Girl shot during Lagos protest not our pupil – Proprietor (Punch)
The Proprietor of DST Group of Schools, Pastor Odedele Joseph, has said the female pupil shot during a protest against the ban of okada and keke Marwa riders at Aboru, Ipaja, Lagos, is not a pupil of the school.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, Mariam Shobukola, attended De Light International School.
Joseph said his school was not affected by the protest and no pupil was injured.
He said, “Where the clash occurred was far from our school. It’s actually an open area, while our school is inside the street.
“When we heard about the riot, we quickly shut our gate to secure the pupils. Read more
Man bags nine years jail term for faking as a lawyer (Guardian)
Am 37-year-old graduate of Estate Management at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, Melvin Oromidayo, has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment by an Ipetumodu Magistrate’s Court in Osun State for impersonating a lawyer.
Oromidayo was said to have been practising law and handling cases at different courts for unsuspecting members of the public for over a year before he was apprehended at the Ipetumodu court while appearing for an accused person.
The Police Prosecutor, ASP Joseph Adebayo, informed the court that Oromidayo was arrested on January 20, at Ipetumodu Magistrate’s Court, Ipetumodu, Ife North Local Government Area of Osun while handling a case as a lawyer. Read more
Kidnappers collect N1m, release OOU law graduate (Punch)
A graduate of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Motunrayo Rafiu, who was abducted by suspected kidnappers in the Kabba area of Kogi State, has been released.
Rafiu was released on Sunday after the family reportedly paid a ransom of N1m.
The victim was said to have spent five days in the kidnappers’ den.
“She was released on Sunday evening after we paid N1m to them,” a family member said.
The Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, Williams Aya, however, said the victim was rescued along with three others, Read more
Buhari raises hope for Leah Sharibu’s release (Nation)
All victims of abductions by terror groups, including Leah Sharibu, the remaining Chibok, and Dapchi schoolchildren, will regain their freedom, says President Muhammadu Buhari.
The President gave the assurance on Monday at a breakfast dialogue themed: ‘Stop the War on Children Affected by Armed Conflicts, Dividend of Silencing the Guns’, held on the sidelines of the ongoing 33rd African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The programme was co-sponsored by the governments of Nigeria, Uganda and Norway, the AU Commission and Save the Children. Read more
Police rescue four kidnapped victims in Abuja (DailyTrust)
The FCT Police Command on Monday rescued four kidnapped victims from a notorious kidnappers’ den located at Sauni Hills, Lambata, along the boundary between FCT and Niger State. The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, in a statement said the victims were rescued following a special operation launched by the command. He said the victims were rescued after police operatives had dislodged the criminals from their hideout located in a remote mountainous area.Read more
Fleeing Army convict rearrested in Benin Republic (Nation)
The convicted Army major Akeem Oseni, who escaped after being sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the death of Lance Corporal Benjamin Collins, has been arrested.
Oseni, who was sentenced by the General Court Martial in Command Mess, Asokoro, Abuja, had told court officials he was going to use the toilet before he escaped.
Read Also: Appeal Court quashes Army General’s conviction
The fleeing convict, according to military sources, was apprehended at an airport in Benin Republic. Read more
EFCC arrests wanted FBI suspect, Festus Abiona (DailyTrust)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has arrested a 38-year-old man, Festus Abiona, indicted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) over alleged involvements in internet fraud. The commission’s Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement made available to newsmen in Ilorin on Monday. “Abiona had been on the wanted list of the commission for more than eight months, over the alleged fraud case before luck ran against him and he was finally arrested in his hideout. “The Anti-graft body was able to fish him out last week Wednesday in his beautifully built duplex in Arepo, Ogun state,” he said. Read more
Southwest governors to sign Amotekun bill Friday (Nation)
All is set for the commencement of Operation Amotekun, the Western Nigeria Security Network (WNSN).
The legal hurdle which is delaying its take-off will be cleared this week.
Houses of Assembly in the six states – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti – are expected to pass the regional security outfit’s operational bill for the governors to give assent on Friday.
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi on Monday announced the decision of the governors to make the outfit operational, when he received the bill’s draft from Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Olawale Fapounda (SAN).
Operation Amotekun was launched by the governors on January 9 in Ibadan but Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice Abubakar Malami, declared the outfit illegal. Read more
HDP gives INEC 48 hours to re-register it (Guardian)
Hope Democratic Party (HDP) has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) 48 hours to re-register it or risk a N2 trillion lawsuit.
The organisation was among the 74 political parties that were deregistered by the electoral umpire last Thursday.
HDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, said the “illegal and unlawful inclusion” of the party in such “ill-advised diversionary misadventure in the face of a subsisting court order of perpetual injunction against INEC” was an “indicator that the present INEC is a threat to democracy.” Read more
Boy, 4, has hand reattached after it was sliced off by lawn mower (Metro)
This is the moment a boy, four, first wiggled his fingers after doctors reattached his entire hand – which was sliced clean off by a lawnmower. Shaurya Undre’s left hand was completely severed while playing with his father Mukesh’s lawn mower in India. The little lad was rushed to hospital where surgeons painstakingly reattached it at the wrist – matching up the veins and arteries – during a six-hour operation. He’s now out of hospital and expected to make a full recovery. Specialist micro-vascular surgeon Dr Abhishek Ghosh used skin and vein grafts from Shaurya’s leg to reattach the hand. Read more
Deaths hit new high in China’s virus epicentre (BBC)
The number of people killed by the new coronavirus has risen to a daily high of 103 in Hubei province on Monday, taking the overall number of deaths since the breakout to more than 1,000.
But the number of new infections was down 20% from the day before.
Hubei’s health commission confirmed 2,097 new cases in the province on Monday, down from 2,618.
An advanced team of medical experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) has arrived in China.
There are now more than 42,200 confirmed cases across China, the gravest public health crisis the country has faced since the Sars outbreak in 2002-3. Read more
London council vows to fly EU flag after Brexit to be ‘welcoming’ (Metro)
A London council has sparked controversy by announcing it will continue to fly the EU flag, despite Brexit. Hounslow Council says it will keep the flag up at council office Hounslow House as ‘a symbol that we remain an internationalist borough’ and ‘a place EU citizens can call home’. Council leader Steve Curran claimed the gesture was to show EU citizens in the borough they are still ‘friends, neighbours and loved ones’ who are ‘valued members of our communities’. However, some have accused the council of ‘not listening to voters’, given Britain’s decision to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum. The move was announced on January 31 at a meeting attended by staff from Poland, Croatia, Germany, Norway, Romania and other EU countries. Read more
Sharp rise in brain injuries from Iran raid on US base (BBC)
The number of US troops suffering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) after an Iranian attack on a US base in Iraq in January has risen to 109, according to US officials.
The figure is a significant increase from the 64 injured service members previously reported by the Pentagon.
President Donald Trump initially said no Americans were injured in the raid.
The attack on 8 January came amid tensions over the US killing of an Iranian general.
Nearly 70% of the injured service members have returned to their duties, the Pentagon added in its statement. Read more
Pele: Brazil legend ’embarrassed’ to leave house because of ill health (BBC)
Legendary Brazil forward Pele is reluctant to leave his house because he cannot walk unaided, his son has said.
The three-time World Cup winner, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time, was taken to hospital with a urinary infection last year.
Pele, 79, has had problems with his hip for some time and now needs a frame to walk, with many of his recent public appearances in a wheelchair.
“He is very sheepish, reclusive,” his son Edinho told TV Globo. Read more
Classy Quadre claims ITF Junior title (Nation)
Nigeria’s Oyinlomo Quadre won all her matches at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Grade Three tournament in Pretoria, South Africa to emerge champion.
The flawless champion was at her best as tenacity coupled with her humility paid off as she claimed her fist title outside West Africa.
The highpoint for the 16-year-old sensation was the way she approached most of the matches in the singles.
In the final, she proved her rating as the number the two seed when she humbled France’s Nahia Berecoechea 6-2, 6-3 to emerge as only players not drop a set. Read more
Liverpool braced for £75million Bayern Munich transfer bid for Roberto Firmino (Metro)
Bayern Munich are preparing a stunning £75million transfer offer for Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino, according to reports. Brazil international Firmino has developed into one of the most highly-rated forwards in world football since arriving at Anfield from Germany in 2015. Scoring 78 goals in 228 appearances, the 28-year-old helped Liverpool win the Champions League last season and appears set to become a Premier League winner this term. Jurgen Klopp values Firmino as one of the most important players in his dressing room but faces a fight to keep hold of the Brazilian with Bayern Munich hoping to secure his signature.
Bayern are set to revamp their squad in the summer and The Sun says they have identified Firmino as their top transfer target.Read more
Rory McIlroy: World number one return down to relentless consistency (BBC)
It might feel somewhat unsatisfactory to go to the top of the rankings without playing a tournament, but Rory McIlroy’s return to world number one is no statistical fluke.
McIlroy is back on top of the world because he is the best player on the planet. The official ranking system does a fine job rating the relative merits of the best players.
No one argued with the formula that confirmed Tiger Woods’ undisputed status during the 683 weeks he has spent as world number one and few, if any, have questioned Brooks Koepka’s right to hold the position for the past 38 weeks.Read more
Klopp approved £30m transfer for Chukwueze despite £55m release clause (Guardian)
Liverpool failed with a £30 million bid for Samuel Chukwueze during the January transfer window, according to express.co.uk.
Quoting France Football, the English publication said Villarreal rejected the offer from Liverpool in January.
Chukwueze has taken Europe by storm since he joined Villarreal two seasons ago.
The 20-year-old Nigerian, who is arted as one of the most promising youngsters in world football, has scored four goals and provided four assists this season. Read more
Ministry will always intervene not interfere in sports federations – Dare (DailyTrust)
The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Sunday Dare has reiterated the ministry’s commitment to perform its supervisory role over sports federations in the country. The Minister stated this while speaking to journalists in Yenagoa Bayelsa state at the grand finale of the Restoration Cup tournament, With reference to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Dare said the decision of the ten members to impeach its former President, Engineer Shehu Gusau, conformed with its rules “The ministry of Youth and Sports Development is really focused because we have the Olympics ahead of us. Beyond the AFN we have other sports federations dealing with internal board matters and that will continue for a while. Read more
Zlatan Ibrahimovic admits AC Milan ‘stopped playing’ during Inter defeat (Metro)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes AC Milan’s players lacked the experience to hold on to their lead after the defeat to Inter on Sunday evening and claims his teammates ‘stopped playing’ in the second half. Ibrahimovic provided the assist for Ante Rebic’s opener before scoring Milan’s second goal before the half-time break. But Inter battled back in the second half and scored four times through Marcelo Brozovic, Matias Vecino, Stefan de Vrij and Romelu Lukaku to secure a 4-2 victory. ‘It’s difficult to explain what happened,’ Ibrahimovic told Sky Sport Italia after the defeat. Read more
Oshoala’s brace helps Barcelona win maiden Spanish Super Cup (DailyTrust)
Asisat Oshoala scored twice to help Barcelona claim her maiden Spanish Super Cup trophy after thrashing Real Sociedad 10-1 on Sunday. It’s the first title for the team this season and the 25-year old’s goals added spice to the team’s victory. It’s the African Footballer of the Year’s first major title since her debut at the club in 2019, scoring 19 goals in 22 matches in all competitions this season. Read more
Paris 2020: Two Nigerian Karatekas qualify for Olympic qualifier (Nation)
Two Nigerian Karatekas, Rita Ogene – 68kg and Rustum Francis – 67kg, have qualified for Paris 2020 Olympic qualifier.
Zainab Saleh, a member of the Federation of Nigeria and African Karate Federation (UFAK) Judges and Referees, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
She said that following the bronze medals won by the two Nigerians at the just concluded African Karate Federation (UFAK), they both qualified for the next Olympic Qualifier taking place in Paris between May 8 and May 10. Read more
Ogbonna John stars as Nigerian men win four medals on final day (Guardian)
Nigerian freestyle wrestlers capped what could best be described as a remarkable outing for the country at the 2020 Africa Wrestling Championships in Algiers by winning four medals, including a fourth consecutive continental gold for rising star, Emmanuel Ogbonna John in the 74kg class as the competition came to an end on Sunday.
John won his fourth African Championships title by overcoming home boy, Ishak Boukhors 5-1, in the final to climb to No. 7 in the World ranking at 74kg. Read more