I only touched her private parts, I didn’t penetrate – Motorcyclist arrested for defiling seven-year-old cousin (Punch)
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a commercial motorcyclist, Itoro Udoh, for allegedly defiling his seven-year-old cousin. The victim is the daughter of Udoh’s elder brother. City Round learnt that Udoh, his brother, the girl, her stepmother and stepbrothers lived in an apartment comprising a living room and a bedroom in the Yaba area of Lagos. While the couple slept in the bedroom, 25-year-old Udoh, the minor and her stepbrothers shared the living room. Read more
CCT serves Onnoghen trial notice (Nation)
The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), yesterday served the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, a trial notice ahead of his arraignment on Monday. In addition, the Federal Government has filed a motion seeking an interlocutory order to give legal backing to the January 25,2019 suspension of Onnoghen pending the determination of his case at the CCT. The Nation gathered yesterday that the earlier ex parte order cited by President Muhammadu Buhari in suspending Onnoghen ought not to last more than two weeks. Read more
Health workers unions to meet on Monday over planned strike (Punch)
The President, Joint Health Sector Union, Josiah Biobelemoye, on Friday said branch executive representatives in federal health institutions and state chairmen/secretaries of all member unions of JOHESU had been invited to a crucial meeting on Monday over its planned strike. He said the meeting would determine the union’s next line of action, while noting that members of the union were ready to make use of their votes to change their fortune. Read more
Court seizes N1.04b traced to ex-First Lady Patience Jonathan (Nation)
A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has ordered an interim forfeiture of the sum of N1,000,494,000 traced to Magel Resort Limited, a company linked to former First Lady ,Dame Patience Jonathan. The former First Lady and some relatives of former president, Goodluck Jonathan, were directors of the company.
Others named as directors are Oba Oba Tamunotonye, Goodluck Jonathan Aruera, Goodluck Jonathan Ariwabai and Esther Fynface. The cash was lodged in three deposits with Fidelity Bank Plc on 20th and 25th May, 2015. Read more
Lassa fever: 42 confirmed dead, 538 cases reported in 16 states (Nation)
Forty-two lives have been claimed across the country by a fresh outbreak of Lassa fever, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). A total of 538 cases were reported in 16 states in the first 27 days of the year, the NCDC said in an update yesterday. However, only 213 of the reported cases tested positive, two were classified as probable and 325 negative. The NCDC put the fatality rate at 19.7%. The breakdown of the cases, state by state, reveals that 77 new confirmed cases were reported from Edo(24), Ondo(28),Ebonyi(5), Bauchi(3), Plateau(5),Taraba(3), Gombe(1),Kaduna(1), Kwara(1), FCT(1), Benue(2), Rivers(1) Kogi(1) and Enugu(1). Read more
US governor sorry for racist yearbook photo (BBC)
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has apologised after his 1984 medical yearbook page emerged, showing a photo featuring men in racist costumes. “I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now,” he said in a statement. Black politicians in Virginia called the image “disgusting” and Republicans urged the Democrat governor to resign. The picture showed a man in blackface and another man in Ku Klux Klan robes. It appeared on a page with other photos of Mr Northam as well as personal details about him. Read more
Boy goes missing after attending night party (Punch)
The fate of a 16-year-old boy, Samuel Abiehude, has instilled fear in his parents one month after his whereabouts became a mystery. City Round learnt that the boy, who just completed his secondary school education, went missing on December 30, 2018 after he attended a party with a friend in Koye, Lambe area of Ogun State. It was gathered that Samuel, whose parents reside in the community, had come from Warri, Delta State, to celebrate Yuletide with his family. He reportedly relocated to Warri three years ago to live with his aunty. Read more
Mother wants management to return son’s hair shaved in school (Punch)
Mrs Roli Abayomi-Samuel, the mother of a seven-year-old primary two pupil of Pedrisi School, Ogoyo, Lekki, Lagos State, has asked the school authorities to return the shaved hair of her son. The mother made the request following the receipt of a letter from the school, terminating the membership of the pupil and his three other siblings. The school also refunded their fees. Saturday PUNCH learnt that the school and the woman were at loggerheads over the circumstances surrounding the shaving of a part of her son’s head in the school. Read more