Court grants bail to husband of woman allegedly raped by immigration officer (Tribune)
A Bauchi State High Court on Wednesday granted bail to the embattled husband of a victim of alleged rape, Samaila Yusuf.
The presiding judge, Justice L.K. Umar, granted bail to Yusuf after 11 days of incarceration pursuant to Order XV Rule 4 of the Fundamental Human Rights (Enforcement Procedures) Rules 2009 of Section 45 of the 1999 Constitution.
The Country Director of a Human Rights Organisation, Barrister Mohamed Alkassim, had after a human rights group approached the court for justice to enforce the section of the Constitution against the violation of the rights of Yusuf in suit No. BA/82M/2024,. Read more
Whitney Adeniran’s mother testifies, says she didn’t investigate daughter’s medication (Channels)
The mother of late Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old Chrisland student who died on Feb. 9th took the witness stand today at the Lagos High Court, Ikeja to testify on what she knows about her daughter’s death.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Dr Babajide Martins, the witness, Blessing Adeniran told the court that she got to the Agege stadium on Feb. 9th, 2023, when Chrisland School, Opebi was holding its inter-house sports competition, but she did not see her daughter, Whitney, participate in any of the match past or any sports.
She said she got worried and went looking for her and that led her to the Agege Central Hospital where she found the lifeless body of her daughter. Read more
Our war against corruption, key to good governance in Nigeria — ICPC Chairman (Vanguard)
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, has underlined the commitment of the Commission to go all out in its bid to stamp out corruption as one of the keys to actualizing good governance, growth and development of the country.
Aliyu made this assertion during a strategic meeting with delegates from the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) at the Commission’s headquarters on Wednesday.
The ICPC boss stated that the Commission owed it to citizenry to detect and tackle corruption that has negatively impacted the image of Nigeria for so long. Read more
Those aiming to pit north against south behind FCT relocation claim — Presidency (Nation)
The Presidency has described recent characterisation of the relocation of two federal departments from Abuja to Lagos as part of plans to relocate the federal capital back to Lagos as a dangerous politics aimed at pitting the north against the south.
Notable northern politicians, including senators, former political office holders and other opinion molders have come down hard on decisions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Management to relocate the Department of Banking Supervision and the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria(FAAN) to Lagos for operational reasons.
Some of those who raised issues against the planned relocations claimed that the plans were part of a grander move to take the seat of power away from Abuja, North-central part of the country, back to Lagos in the south, which used to be the Federal Capital and now the commercial hub of the country. Read more
Why Pantami annoyed some persons in Buhari’s cabinet – Fashola (DailyTrust)
A former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has explained why a former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, was annoying to some people in the immediate past federal administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Fashola who alongside Pantami served in the Buhari cabinet, said one of the reasons was Pantami’s dedication to getting things right at all times and every ‘T’ and ‘I’ crossed and dotted.
The former Lagos State governor said this on Wednesday in Abuja in his keynote, at the public presentation of a 341-page book titled ‘A Scholar’s Journey: Navigating Academia’, written by Prof. Pantami. Read more
Police dismiss alleged bomb explosion in Abuja, says its overheated metal refuse (Independent)
The FCT Police Command has dismissed the alleged bomb explosion in Maitama in Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) saying the incident was as a result of overheated metal refuse containers activated under intense heat.
Social media have been awashed with the report of bomb explosion in the area creating panic and confusion in the nation’s capital.
The police statement issued on Wednesday by FCT Police Spokesperson Josephine Adeh said the situation and preliminary findings indicate that an overheated metal refuse container activated under intense heat, exploded, thereby causing injury to two of the refuse evacuators, who are currently receiving medical attention in Maitama General Hospital. Read more
Blinken commends US-Nigeria partnership in combating HIV/AIDS, COVID-19 (Guardian)
The United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has commended the collaborative efforts between the United States and Nigeria in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic and addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Blinken, during his visit to the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research in Lagos on Wednesday, highlighted the extraordinary work accomplished through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme.
He stated that the programme, which has been sustained through successive administrations, has played a pivotal role in saving over 20 million lives and transforming the destinies of millions more. Read more
Makinde seeks support for Ibadan explosion victims (Punch)
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, said the state and the people affected in the last Tuesday explosion in Bodija, Ibadan, needed the prayers and support of the public to come out stronger.
Five people died, 77 sustained varying degrees of injuries and 58 houses were seriously damaged in the explosion.
Makinde, who said the government had been working out a long-term solution to the challenges posed by the incident, made this known while receiving members of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, led by its Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi in Ibadan, the state capital. Read more
Madonna responds to lawsuit over late concert start times, intends to defend herself “vigorously” (NME)
Madonna has responded to a recent lawsuit filed by two fans over late start times at her ‘‘Celebration’’ tour dates in New York City’s Barclays Center.
Last week (January 17), Michael Fellows and Jonathan Hadden, two fans who bought tickets to the December 13 date of Madonna’s ‘Celebration’ tour at the Barclays Center, filed a lawsuit against Madonna for starting the concert more than two hours past the stipulated 8:30PM start time. The lawsuit accused her of not only breaching contracts with ticket buyers, but also of “false advertising, negligent representation, and unfair and deceptive trade practices”.
Now, Madonna’s representatives and Live Nation have issued a joint statement, expressing their intentions to “defend this case vigorously”. Per Billboard, the parties attributed the delay to a technical difficulty experienced during the soundcheck for the December 13 date. Read more
Saudi Arabia to get first alcohol shop in more than 70 years (BBC)
Saudi Arabia has said it will open a shop in Riyadh selling alcohol to a select band of non-Muslim expats, the first to open in more than 70 years.
The clientele will be limited to diplomatic staff, who have for years imported booze in sealed official packages known as diplomatic pouches.
Saudi officials said the shop would counter “the illicit trade of alcohol”.
Prohibition has been law since 1952, after one of King Abdulaziz’s sons drunkenly shot dead a British diplomat. Read more
YFN Lucci apologises to murder victim’s family in court footage (HipHopDx)
YFN Lucci has been sentenced for his role in the RICO case against his YFN collective, but he took the time to issue an apology to both his family and to the family of murder victim James Adams.
In footage from his fateful court hearing on Tuesday (January 23), the Atlanta rapper addressed the room shortly before receiving his sentence.
Lucci referred to Adams as his “friend” and also expressed remorse for the stress he put his family through. Read more
Man ‘torn apart by crocodiles’ and drowns while being baptised in river (Metro)
A South African ‘prophet’ drowned and was eaten by crocodiles during a baptism in a local river.
The 48-year-old’s remains were found surrounded by crocodiles in the Olifants River in Limpopo days later.
The man reportedly drowned during a prayer ceremony days earlier with two others, local media reported. Read more
Turkey, Iran agree on need for regional stability amid Israel’s war on Gaza (AlJazeera)
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he and his Iranian counterpart have agreed to avoid steps that could threaten Middle East stability, during a visit to Ankara by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.
At a news conference after the meeting on Wednesday, Erdogan said the pair had discussed ending Israel’s “inhumane” attacks on Gaza and the imperative for fair and lasting peace in the region.
“We agreed on the importance of refraining from steps that will further threaten the security and stability of our region,” he said, adding that they had also agreed to continue cooperation against cross-border threats. Read more
Rat-shaped hole brings chaos to Chicago street, tormenting neighbours (NBC)
A rat-shaped hole in a Chicago sidewalk has become a viral sensation, attracting thousands of visitors to the neighbourhood street it occupies. That has tormented the people who actually live there, according to a woman whose home is just feet away from the impression, and resulted in numerous calls to police.
“I told someone it felt like I was living on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, because people were out there drinking, yelling, playing music and taking pictures of drugs on the ground next to the rat hole for clout,” the woman said. She spoke on the condition of anonymity, in part because violent threats about destroying the hole have been made online (NBC News viewed screenshots of the threatening posts).
“I know they’re having fun, and I don’t want to be anyone’s party pooper, but also, get off my stoop,” she said. “This is my house. I’m just trying to have a quiet weekend at home, and this is a residential area.” Read more
California woman who stabbed boyfriend 108 times sentenced to probation and community service (People)
A California woman who was facing up to four years in prison for fatally stabbing her boyfriend more than 100 times during a drug-induced psychotic episode in 2018 was instead sentenced this week to two years probation and 100 hours of community service.
Last December, Bryn Spejcher, 32, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the killing of her boyfriend Chad O’Melia, 26, the Ventura County Star, the Los Angeles Times and KTLA reported from the courtroom. She had been facing a possible four year prison term ahead of her Tuesday sentencing hearing.
On May 27, 2018, prosecutors said Spejcher fatally stabbed O’Melia, an accountant, inside his Thousand Oaks, Calif., apartment approximately 108 times after the couple had smoked marijuana together, the Ventura County Star reported. She also repeatedly stabbed herself. Read more
Yusuf, Troost-Ekong return to Super Eagles training (DailyTrust)
In preparation for their match against Cameroon on Saturday, Super Eagles midfielder Alhassan Yusuf and vice captain William Troost-Ekong have resumed training.
The Royale Antwerp midfielder suffered an injury during the opening encounter against Equatorial Guinea, which kept him out of subsequent matches, including two triumphs over hosts Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau.
In his absence, Frank Onyeka, Joe Aribo, and Alex Iwobi took over the midfield against Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau, resulting in two victories for the 2013 AFCON champions. Read more
MLS blocks USMNT forward Jesus Ferreira’s transfer to Russian team (NBC)
United States men’s national team forward Jesus Ferreira seemed one step closer to leaving for a Russian club, but Major League Soccer has reportedly blocked the move.
Ferreira and MLS side FC Dallas had agreed to a $13 million move to Spartak Moscow of the Russian Premier League, but the deal will no longer happen, The Athletic’s Tom Bogert reported Wednesday, citing sources.
The report added that Ferreira wanted the transfer and had been in negotiations with Spartak Moscow on personal terms, but MLS told the player and FC Dallas that “there are risks for American business entities doing business with Russian entities.” Read more
Sabalenka has Gauff in sights as Grand Slam final beckons (France24)
Aryna Sabalenka is on a mission to avenge her 2023 US Open loss to Coco Gauff in the last four of the Australian Open on Thursday, with a Grand Slam final rookie awaiting the winner.
The Belarusian second seed was a set up against the American 19-year-old in the final at Flushing Meadows.
But it was Gauff who came out on top to prevent Sabalenka winning a second Grand Slam crown after her breakthrough at the Australian Open last year.
They resume their rivalry in the first women’s semi-final on Rod Laver Arena in the evening, followed on court by Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska and Chinese 12th seed Zheng Qinwen. Read more
Doc Rivers finalizing deal to take over as coach of the Milwaukee Bucks (CBS)
The Milwaukee Bucks are hiring Doc Rivers as their next head coach, CBS Sports’ Bill Reiter confirmed Wednesday. Rivers, who has spent this season broadcasting games for ESPN, is one of the most experienced head coaches on the market.
He has coached 24 combined seasons with the Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers to go along with a decorated 13-year playing career. He won the championship with Boston in 2008 and won Coach of the Year for the Magic in 2000.
On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Rivers had served as an informal consultant to former Bucks coach Adrian Griffin since the In-Season Tournament at the organization’s behest. Now, he will replace Griffin on the team’s bench. Read more
2024 NPA/ GTCO Lagos International Polo Tournament (Sun)
The Lagos Polo Club is in a buoyant mood as the 2024 NPA/ GTCO Lagos International Polo Tournament got underway to a blistering start yesterday with a promise to be the most exciting in decades as a record 39 teams jostle for top honours in the 120th edition.
The ambitious teams which are fully armed with foreign professionals and fortified with thoroughbred Argentine horses are competing for honours in the four major cups categories namely the Open Cup, the Majekodunmi Cup, the Lagos Low Cup and the Silver Cup respectively.
For the first time in the rich history of the international polo festival, the glamorous event would be decided over four weeks of bumper to bumper polo actions from January 23 -28. 2024, with five equally-matched teams jostling for the Open Cup glory. Read more
Namibia hold Mali to reach last 16 for first time (BBC)
Namibia booked a first appearance in the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations by holding a Mali side who topped Group E by virtue of the point.
The draw puts Namibia, who came closest to scoring when Prins Tjiueza hit the post, through as one of the group stage’s four best third-placed teams.
The Brave Warriors will take on Group D winners Angola in the first knockout round while Mali face Burkina Faso. Read more