How older female relatives prey on young boys for sexual pleasure (Punch)
For years, the narrative of sexual abuse in Nigeria has been largely one-sided, dominated by stories of female survivors. However, across social media, Nigerian men are breaking their silence, sharing harrowing accounts of childhood abuse at the hands of much older womenโmaids, aunts, neighbours, teachers, and even family friends. Their voices, once drowned in shame and societal indifference, are now demanding justice, recognition and healing, writes GODFREY GEORGE
Matt was only nine years old. He still bathed outside on a wooden slab behind the house with other boys. It was his first day of junior secondary school, and his motherโs youngest sister, Gloria, who was almost 30 then, was moving in with them.
She had just finished her National Youth Service in Kwara State and was looking for a job. Since Mattโs family lived in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, his mother invited her to come over. Read more
Lagos authorities demolish Otumara, leave hundreds homeless (Guardian)
Bulldozers tore through homes in Lagosโs working-class Otumara neighbourhood Friday, leaving hundreds of families homeless as Nigerian authorities demolish slums over land disputes and campaigns to sharpen the mega-cityโs image.
โThey took us by surprise, and I donโt even know where to go now,โ said resident Victoria Ajah, who was only given 30 minutes to grab all of her belongings.
The evictions were enforced not just by excavators but also by unidentified men claiming to act as security, who threatened journalists at the scene as well, including those from AFP. Read more
Islamic cleric faults closure of schools for Ramadan (Channels)
The National Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, has faulted a five-week closure of schools for the Ramadan fast by some northern state governments including Bauchi, Katsina, Kano, and Kebbi.
Adeyemi was a guest on the Friday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akanda, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.
He said the full-month Ramadan period is a time for Muslims to be serious with God and be hard working. Read more
Fuel Price Slash: We wonโt reduce fares โ Transporters (Leadership)
Road transport operators in Nigeria have ruled out the possibility of reducing transport fares as a result of the further cut in the prices of petrol by Dangote Refinery and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Some of the transporters and leaders of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) told LEADERSHIP Weekend that they would not reduce the fares because of the high cost of vehicle maintenance and other related expenses.
In their competition for a fair share of the market, Dangote Refinery and NNPCL recently reduced the pump price of a litre of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to N825 and N860 respectively. Read more
Lakurawa kingpin, Maigemu killed in Kebbi (DailyTrust)
A combined team of security operatives, including vigilantes, have killed the notorious kingpin of Lakurawa terrorist group, Maigemu, in Kebbi State.
The stateโs Director of Security, Cabinet Office in Birnin Kebbi, AbdulRahman Usman Zagga, disclosed this to journalists on Friday.
He said Maigemu was neutralised on Thursday at Kuncin Baba in Arewa Local Government Area of the state after a fierce gun battle with security operatives. Read more
Controversy rages over Natashaโs 6-month suspension (Nation)
Thursdayโs decision of the Senate to suspend Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months over alleged misconduct came under intense scrutiny and censure across the country yesterday.
Critics, citing previous court judgments on similar suspensions, said neither the Senate nor the House of Representatives has power to suspend any of its members for more than 14 days.
Such cases were those involving Senators Ali Ndume and Ovie Omo-Agege and former members of the House of Representatives Dino Melaye and Abdulmumini Jibrin. Read more
IWD: Silencing Women In Leadership Position Condemnable โ Atiku (NewTelegraph)
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has said the recent suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan by the Nigeria Senate is an attempt to silence women in leadership positions.
Atiku, in a statement to mark the 2025 International Womenโs Day (IWD), said it is condemnable that in a democratic society, such an act was being perpetrated.
He described the incident as โan unfortunate example of suppression, which undermines the principles of fairness, representation, and gender inclusivity. Read more
Rivers crisis: Why Fubara may survive impeachment (Vanguard)
Former Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan made an iconic quote that has since gone into the political lexicon of the countryโs history: โMy political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerianโ. It presupposes that Jonathan would rather not pursue his ambition if such would lead to any violence.
In the heat of the Boko Haram terror attacks, Jonathan also came up with yet another assertion that he had not used one tenth of his power. This forced many to ask, why crave for political position if you canโt exert the power thereof? Jonathan did not last in the office as President. He was booted out. He is an Ijaw man of Niger Delta extraction.
Rivers state, Siminalayi Fubara does not need to speak out that he does not need to use one tenth of his constitutional power as governor. The world has seen it all. And it is counted for him as weakness, hence the escalation of crisis in the state. Read more
Nicky Hilton Reveals the Secret to Her 10-Year Marriage to Husband James Rothschild (People)
Nicky Hilton is revealing the secrets of nearly 10 successful years of marriage to James Rothschild.
On the Thursday, March 6, episode of the Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff podcast, the 41-year-old fashion icon detailed the keys to her marriage with the businessman.
โI think having a core friendship. We laugh together. We are very similar. We have a lot of the same interests We love each other,โ Hilton said after the host asked her what keeps them “successfully together” after so long. Read more
Adam Scott and Michelle Monaghan to Star in โThe Whisper Manโ with Robert De Niro (indiewire)
After starring in two of the buzziest series of 2025, Adam Scott and Michelle Monaghan are both teaming up for Netflix film โThe Whisper Man,โ an individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire.
Scott, who leads Emmy-winning series โSeverance,โ will star as a widowed crime writer who works with his estranged father, a retired police detective (Robert De Niro), to find his abducted 8-year-old son. The duo soon realize that the case has a connection with a decades-old murder committed by a convicted serial killer known as โThe Whisper Man.โ The film is based on Alex Northโs New York Times bestselling novel. Read more
Tesla’s stock wipeout has hit Elon Musk’s net worth by more than $150 billion this year (QZ)
Elon Musk, the worldโs richest person, lost billions of dollars in the first two months of the year, but heโs still holding onto his title.
The Tesla (TSLA
-2.59%
) and SpaceX CEO โ and de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) โ has seen his estimated net worth drop from a peak of $486 billion to $330 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires List. That $156 billion loss still leaves him far ahead of Jeff Bezos, whose projected net worth stands at $222 billion.
Muskโs shrinking fortune is largely tied to Teslaโs stock, which has plunged about 36% since the start of the year as the company struggles with slowing sales. Read more
Eurostar trains cancelled after unexploded WWII bomb found in Paris (Euronews)
Eurostar announced it would be cancelling all of its high-speed trains between Paris to London and Brussels after an unexploded World War II era bomb was found near the French capital’s central Gare du Nord station.
โAll Eurostar trains are cancelled to and from Paris today,โ the rail operator said.
Passengers travelling with the Eurostar from London were advised to take the train to Lille in northwest France or fly to Paris. Read more
She got her dream job at CDC back. But she’s already moving on (NPR)
Cancer outreach worker Bri McNulty, 23, was one of 750 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who was terminated abruptly over email in mid-February, amid a slew of federal workforce dismissals.
On Tuesday, McNulty got an equally surprising email hiring her back. She was one of an unknown number of probationary employees at the CDC to be asked back in a perfunctory email.
McNulty was part of the agency’s elite Public Health Associate Program, assigned to the Iowa Cancer Consortium, a small group working on statewide efforts to combat what is the country’s second-highest cancer rate. Read more
Southwest Flight Returns to Gate After Passenger Strips Naked And Parades Up And Down the Aisle (Theworldinmypocket)
Flight 733, bound for Phoenix, never made it past the tarmac as the situation unfolded, leaving passengers delayed and airline personnel scrambling to manage the unexpected scenario. The event has raised questions about protocols for handling passenger medical emergencies and security incidents in confined aircraft spaces.
According to multiple passenger accounts, the disruption began shortly after boarding was completed but before the aircraft had departed from the gate area. What initially appeared to be typical pre-flight activity quickly transformed into an unprecedented situation as a female passenger began exhibiting unusual behaviour.
Fellow travelers reported that the woman, whose identity has not been released to the public, became increasingly agitated before removing her clothing and proceeding to move up and down the centre aisle of the Boeing 737 aircraft. Read more
Number of people injured after fighter jets accidentally drop bombs rises to 29, South Korea says (NBC)
The number of people injured when South Korean fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area has increased to 29 from 15, the National Defense Ministry said Friday.
Those injured include 15 civilians and 14 military personnel, the ministry said. Seven civilians and two soldiers remain hospitalized, including two civilians classified as seriously injured, while 20 other people have been treated and discharged, it said.
The accident occurred Thursday during military training in Pocheon, a northeastern city of about 140,000 people near the heavily fortified border with North Korea. U.S. and South Korean forces were conducting a live-fire drill in preparation for Freedom Shield, an annual U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise that is set to get underway Monday. Read more
Nathaniel makes 2025 Bowermanโs Menโs Pre-NCAA indoor (Guardian)
Fresh off winning the 400m title in a stunning 44.74 African record at the Big 12 Championships, United States-based Ezekiel Nathaniel has been named in the 2025 Bowerman 2025 Menโs Pre-NCAA Indoor Championships Watch List.
Nathaniel, the only Nigerian listed in the top 10 has been in phenomenal form since he moved on track and field scholarship to Baylor University in the USA.
The 21-year old who is making his Watch List debut, surged to the collegiate lead in the 400 meters with his 44.74 effort at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. That mark made him the sixth fastest man in collegiate history. Read more
13th ECOWAS African wrestling tourney begins in Abuja (DailyTrust)
The 13th edition of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) African Wrestling Tournament commenced yesterday at the Velodrome of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
A total of 55 athletes from 11 countries are competing for top honours, with each nation represented by five wrestlers and four officials.
Speaking at the opening ceremony on Thursday, the Director of Youth and Sports Development for ECOWAS, Ambassador Francis Njoaguani, highlighted the tournamentโs importance in fostering cooperation and unity among the 12 ECOWAS member states. Read more
Millwall goalkeeper handed extended ban for horror challenge on Jean-Philippe Mateta (Metro)
Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts has seen his ban for his horror challenge on Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta extended.
Roberts was shown a straight red card during Saturdayโs FA Cup clash between the south London rivals after kicking the Palace star in the head as he attempted to clear the ball eight minutes into the match.
Mateta required oxygen during lengthy treatment on the pitch before he was taken to hospital where he required 25 stiches in his left ear. Read more
Teenager Joรฃo Fonseca continues stunning rise with first-round win at Indian Wells (CNN)
Only a few years ago, Joรฃo Fonseca was a young tennis fan eager to collect autographs from the worldโs top players. Now, kids are starting to queue up for his signature.
The 18-year-old is fast becoming one of the most exciting talents in menโs tennis, and on Thursday, he continued to impress with an opening-round victory against Britainโs Jacob Fearnley at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
It was by no means easy for Fonseca, who battled windy conditions and trailed 3-1 in the deciding set before coming from behind to win 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. Only his second victory at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament, the Brazilian had to demonstrate the sort of composure and tenacity that is fast earning him popularity with fans. Read more
Formula 1 officially approves Cadillac as new American team starting in 2026 (NBC)
Itโs official: The Cadillac Formula 1 Team will join the grid next year, gaining final approval from F1 and its governing body on Friday.
The GM-backed American team secured conditional approval last fall to pursue its big ambitions in the pinnacle of motorsport. Now, the sport says it has met the necessary requirements to become the 11th team competing on the racetrack.
โThe FIA Formula One Championshipโs expansion to an 11th team in 2026 is a milestone. GM/Cadillac brings fresh energy,โ FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem said in a statement. โThe Cadillac Formula 1 Teamโs presence in the paddock will inspire future competitors and fans. Their entry strengthens our mission to push motorsportโs boundaries at the highest level.โ Read more
Ex-Olympic champion Jones quits taekwondo for boxing (BBC)
Wales’ double Olympic taekwondo champion Jade Jones is switching sports and has taken up boxing.
The 31-year-old says she is “dreaming big” as she intends to become a two-sport world champion.Jones has been boxing for two months and is training with former professional boxer Stephen Smith in a move she believes is unprecedented as she eyes a career in the paid ranks. Read more