*Lady nabbed for robbing pastor at gunpoint in Ogun, car recovered in Niger (Guardian)*No cause for the alarm over rising food prices, Lagos assures residents (Vanguard)

Lady nabbed for robbing pastor at gunpoint in Ogun, car recovered in Niger (Guardian)

Two members of an armed robbery gang, who robbed Pastor Godwin Ojerinde of God’s Will Praying Ground, Siun in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have been apprehended by operatives of the Ogun police command.

The two suspects, Oshilaru Bidoun, a male, and Tolulope Oluwafemi, a female, with three other members of their gang, broke into the pastor’s house around 3:15a.m. on February 9, armed with guns and other dangerous weapons.

The hoodlums held the pastor and his family hostage, ransacked the house and dispossessed them of one Pathfinder SUV with registration number: WDE-38-MM, one Samsung A20 handset and one Infinix Hot note handset. Read more

No cause for the alarm over rising food prices, Lagos assures residents (Vanguard)

Lagos State Government has urged residents not to panic following reports of stranded trucks conveying food from the North on the way which has led to high cost of products in the state.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, gave the assurance while appearing on a radio programme in Lagos on Tuesday.

According to him, “There is no need for anxiety, food security is guaranteed, despite the crisis.”

Omotoso said the government was not ignorant of the food supply situation and assured citizens that it would not be allowed to become a crisis. Read more

LASTMA blames commuters for Keke, Okada menace (Punch)

The General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Olajide Oduyoye, has blamed Lagos residents for encouraging the activities of Keke and Okada in the state by patronising them despite the ban of the two and three-wheeler vehicles from the majority of the state’s roads.

Oduyoye who was guest to Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1FM on Tuesday said the activities of the motorcycles and tricycles on Lagos road were a big challenge LASTMA.

He said, “Regarding the rise in Keke Marwa and Okada usage, even though they are banned on certain roads, the argument that I can make is that the Okada and Keke Marwa cannot force anyone into their vehicles.

“It is the citizens and those working in Lagos that are patronising them and encouraging them. They are making sure that they can sustain this illegality. I want to place the blame on their head squarely. That is the truth.” Read more

EFCC asks CCB to produce Tinubu’s assets’ declaration form (DailyTrust)

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has written to the Code of Conduct Bureau, requesting copies of the asset declaration form of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

A top official in the commission confirmed to Daily Trust last night, the authenticity of the letter, dated November 6, 2020, with reference CR/3000/EFCC/LS/Vol4/322, which was circulated online yesterday.

The letter was signed by Abdulrasheed Bawa, the new chairman of the EFCC, when he was the head of the Lagos zonal office at that time.

“In view of the above, you are kindly requested to furnish the commission with the outstanding requested information of Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu.

“This request is made pursuant to Section 38(1) and (2) of the EFCC Act 2004,” the letter partly read. Read more

‌FG, China finalise financing negotiations for Katsina-Maradi rail line, others (ThisDay)

The federal government is about concluding negotiations with China Exim Bank on the financing of some rail projects in the country, including the Katsina-Kano-Maradi line and the Ibadan-Kano rail line, among others.

However, a World Bank economist has raised the alarm that most African countries are in trouble because many debts were contracted in a non-transparent way, stressing that countries needed to strengthen capacity to manage the increasingly risky debt more transparently.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said yesterday during the virtual opening ceremony of Nigeria Finance Online, co-hosted with the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), that the projects were part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to boost infrastructural development. Read more

Court convicts 4 Yahoo boys, directs them to refund $6,100 to victims (Guardian)

The Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday secured the conviction of four Internet fraudsters before Justice Mohammed Abubakar of a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The quartet are Olawale Ibrahim Damilare, Goodluck Sambo Olatayo, Mathew Anuoluwapo Awoniyi and Samson Olawale Ayomide.

They pleaded guilty to one-count amended charge of fraudulent Impersonation. The offence is contrary to Section 22 (2) (b) 1 and punishable under Section 22 (2)(b) of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc) Act 2015.

In view of their ‘guilty’ plea, the prosecution counsel, Oyelakin Oyediran, reviewed the case and urged the court to convict the defendants accordingly. Read more

Ekiti fences public schools to prevent abduction (Punch)

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, said that his administration had begun the construction of fences in public schools as part of proactive ways to forestall abduction of students.

The governor, who spoke on Tuesday in a statewide radio and television programme tagged ‘Media chat’, said, “The Government of Ekiti State, in efforts to boost security, has ensured that primary and secondary schools across the 16 local government areas of the state are adequately protected.

“In doing so, school fencing projects are ongoing. Also, the government has improved on the security surveillance across the state, deploying more personnel to strategic locations for effective coverage,” the governor said. Read more

Obiano declares armed herders as criminals (Guardian)

Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, has declared herdsmen wielding AK-47 in the state as criminals. Obiano, who said this yesterday during a security summit held at Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka, the state capital, expressed happiness with the cooperation existing between his government and security agencies in the state.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Finance and Administration, Joseph Egbunike, represented the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, at the event that hosted other security chiefs.

The governor said the harmonious relationship between the state and security agencies not only led to security of life and property but also made the state the safest in Nigeria, stressing that his government had been able to support the agencies with logistics including over 500 vehicles and free fuel vouchers over the years. Read more

Gunmen kill Suswam’s brother, aide (Nation)

 Gunmen have killed Terkula Suswam, the elder brother of former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam.

They also killed his aide in an attack that occurred at Anyiin in Gaambetiev of Logo Local Government Area at about 8.40 pm.

An eyewitness said the late Suswam was working outside his compound when a Toyota car, popular known as “Dog Nyash” approached.

The source said the victim suspected the vehicle’s occupants to be gunmen and attempt to run into the compound before he was shot. Read more

Japanese billionaire seeks eight people to fly to moon (BBC)

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has invited eight members of the public to join him for a trip around the moon on Elon Musk’s SpaceX flight.

“I want people from all kinds of backgrounds to join,” he said in a video via Twitter, where he also shared a link to application details.

He said he will pay for the entire journey, so those who come onboard will fly for free.

The mission, called dearMoon, is scheduled to fly in 2023. Read more

Volcano spews ash cloud 5km into the sky with villages on high alert (Metro) 

A volcano has sent a huge plume of ash as high as 5,000 metres into the sky today. Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung volcano continued to erupt and spew ash across the region, with nearby villages on high alert. Activity at the volcano in North Sumatra province increased over the past week, with authorities recording 13 times when it released ash clouds. There have been no fresh evacuations due to the activity and no reports of disruptions to flights in the region. Read more

Glow-in-the-dark sharks found off New Zealand coast (BBC)

Scientists say they have found that three deepwater shark species living off New Zealand glow in the dark.

The species were collected from the Chatham Rise – an area of ocean floor to the east of New Zealand – in January of last year, according to the study.

One of them, the kitefin shark, is now the largest known luminous vertebrate and can reach up to 180cm (5ft 11in).

Bioluminescence was also confirmed in the blackbelly lanternshark and southern lanternshark. Read more

World leaders congratulate Gorbachev on 90th birthday (Vanguard)

World leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on his 90th birthday on Tuesday.

“You rightly belong to those bright, unconventional people, extraordinary statesmen of our time, who have had a significant impact on the course of national and international history,” Putin wrote in a congratulatory letter to Gorbachev, published by the Kremlin.

Gorbachev’s “great professional and life experience” still allowed him to “actively participate in popular social and educational work” as well as “international humanitarian projects,” Putin wrote.

“Your commitment to freedom and your courage over the decades to make the tough, albeit necessary, decisions, have made the world a safer place,” Biden wrote in a letter released by Gorbachev’s staff. Read more

Behind Moroccan-German diplomatic crisis, a list of grudges (DW)

A leaked letter suggests Morocco might suspend diplomatic relations with Germany. According to Moroccan media, the proposal has been a long time coming.

On Monday, a letter was leaked in which Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita suggested to his prime minister that all Morocco government offices suspend their relationship with the German embassy in the capital, Rabat, as well as with other German cultural and political organizations in the country. Bourita said this was necessary because of “deep misunderstandings” on “issues fundamental for Morocco.” Read more

Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall forced to put white actor in “Coming to America” (NYPost)

Call it equal opportunity laughter, but Louie Anderson did not appear in 1988’s “Coming to America” because stars Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall were dying to share the screen with him.

When the two of them appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to promote the sequel, “Coming 2 America,” they revealed the real reason.

“I love Louie, but I think we were forced to put Louie in it,” Hall, 65, told the host. “We were forced to put in a white person.”

Murphy, 59, agreed: “[The studio was] like, ‘There has to be a white person in the movie.’ I was like, ‘What?’ So who was the funniest white guy around? We knew Louie was cool, so that’s how Louie got in the movie.” Read more

Eurovision plans live concerts for 2021 show (BBC)

Artists from 41 countries will appear live at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in the Netherlands under plans set out by the event’s organisers.

Executive supervisor Martin Osterdahl told the BBC it was “necessary” for participants to travel to Rotterdam.

“This isn’t a holiday trip, this is actually a job that needs to be done,” he said, adding that a decision had yet to be made on a possible live audience.

Last year’s event was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more

8 players fail MRI tests in Eaglets camp (Punch)

Eight new players in the Golden Eaglets team missed a chance to be part of the team after they failed the Magnetic Resonance Imaging tests ahead of this month’s U-17 Africa Nations Cup in Morocco, The PUNCH has learnt.

Our correspondent learnt the players underwent the age tests February 23 in Abuja, but failed to make the required grade for the team.

A team official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said agents and top ministry officials had been trying to influence the final selection of the team.

“We have had eight players that were dropped from the team because they failed MRI tests,” the team official said. Read more

James Harden shines as Brooklyn Nets beat San Antonio Spurs (BBC)

James Harden scored 30 points, produced 15 assists and added 14 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets earned a 124-113 overtime win against the San Antonio Spurs.

Harden’s display helped secure a ninth win in 10 matches and a first success on the road at San Antonio since 2002.

It was his seventh triple-double since moving from the Houston Rockets to join the Nets in January.

The Nets move second behind Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia 76ers, who beat the Indiana Pacers 130-114. Read more

Alisson, Diogo Jota and Fabinho train with Liverpool ahead of Chelsea clash (Metro) 

Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Fabinho have all trained ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Chelsea on Wednesday evening. The goalkeeper was absent for Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Sunday evening following the death of his father, Jose Becker, in Brazil last week. Jota, meanwhile, has been sidelined since he suffered a knee injury during the Champions League tie against Midtjylland on December 9. The Portuguese forward has recovered from his knee problem but missed the victory over Sheffield United at the weekend due to illness. Read more

Ronaldo marks landmark appearance with 20th Serie A goal this season (BBC)

Cristiano Ronaldo marked his 600th league appearance with his 20th Serie A goal of the season as Juventus comfortably beat Spezia.

All three goals came in the second half, with Ronaldo getting his side’s third when he finished off a quick counter-attack in the final minute.

Alvaro Morata had turned in Federico Bernardeschi’s cross for the opener before Federico Chiesa tapped in.

Victory moved Juventus to within three points of second-placed AC Milan. Read more

Tommy Fury offers to fight Jake Paul (Metro) 

Tommy Fury has offered to fight Jake Paul after Tyson Fury hyped up a showdown between the two fighters. Tommy Fury extended his record to five wins with a second-round KO against Scott Williams last Saturday. And after Tommy Fury’s victory, Tyson Fury suggested on Twitter that his younger brother should now target the YouTube star. Jake Paul made his boxing debut last year and secured wins over Ali Eson Gib and former NBA point guard Nate Robinson. Read more

German Cup: Sancho fires Dortmund into final four with Gladbach in downward spiral (DW)

Borussia Dortmund are into the final four of the German Cup following a narrow win at Borussia Mönchengladbach. Englishman Jadon Sancho scored the only goal as Gladbach’s winless streak stretches to five games.

The meeting of the Borussias is often a testy and absorbing affair – and this latest chapter didn’t disappoint.A high-octane game was settled by a swift and devastating Dortmund counter-attack, which was finished by Jadon Sancho. It was a goal that showcased all of Dortmund’s best qualities in one fluid move: speed, quick-thinking and crisp finishing – but Gladbach can’t say they weren’t warned. Read more

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