Lagos #EndSARS panel awards N7.5m to petitioner detained six years without trial (Punch)
A petitioner, Marc Chidibere Nwadi, has been awarded N7.5 million by the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Restitution and Inquiry set up to investigate cases of police brutality especially involving officers of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
The petitioner had complained that he spent six years in the prison without trial.
Nwadi had alleged that his long stay in prison was because he could not offer a bribe.
Chairperson of the panel, Doris Okuwobi, delivered the judgment on Friday.
She upheld that the petitioner suffered unduly in the hands of police officers. Read more
Sanwo-Olu, deputy receive COVID-19 vaccine jab (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu at 3:03 pm on Friday received its COVID-19 vaccination jab at the infection Disease Centre, Yaba.
The governor after receiving his jab implored residents to not spread fake information on the vaccination.
Shortly after the governor received his jab, the deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat received his jab.
Lagos State took delivery of the first consignment of 507,000 vaccines allocated to it by the Federal Government on Tuesday.
Sanwo-Olu implored residents to stop spreading fake information about the vaccination.
He said he did not feel any pain after receiving the jab, encouraging Lagos residents to come forward to take their vaccine. Read more
Osinbajo, Sanwo-Olu unveil Evercare Hospital Lekki’s state-of-the-art multispecialty centre in Lagos (Vanguard)
Evercare Hospital Lekki, a private multispecialty tertiary care facility, has officially been unveiled by His Excellency, the Vice President,
The Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo and the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu who was welcomed by the Chairman, Evercare Hospital Lekki, Tosin Runsewe and the management team of the hospital in Lagos.
The purpose built state-of-the-art 165-bed multispecialty, tertiary care hospital is part of the Evercare Group, a leading impact driven healthcare group in emerging markets operating hospitals, clinics and diagnostic facilities across Africa and South Asia.
The commissioning of Evercare Hospital Lekki is a strategic investment designed to support the Nigerian healthcare sector by providing quality and accessible healthcare which will help alleviate some of the burden brought on by medical tourism. Read more
Lagos closes Falomo Bridge for six weeks for rehabilitation (Guardian)
In line with Lagos State Government’s mandate to ensure effective and efficient transportation through quality road infrastructure, Falomo Bridge will be closed down for repair works through Federal Government approval from Sunday, 14th March to Friday 30th April, 2021, a period of six weeks.
In a statement by the Commissioner, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde stated that the repairs works will run on a 24hours shift in phases to enable the contractor complete repairs within the estimated set time and minimize the expected inconveniences for road users.
He further explained that the first stage of the repairs will cover the Victoria Island bound lane of the bridge which will be closed to traffic, adding that motorists heading towards Victoria Island will be diverted to the Ikoyi bound lanes to create a counter-flow. Read more
Supreme Court upholds ex-Plateau gov Dariye’s 10-year jail term (Punch)
The Supreme Court on Friday in Abuja upheld the conviction of a former governor of Plateau State, Joshua Dariye on the charges of criminal breach of trust filed against him by the Federal Government.
While upholding his ten years imprisonment and conviction by the Court of Appeal, the Apex Court however quashed the criminal misappropriation of funds against him.
Delivering judgment in an appeal filed by the former governor, Justice Helen Ogunwumiju held that the Court of Appeal and a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory were right in their findings in the criminal breach of trust filed against the ex-governor under Section 315 of the Penal Code. Read more
We are broke, says House of Reps (Nation)
House of Representatives spokesman Benjamin Kalu has said the Lower Chamber is broke.
He said the House was indebted to its contractors for various services as a result of the cash crunch.
Speaking during his weekly press briefing on the activities of the House,
Kalu, who represents Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State, spoke Thursday at the weekly media briefing on the activities of the House. Read more
NSA: Ex-Service Chiefs Yet to Account for funds approved for arms purchase (ThisDay)
The National Security Adviser, Major General Mohammed Babagana Monguno (rtd), declared Friday that billions of naira voted for the purchase of arms for the fight against insurgency and armed banditry cannot be accounted for.
The NSA, who spoke in a BBC Hausa programme, said the new military chiefs had not seen any evidence of arms procurement in their records and hand over notes.
He said on assumption of office, the new service chiefs did not see any evidence of purchase made. Read more
FG apologises to Nigerians over N212.61 per litre new petrol price (Vanguard)
The Federal Government, Friday, apologized to Nigerians over the latest N212.61 petrol price confusion in the country.
Speaking at the groundbreaking for the Rungas composite cylinder manufacturing plant in Alaro City Free Zone, Epe, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipreye Sylva, urged Nigerians to disregard the increase, explaining that it was a mix-up.
Meanwhile, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, has declared that its publication of monthly template, does not amount to increasing the price of petroleum products, as such increases are supposed to be determined by market forces, under the current deregulation of the sector.
In a statement obtained by Vanguard, Friday, Executive Secretary, PPPRA, Abdulkadir Saidu, stated: “The attention of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has been drawn to speculations about the increased pump price of PMS. Read more
Former Speaker Dimeji Bankole joins APC (Nation)
Former House of Representatives Speaker and 2019 Ogun Action Democratic Party (ADP) Governorship candidate, Dimeji Bankole has joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He met on Friday with APC chairman, Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Gov. Mai Mala Buni in Abuja in company of Jigawa Governor Abubakar Bagudu.
The meeting, which took place at the APC chairman’s residence in Abuja, lasted for about an hour.
Efforts to get any of the leaders to talk failed as the trio kept sealed lips but only took pictures.
But a terse statement by Malam Mamman Mohammed, Director General Press Affairs to Governor Buni, confirmed the meeting. Read more
Lady Gaga transforms into scorned fashion wife Patrizia Reggiani in murder biopic “House of Gucci” (Metro)
Lady Gaga has undergone an impressive transformation on the set of Ridley Scott’s upcoming murder biopic House of Gucci. The singer, 34, takes a leading role in the movie alongside actor Adam Driver, 37, and the pair was seen on set in Milan, Italy on Wednesday. The film is about the 1995 assassination of Italian businessman Maurizio Gucci by his ex-wife Patrizia Reggiani, who was given a 29-year jail term for demanding his murder. Gaga’s familiar blonde hair was nowhere to be seen as she donned a short dark wig. Read more
The first NFT sold by Christie’s was just bought for $69.3m (NYPost)
A blockchain-based digital artwork has just sold at Christie’s for a history-making $69 million, putting its creator “among the top three most valuable living artists,” according to the auction house.
Digital artist Mike Winkelmann, a k a Beeple, made international headlines earlier this month when it was announced that his work, “Everydays: The First 5000 Days,” would be showing at the London-based auction house on Thursday.
The pixel-esque collage consists of rows on rows of thumbnail-sized illustrations, many of which are heavily inspired by sci-fi culture, and represent 5,000 days of Winkelmann’s tireless practice in the computer arts.
Beeple’s work had previously made waves after Miami-based art collector Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile turned out $6.6 million for the sale of a 10-second digital animation, titled “Crossroad,” which he purchased for a somewhat cringe-worthy $66,666.66. Read more
How you can set up SOS messages on your phone (Metro)
The disappearance of a young woman from the streets of London has sent shockwaves around the country over the last few days. Since Sarah Everard, 33, went missing women across the country have shared stories and have opened up about how they feel scared when going out alone. A vigil for all women who don’t feel safe on the streets, called ‘reclaim these streets’, is also being planned in south London tomorrow. Although men are being called on to help make places safer for women, information is also being shared on social media on how women can feel better protected – and quickly get help – when they go out. Read more
President Biden shifts from ‘darkest days’ to hope on the horizon (USAToday)
After months of warning the “darkest days” in the battle against COVID-19 “are ahead of us, not behind us,” President Joe Biden struck a more optimistic tone Thursday as he offered a glimmer of hope that Americans may see some semblance of normalcy by Independence Day.
Making his first primetime address as president, Biden mourned a “collective suffering, a collective sacrifice” over the last year but pivoted to a more hopeful future by announcing he directed states to make all American adults eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines no later than May 1. He also vowed that if Americans “do our part” in the coming weeks, friends and families will be able to join together in small groups in time for Fourth of July celebrations.
“That will make this Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation but we begin to mark our independence from this virus,” he said. “But to get there, we can’t let our guard down. This virus is far from over.” Read more
Novavax shot 96% effective against COVID-19 in trial (NYPost)
The COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax was found to be 96 percent effective against the original strain of the coronavirus in new a UK trial, the company announced Thursday.
The shot from the Maryland-based company was also 86 percent effective against the more contagious variant first discovered in the UK and now spreading across the US and in New York City.
In a smaller South Africa trial, the Novavax vaccine was only around 55 percent effective in preventing disease when tested against volunteers primarily exposed to the new variant first identified there.
But in both the UK and South Africa trials, the shot was 100 percent effective in preventing serious illness and death. Read more
UN official calls for coordinated international action to oust Myanmar coup leaders (VOA)
A United Nations investigator is accusing Myanmar’s military junta of likely crimes against humanity and is urging international coordinated action to isolate and get rid of the regime. The report is under review by the UN Human Rights Council.
Special raporteur Thomas Andrews says that since Myanmar’s military seized power from the elected government February 1, security forces have murdered at least 70 people and arbitrarily arrested more than 2,000.
He says there is video evidence of security forces viciously beating protestors, destroying property, looting shops, and firing indiscriminately into people’s homes. He says the junta has been systematically destroying legal protections and crushing freedom of expression and assembly.
Andrews notes the current leadership of what he calls a murderous, illegal regime is facing charges of genocide before the International Court of Justice. The military is accused of human rights abuses committed in Rakhine state against the mainly Muslim Rohingya minority. Read more
Woman arrested for wild attack on Uber driver after refusing to wear mask (NYPost)
A woman who was caught on video harassing and coughing on a California Uber driver has been arrested, while another woman plans to turn herself in to police, authorities said.
Las Vegas police nabbed Malaysia King, 24, who faces charges of assault and battery, conspiracy, as well as violating health and safety code for attacking Uber driver Subhakar Khadka on Sunday, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
Khadka recorded the incident which shows King — who’s sitting in the backseat wearing red — and another woman, identified by cops as 24-year-old Arna Kimiai, coughing and shouting profanities at him after refusing to wear face masks.
Kimiai has not yet been arrested, but her lawyers say she plans to turn herself in soon. Read more
Pinnick elected into FIFA executive council (Guardian)
President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has been elected into the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) council.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Pinnick was elected on Friday in Rabat, Morocco at the 43rd CAF ordinary general assembly.
Pinnick defeated Malawi’s Walter Nyamilandu, the incumbent, to clinch the coveted seat.
Following several withdrawals prior to the elections, Pinnick and Malawi’s Walter Nyamilandu were the only two candidates left from the anglophone block.
The election also saw Pinnick emerge as fifth vice-president of CAF. Read more
Zimmerman suspended for allegedly covering up intimate photo scandal involving minor (RT)
Former Olympic skater-turned-coach John Zimmerman has been suspended by a US safeguarding body for allegedly covering up a sex abuse scandal involving a 13-year-old female student he trained ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
The allegations against the coach, who represented the US team at the 2002 Olympics, were based on a felony charge against French champion Morgan Cipres, who was accused of sending photos of his penis to the underage girl who was being coached by Zimmerman in Florida at the time.
The incident took place in 2017 when Cipres and his skating partner Vanessa James were getting ready for the 2018 Olympics. Read more
Knicks are lost at point guard without Derrick Rose (NYPost)
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau wasn’t sure if point guard Derrick Rose would join the Knicks in Oklahoma City for Saturday’s game. If he does, it would be a big boon.
Rose missed his third straight game because of COVID-19 protocols, though the Knicks won’t say if he tested positive for the virus. The Knicks are 1-2 in his absence — both losses by blowouts. The Knicks’ point guard play was substandard Thursday in the 134-101 loss in Milwaukee.
“He’s missed for sure,’’ Julius Randle said. “His presence and what he brings to the team is huge for us. Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench he gets us going, playing fast. Whatever it is, we miss his presence. It’s tough but other guys have to step in and step up.” Read more
Lakers’ LeBron James dismisses need for rest in second half of season (USAToday)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James laughed off whether he had any during the NBA All-Star break after appearing in the showcase game for the 17th time in his career. Then, the 36-year-old James dismissed the idea that he might need some for the second half of the season.
“It’s go time,” James said Thursday. “It’s time to get prepared and make that turnaround and that last lap going into the postseason.”
James missed the Lakers’ last game in Sacramento on March 3 because of what the team cited as a sprained left ankle. But that absence also bought James an extra day to rest before appearing in Sunday’s All-Star Game despite his frustrations about the NBA holding one in a compressed season. Read more
Nate Solder returning to Giants is still on the table (NYPost)
The Giants might not be done with Nate Solder, after all.
There is growing sentiment that a deal can and will be worked out to keep the veteran offensive tackle on the roster. Solder would stay for a greatly reduced price, as he was set to count $16.5 million on the salary cap — a cost that is not sustainable for Solder to continue his career with the Giants.
Solder turns 33 next month. He opted out of the 2020 season, citing COVID-19 concerns, as his young son is undergoing cancer treatment and Solder himself is a cancer survivor. Andrew Thomas, the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, took Solder’s spot and started 15 of 16 games at left tackle. Read more
Miami’s Meyers Leonard fined $50K US for anti-Semitic slur (CBC)
The NBA has fined Meyers Leonard $50,000 US, the maximum allowed by league policy, and suspended him from using all Miami Heat facilities and activities for one week in response to his use of an anti-Semitic term.
Commissioner Adam Silver, in announcing those sanctions Thursday, also said that he believes Leonard “is genuinely remorseful” for using the slur.
“Meyers Leonard’s comment was inexcusable and hurtful and such an offensive term has no place in the NBA or in our society,” Silver said. Read more
Former Liverpool star Mark Gonzalez, 36, recovering after suffering heart attack (Metro) Former Liverpool star Mark Gonzalez is recovering in hospital after suffering a heart attack, his wife has confirmed. The 36-year-old was signed by Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2005 from Albacete but spent only one year at Anfield in season during which the Reds reached the Champions League final. Gonzalez retired from playing in 2019, hanging up his boots after a spell with Deportes Magallanes in his homeland, having also preoviously represented the likes of CSKA Moscow and Real Betis. Maura Rivera wrote: ‘The love of my life, my soul mate, what a shock you have given me. Read more