Controversy surrounds apprentice’s death in custody over businessman’s missing N14m goods (Punch)
An apprentice, Chinemremu Ogbu, has died in the custody of policemen attached to the Trade Fair Division of the Lagos State Police Command.
However, controversy is surrounding the circumstances of the 23-year-old’s death on Saturday.
While family members and other traders alleged that Ogbu was tortured to death for stealing goods worth millions of naira from his boss’ shop at the Trade Fair Market, the police insisted that he committed suicide in the cell.
PUNCH Metro gathered that trouble started between Ogbu and his boss, Fidelis Eduka, when the latter conducted an audit of the goods in his shop and reportedly discovered that goods worth N14m had been stolen. Read more
Why I ditched my lover and married my brother’s fiancée (DailyTrust)
Suleiman Muhammad, the younger brother of Abubakar Muhammad, a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) officer who was killed in an ambush on February 15, 2021, has spoken on his decision to marry the deceased’s fiancée, Hajara Ahmad.
Daily Trust reports that the late NAF officer died along the Birnin Gwari road in Kaduna State, three weeks to his wedding.
The wedding, which held in Kaduna on Saturday, had the consent of both the bride and groom’s family.
It has attracted a lot of attention as some people wondered how he could marry his elder brother’s finance one month after his death. Read more
Edo demolishes former deputy governor’s house (Vanguard)
Edo State government Tuesday evening destroyed the residence of former deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu situated at Dennis Osadebey Avenue GRA in Benin City.
The property was being occupied by the younger brother to Odubu as at the time of the demolition.
Also destroyed were properties belonging to a former Secretary to State Government (SSG) and present member representing Owan Federal Constituency, Professor Julius Ihonvbere and that of sports marketer, Mike Etemuagbo.
Odubu described the incident as unfortunate adding the matter was already before the court of law after the government announced the revocation of the Certificate of Occupancy which he said he read in a newspaper publication. Read more
Daughter narrates how father strangled wife in Ondo (Punch)
A middle-aged man, identified as Gbenro Adetunji, has allegedly strangled his wife, Wayesola, at Salvation Army Street, Odojomu, Ondo City, Ondo State.
The reason for the action was unknown as of the time of filling this report, but it was gathered that the incident happened following a misunderstanding between the couple.
However, the five-year-old daughter of the deceased, Fayoke, who allegedly witnessed how her mother was killed, was reported to have said that she saw her father on the bed turning her mum’s neck when she was going to the toilet in the morning.
She also stated that her father threatened to kill her when she made an attempt to run outside to seek help from neighbours. Read more
Lottery commission targets N1b monthly revenue from new game – DG (Vanguard)
The National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) says it is looking forward to generating N1 billion revenue monthly through the “National Games Initiative”.
Dr Lanre Gbajabiamila, Director-General of NLRC, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at an interactive meeting with Dr George Akume, Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, lottery operators, and other stakeholders in the lottery sector.
“National game is the game that we are trying to roll out for Nigerians in contrast to what we have in Ghana or foreign games that are outside the jurisdiction of Nigeria.
“There are foreign games, Ghana games whereby our players, our lottery operators use, they sell the Ghana games, they use the Ghana draws and other foreign games in the country. Read more
FG receives 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from MTN (DailyTrust)
The Federal Government has taken delivery of the first set of 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of a total of 1.4 million doses designated for Nigeria by the African Union.
The vaccines are a combination of doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX facility, and from the AU’s COVID-19 vaccination programme towards which the MTN Group contributed $25m, the telecom company said in a statement on Tuesday.
The vaccines will be distributed amongst health workers in Nigeria by the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.
Chief Executive Officer, MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola thanked the Federal Government and the AU for the opportunity granted MTN to collaborate and contribute towards the delivery of the vaccine. Read more
Nigerian scientists’ two COVID-19 vaccines undergoing trial – PTF (Punch)
The federal government on Monday said Nigerian scientists have produced two local COVID-19 vaccines and were awaiting clinical trials and certification.
The government also raised the alarm over reported racketeering of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in some vaccination centres.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman Presidential Task Force on COVID – 19, Boss Mustapha and Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said these during the press briefing Presidential Task Force on COVID – 19 in Abuja.
The SGF said, “The disclosure that Nigerian Scientists have produced at least two local COVID – 19 vaccines which are awaiting clinical trials and certification is significant. I call on all relevant agencies to provide the required support and an enabling environment for smooth conduct of the remaining protocols for the certification of these vaccines with a view to encouraging and motivating other researchers.” Read more
Seplat seeks new capital to settle old debts (Nation)
Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc has launched a process to raise new debt capital from the international capital market to enable it debts and finance corporate growth plan.
In a regulatory filing, Seplat, which is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), stated that it had mandated major global investment bankers and financial institutions to launch the process.
According to the indigenous oil and gas company, Citi, J.P. Morgan, Standard Bank and Standard Chartered Bank were mandated as global coordinators while Natixis, Rand Merchant Bank and Société Générale were as mandated as bookrunning managers.
The professional parties were expected to organise a global investor call and one-on-one meeting with fixed-income investors, after which Seplat will issue new debts. Read more
3 charged with murder, conspiracy in Ekiti election violence, remanded (Punch)
An Ado Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court on Monday remanded three suspects in custody for alleged involvement in the killing of residents during the Ekiti East Constituency 1 bye-election.
The defendants – Adeniji Olusola (38) popularly called Solar; Paul Folorunso (45); and a 40-year-old woman, Adebayo Serifat, were charged with conspiracy and murder.
They were said to have allegedly committed the offences at Omuo Ekiti on Saturday, March 20.
ASP Martins Akala represented the police, while the Director of Public Prosecution, Julius Ajibare, appeared for the state. Read more
Stock market rebounds as investors gain N178b (Vanguard)
The stock market rebounds as it opened the week (Monday) on a positive note with investors gaining over N178 billion from their investment.
Specifically, the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE market capitalisation which represents investors worth on the Exchange closed at N20.259 trillion from N20.081 trillion it closed on Friday.
Similarly, another major stock market gauge, the NSE All Share Index, ASI rose 89 bases points, bps or 1.37 per cent to close at 38,722.87 points from 38,382.39 points.
These upsurge in Index were attributed to the gains across all major sectors, except for Banking by one bases points. Read more
Kenyan authorities worried by rise in new COVID infections (VOA)
Health experts in Kenya are reporting a jump in confirmed cases of COVID-19, with hospitals struggling to find enough beds for patients needing treatment. Kenyan authorities are calling on people to protect against the virus as a third wave hits the nation.
Kenya has recorded more than 14,000 COVID-19 positive cases since March 1, including more than 1,100 cases and 25 deaths on Tuesday.
That’s 14% of all infections since authorities announced the first case just over a year ago.
Thirty-four-year-old Gaston Wabomba’s mother tested positive for COVID-19 last week. Read more
Prince Harry lands new job in Silicon Valley after leaving Royal Family (Metro)
Prince Harry has joined a Silicon Valley start-up as a ‘chief impact officer’ after he and Meghan Markle stepped back from the Royal Family last year. The Duke of Sussex has been named as part of the leadership team at BetterUp Inc, a coaching company based in California. He told The Wall Street Journal he wanted to use the role to ‘create impact in people’s lives’. He went on: ‘Proactive coaching provides endless possibilities for personal development, increased awareness, and an all-round better life.’ Read more
Israel election: Netanyahu falls short of majority in exit polls (BBC)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is predicted to fall short of securing the seats needed to form a new government in Israel’s fourth election in two years, according to exit polls.
Mr Netanyahu’s Likud party and its allies are projected to win 52 or 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset.
Parties opposed to the prime minister staying in office look set to win 60.
It means that even with the support of the nationalist Yamina party, Mr Netanyahu would not have a majority. Read more
Biden calls for assault weapons ban in wake of Colorado shooting (VOA)
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday called for a nationwide ban on assault weapons, in the wake of a shooting in Boulder, Colorado, that left 10 people dead, including a police officer.
Speaking from the White House, Biden said, “I don’t need to wait a minute, let alone an hour, to take commonsense steps to save lives.”
He urged members of the House and Senate to act. Read more
Leaked graphic imagery shows staffers performing lewd acts in Australian parliament (RT)
The sex scandal rocking Australia’s government has worsened, after a parliament insider leaked to the media graphic imagery of staffers performing sex acts in the building, which they apparently filmed and shared among themselves.
The explosive expose was made by a whistleblower, going by the alias ‘Tom’, to Australia’s 10 News on Sunday. The man provided the channel with what he claims are multiple photos and videos of male senior government staff engaging in sex acts at their workplace.
“Now is the time to speak up, now is the time to put it on the record. It is a culture of men thinking that they can do whatever they want,” Tom told the channel, calling for “the removal of this toxic, powerful, privileged boys club that does what it wants, when it wants, where it wants.” Read more
Egypt’s Suez Canal blocked by large container ship (BBC)
Egypt’s Suez Canal has been blocked by a large container ship that ran aground after losing control, causing a traffic jam of cargo vessels in the region.
Tug boats were deployed to help shift the 400m-long (1312ft) and 59m-wide ship – the Ever Given – but there are fears it could remain trapped for days.
The incident occurred just north of the port of Suez early on Tuesday.
The waterway connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, providing the shortest sea link between Asia and Europe. Read more
“Black Widow and Cruella” to premiere on Disney Plus at same time as cinemas (Metro)
Black Widow and Cruella will be premiering on Disney+ at the same time as they are released in cinemas. Disney has announced that the superhero flick – which stars Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh – will land on the streaming service at the same time as the big screen. The release date has been pushed back two months, from May to July 9 in the US. It was originally due for release on May 1, 2020, before it was moved to November 6 – and will now launch in the summer. Read more
Rohr confident of maximum points against Squirrels of Benin (DailyTrust)
The Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles, Coach Gernot Rohr has said his players will approach Saturday’s 2021 AFCON qualifier against the Squirrels of Benin Republic with the intention of picking all three points.
He said “We are keen to restore a winning mentality to the group ahead of very crucial matches that we have ahead.
“It is important that we earn victories in the upcoming matches so that we get into our paces for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. There will be tough games to come and we need to be rearing to go.”
Meanwhile, the camp of the Super Eagles has continued to bubble with the arrival of the invited players as countdown begins for the final round of qualification matches. Read more
AFCON qualifier: We know how to beat Nigeria – Benin Republic Coach (Nation)
Benin Republic coach, Michel Dussuyer, has said his side will be ready for Saturday’s showdown against Nigeria in Porto Novo.
Dussuyer’s side will host the three-time African champions in the 2022 Group L African Cup of Nations qualifiers encounter on Saturday.
The Squirrels are a point behind the Super Eagles and a win will boost their hope of finishing on top of the Group ahead of the neighbours. Read more
Concussion in sport: Saliva test is 94% accurate in rugby union trial (BBC)
The current head injury assessment is done via a cognitive assessment by a doctor
Using pitchside saliva tests to diagnose concussion is a step closer after a “game-changing” trial among male elite rugby union players.
Researchers took samples from 156 Premiership and Championship players who had head injury assessments (HIAs) across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.
Using microscopic DNA markers in saliva, they made a test that predicted an HIA result with 94% accuracy.
However, the test cannot yet be used on women because of a lack of data. Read more
Mike Tyson ‘turns down $25m offer to fight Evander Holyfield’ (RT)
Boxing fans hoping to see veteran legends Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield run it back more than two decades after the pair last fought appear to have had their wishes dashed after Tyson reportedly rejected a deal for the bout.
Speculation had been mounting that Tyson, 54, and fellow former world heavyweight champion Holyfield, 58, could return to the ring this summer to finish what they started with a pair of fights in the 1990s.
Representatives for the pair are said to have been in talks since Tyson made his comeback for an exhibition contest with Roy Jones Jr last November, which was deemed a commercial success by organizers. Read more
Fred: Man Utd midfielder subjected to racist abuse online (BBC)
Manchester United midfielder Fred says we “cannot feed that culture” of racism, after he was racially abused on social media following his side’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Leicester.
The 28-year-old gave the ball away in the build-up to Leicester’s opening goal as the Foxes won 3-1 on Sunday.
After the match his Instagram account became the target of abuse from trolls, with several posting racist abuse.
“We cannot accept it. We have to fight it always,” the Brazilian tweeted. Read more
Barcelona deny deal to sign Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool has been agreed (Metro)Barcelona have poured doubt on reports that Georginio Wijnaldum has agreed a move to the club, denying that a pre-contract agreement has eben reached. The Liverpool midfielder is out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season and has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, with manager Ronald Koeman a big fan of his fellow Dutchman. With his current contract expiring in June and with no agreement over a new contract an exit is looking more and more likely and reports emerged over the weekend that an agreement has already been reached with Barcelona. Read more