#EndSARS: Man arrested with stolen police motorcycle in Lagos (Punch)
A man, Yusuf Saliu, has been arrested by policemen attached to the Mushin division of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stealing a police motorcycle.
The 32-year-old suspect allegedly perpetrated the act when hoodlums attacked the Dalemo Police Post during the #EndSARS demonstrations in the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Thursday, said the motorcycle had been recovered, adding that the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, ordered the command’s special squad to take over the case for further investigation.
Adejobi said, “The suspect was arrested on March 22, 2021, around 9.30pm, based on intelligence on the activities and involvement of the suspect in the vandalisation of the Daleko Police Post, as the suspect was seen riding the said bike with number plate APP 476 Q. Read more
Priest remanded over alleged culpable homicide (Vanguard)
An Ilorin Magistrates’ Court on Friday remanded a priest, Abdurasak Al-Sulati, popularly called Kewulere, for allegedly killing one Sumo Usman for money ritual.
The defendant was charge to court on a two-count charge of Criminal Conspiracy and Culpable Homicide Contrary to Sections 97 and 221 of Penal Code Law.
Magistrate Afusat Alege, who precided over the matter, ruled that the defendant should be kept in Oke-kura Correctional Centre, Ilorin.
She therefore adjourned the case until March 29, for further mention. Read more
How we nabbed Chadian lady who hid heroin in private parts- NDLEA (Punch)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested a Chadian, Vivien Tarmadji, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja while trying to board an Ethiopian airline en route to Addis Ababa-Italy.
The suspect reportedly concealed 234.35 grams of heroin in her private parts. Tarmadji, who runs a salon business in Italy, was nabbed by anti-narcotic agents during an outward clearance of the airline at the boarding gate.
A statement by the spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, on Friday said the woman claimed she was contacted by someone in Italy to collect the drug from a man who delivered the illicit substance to her in a hotel in Lagos.
Babafemi noted that the trafficker “who runs a salon business in Italy since 2016 upon her relocation to the country via Libya was arrested by vigilant narcotics agents during an outward clearance of the airline at the boarding gate after being scanned. Under interrogation, she claimed she was contacted by a man who called her from Italy to collect the drug from one man. Read more
FG insists pact with ASUU on course, rules out strike by lecturers (Guardian)
The Memorandum of Action (MOA) signed with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) by the Federal Government is on course, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has said.
Speaking at the end of a parley with the delegation of ASUU in Abuja last Thursday night, Ngige said the meeting reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the MOA signed by both parties in December 2020.
Ngige said the meeting discussed every item on the 2020 Memorandum of Action (MOA) between government and ASUU and the progress made so far, and reached agreements. Read more
How police rescued 3 kidnapped farm managers in Kwara (Vanguard)
Police in Kwara have rescued three farm managers abducted in the state on Sunday.
The victims, Dr Julius Owoeye, Akeem Ajadi and Bola Adedoye, workers at Bafford/Morola’s Farms, at Elega via Pampo in Asa Local Government Area of Kwara were rescued on Thursday.
Police spokesman, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, said in a statement issued on Friday in Ilorin that Commissioner of Police in Kwara, Mohammed Bagega, led the rescue team.
“The command was flabbergasted when the news of the abduction of the victims broke on March 22, in spite of the tight security arrangements emplaced throughout the state. Read more
Gang steals Nigerian vehicles, sells them off in Niger Republic (Punch)
Three suspected members of a carjacking syndicate allegedly involved in selling vehicles stolen in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in Niger Republic, have been rounded up by the police.
The suspects – Usman Shehu, 29; Abdullahi Magaji, 27 and 28-year-old Abdulraman Zakari – were reportedly apprehended along Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, Zaria in Kaduna and Kano states respectively.
City Round learnt that operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team acting on a tip-off mounted a road block along the expressway and arrested Shehu while he was driving a Hilux van to Kaduna.
Shehu aka Biggie reportedly told the policemen that he was taking the vehicle to Magaji in Zaria and that he had delivered 11 vehicles – mainly Toyota Corolla and Hilux – to the man between 2019 and 2020. Read more
Despite FG’s ban, Zamfara peasants stick to mines (DailyTrust)
Tradition and necessity are keeping local miners in the mines despite an order of the federal government stopping all mining activities in the troubled North Western state of Zamfara, Daily Trust Saturday findings have shown.
In many communities around the ancient mining sites of Kwali, Zuzzurfa, Dareta and Bagega located in Maru, Gusau, Anka, Bukkuyum and Zurmi local government areas (LGAs), artisans who have for many years mined gold and other precious stones as a means of livelihood are holding on to the sites despite effort by the police to enforce the ban placed by government.
The federal government, through the National Security Council (NCS), recently restated the ban on mining activities in the state as a way of curtailing the spate of insecurity which the government attributed to gold mining activities. Read more
No soldier is owed allowance in theatre – Army (Vanguard)
The Nigerian Army has dismissed reports that its troops of an unidentified battalion under Operation Lafiya Dole protested over alleged unpaid operational allowances as well as obsolete equipment in Maiduguri.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, in a statement on Friday, said the media reports were unsubstantiated and did not represent the true situation of the incidents.
Yerima said that what some media reports described as protest was a mild complaints by few soldiers of Mobile Strike Team (MST), deployed for Exercise Tura Takaibango in the frontline of operations.
According to him, at about 3 p.m. on March 25, some of the troops of Mobile Strike Team 10 and 11, who were primed to conduct phase 2 of Exercise TURA TAKAIBANGO in Bama after the first phase of the exercise, raised some concerns. Read more
NIN to check exam malpractice, JAMB registrar explains (Guardian)
The Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has said the board introduced the use of National Identity Number (NIN) for the registration of the 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) to checkmate examination malpractices.
Oloyede, who spoke in Abuja yesterday during a virtual meeting with owners of Computer Based Test Centres, service providers and other stakeholders to kick-start the 2021 UTME registration, also warned that no CBT was allowed to register candidates for NIN, adding that any centre found to engage in such act would be sanctioned.
He explained that the directive for the use of NIN as a prerequisite for registration was from the Minister of Education, saying the motive was also for security reasons. Read more
The Suicide Squad’s ‘epic’ first trailer leaves DC fans wanting more (Metro)
The first trailer for James Gunn’s hotly-anticipated The Suicide Squad has been released. DC fans were left wanting more as they watched the nearly three-minute-long clip featuring a stellar cast of Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Viola Davis, Pete Davidson and more. Super-villains Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and Harley Quinn join a collection of Belle Reve prison cons for a secret Task Force X. The squad are heavily-armed and dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese, with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave. Read more
Bread of heaven: France submits the baguette as candidate for UNESCO heritage status (France24)
France has chosen the baguette as its candidate for UNESCO intangible cultural heritage status, the government said Friday, seeking recognition for that most quintessential of French symbols.
While berets and strings of garlic around the neck might be more stereotype than reality these days, long loaves of bread are still seen tucked under arms all over France on a daily basis.
According to data site Planetoscope, some 10 billion baguettes are consumed every year in France — some 320 every second.
When France was in its strictest lockdown for the pandemic last spring, it made sure to keep bakeries open as an essential business. Read more
The coronavirus pandemic is far from over (DW)
Most countries are reporting more new coronavirus infections. Global data indicates the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. DW sums up the current situation.
What’s the current global trend?
The goal for all countries is to make it to the blue section of the chart and stay there. Countries and territories in this section have reported no new cases for four weeks in a row.
Currently, that is the case for five out of 188 countries and territories. Read more
US children’s author Beverly Cleary dead at 104 (France24)
American children’s author Beverly Cleary, the creator of iconic characters including Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins, has died at 104, her publisher said Friday.
The librarian-turned-writer died on Thursday in Carmel, California, her home since the 1960s, Harper Collins Publishers said in a statement.
With titles like “Henry Huggins” (1950) and “Ramona and Her Father,” (1978) beloved by generations of young readers, Cleary’s works explored everyday life through the eyes of children. And she did it with wit and sympathy, touching on topics ranging from lunchroom antics and sibling rivalries to a parent’s job loss.
Cleary was inspired to start writing when “a little boy faced me rather ferociously across the circulation desk and said: ‘Where are the books about kids like us?'” her publisher quoted her as saying. Read more
Late Tanzania president Magufuli buried in his hometown (DW)
John Magufuli has been buried nearly 10 days after passing away at the age of 61, officially from heart complications. The late head of state was an ardent coronavirus skeptic.
Tanzania’s late president, John Pombe Magufuli, was buried on Friday in his ancestral home of Chato, nearly 10 days after his death from suspected heart complications.
Magfuli’s body was moved through different towns in Tanzania to allow for public mourning.
Close family, relatives and friends of the ardent coronavirus skeptic also attended the private funeral service in Chato in the northwest of the country.
Also attending the burial was President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the former vice president who succeeded Magufuli to become Tanzania’s first female president. Read more
Flo Rida wants to perform on stage at Eurovision with San Marino’s Senhit (Metro)
Flo Rida is keen to perform at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest – and you know what, stranger things have happened at Eurovision. The biggest surprise in the run-up to this year’s Song Contest in Rotterdam was that Flo Rida – he of Low, Right Round and Club Can’t Handle Me fame – had contributed a verse to Adrenalina, the 2021 entry for San Marino. While it has not yet been confirmed whether the rapper will actually be on stage with San Marino’s representative Senhit, the 41-year-old is keen to make it happen. When asked by BBC’s Newsbeat if he wanted to go to Rotterdam, Flo Rida said it would be an ‘honour’ to perform with Senhit. Read more
4 die in protests set off by Modi visiting Bangladesh (DW)
Violence erupted on Bangladesh’s independence day as protesters denounced Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dhaka. They accuse him of discrimination against Muslims.
Four people were killed and dozens injured on Friday as demonstrators clashed with police in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong.
Protests erupted against a visit to the country by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Demonstrators accused the right-wing leader of inciting anti-Muslim violence in India.
A police officer told Reuters news agency that eight people were hospitalised with gunshot wounds. “Among them, four succumbed to their injuries,” Mohammad Alauddin told Reuters. Read more
Can Eagles end Squirrels home invincibility? (Punch)
The odds are stacked against the Super Eagles who aim to end their four-game winless streak when they face Benin Republic at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo on Saturday (today) in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, Saturday PUNCH reports.
The Eagles lead Group L of the qualifiers with eight points, after home victories against Benin and Lesotho and the doubleheader stalemate versus Sierra Leone last November.
Benin are second on seven points, while third-place Sierra Leone have three points. Lesotho occupy bottom place with two points.
Two teams will qualify from the group, with a draw today in Porto Novo enough to see the Nigerians book their spot in the finals in Cameroon next year. Read more
Moroccan referee for Squirrels versus Eagles match (Guardian)
Redoune Jiyed, the Moroccan who handled the Nigeria versus South Africa quarter-finals clash at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations has been assigned the same roll in the Benin-Nigeria qualifying duel for Cameroon 2021.
Two of his compatriots, Lahsen Azgaou and Mostafa Akarkad will be the assistant referees.
Nicknamed the ‘Child of Sous’ a region in the mid-southern Morocco, Redoune Jiyed, 40 is often compared with the late Said Belqola, the Moroccan who was the only African to officiate a World Cup final match.
Belqola, who had officiated in Nigeria in a World Cup encounter against Guinea in 1996 as well as a Shooting Stars Champions League duel with South Africa’s Orlando Pirates, was the referee of the France versus Brazil World Cup final match in 1998. Read more
Manchester United in shock U-turn over Jesse Lingard’s future, could offer midfielder new contract (Metro)
Jesse Lingard may not be leaving Manchester United after all this summer with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer very impressed with the midfielder and willing to bring him back into the first-team fold. The 28-year-old found game time hard to come by at Old Trafford and was forced to leave the club on loan in January, joining West Ham until the end of the season. Despite his lack of minutes in recent seasons, Lingard hit the ground running with five goals and two assists in his first seven Premier League appearances for the Irons. Read more
NBBF ready to go all out for Tokyo Olympics (Vanguard)
Sam Ahmedu, member of Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) board, on Thursday assured that the federation would not spare any effort in getting the best out of the country’s national teams.
Ahmedu, who is the International Representative on the board, said in a statement that this was necessary as the male and female senior national teams prepare for a busy 2021,
Ahmedu said since the board took over in 2017, the welfare of the players has been top of its agenda.
“Getting to the apex of basketball in Africa and rolling with the best in the world never came by accident. It’s a result of deliberate plans and heavy investments in camps, coaches and training.” Read more
2023 Tour de France will begin in Spanish Basque Country for second time in its history (France24)
The 2023 Tour de France will start from the Basque city of Bilbao in Spain, organisers said on Friday.
It will be only the second time in its history that the world’s top cycling race has begun in the Basque Country that straddles France and Spain, after it started in San Sebastian in 1992.
The ‘Grand Depart’ of the 2023 race will be a stage that starts and finishes in Bilbao, followed by a second stage in the province of Araba/Alava. Read more
Willian opens up on his struggles at Arsenal (Metro)
Willian says he went through the ‘worst time’ of his career in his first few months with Arsenal but is now ready to perform on a more consistent basis and ‘reach the level’ he previously did at Chelsea. The 32-year-old attacker joined Arsenal on a free transfer last summer and had a hand in all three goals as Mikel Arteta’s men thumped Fulham on the opening day of the Premier League campaign. But Willian badly struggled to live up to expectations as the Gunners sunk to as low as 15th in the table and the Brazil international is still yet to get off the mark for the north London outfit. Read more
Osaka pulls out of Stuttgart Open (Guardian)
Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has pulled out of next month’s Stuttgart Open after confessing to being homesick and unsure of long stretches on the road.
Osaka, who is currently ranked the number two tennis female player in the world, withdrew from WTA clay-court competition which is set to begin April 17-15 in southwest Germany. The games serve as a build-up to the French Open that is scheduled to begin on May 23.
Organizers confirmed that she will begin the European season later in May.Osaka is fresh off her first Grand Slam title of 2021 after she beat USA’s Jennifer Brady in the Australian Open final in January. However, she told reporters in Miami that there wasn’t a desire on her part to travel so much and play in as many tournaments, Yahoo News reported. Read more