Customs intercepts $1.15m, 135,900 Saudi Riyals at Kano Airport (NewTelegraph)
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted a total of $1.15 million and SR135,900 Saudi Riyals undeclared foreign currency at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).
The seizure was made during a routine baggage check on an inbound passenger, Hauwa Ibrahim Abdullahi, who arrived on Saudi Airline Flight No. SV401 from Saudi Arabia.
The National Public Relations Officer of NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, said in a statement that the seizure was made during the physical examination of the passenger’s luggage conducted by NCS Officers, saying that the undeclared currency was discovered concealed within palm-date fruit packs locally referred to as Dabino. Read more
‘I’m ready to work with Peter Obi’ — Bala Mohammed (Vanguard)
Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has expressed his willingness to work with Peter Obi, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, to strengthen opposition politics ahead of 2027 presidential election.
Speaking after his closed-door meeting with Obi at the Government House in Bauchi, Mohammed said he admires and respects Obi’s style of politics, adding that the ex-governor of Anambra State has a clear vision of politics and governance.
“We have a lot of respect and admiration for him because of his style of politics, his statesmanship, his versatile nature, and his deep knowledge of the economy and governance. Read more
I’m open for total peace in Rivers, Fubara tells opponents (Nation)
Rivers State Governor, Siminialayi Fubara, has appealed to his opponents to consider the interest of the state, saying he is open to total peace in the state.
The governor spoke on Thursday during the inauguration of the Grammar School, Okirika, which was remodeled by his administration.
Fubara said: “It is important at this stage that we all embrace peace. The Supreme Court has made its judgment, we don’t have any option but to abide by it and by the grace of God we have started the process. Read more
Those trying to impeach Fubara will not succeed — Epelle (Channels)
Rivers-based activist Jake Epelle on Thursday said any impeachment move by former governor Nyesom Wike and his loyalists in the state’s House of Assembly against his estranged successor Siminalayi Fubara won’t succeed.
Epelle said Wike cannot advocate peace and yet spur his loyalists in the Martins Amaewhule-led legislative body to impeach the sitting governor of the oil-rich state.
“Let them go and try impeachment, they will not succeed,” Epelle said on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief show. Read more
VAT remains at 7.5% as Reps adopt Tax Reform Bills (DailyTrust)
The House of Representatives on Thursday considered and adopted the four tax reform bills.
The bills were adopted after a clause-by-clause consideration and approval at the Committee of the Whole, chaired by the Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen.
With the consideration and adoption, the bills are now set to be passed for third reading at the next legislative day. Read more
Lagos Court bans public viewing, streaming of ‘‘Gangs of Lagos’’ film (Tribune)
A Lagos High Court sitting in Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) has prohibited the public viewing and streaming of the controversial film “Gangs of Lagos.”
Justice Idowu Alakija issued the order in a consent judgement, following an agreement reached between parties in the suit LD/6903GCM/2023, filed by the Isale Eko Descendants Union and two others against Amazon Web Services and 11 other respondents.
The court upheld the applicants’ argument that the movie misrepresented and disrespected the cultural heritage of the revered Eyo Masquerade and distorted the peaceful traditions of the Isale Eko people. Read more
Shehu Sani counters Obasanjo’s comment on Lagos-Calabar highway project (Vanguard)
Shehu Sani, former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, has countered former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s comment on the Lagos-Calabar highway project.
In his new book titled, Nigeria: Past and Future Obasanjo labelled the project as wasteful and corrupt.
Obasanjo also criticised the administration of President Bola Tinubu for spending N21 billion on a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima. Read more
Court orders arrest of VeryDarkMan over Mercy Chinwo’s suit (Punch)
The Chief Magistrate Court, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of blogger Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), for “criminal defamation” of the reputation of gospel singer, Mercy Chinwo.
The magistrate ordered the Nigeria Police Force together with other law enforcement agencies to arrest VeryDarkMan and bring him to court to answer the allegations levelled against him.
Magistrate Emmanuel Iyanna issued the bench warrant on Thursday, March 13, 2025, when VeryDarkMan failed to appear before the magistrate following a court summons on March 5, 2025, for him to do so. Read more
Mother allegedly held stepson captive for 20 years before he lit fire to escape (People)
A Connecticut woman was arrested this week after a man identified as her stepson told police he started a house fire at their shared residence to escape decades of her alleged abuse.
Kimberly Sullivan, 56, is accused of holding her 32-year-old stepson captive since he was 11, the Waterbury Police Department said in a statement. She was taken into police custody on Wednesday, March 12.
“The suffering this victim endured for over 20 years is both heartbreaking and unimaginable. This case required relentless investigative effort, and I commend the dedication of our officers and the Waterbury State’s Attorney’s Office,” Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said. Read more
New budget battle looms in South Africa as parties reject VAT increase (AfricaNews)
Weeks after the budget was first due to be delivered, South Africa’s finance minister Enoch Godongwana finally made the announcement on Wednesday.
But one of the main sticking points remains. An increase in value-added tax (VAT), which several political parties in the coalition government believe will hurt the poor.
“To raise the revenue needed, the government proposes to increase the VAT rate by half a percentage point in 2025/26, and by another half a percentage point in the following year. This will bring the VAT rate to 16 per cent in 2026/27,” said Godongwana. Read more
How this Canadian went from shy kid to one of hip-hop’s biggest producers (CBC)
For Matthew Samuels — better known as the Grammy-winning Canadian producer Boi-1da — making beats behind the scenes has always been a more enticing prospect than trying to make it as a rapper. In high school, he wasn’t particularly outgoing and he definitely didn’t want to be in the spotlight, which was something he had to find out the hard way.
“All my friends loved to rap and we tried to make a rap group, and unfortunately, I tried to rap myself,” he tells Q’s Tom Power with a laugh. “I was terrible. Yeah, I was bad. Trash. Trust me, you don’t want to hear me, man.”
Luckily, Boi-1da had a real talent for producing and a few good friends who encouraged him to step outside of his comfort zone. At 17, he competed in Battle of The Beat Makers, a competition based in Toronto where producers face off onstage. Though he was up against much more seasoned producers, he won the competition three years in a row. Read more
Russian forces recapture Kursk, raising questions about US-Ukraine cutoff (AlJazeera)
Russia pushed Ukrainian forces out of most of the territory they controlled in the Russian region of Kursk during the past week, raising questions about whether a weeklong US intelligence cutoff materially helped the Russian counterattack.
The US said it had restored intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine on Tuesday night, after Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire plan discussed in Riyadh for nine-and-a-half hours.
Russian efforts to recapture Kursk intensified on March 6, a day after the White House cut off military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine. Read more
Disney’s Live-Action Snow White Receiving Scaled-Down Hollywood Premiere (Consequence)
As Disney marches toward the release of the live-action adaptation of beloved classic “Snow White,” the House of Mouse has made the decision to pare down the Los Angeles premiere. Typically a sparkling, red carpet affair with a number of standard media outlets on the guest list, the March 15th event will reportedly be limited to photographers and the house crew. There will not be reporters on the red carpet to ask off-the-cuff questions of the film’s cast and creatives.
Additionally, the studio has opted for a European debut in the small Spanish city of Segovia in lieu of a London premiere. While this choice will also lead to less press exposure, Segovia is home to the castle that inspired the original 1937 film.
The upcoming movie, which stars Rachel Zegler in the titular role, has been plagued with problems nearly from the outset. A vocal online demographic was disappointed in the casting of an actress of Colombian descent as Snow White — despite the fact that Zegler more than proved her vocal ability in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Backlash swelled when the Golden Globe-winning actress revealed that the film’s love story, which she described as “extremely dated,” had been retooled to something less “weird.” Read more
AirBaltic CEO lauds new Starlink installation despite Musk controversy (Euronews)
AirBaltic CEO Martin Gauss has defended the firm’s decision to partner with Space X’s Starlink to provide in-flight internet to customers.
“It made…some controversial headlines because Elon Musk is the owner of that company. But the technology, of course, is outstanding,” he told Euronews.
“I’m sure if we look ahead ten years from now, this kind of high-speed internet …will be a standard in our industry,” he added. Read more
Kate Hudson calls Matthew McConaughey ‘one of her great loves’ in film (FilmNews)
Kate Hudson has described Matthew McConaughey has “one of her great loves” in the film industry.
The Almost Famous actress first worked with the Oscar-winning actor in the 2003 romantic comedy classic How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and collaborated with him five years later on the 2008 romantic action comedy Fool’s Gold.
In a career retrospective video for Vanity Fair, Hudson reflected on their partnership and explained why they worked so well together. Read more
Osimhen: Super Eagles must be ready to fight for World Cup ticket (CompleteSports)
Victor Osimhen says Super Eagles players must be ready to give their all to secure a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Super Eagles are winless in Group C with three points from four games.
The three-time African champions will be back in action against the Amavubi of Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium, Kigali next week Friday. Read more
Onyedika’s exit ends Nigerians’ UCL quest (Punch)
Nigeria’s last representative in this season’s Champions League crashed out on Wednesday night as Raphael Onyedika and Club Brugge suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park, crashing out 6-1 on aggregate at the round of 16 stage.
The Belgian champions’ fate was effectively sealed after just 17 minutes when defender Kyriani Sabbe was shown a straight red card for fouling Marcus Rashford when through on goal, leaving the visitors who were already trailing 3-1 from the first leg with an impossible mountain to climb.
Marco Asensio proved the catalyst for Villa’s victory, with the Spanish international netting twice in the second half after being introduced as a substitute. His first goal came after 50 minutes, lashing home following Leon Bailey’s assist before Ian Maatsen made it 2-0 seven minutes later from Morgan Rogers’ cutback. Read more
Hamilton does not feel pressure to ‘prove anything’ (BBC)
Lewis Hamilton says he does not feel any pressure to prove himself as he starts his Ferrari career at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion left Mercedes after 12 seasons in which they became the most successful team-driver combination in Formula 1 history.
The 40-year-old Briton won six of his drivers’ titles between 2014 and 2020 but has won only two races since the start of the 2022 season. Read more
Teen runner who hit opponent in head with baton faces assault and battery charge (FOX)
The Virginia high school track and field athlete who was seen bashing an opponent’s head with a baton during a race has been charged with assault and battery, Lynchburg Commonwealth’s Attorney Office confirmed to Fox News Digital.
I.C. Norcom High School student athlete Alaila Everett was seen smashing her baton on the head of Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker during a championship meet last week. Footage of the incident went viral in the following days, prompting national controversy and backlash against Everett.
Tucker was later diagnosed with a concussion and possible skull fracture. Read more
Oliver Miller, nine-year NBA veteran and Arkansas star, dies at 54 (CBS)
Oliver Miller, the big man who helped Arkansas reach the Final Four before becoming the No. 22 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, died Wednesday at 54. Miller, a talented all-around centre, spent nine seasons in the NBA, bouncing between five teams.
His death was announced by both the NBA Players Association and the Arkansas basketball program. No cause of death was disclosed, but Arkansas announced that he had cancer during an event honoring its 1990 Final Four team last month.
Known as “The Big O,” the 6-foot-9 Miller reportedly weighed around 380 pounds at his heaviest during his career and is believed to have been one of the heaviest players in NBA history. Read more
LIV Golf wants to be more like F1 racing, says CEO (CNBC)
LIV Golf, the professional men’s golf tour backed by Saudi Arabia, wants the game to become more like Formula 1 racing with well-heeled fans and a wide range of ancillary entertainment.
“The golf is who we are, but it’s really about the festival around golf that makes us different,” LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said during a fireside chat at CONVERGE LIVE. “You can bring your family, you can bring a date, you can bring friends,” he added.At a recent event in Miami, LIV held a music festival, an art festival and a food festival to ensure there was something for everyone, he said. The company’s inaugural event in Singapore, which begins Friday, will feature a DJ. Read more