games’ opening ceremony on 23 July.
But, as expected, this year’s torch relay will be one with a difference. Read more
New Premier League season to start on August 14 (Guardian)
The 2021/22 Premier League football season will begin on the weekend of August 14, it was announced on Thursday.
After the ongoing 2020/21 campaign was condensed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the English top fight will revert to its usual starting slot in the second week of August.
The season will end on May 22, 2022, with all 10 matches kicking off at the same time. Read more
Soumah goal takes Guinea to 2021 Cup of Nations finals (BBC)
A goal from Seydouba Soumah was enough to ensure Guinea qualified for the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with a 1-0 win over Group A leaders Mali.
The Partizan Belgrade midfielder scored the only goal of the game after 75 minutes.
It means that both teams have safely qualified for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Finals – which will actually be played in 2022, in Cameroon.
Namibia and Chad did not play in the opposite fixture in the group, as Chad have been disqualified from the competition as a result of government interference in the country’s Football Federation. Read more
Salah set for Olympic duty, says Egypt coach (France24)
Egypt coach Shawky Gharib told AFP on Thursday that Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah was ready to add significant weight behind the country’s quest for a first ever Olympic football medal in Tokyo.
“I have made it public that I’d like to have him on board in our Olympic campaign and he hasn’t refused, which means he also wants to play with us,” Gharib, the celebrated former Egyptian player turned manager, said.
“Salah’s participation in the Olympics is endorsed by the state, represented by the Sports Ministry and the Egyptian Football Association, in our concerted effort to garner an Olympic medal in football for the first time,” he added. Read more
Celebrated snowboarder dies after being ‘completely buried’ in avalanche in Swiss Alps (RT)
French snowboarding champion Julie Pomagalski has tragically died at the age of 40 after being buried by an avalanche on the 10,000ft-high Gemsstock mountain in the Swiss Alps, where she was submerged by a huge sheet of snow.
The celebrated athlete, who represented her country at the 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympic Games, had been snowboarding as part of a group of four people when an avalanche swept them away, killing two people including the French champion.
The group were set to freeride down the slope of the mountain course when they were caught under a huge sheet of snow.“The Uri canton police received the report of an avalanche in the Steintaler area in the Unteralpta,” police in the Swiss canton of Uri said in a statement. Read more