Four police inspectors arrested for alleged extortion (Guardian)
The Police Command in Lagos State says it has arrested four police officers who allegedly harassed and extorted N70,000 from a 16-year-old student on Wednesday at NGAB Junction, Isheri Area of Lagos State.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr Hakeem Odumosu, stated this in a statement signed on Friday by the Command’s spokesman, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
“The pictures of the policemen caught in the acts of unprofessionalism and extortion, have gone viral on the social media.
“This attracted the Complaint Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Force Headquarters Abuja, and decided to track the policemen for necessary police action. Read more
Court remands man, 38, over alleged defilement (Guardian)
A 38-year-old man, Akinwale Akinfolarin, who allegedly abducted and defiled a 17-year-old girl, was on Friday remanded in custody by an Ejigbo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Akinfolarin is standing trial on a three-count charge, bordering on abduction and defilement.
The plea of the defendant was not taken.
The Magistrate, Mr E. O. Ogunkanmi, however, remanded him at the Correctional Centre and ordered that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
“The plea of the defendant was not taken due to the nature of the offence.
“The defendant is at liberty to seek bail at the high court. Read more
Lagos East Bye-Election seat: APC, PDP know fate March 1 (Nation)
A Federal High Court, Lagos, will on March 1, 2021 deliver judgment in respect of a suit on the bye-election for the Lagos East Senatorial District of December 5, 2020.
The PDP and its candidate in the poll, Ademola Gbadamosi, are the first and second applicants, while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Senator Tokunbo Abiru are the first to third defendants in the suit.
The PDP is pursuing a claim that Mr. Abiru of the APC was ineligible for the election on grounds relating to alleged double voter registration and indigeneship.
But Abiru, who won the election by a landslide, polling 89,204 votes against Gbadamosi’s 11,257 votes, argued his objection to the suit through his counsel Mr. Kemi Pinheiro, SAN. Read more
Tension as Sunday Igboho’s quit notice to Oyo herdsmen expires (Punch)
There is palpable tension in Igangan and other parts of the Ibarapa area of Oyo State on Friday morning as the quit notice given to herdsmen in the area expires today.
The PUNCH learnt that some youths have gathered in the area waiting for the arrival of the Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
It was also gathered that security operatives have surrounded the area.
Igboho had last week visited Fulani settlement in Igangan, Ibarapa North Local Government Area where he gave them a seven-day ultimatum to leave the area. Read more
Appeal Court unseals Seplat Petroleum’s offices (ThisDay)
The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal has suspended the interim order issued by a Federal High Court sealing the corporate offices of Seplat Petroleum Development Company over loan which Cardinal Drilling Services Limited allegedly owed Access Bank Plc.
Justice Joseph Ikyegh while delivering a ruling on an application by the petroleum company for an order of the court suspending the interim order of the Federal High Court pending the determination of the appeal filed by Seplat, held that the balance of convenience favoured the petroleum company.
He held that Access Bank had nothing to lose if Seplat continued to discharge its obligation to its numerous clients.
Two other justices of the court – Umaru Abubakar. Read more
Boko Haram regrouping in Nasarawa, Sule raises alarm (Nation)
Nasarawa Governor Abdulahi Sule has raised the alarm over activities of the terror group, Boko Haram, in his state.
The Governor spoke to State House Correspondents on Friday after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in his office at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to the Governor, members of the terror group, who were dislodged from a location along the Abuja/Nasarawa borders last year, had regrouped along the Nasarawa/Benue borders, wrecking new forms of havoc.
He said he was with the President to discuss the insecurity issue in Nasarawa along with other issues including the possible federal government take-over of Jitata Road, which serves as an alternative route from the state to the FCT. Read more
Two suspected bandits arrested in Zangon Kataf (DailyTrust)
Troops of Operation Save Haven have arrested two suspected armed bandits believed to be part of the syndicates terrorising residents of Gora Gan, Damkasuwa, Zonzon and Kwaku in Zangon Kataf and Kauru local government areas of Kaduna state.
The suspects Identified as Abdulhameed Abubakar Bala and Abubakar Abdulhameed Garba, were arrested over alleged involvement in series of attacks on the communities in December last year.
Igboho visits Igangan, insists Fulani residents must leave Yoruba land
Boko Haram now regrouping in Nasarawa State – Gov Sule
They were arrested between Ungwan Wakili and Zango Urban in Zango Kataf local government area during a collaborative operation between troops of Operation Safe Haven and Special Forces of the Defence Headquarters.
A statement issued by the Kaduna State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan said the suspects are in the troops’ custody under investigation. Read more
Nigeria’s 3G, 4G mobile towers rise to 53,460 (Leadership)
The third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) base transceiver stations (BTS) deployment in Nigeria has increased from 30,000 to 53,460 in the last five years.
The executive vice chairman of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, who disclosed this, stated that fibre optic transmission cables expanded from 47,000km to 54,725km in the same period, resulting in improved broadband/telecoms service delivery to Nigerians.
Prof. Danbatta stated this at a briefing for the new permanent secretary of the federal ministry of communications and digital economy, Engr. Festus Yusuf Daudu, on the functions and regulatory activities of the commission in Abuja. Read more
Diary Sow: Talented Senegal student ‘sorry’ after disappearing in France (BBC)
A gifted Senegalese student and novelist who was reported missing in France has said she was on “a little break to regain her senses” in a letter shared with a government minister.
Diary Sow, 20, did not return to school in Paris after the Christmas holidays, causing concern in Senegal and France.
Ms Sow won two awards as Senegal’s best student and has been studying at the prestigious Louis-Le-Grand school.
French prosecutors had opened an investigation into her disappearance. Read more
One-shot COVID-19 vaccine may give Johnson & Johnson an edge (NYPost)
Less may be more when it comes to rolling out a coronavirus vaccine.
Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine could have an edge over Pfizer and Moderna’s shots — even though it’s still several weeks away from approval in the US, Wall Street analysts told The Post.
That’s because the single jab will likely be easier to distribute across the country than its rivals’ two-dose regimens that are slowly going into Americans’ arms.
“They are not that late, considering the fact that they are shooting for a one-dose vaccine, which is definitely going be way more convenient,” CFRA Research analyst Sel Hardy told The Post. “They have clear advantages in terms of logistics.” Read more
Elon Musk to offer $100m prize for ‘best’ carbon capture tech (CBC)
Tesla Inc. chief and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk took to Twitter on Thursday to promise a $100 million US prize for development of the “best” technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions.
Capturing planet-warming emissions is becoming a critical part of many plans to keep climate change in check, but very little progress has been made on the technology to date, with efforts focused on cutting emissions rather than taking carbon out of the air.
The International Energy Agency said late last year that a sharp rise in the deployment of carbon capture technology was needed if countries are to meet net-zero emissions targets. Read more
Why Russian-backed mercenaries are digging a huge trench in Libya (CNN)
Construction on an enormous trench across Libya, dug by Russian-backed mercenaries Wagner, is raising fears that foreign fighters will not withdraw from the country by Saturday, as a UN-brokered peace deal insists.
US officials are also concerned over the long-term goals of the Kremlin ally in the war-torn state. One intelligence official notes that the trench is a sign that Wagner, which, the official said, has its largest global presence in Libya, is “settling in for the long haul.”
The trench, which extends dozens of kilometers south from the populated coastal areas around Sirte towards the Wagner-controlled stronghold of al-Jufra, can be seen on satellite imagery and is bolstered by a series of elaborate fortifications.
CNN has contacted the Russian government for comment and received no response. Read more
Twitter locks Chinese embassy’s account over post about Uighur women (NYPost)
Twitter froze the account of China’s US embassy after it posted a tweet about Uighur Muslims that violated the platform’s policy against “dehumanization.”
In the Jan. 7 tweet, the embassy claimed that Uighur women in China’s Xinjiang region had been “emancipated” and were “no longer baby-making machines.”
The post was an apparent attempt to defend China’s treatment of the ethnic minority group amid international criticism of its crackdown on the Uighur people, which the US State Department called a genocide this week.
Twitter said it has temporarily locked the @ChineseEmbinUS account — which hasn’t posted since Jan. 8 — until the offending tweet is deleted. The post is currently hidden from public view, but Twitter requires users to manually remove tweets that violate its policies. Read more
Shoppers stuck at home shun new clothes in 2020 (BBC)
Shoppers bought far fewer clothes last year as lockdowns meant people had less opportunity to socialise and go out.
Clothes sales slumped 25%, the biggest drop in 23 years when records began, official figures suggest.
While shops have reported demand for certain clothing such as pyjamas and loungewear has risen, demand for going-out items has fallen sharply.
And despite a pick-up in December, clothing sales remain lower than before the pandemic struck. Read more
Mira Furlan, ‘Lost’ and ‘Babylon 5’ actress, dead at 65 (PageSix)
Actress Mira Furlan, who was best known for her roles as Danielle Rousseau in “Lost” and Delenn on “Babylon 5,” died on Wednesday. She was 65.
Furlan’s Twitter account shared the news on Thursday. Her cause of death has not yet been announced.
“Babylon 5” creator J. Michael Straczynski later posted a tribute to Furlan and wrote that he and the rest of those who worked on the series knew her health “was failing” for “some time now.”
pic.twitter.com/uVlatjUocZ
— Mira Furlan (@FurlanMira) January 22, 2021
“Mira was a good and kind woman, a stunningly talented performer, and a friend to everyone in the cast and crew of ‘Babylon 5,’ and we are all devastated by the news,” he wrote. Read more
Don’t shout, don’t cheer: Olympic fans face coronavirus curbs (Guardian)
Don’t cheer, talk loudly, eat, drink, or wave flags. This is the likely experience awaiting fans at the Tokyo Olympics — if they can get in at all.
Anti-coronavirus measures have changed the face of live sport in Japan, where stadiums now see more politeness than passion.
This month’s Emperor’s Cup football final at Tokyo’s National Stadium, the main Olympic venue, provided a glimpse of what could be in store for the Games.
When Kawasaki Frontale scored the game’s only goal, the brief roar of delight quickly faded to a quiet murmur as the reduced-capacity crowd heeded the ban on cheering. Read more
AC Milan sign Chelsea Defender Tomori (Nation)
AC Milan have completed the signing of Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori.
The 23-year-old central defender will join on loan until the end of the season. The Rossoneri were also able to secure a purchase option for €30m.
Milan have been seeking to strengthen their central defensive options this term. Read more
Real Madrid coach Zidane tests positive for COVID-19 (Punch)
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for Covid-19, the Spanish club announced Friday.
The positive test comes a day before Madrid travel to Alaves in La Liga seeking to bounce back from an embarrassing midweek Copa del Rey exit.
“Real Madrid C.F. report that our coach Zinedine Zidane has tested positive for Covid-19,” the club said in a statement. Read more
Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne out for four to six weeks (BBC)
Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will be sidelined for between four to six weeks with a hamstring injury, says manager Pep Guardiola.
The Belgium playmaker, 29, suffered the injury during Wednesday’s 2-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa.
His absence will start with Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Cheltenham.
De Bruyne could miss up to 10 matches, including the Champions League last-16 first-leg tie with Borussia Monchengladbach on 24 February. Read more
Klopp takes blame for shock Burnley defeat (NewTelegraph)
Jürgen Klopp shouldered the blame for Liverpool’s first league defeat at Anfield since April 2017, which he described as a “massive punch in the face”, and admitted it would be “silly” to talk about retaining the title now.
The defending champions’ 68-match unbeaten home run was ended by Ashley Barnes, whose penalty secured Burnley a first win at Anfield in 47 years. It left Liverpool without a win in five league games and having failed to score since the draw with West Brom on 27 December 27, reports The Guardian.
“It was a massive, massive punch in the face,” said Klopp. “It’s my responsibility, that’s the easy explanation. We lost the game which is pretty impossible but we did it. That is my fault.”
After being top on New Year’s Day, Liverpool are six points behind Manchester United and on their longest goal drought for 21 years. Klopp said: “Losing against Burnley and we didn’t score for three or four games, to talk about the title race, how silly would that be? We can’t imagine the title race at this minute. We have to win games and to do that we have to score goals. We have to work harder but not talking like it is an easy situation.” Read more
Brighton goalkeeper Ryan joins Arsenal on loan (Punch)
Australian international goalkeeper Mat Ryan has moved on loan to Arsenal for the rest of the season from Premier League rivals Brighton after losing his number one spot.
The 28-year-old said he was overjoyed at joining the “first club I ever loved.”
Ryan was Brighton’s first choice for almost three and a half seasons, before being overtaken by Rob Sanchez in mid-December.
“Signing for the club you grew up supporting as a kid @Arsenal,” Ryan tweeted with a tick icon. Read more