Economic Hardship: Lagos civil servants to work 3 days a week (Tribune)
As Nigerians lament the high cost of living crisis in the country, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said that Lagos State civil servants from Level 1 to 14 will come to work physically three times a week and work virtually for the two other days to ease economic pressure in the state.
The governor, who stated this during a media chat on Thursday, also announced a 25% reduction on all public transportation in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said, “The first thing that we will be doing in the state going forward is that we want to start with our own public servants, to say that even the challenges that we’ve seen now, can we be creative and have flexible working hours? Read more
Prophet drowns during Valentine’s Day beach party (Channels)
A Lagos-based prophet, Oriyomi Damilola, was said to have drowned during a beach party in the Ajah area of the state to celebrate this year’s Valentine’s Day.
Channels Television gathered that the incident occurred when Damilola led a group of friends to Avista Beach on Saturday, February 17, to commemorate the Day.
A source told our correspondent that the party which lasted through the evening ended when the late Damilola went missing.
The colleagues were said to have immediately launched a search for him but all efforts proved abortive. Read more
Insecurity: Police in Lagos, Ogun begin joint patrol on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Nation)
The Police in Lagos and Ogun States have begun a joint patrol on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to improve security in the area.
The Lagos State Police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, made the disclosure in a post he shared on his X handle @benHundeyin on Thursday.
Recall that cases of kidnap incidents and other crimes had been reported on some parts of the expressway. Read more
Sunday Igboho returns to Nigeria for mother’s burial (Punch)
Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, has returned to Nigeria to bury his mother.
His spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, disclosed his return in a video on X on Wednesday.
Koiki’s caption read, “I can confirm that Chief Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho is currently on his way to Igboho Town for the final burial of his mother MRS S.A. Adeyemo.
“The body of MRS S.A Adeyemo was picked up from the mortuary in Saki Town some few hours ago.” Read more
Lagos LP deputy gov’ship candidate quits party (Vanguard)
Princess Islamiyat Oyefusi, the Labour Party (LP) deputy governorship candidate in Lagos State in 2023, has resigned her membership of the party.
Oyefusi confirmed her resignation to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
She said she left the LP because the party’s values no longer align with hers.
Oyefusi, who contested alongside P governorship candidate, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, however, said her resignation from the party was not to join APC, PDP, or any other party. Read more
Troops neutralise terrorist kingpins, others in Kaduna offensives (Leadership)
The 1 Division Nigeria Army Kaduna has reported significant progress in its continuous efforts to tackle insurgency in Kaduna State.
According to an official statement by the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, on the X handle of the Nigerian Army, troops have achieved substantial victories in recent encounters across various areas of operations.
The statement reads in part, “While on a fighting patrol along Maganda-Dausayi-Mugaba axis, troops came under fire from insurgents who employed rustled herds of cattle as shields while they engaged the troops with direct fire. The insurgents whose number could not be ascertained fired several shots at the troops from the cover of the herds of livestock prompting immediate response from troops. Read more
Edo PDP: Ogbeide-Ihama withdraws from primary election (Tribune)
One of the aspirants in Thursday’s Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary in Edo State, Ogbeide-Ihama, has withdrawn from the race.
Ogbeide-Ihama, a former member of the House of Representatives, announced his withdrawal from the PDP gubernatorial primaries via a letter dated 12th February and addressed to the National Secretary of the party, Sam Anyanwu, and copied to the National Working Committee of the PDP.
In the letter, which was made available to journalists on Thursday, Ogbeide-Ihama said: “Over a year ago, in response to the overwhelming calls from a diverse section of our citizenry, I began the painstaking consultation process with various stakeholders in our state. Read more
Police mourn murdered officer in Rivers (Sun)
The Rivers State Police Command has expressed sadness over the death of its personnel, who was shot dead by gunmen in Port Harcourt.
State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police (SP), disclosed that the officer died in active service.
The PPRO said some policemen, who were on a stop-and-search operation, where ambushed by gunmen who rode in a carton-coloured Sienna bus. Read more
UK rapper DigDat charged with attempted murder (HipHopDX)
UK drill rapper DigDat (real name Nathan Tokosi) has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, along with multiple gun charges.
According to a report by UK publication News Shopper on Monday (February 19), Tokosi allegedly tried to fatally shoot a man in West London in November. He’s also accused of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life/enable another to do so, as well as possessing three 9mm Parabellum-caliber bullets for a firearm.
DigDat is best known for his 2018 single “Air Force” and its accompanying remix which features Krept & Konan and K Trap. The latter peaked at No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart in December 2018. Read more
Trial to start for ‘‘Rust’’ armorer over deadly on-set shooting (France24)
The woman responsible for the guns on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie “Rust,” where a cinematographer was shot dead during filming in 2021, will go on trial in the western United States on Wednesday.
Hannah Gutierrez has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins, who died from her injuries after being hit by a live round fired from a gun Baldwin was holding.
The director of the period Western, Joel Souza, was wounded in the incident.
A trial in New Mexico is expected to hear how as the film’s armorer, the 26-year-old Gutierrez was tasked with supplying firearms and ensuring their safe use on set. Read more
Passenger tackled and duct-taped after he tried to open plane door mid-flight (Metro)
This is the moment passengers tackled and duct taped man who tried to open a plane door mid-air.
The man attempted to open the door of the American Airlines flight half an hour after the plane departed Albuquerque International Sunport.
Five men tackled him to the ground and restrained him, while the plane returned to New Mexico. Read more
Taliban publicly execute 2 Afghan men convicted of murder (VOA)
Afghanistan’s fundamentalist Taliban authorities publicly executed two men Thursday who had been convicted of murder in separate incidents.
The Taliban’s Supreme Court said the executions, by gunshot, were carried out in a football stadium in the southeastern city of Ghazni.
A large number of justice and government officials, as well as residents, witnessed the event, but no one was allowed to bring cellular phones or cameras to the stadium. Read more
A baby evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital reunites with parents — but in Rafah, they face fresh peril (NBC)
Bundled up in layers of blankets at a tent encampment in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, baby Anas Stateh cries out in pain. For weeks, the five-month-old has suffered from a hernia that requires urgent surgery, but the war has made it impossible for his parents to get him the help he needs.
“The boy is weak,” his father, Jalal Stateh, told NBC News’ crew in Rafah, where more than 1 million people have taken refuge last week amid Israel’s offensive in the enclave. Baby Anas, he said, gets “no sleep, day or night.”
“I am watching him … losing him,” Jalal Stateh added. Read more
Zambia bans maize exports over dry spell (AfricaNews)
The Zambian government has imposed restrictions on maize and mealie meal (maize flour) exports in response to an extended dry spell endangering the harvest.
Minister of Agriculture Reuben Phiri announced the measure on Tuesday, stating that export limitations will remain until a thorough evaluation of the upcoming harvest is conducted.
“Owing to the prevailing situation, the government will continue to put the interest of the country above everything else. In this regard, it has restricted the export of maize grain and mealie meal,” the minister said. Read more
Albania approves contested deal to hold asylum seekers for Italy (AlJazeera)
Albania’s Parliament has approved a deal signed with Italy that will see authorities hold thousands of asylum seekers rescued in international waters while their applications are processed, drawing criticism from human rights groups.
Under the agreement, Albania would hold up to 3,000 migrants and refugees at any one time in two Italian-run processing centres located near the Albanian port of Shengjin for periods of about a month. It is expected that up to 36,000 people a year could be sent to the country.
The agreement has been denounced by rights groups with the International Rescue Committee describing it as “dehumanising“. Amnesty International condemned it as “illegal and unworkable“. Read more
Soccer star Dani Alves is sentenced to more than 4 years in prison for sexual assault (NBC)
Dani Alves, one of the most successful soccer players of his generation, was found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub and sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Thursday.
Besides disgracing the former Brazil and Barcelona right back, the conviction was applauded in Spain as a victory for a pioneering sexual liberty law that emphasizes the lack of consent of the victim as key to determining sex crimes.
A three-judge panel at the Barcelona Provincial Court convicted the 40-year-old Alves of sexual assault for the incident on Dec. 31, 2022. Read more
Conor Purcell labours to opening 73 at Kenya Open (RTE)
Conor Purcell has work to do to make the cut at the Kenya Open after an opening round 73.
The 26-year-old made a solid start teeing off at the 10th before carding bogeys at 14 (his fifth hole) and 16.
A birdie at the 17th was a step in the right direction, but the front nine was more up and down. Read more
Pundit concerned about Arsenal star who didn’t ‘look himself’ in Porto defeat (HitC)
Arsenal were stunned by FC Porto in the Champions League last-16 first-leg with one pundit highlighting a less-than-stellar display from the usually-imperious William Saliba.
In truth, very few of Mikel Arteta’s players performed to the peak of their powers at the Estadio do Dragao. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were limited to a peripheral role by a hard-working and disciplined Porto side.
Martin Odegaard was strangely quiet. Even Declan Rice, the picture of consistency, saw his impact restricted, the usual aggression he brings to proceedings limited by an early yellow card. Read more
UCL: Osimhen, Lewandowski are world class strikers –Gundogan (CompleteSports)
Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has described Super Eagles striker and Robert Lewandowski as two of the world class strikers at the moment.
Recall that both players were on the score sheet in Barca’s 1-1 draw against Napoli in Wednesday’s Champions League round of 16 game.
Lewandowski had Barca ahead before Victor Osimhen’s equaliser in the first-leg. Read more
Thomas Zilliacus: Arrest warrant issued for billionaire who wanted to buy Manchester United (Mirror)
Thomas Zilliacus at one point rivalled Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani in the race to invest in Manchester United, but a warrant has now been issued for his arrest
Singapore police have issued an arrest warrant for former Manchester United takeover bidder Thomas Zilliacus.
The Finnish businessman entered the race to buy the Red Devils last March. He made an offer for a 50 per cent stake in the Premier League giants, who were seeking fresh investment. Read more
Victor Boniface: Nigeria and Bayer Leverkusen striker named among Bundesliga’s most skilful stars (Soccernet)
Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface has secured a nomination among the most skilful players in the ongoing 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign so far, Soccernet.ng reports.
After his move from Union SG last July, the Super Eagles striker wasted no time making an impact under the guidance of manager Xabi Alonso.
Boniface’s initial burst in Germany was nothing short of impressive, netting ten goals in 16 league matches. Read more