Lagos impounds 100 commercial motorcycles for violations (Guardian)
Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce) has impounded over 100 commercial motorcycles as part of efforts in ensuring sanity on the roads in the state.
The Chairman of the taskforce, CSP Shola Jejeloye, said this on Sunday in a statement signed by the agency’s Head, Public Affairs Unit, Mr Taofiq Adebayo.
Jejeloye said that the discouraging high statistics of motorcycle accidents and the compelling need to enhance safety on Lagos roads led to the promulgation of the Lagos State Transport Sector Reformed Law 2018. Read more
COVID-19 not a hoax, cases rising – Sanwo-Olu (Punch)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has cautioned Nigerians against the belief that the existence of coronavirus is a hoax.
Instead, he said that COVID-19 cases are rising in Lagos State in a social media post on Sunday.
The governor said the Lagos government has activated a new oxygen plant to ensure that more patients recover from the virus.
Sanwo-Olu said, “Lagosians, #COVID19 is not a glamorous disease, neither is it a hoax. You need to follow the safety guidelines to safeguard your friends and loved ones. Read more
Lagos Airport records 551,380 passengers in six months (Nation)
The Murtala Mohammad Airport Ikeja domestic terminal One (MMA) recorded a total of 551,380 passengers movements with aircraft movements (landing and take-off) at 6261 between July and December 2020 from the reopening of the airport.
The terminal manager of the airport Mr Adekunle Aderibigbe, who disclosed this to journalists in his office at the airport, revealed that passengers turn out was encouraging considering the effect of the pandemic.
According to statistics released, inbound passengers recorded 270,828 while departures stood at 280,552 passengers.
3,068 aircraft landed at the airport between July and December 2020 while 3,193 aircraft took off from the same airport during the period under review. Read more
Fire razes Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters (Punch)
The Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters in Abuja has been razed by fire in the early hours of Sunday.
The Service which disclosed this in a statement on its official Twitter handle said the fire affected some of the offices in the headquarters.
The fire, whose cause is still being investigated, has been put out by firefighters.
NIS said, “A fire incident occurred in our Service Headquarters this Morning. It affected some of our Offices. Read more
COVID-19: Ortom goes into isolation again (DailyTrust)
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has gone into isolation again over suspicious contact with persons who tested positive for COVID-19.
This would be the second time the governor would be going into isolation since the outbreak of coronavirus in the state.
15 Doctors test positive to COVID-19 in Nasarawa State
COVID-19: How Nigeria can avoid another lockdown
Recall that he first self-isolated when his wife, Eunice tested positive for the disease on July 3, last year.
Ortom has already spent 10 days in his latest isolation after suspecting that he had contact with some confirmed cases.
State Deputy Governor, Engr. Benson Abounu made the disclosure on Sunday during an interview with journalists shortly after the Armed Forces Remembrance Day Interdenominational service held at the ECWA Church, along Barracks road in Makurdi. Read more
Police arrest father over starved, locked up son (Punch)
The Delta State Police Command has arrested a father identified as Wisdom for allegedly maltreating, starving and locking up his two-year-old son in a dark room.
The two-year-old son identified as Zino was said to have been maltreated by his father and stepmother at No. 113 Okumagba Avenue, Off Deco Road, Warri, Delta State.
The Director-General, Young Nigerian Rights Organisation, Comrade Victor Ojei, told our correspondent on Sunday in Asaba that the under-age child was allegedly molested by the father and stepmother. Read more
Adebutu loses wife as House On The Rock pastor dies of COVID-19 (Punch)
Mrs Rosemary Adebutu, one of the wives of the owner of Premier Lotto, Chief Kessington Adebutu, is dead.
She was said to have died in a highbrow hospital on Lagos Island on Saturday afternoon after a brief illness.
A close associate of the bereaved billionaire, Chief Kola Oyefeso, confirmed the news to Sunday PUNCH on Saturday night.
It was gathered that the deceased was the mother of Temitope, the estranged wife of Olujonwo, the son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The deceased was said to have suddenly developed a mild illness at her Ikoyi home and was rushed to the hospital, where she gave up the ghost. It was, however, not clear the health condition of the deceased.
But Oyefeso said her death had no connection with COVID-19…
Meanwhile, a pastor with House On The Rock, Adeyinka Akinbami, died of COVID-19 at the age of 61.
Announcing Akinbami’s passing on Saturday, the Senior Pastor, HOTR, Paul Adefarasin, said he had yet to come to terms with his death. Read more
There was no clash between our operatives and herdsmen, says Amotekun (DailyTrust)
The Commandant of Oyo State Security Network Agency, Operation Amotekun, Col. Olayinka Olayanju (rtd), has said that there were no clashes between his men and Fulani herdsmen in Ibarapa land and Oke Ogun axes of Oyo State.
The Commandant, who addressed newsmen in Ibadan, said that his men launched six operations in four local government areas, but that the team in Aiyete was attacked inside the forest by suspected bandits, three of whom were killed.
According to him, the operations were fully supported by Fulani leaders living in the areas, and a number of Miyetti Allah members were part of the operations.
“Contrary to any report you might have come across, there was no clash whatsoever between Fulani herdsmen and Amotekun in Ibarapa or Oke Ogun axis of Oyo State. Read more
Philippines secures 30m Novavax vaccine doses (Guardian)
The Philippines has secured 30 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by US drug maker Novavax, officials said Sunday, as the country braces for a surge in infections after a huge religious event.
This is only the second vaccine deal signed by the national government, which has faced growing criticism for its slowness in procuring jabs for the archipelago where nearly half a million infections have been recorded.
It hopes to secure 148 million doses this year from seven companies — enough for around 70 per cent of its population. But the government has warned it will depend on global supply. Read more
Algeria’s ex-PM admits selling gold bars on black market (AlJazeera)
Former Algerian premier Ahmed Ouyahia, on trial for corruption, has admitted receiving gold bars from Gulf donors then selling them on the black market, the official APS news agency reported.
Ouyahia and fellow ex-prime minister Abdelmalek Sellal are accused of covertly financing the 2019 re-election bid of then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who resigned shortly afterwards amid mass anti-government protests.
Their retrial opened on Saturday after the Supreme Court in November annulled their earlier convictions following an appeal, APS said. Read more
Amidst Covid-19, Bird flu hits India (Vanguard)
An outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) is rapidly spreading across India, with seven states confirming cases and others awaiting test results.
This is as they put containment measures in place, officials said Sunday.
The latest state to confirm cases is in Uttar Pradesh, where the zoo in Kanpur city had been shut down after the death of four jungle fowls and two parrots.
Test reports received late Saturday confirmed they were positive for the virus, Kanpur District’s Chief Veterinary Officer, RP Mishra, said. Read more
Indonesia Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 black boxes located (Straitstimes)
Black boxes of a passenger plane which crashed in the sea soon after take-off from Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday have been located, officials say.
A small flotilla of ships has been searching the site and navy divers should soon be able to retrieve the two flight recorders, they add.
Aircraft parts and human remains have been found.
The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 was carrying 62 people when it vanished from radar on its journey to Borneo. Read more
Health experts issue stark warnings to coronavirus filmmakers (Metro)
Health experts have issued warnings to filmmakers of all upcoming coronavirus-themed movies, urging them to treat the topic with sensitivity and accuracy. It’s been more than a year since the pandemic started, and we’re beginning to see the release of movies featuring Covid-19 as a plot point – from Locked Down, starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Bay’s Songbird, to smaller productions like Canadian thriller Corona. Plus, it’s likely there are more to come. However, unlike previous pandemic movies, like Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion, these films have all the problems and responsibilities of tackling a real life health crisis. Read more
Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases pass 3m – Africa CDC (Guardian)
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent has reached 3,021,769 as of Sunday morning, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
According to the continental disease control and prevention agency’s Africa COVID-19 dashboard, the death toll related to the pandemic stood at 72,121.
A total of 2,450,492 people were infected with COVID-19 and have recovered across the continent as of Sunday morning.
The most affected African countries in terms of the number of positive cases include South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Ethiopia. Read more
US diplomat visits Western Sahara after Morocco-Israel deal (AlJazeera)
A top United States envoy has visited contested Western Sahara after Washington recognised Morocco’s sovereignty there in exchange for Rabat normalising ties with Israel.
The US embassy in Rabat called the trip on Saturday by David Schenker, assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs, and the highest-ranking US diplomat for North Africa and the Middle East, “a historic visit”.
Schenker’s visit comes before the expected opening of a provisional US consulate in the desert region on Sunday, according to diplomatic sources in Rabat. Read more
Glasgow Rangers keen on extending Balogun stay (Vanguard)
Glasgow Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is hoping to retain Super Eagles star Leon Balogun in his squad beyond the end of the 2020-2021 season.
The former Brighton & Hove centre back joined the Light Blues on a one-year deal last July with the club holding an option to extend his stay for a further year.
With Balogun helping Rangers keep fourteen clean sheets in the 18 matches he played, Gerrard considers the Nigeria international one of the club’s valuable assets. The 32-year-old has formed a formidable partnership with Connor Goldson at the centre of defence. Read more
Oyekola wins WBF Boxer of the Month award (Nation)
After a thrilling fight to win the World Boxing Federation (WBF) International Super Featherweight title on December 27, Nigerian Ridwan ”Scorpion” Oyekola has emerged the WBF Boxer of the Month for December 2020.
Oyekola the International Featherweight Champion also won the prestigious ‘Newcomer of The Year’ award according to an official statement released on the WBF website over the weekend.
“Oyekola showed his great potential with an outstanding win over the Argentinean Lucas Mattias Montesino on December 27 in the fight of the year. Look out for great things in 2021 for this young fighter with huge potential”, the statement reads in part. Read more
Leeds stunned by Crawley in FA Cup, as Chelsea, Man City advance (Guardian)
Leeds suffered a humiliating FA Cup exit against Crawley as the League Two side swept to a shock 3-0 win, while Timo Werner ended his Chelsea goal drought and Bernardo Silva sparkled for Manchester City as the Premier League giants eased into the fourth round on Sunday.
After the spiking coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc with matches across the third round on Friday and Saturday, the FA Cup was back on more familiar ground as Leeds became the competition’s latest big name to be knocked out by a feisty underdog.
Crawley’s unexpected success encapsulated the FA Cup’s unique charm and football’s restorative powers at a time when the sport is badly in need of some positive news. Read more
‘I am still alive’, says Christian Chukwu (Vanguard)
Former Super Eagles Coach, Christian Chukwu has debunked the news of his death, saying that he is hale and hearty.
Chukwu disclosed this on Sunday in an interview at his Trans Ekulu residence, Enugu.
The social media have since January 8, been awash with the news of Chukwu’s demise.
However, the former Green Eagles captain, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Jan. 4, 2021, said that he was surprised that some people would wish him death.
“I am terribly embarrassed with this news that I am dead. Several people have been calling me from across the world since the news broke. Read more
Late Mancini equaliser stalls Inter in Rome (Guardian)
Gianluca Mancini headed in a late equaliser as AS Roma stalled Serie A title rivals Inter Milan with a 2-2 draw in Rome on Sunday.
Antonio Conte’s second-placed Inter lost further ground after their midweek defeat to Sampdoria to drop three points behind leaders AC Milan who beat Torino 2-0 on Saturday.
Roma remain a further three points behind Inter in third.
Defender Mancini got his head to a Gonzalo Villar cross four minutes from time to keep Roma three points behind Inter in third. Read more
Isolating Aguero adds to Man City’s COVID absentees (France24)
Sergio Aguero’s disrupted season has suffered another setback with Manchester City’s all-time top goalscorer forced into self-isolation after coming into close contact with a positive coronavirus case.
City have been hit by 11 positive cases to players and staff in recent weeks and even though Aguero has tested negative, manager Pep Guardiola confirmed the Argentine must isolate due to the protocols for close contacts.
“Unfortunately Sergio was in contact, more than usual, with a person who is positive so he isolates for a few days,” Guardiola said after Sunday’s 3-0 win over Birmingham in the FA Cup.
“He is negative but the protocol says if we have been in contact we have to isolate.”
Gabriel Jesus, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia, Scott Carson, Cole Palmer and Tommy Doyle are the City players to have tested positive since Christmas Day.
Jesus and Walker made their first appearance since their isolation periods came to an end against Birmingham, while Ederson was on the bench. Read more