*Four Lagos cops detained for extorting N70,000 from teenager(Punch)*Driver held for abducting, raping 29-year-old woman (DailyTrust)

Four Lagos cops detained for extorting N70,000 from teenager

(Punch)

Four policemen serving at the Lagos State Police Command are undergoing orderly room trial for allegedly extorting money from a 16-year-old student in the Isheri area of the state.

The cops identified as inspectors are Emmanuel Michael, 40; Sunday Odubiyi, 40; Lawrence Amedu, 39, and Aroye Dickson, 40.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed on Friday in a statement that the policemen allegedly harassed and extorted N70,000 from the student identified simply as Segun on January 18, 2021, at NGAB Junction, Isheri, in a Toyota Corolla car.

He said the picture of the policemen caught in the act went viral on social media and caught the attention of the Complaint Response Unit of the Force to track the officers for necessary action. Read more

Driver held for abducting, raping 29-year-old woman (DailyTrust)

The Police in Ogun State have arrested a 32-year-old commercial driver, Tunde Bello, for allegedly kidnapping and raping a 29-year-old woman (name withheld).

The Police Public Relations (PPRO) of the command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed yesterday that the suspect was arrested on Saturday, January 16.

Oyeyemi said the suspect was arrested following a complaint by the victim at the Mowe Police station.

Narrating her ordeal in the hands of her assailant, the victim said she boarded the suspect’s vehicle from Ogunrun road Mowe to Lagos while going to her office last September. Read more

You must watch this if you want to escape Covid-19

Army kill five terrorists, recover arms in Borno (Guardian)

Troops of 402 Special Forces Task Brigade of Operation Tura Takaibango (OTTB) have killed five Boko Haram terrorists in the Abbagajiri and Dusula hideouts of Damboa local council of Borno State.

They also recovered arms and ammunition, including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) manufacturing materials.Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeukou, disclosed this yesterday at the Special Army Super Camp 1, Ngamdu, Borno, while briefing newsmen on the ongoing operation in the state.

According to him, on January 20, 2021, the troops identified and encircled some terrorists at the Abbagajiri and Dusula hideouts before engaging them with superior firepower. Read more

Two feared dead as herdsmen, Sunday Igboho’s supporters clash in Oyo (Punch)

Violence erupted in Igangan in the Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday when a popular Yoruba activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, reportedly stormed the Fulani settlement in the town to eject the Seriki Fulani, Salihu Abdukadir, and some other herdsmen accused of fuelling security problems in the area.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that some persons were killed while properties worth several millions of naira were set ablaze during the clash which occurred in the evening.

Although Igboho could not be reached as calls to his telephone line indicated that he was out of reach, residents of Igangan however said that at least one youth from Igboora was killed by Fulani fighters while two others sustained injuries from gunshots. Read more

Unpaid 20-month pension raises concerns over officers’ welfare (Guardian)

In and out of service, succour appears far from some serving and retired soldiers and policemen, as their welfare, entitlements and supply of needed equipment and ammunition to do their jobs lingers.

Last week’s protest by ex-soldiers at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja and reported abandonment or desertion from duty, as well as resignations for sundry reasons, could be an indication that Nigeria might be quietly creeping back to its worst military pension administration, which culminated in a major crisis between 2000 and 2004 before it was sanitised by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.

This was courtesy of the Pension Reform Act, which set up the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to manage both public and private sector workers’ pensions. This is to avoid the ugly reoccurrence where particularly stranded and retired soldiers strewn all over major capital cities begging for survival, while waiting to be verified and attended to. Read more

Dangote, Adenuga, Rabiu make Africa’s top 10 billionaires’ list (Punch)

Aliko Dangote of Nigeria is Africa’s richest person and has maintained this position for straight 10 years, according to the 2021 Forbes’ Africa Billionaires List released on Friday.

Also, Mike Adenuga of Globacom, and Abdulsamad Rabiu of BUA Group, both Nigerians, made it to the list as the 5th and 6th richest persons in Africa respectively.

Forbes stated that in Africa, as elsewhere in the world, the wealthiest came through the pandemic just fine.

It stated that the continent’s 18 billionaires were worth an average $4.1bn, 12 per cent more than a year ago, driven in part by Nigeria’s surging stock market. Read more

Vaccine: We are expecting final confirmation from COVAX– NPHCDA (Guardian)

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has disclosed that it was expecting the final confirmation for coronavirus vaccine from COVAX Initiative, backed by Gavi Vaccine Alliance, World Health Organisation (WHO) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

The Executive Director of NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja: “We are expecting final confirmation soon from COVAX on when our first doses will arrive through the programme.

“In parallel, we are speaking to both the African Union (AU) and manufacturers to get the doses we need.” Shuaib noted that the country was expected to take delivery of its first coronavirus vaccine doses next month, with health workers, top government officials and vulnerable people to be given priority, noting that the country is aiming to vaccinate 70 per cent of its population. Read more

Amotekun arrests 4 suspected kidnappers in Ekiti (DailyTrust)

Operatives of the Ekiti State Security Network Agency, popularly called Amotekun Corps, have arrested four suspected kidnappers in Eda Oniyo, Ilejemeje Local Government area of the state.

The suspects are Abubakar Sule, Shehu Usman, Abubakar Babangida and Sheu Mamuda.

Curtail excesses of Amotekun

Stop instigating Yorubas against Fulani herders, Tella warns Akeredolu, Igboho

The commander of the Corps, Brigadier-General Joe Komolafe (retd), who made this known on Friday, said the suspects came into Ekiti from Sokoto and were arrested while on four motorcycles.

Komolafe disclosed that the suspects could not give satisfactory responses as to their mission in the state but confessed to being kidnappers.

Materials found on them included a long rope which they confessed was used to tie kidnap victims in the bush. Read more

Men jailed for killing 39 migrants in lorry (BBC)

Four men have been jailed for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants found dead in a lorry trailer in Essex.

The migrants died “excruciatingly painful” deaths, having suffocated in the container en route from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019, a judge said.

Ronan Hughes, 41, and Gheorghe Nica, 43, played “leading roles” in the smuggling conspiracy and were jailed for 20 and 27 years respectively.

At the Old Bailey, two lorry drivers were also jailed for manslaughter. Read more

Jill Biden visits National Guard troops, thanks them for keeping family safe (NYPost)

First Lady Jill Biden made a surprise visit to National Guard troops in Washington, DC Friday to thank them for protecting her family during her husband’s inauguration.

“I just wanted to come today to say thank you to all of you for keeping me and my family safe,” she told the officers during her first solo outing as first lady.

During the unscheduled stop, she emerged from her motorcade in a long black coat and  handed out chocolate chip cookies from a tin as a gesture of gratitude.

“I’m a National Guard mom,” she told officers, in a reference to her late son Beau Biden, who served in the Delaware National Guard. “The National Guard will always hold a special place in the hearts of all the Bidens.” Read more

Scientists discover how psoriasis and eczema develop in skin cells (Metro)

UK scientists have discovered how chronic conditions such as psoriasis and eczema develop in skin cells which, they believe, could open doors for potential new treatments. Researchers have found that cells from skin with eczema and psoriasis share some of the same cellular mechanisms as developing healthy skin cells. The team said the findings, published in the journal Science, could help in the development of new drugs targeting inflammatory skin disease. Psoriasis, which affects around 2% of people in the UK, is caused by an increased production of skin cells. Read more

Lawmakers confirm Biden’s choice for secretary of defense (VOA)

US President Joe Biden got a boost Friday, with lawmakers giving final approval to his secretary of defense, who becomes only the second Cabinet member to be confirmed as the administration seeks to push back against key adversaries.

The Senate voted 93–2 to confirm retired General Lloyd Austin, making him the first African American to lead the Department of Defense.

Austin wasted little time getting to work, arriving at the Pentagon just over an hour later to take the oath of office, receive an intelligence briefing and meet with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior defense officials.

He was also scheduled to speak by phone with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and get additional operational briefings on China and the Middle East. Read more

UK coronavirus variant ‘may be more deadly’ (BBC)

Early evidence suggests the variant of coronavirus that emerged in the UK may be more deadly, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

However, there remains huge uncertainty around the numbers – and vaccines are still expected to work.

The data comes from mathematicians comparing death rates in people infected with either the new or the old versions of the virus.

The new more infectious variant has already spread widely across the UK. Read more

Naomi Campbell mourns godson Harry Brant (PageSix)

Supermodel Naomi Campbell has penned a moving tribute to Harry Brant after he died of an accidental drug overdose on Sunday at the age of 24.

“It’s taken me a few days to get my head around this to digest the fact my beautiful godson Harry Brant has gone to the spiritual world,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

“Since you were a baby, you had this innate magical joy, that you bought [sic] to all who was around you,” she said.

Campbell and Brant’s mom, Stephanie Seymour, were a part of an exclusive group of elite supermodels during the 1980s and 1990s. Campbell also served as one of Seymour’s bridesmaids when she wed Brant’s dad, Peter, in 1995. Read more

James Bond stuntman Rémy Julienne dies aged 90 after contracting Covid-19 (Metro)

James Bond stuntman Rémy Julienne has died aged 90 from complications from Covid-19. The stunt performer was hospitalised two weeks ago in the French town of Montargis after testing positive for coronavirus, and was taken into intensive care. A relative of the star confirmed that Julienne died on Thursday evening, telling AFP: ‘What was bound to happen has happened. He left us early in the evening (Thursday). It was predictable, he was on an artificial respirator.’ An MP from the Loiret region and friend of Julienne’s Jean-Pierre Door, also confirmed his death to the agency. Read more

Iwobi out of Everton’s FA Cup tie (Punch)

Alex Iwobi will play no part in Everton’s FA Cup clash against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, Saturday PUNCH reports.

Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti confirmed this during the pre-match conference on Friday.

The 24-year-old, who ended his 37-game Premier League goal drought last Tuesday after scoring against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux, misses the game alongside Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Allan, Fabian Delph, Lucas Digne and Niels Nkounkou as they are not in ‘good condition’ to play.

“Gbamin, Allan, Delph, Digne, Iwobi and Nkounkou Niels are unavailable for Sunday’s Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday,” Ancelotti said.

“They are not in good condition to play on Sunday. Read more

Mbappe double as PSG thrash Montpellier (BBC)

Paris St-Germain moved three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and boosted their goal difference with a thrashing of 10-man Montpellier on Friday.

Kylian Mbappe scored twice with Neymar and Mauro Icardi also on target for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Montpellier goalkeeper Jonas Omlin was sent off with the game goalless.

Omlin was shown a yellow card for bringing Mbappe down outside of the area, but that was made red after the referee viewed the pitchside monitor.

Mbappe broke the deadlock soon after with a neat touch and dinked finish from Angel Di Maria’s pass. Read more

Jose Mourinho refuses to back Frank Lampard after Chelsea sack rumours (Metro)

Jose Mourinho has refused to offer his backing to Frank Lampard following reports claiming that Chelsea are considering sacking the 42-year-old. Lampard’s future is under increasing threat following Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Leicester City earlier this week. Chelsea have now lost five out of their last eight Premier League matches, and the club’s hierarchy are now reportedly considering alternative options to Lampard. Mourinho hailed Lampard as the best professional he’s ever worked with during Spurs’ ‘All or Nothing’ series on Amazon Prime. Read more

Nets defense roasted once again as Cavs complete sweep (NYPost)

The Nets’ defense has collapsed since they traded Jarrett Allen. And for the second straight game, their

former center came back to haunt them — and own their paint.

The Nets imploded in the third quarter, falling 125-113 Friday in Cleveland. And it was Allen who was at the heart of the decisive run that blew the game wide open.

The undersized Nets got destroyed 62-32 on the glass and outscored 70-44 in the paint. They saw Allen score 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, mostly dunks — including a ferocious one over Joe Harris. Kyrie Irving’s game-high 38 went to waste, sabotaged by the Nets’ inability to get a stop or grab a board.

It’s been a reoccurring issue since they traded Allen to get James Harden and form their Big 3 with Irving and Kevin Durant. Read more

Australian Open 2021: Andy Murray’s hopes of playing in tournament over (BBC)

Five-time finalist Andy Murray will miss the Australian Open after a solution to find a “workable quarantine” following his positive test for coronavirus could not be found.

The 33-year-old Briton was set to fly out to Melbourne last week, but was not allowed to travel on a charter flight after being found to have Covid-19.

The former world number one had hoped to travel safely and compete as planned on the back of a negative test.

Murray said he was “gutted” not to go.

He was asymptomatic and is now out of self-isolation, but finding a way for him to travel to Australia and then going into quarantine before the tournament starts on 8 February proved too difficult. Read more

David Beckham defends decision to hire fellow Manchester United legend Phil Neville as Inter Miami boss (Metro)

David Beckham has defended Inter Miami’s appointment of Phil Neville as the MLS side’s new head coach, insisting friendship played no part in the hiring of his former Manchester United and England team-mate. Neville left his role as England Women head coach at the start of the week to join Inter Miami, who are part-owned by Beckham. Beckham and Neville spent more than a decade together at Old Trafford and also co-own Salford City with fellow former Manchester United stars Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt. But Beckham says his close friendship with Neville was not a factor when he decided to hire him for Inter Miami and defended the appointment following some online criticism. Read more

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