Courtroom Drama: Legal battle erupts over representation in Obasa’s removal lawsuit (ThisDay)
A mild drama unfolded on Friday at the Lagos State court when two lawyers claimed to represent the Lagos State House of Assembly during the hearing of a suit filed by Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa, challenging his removal as Speaker.
Obasa filed the suit (ID/9047GCM/2025) before Justice Yetunde Pinheiro, contesting the constitutionality of the Lagos State House of Assembly’s sitting and proceedings during a recess, which occurred without the Speaker reconvening the House or delegating authority. Obasa’s lawyer, Chief Afolabi Fashanu, SAN, is representing him in the case.
The suit addresses the constitutionality of the Lagos State House of Assembly’s proceedings on January 13, 2025, when Obasa was allegedly impeached as Speaker. Read more
N47b Fraud: EFCC arraigns ex-Abia gov Orji, son, 3 others (Punch)
A former Governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, and four others were on Friday arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission before the Abia State High Court over alleged misappropriation of N47 billion.
Orji was arraigned alongside his son, Chinedum Orji, a former Commissioner of Finance for Abia State, Dr. Philip Nto, a government contractor, Obioma King, and a former Director of Finance for Abia State, Romas Madu.
They are facing 16 counts of conspiracy to steal and conversion of billions of naira meant for various government programmes preferred against them by the EFCC. Read more
Tinubu mourns broadcasting icon, Agbaje-Williams (Nation)
President Bola Tinubu has expressed sorrow over the passing of Chief (Mrs.) Anike Agbaje-Williams, a pioneer of African broadcasting, extending his condolences to her family, professional colleagues, and the entire media industry.
Chief Agbaje-Williams, widely regarded as the “doyen of broadcasting,” passed away on Wednesday, February 26, in Ibadan at the age of 88, according to a statement from her family.
Born on October 23, 1936, she made history as the first African to appear on television and was the first voice heard on Africa’s first commercial radio station, the Western Nigeria Broadcasting Service (WNBS). Read more
Supreme Court reinstates order stopping Rivers allocations (Vanguard)
The Supreme Court, on Friday, reinstated the judgement that barred the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the Accountant General of the Federation from releasing statutory monthly allocations to Rivers State.
The apex court further ordered the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly and other elected members of the House to forthwith resume sitting, unhindered.
The court faulted the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal for vacating the initial order that stopped the release of funds to Rivers State from the consolidated revenue following the failure of Governor Siminalaye Fubara’s refusal to re-present the 2024 Appropriation Bill of the state before the Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly. Read more
JAMB’s minimum admission age unconstitutional, Court rules (Tribune)
The Delta State High Court 2, sitting in Warri, has delivered a judgment declaring the 16-year minimum admission age for universities, set by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), unconstitutional.
Presiding over the case, Hon. Justice Anthony O. Akpovi ruled in Suit No: W/311/FHR/2024 on Thursday, 27 February 2025, in favour of the claimant, John Aikpokpo-Martins, except for his relief for damages.
The case, John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) & four ohers, challenged the age restriction on constitutional grounds. Read more
VP Shettima to attend burial of Namibia’s 1st president (VON)
The Vice President of Nigeria, Kashim Shettima, is scheduled to visit Namibia to represent President Bola Tinubu at the state funeral of Namibia’s founding President, Samuel Nujoma, in Windhoek.
Vice President Shettima will join other leaders across Africa and beyond to pay their last respects to the late president who passed away recently at the age of 95.
The state funeral for the late Njuoma will begin with a memorial service scheduled for Friday, February 28, at the Independence Stadium followed by the burial on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Heroes’ Acre. Read more
Outrage over visa-on-arrival ban (Sun)
The federal government’s abrupt suspension of the visa-on-arrival policy has ignited widespread criticism from travel experts and aviation industry stakeholders, who have warned of dire consequences for the country’s global accessibility.
Describing the move as a major setback, players in the aviation industry insist the decision could deter international visitors, weaken investor confidence and undermine Nigeria’s standing as a key gateway to Africa.
The federal government recently justified the scrapping of the visa-on-arrival initiative during the conclusion of a week-long capacity-building training for Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) personnel, where the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said the country will no longer be “a destination for criminals.” Read more
Zendaya surprises fans with new role in ‘Shrek 5’ (VIBE)
One thing about Zendaya: sis gon’ stay booked and busy.
The award-winning actress has been cast in Dreamwork’s forthcoming film, Shrek 5, with a new teaser trailer to boot. Z is shown off in the visuals, playing a brand new character to the franchise—the daughter of Shrek. The 26-second teaser begins with Mike Myers’ beloved green ogre staring into a mirror with Eddie Murphy‘s Donkey.
The duo wonders, “Who’s the fairest of them of all?” with the mirror responding, “Why, Shrek, of course,” complete with an array of pictures that play online meme culture. Z’s character, Pinocchio, voiced by Cody Cameron, and Fiona, portrayed by Cameron Diaz, all appear with various reactions to the various memes. Read more
Ethiopia and Somalia hold talks aimed at reaffirming ties (AfricaNews)
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was welcomed in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud for talks aimed at reaffirming their ties.
Tensions between the neighbouring countries mounted last year after landlocked Ethiopia struck a deal to lease a stretch of coastline from Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland.
Ethiopia planned to build a naval base and commercial port there in exchange for possible recognition of Somaliland’s independence. Read more
North Korea launches strategic cruise missiles in show of nuclear deterrence (UPI)
North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles into the Yellow Sea in a demonstration of Pyongyang’s nuclear deterrent capabilities, state-run media said Friday.
The missiles were launched from the western area of the country on Wednesday morning, Korean Central News Agency reported, and “precisely hit the targets” after flying for around 130 minutes along a 986-mile oval trajectory.
“The purpose of the launching drill was to let the enemies, who are fostering and escalating the confrontation environment … know the [Korean People’s Army]’s counterattack capability in any space and the readiness of its various nuke operation means,” the KCNA report said. Read more
Soviet chess champion Boris Spassky dies at 88 (Time)
Boris Spassky, a Soviet-era world chess champion who lost his title to American Bobby Fischer in a legendary 1972 match that became a proxy for Cold War rivalries, died Thursday in Moscow. He was 88.
The death of the one-time chess prodigy was announced by the International Chess Federation, the game’s governing body. No cause was given.
Spassky was “one of the greatest players of all time,” the group said on the social platform X. He “left an indelible mark on the game.” Read more
China’s defence ministry warns Taiwan ‘we will get you, sooner or later’ (Guardian)
China’s defence ministry spokesperson has warned Taiwan “we will come and get you, sooner or later”, after Taipei announced an expansion of military exercises.
The threat was delivered in a press conference on Thursday, but grabbed attention inside China for its apparent mirroring of a line from the record-breaking children’s movie Ne Zha 2.
Wu Qian was asked by journalists in Beijing about reports that Taiwan’s annual live-fire drills, the Han Kuang exercise, would expand in scope this year. The drills are a big part of Taiwan’s defensive preparations to deter or one day resist an attack by China, which has vowed to annex the territory. Read more
BRICS must end dollar’s dominance – Lula (RT)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that the BRICS nations will not stop their de-dollarization efforts despite US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and will continue to seek options to move trade from the greenback.
Trump has issued numerous threats to BRICS since being elected last November. He has acknowledged that the bloc’s push to minimize dependence on the dollar in bilateral trade and promote national currencies undermines the dominance of the greenback, a tendency he seeks to resist.
Speaking at a meeting of the group’s sherpas on Thursday, Lula said that Brazil’s BRICS chairmanship this year will strengthen the bloc’s push for a multipolar world. The group – which recently expanded and now comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Ethiopia, Iran, and Egypt – has been boosting the use of national currencies in mutual trade. Read more
Okoye on target in Al Masry win (Vanguard)
Al Masry of Egypt star, John Ebuka Okoye has revealed that his first goal against Smouha yesterday was a result of their training sessions, and he was thrilled to see his club secure a 3-0 victory.
The former MFM FC forward netted the final goal just 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute, helping the club earn their seventh win of the season.
Okoye told Sports Vanguard: “I’m really happy to score and contribute to the team’s victory. It’s a great feeling for both myself and the team. Read more
NSC Hails Aruna, Bello On ITTF World Cup Qualification (VON)
The leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC), under Chairman Shehu Dikko and Director General, Bukola Olopade, has commended Aruna Quadri and Fatima Bello for securing their places at the 2025 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Cup.
Both athletes sealed their World Cup berths by advancing to the semifinals of the ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis. Chairman Dikko highlighted the NSC’s commitment to fostering excellence across all sports.
“Our goal is to build a sustainable sports ecosystem where Nigerian athletes consistently compete and excel on the global stage,” Dikko said. Read more
NFF seeks truth regarding Lawal’s death (CompleteSports)
The Nigeria Football Federation , NFF, has continued the search for clarity concerning the tragic death of former Nigeria U-20 player, Abubakar Lawal, in Uganda on Monday.
NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, reiterated on Friday that the country’s football-ruling body has kept its feet on the throttle regarding the matter, and will not relent until the truth is unveiled on the cause of the player’s death.
Lawal died on Monday morning, with initial reports saying he died in a motorbike accident, and later in a car crash. Hours later, the Ugandan Police stated that he actually died after falling from the third floor of a hotel at the Voicemail Shopping Mall in Bwebajja. Read more
Curry takes run at NBA single-game 3-point record in Warriors’ win (USAToday)
Stephen Curry took a run at the NBA single-game 3-point record he once held Thursday night, hitting 12 and scoring 56 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 121-115 win over the Orlando Magic.
It was a throwback performance for Curry, whose previous season-high was 38 points. He went 16-for-25 from the field, including 12-for-19 from beyond the arc. He also hit all 12 of his free throws.
This marks the third time Curry, the NBA’s all-time leader in 3-pointers, has hit 12 in a game. He matched the then-record of 12 for the first time in February 2016 before breaking it by hitting 13 in a game that November. Former teammate Klay Thompson broke Curry’s mark and holds the current record, having hit 14 in a 2018 game. Read more
Conor Benn ‘deserved embarrassment’ of egg hit, says Chris Eubank Jr (Guardian)
Chris Eubank Jr said Conor Benn “deserved the embarrassment” of being hit with an egg during Tuesday’s Manchester press conference after his two failed drug tests in 2022.The World Boxing Council stated a “highly elevated consumption of eggs” was behind Benn’s failed tests which led to his original fight against Eubank being cancelled at short notice – an offence the Essex fighter has since been cleared of. The rivals are now preparing to meet each other in a highly anticipated middleweight clash on 26 April and, during their on-stage face-off in Manchester this week, the IBO champion Eubank smuggled an egg inside his jacket and hit Benn on the side of the head with it, sparking a brawl. Read more