Lagos market leader missing after observing juma’at (Tribune)
The family of a market leader, Aderonke Sikirat Anifowose, has declared her missing since Friday, January 1st.
Until her disappearance, the woman was said to be the Iyaloja of Oworonsoki in Lagos State and she reportedly left her home for Epe in the state.
According to one of her children, Owolabi, the last destination, known of the Iyaloja of Oworo Naomi Market was the Oriwu Central Mosque in Ikorodu, where she reportedly observed her Friday prayer. Read more
Suspected kidnappers’ den uncovered in Lagos, school uniforms, socks recovered (Punch)
A suspected den of kidnappers and ritual killers has been uncovered inside a tunnel in the Sari-Iganmu area of Lagos, along Orile-Badagry Expressway.
Body parts as well as personal effects such as school uniforms, small-size socks, diapers among others, were reportedly found in the den.
The tunnel is in front of Araromi Secondary School, a public school in the community.
Two suspects arrested inside the tunnel were reportedly burnt to death while two others were said to have been handed over to the Orile-Iganmu Police Station. Read more
Select another VC in 45 days, Sanwo-Olu orders LASU committee (Punch)
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has cancelled the ongoing process for the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor for the Lagos State University.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile, Sanwo-Olu further directed that a fresh process that would terminate in 45 days should commence immediately.
He said that the decision on the cancellation came after a thorough investigation and stakeholders engagement, which were necessitated by various petitions against the selection process.
The governor said that he was inundated with petitions arising from the selection process of the ninth vice chancellor by the Governing Council. Read more
3 docked for kidnapping children for rituals (Tribune)
Three people have been dragged before the Magistrate Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State capital, over the kidnap of three minors for the purpose of using them for money rituals.
The three accused Loto Temitayo aged 34, Olabode Omoboye aged 54 and Ogunbamila Erioluwa aged 52, were arraigned on three count charges of conspiracy, abduction, and deprivation of liberty, misdemeanours and others.
The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Adeoye Adesegun, told the court that the offence was committed on December 13, 2020, at Igodan Lisa, in Okitipupa Local Government Area of the state. Read more
Wounded soldiers decry neglect, non-payment of allowances (DailyTrust)
Some Nigerian soldiers injured in the course of duty have complained over neglect and non-payment of their allowances by military authorities.
Some soldiers who spoke to Daily Trust Saturday said that apart from their salaries, they were yet to receive the special disability compensation they are entitled to, while others claimed that civilian patients were given preferential treatment at the 44 Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna.
While soldiers whose injuries are not severe have reportedly been retained in service, some of them claim they have not been paid certain allowances or given promotions their peers enjoyed. Read more
ANA pays tribute to Eddie Aderinokun (Guardian)
President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Camillus Ukah, has expressed sadness over the death of Chief Eddie Aderinokun, a former Vice President of the Association.
In a statement by ANA National Publicity Secretary (South), Wole Adedoyin, Ukah described late Aderinokun’s passage as a loss to ANA and the country. He recalled the deceased’s immense contributions to the growth of ANA, stressing that there was no way the history of ANA would be written without mentioning his name, while his achievements in different areas of national life would always be remembered. Ukah prayed that God would grant his family, ANA and his professional colleagues the fortitude to bear the loss.
Aderinokun died on the 3rd of January at the age of 80 after a brief illness. Read more
FG suspends mobilisation, screening of 5,000 candidates for NDLEA jobs (Punch)
The Federal Government has directed the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to stop the screening and documentation of 5,000 candidates scheduled to take place between January 10 and 23, 2021 at its academy in Jos.
According to the government, the timing is ill-advised and inappropriate, given the current and alarming wave of COVID-19 pandemic across the country.
Consequently, the government directed that the Solicitor-General of the Federation, Mr Dayo Apata, who is also the Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Justice, should seek clarification/advice from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on the public health implications of such an exercise. Read more
Insurgency, criminaliry will end soon- Buhari (Vanguard)
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, said the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East might be wrapped up this year, insisting that with prayers, what has been happening in the country would soon be over.
Buhari, who made this declaration through the Minister of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi Salihi (Rtd) in Abuja during a Juma’at Prayer held to commemorate the 2021 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Mosque, stressed that “this year is a year of action.”
He also noted that the nation would continue to remember the sacrifices made by the fallen heroes and other members of the Armed Forces, saying the government and entire Nigerians would not stop praying for the repose of the souls who paid the supreme price while defending the territorial integrity of the nation. Read more
Nicki Minaj pays Tracy Chapman $450,000 after copyright case (BBC)
Rapper Nicki Minaj will pay singer Tracy Chapman $450,000 (£332,000) to settle a copyright dispute after sampling one of her songs.
Chapman sued Minaj in 2018, saying she had used portions of Baby, Can I Hold You Tonight in her song Sorry.
Although the song was never released, a leaked version made its way to radio DJ Funkmaster Flex and went viral online.
Chapman accused Minaj of sharing the song with Flex, although both have denied that version of events. Read more
Largest canyon in solar system revealed by NASA on Mars (NYPost)
Stunning new images of the largest canyon in our solar system have been taken by a NASA probe on Mars.
The Valles Marineris is a system of huge canyons that spreads for 2,500 miles along the equator of the Red Planet.
It’s nearly ten times as long as the Grand Canyon on Earth.
It’s also three times deeper.
The sheer size of the canyon system means it’s surrounded in mystery. Read more
North Korea’s Kim threatens to expand nuclear programme, citing ‘hostile’ US policy (CBC)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to expand his nuclear arsenal and develop more sophisticated atomic weapons systems, saying the fate of relations with the United States depends on whether it abandons its hostile policy, state media reported Saturday.
Kim’s comments made Friday during a key meeting of the ruling party were seen as an effort to apply pressure on the incoming government of U.S. president-elect Joe Biden, who has called Kim a “thug” and has criticized his nuclear summitry with President Donald Trump.
The Korean Central News Agency said Saturday that Kim says “key to establishing new relations between [North Korea] and the United States is whether the United States withdraws its hostile policy” from North Korea. Read more
The 432-year-old manual on social distancing (BBC)
In this spookily prescient booklet, people are advised to keep six feet apart, avoid shaking hands and only send one person per household out to do the shopping.
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It was the dead of night in mid-November 1582. A sailor stepped onto the dock at the port of Alghero, Sardinia, and took in the view of the city for the last time.
The unfortunate mariner is thought to have arrived from Marseille, 447km (278 miles) across the Mediterranean Sea. The plague had been raging there for a year – and it seems that he had brought it with him. He was already delirious, and suffering from the characteristic swellings that marked out the disease, known as buboes, in his groin area.
And yet, somehow the sailor managed to get past the plague guardians, or Morbers, whose job it was to stop those who had any symptoms. He made it into the city. Within days, he was dead and an outbreak had begun. Read more
Trevor Noah splashes out $27.5M on Bel Air mansion (PageSix)
Trevor Noah, the Emmy Award-winning host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, has splashed out $27.5 million on an angular and architecturally impressive mansion in Bel Air, a neighbourhood favoured by some of Los Angeles’ biggest-spending and biggest-name buyers.
Nestled in the hills of Bel Air overlooking the enclave’s upmarket country club, the right-angled residence is touted as an “iconic architectural statement” in its listing, held by Linda May and Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland, both of whom, through a representative, declined to comment on the deal.
Noah, 36, bought the home last week using a trust, property records show.
Designed by Mark Rios, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, the six-bedroom home epitomizes the Los Angeles’ hallmark of indoor/outdoor living, according to the listing. Read more
Trump riots: Democrats plan to introduce article of impeachment (BBC)
US Democrats plan to introduce an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in Wednesday’s invasion of the US Capitol.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would move forward with impeachment if Mr Trump did not resign immediately.
The charge of “incitement of insurrection” is set to be introduced by House Democrats on Monday.
They accuse Mr Trump of encouraging a riot in Congress in which five people died. Read more
Roku buys library of the short-lived streaming service Quibi (CBC)
Roku is buying the content library of Quibi, the short-lived streaming service, to bulk up its own free ad-supported channel.
Quibi, short for quick bites, raised $1.75 billion US from investors including major Hollywood players like Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom. It produced shows that were released in 10- to 12-minute increments or less, believing that there was strong demand from people stuck doing anything from waiting in lines to commuting.
But it stepped into a market already saturated with short videos from YouTube, TikTok and other platforms, and that content is essentially generated free of cost. Read more
People I trusted failed me for selfish reasons –John Ogu (Punch)
Super Eagles midfielder, John Ogu, has regretted that those he trusted in his football career failed him for selfish reasons.
He said this in a series of tweets on Friday.
According to the former Hapoel Beer Sheva midfielder, one of his deals crashed because of the selfish interest of one of those he trusted.
Ogu said, despite the disappointment, he ended up in Israel to become a “King” with the help of his brother, Tony Nwakaeme. Read more
Nuno praises Traore after stunning strike beats Palace (BBC)
Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Crystal Palace to reach the FA Cup fourth round with “a special goal from a special player”, says boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Adama Traore’s scorching left-foot drive was decisive for the hosts against a much-changed Palace side.
Prior to his strike from the edge of the box the Spain winger had not scored for Wolves since 27 February 2020.
“I am very happy because I think this goal will boost his confidence,” Nuno said. Read more
FIFA to allow concussion subs at Club World Cup (Guardian)
The use of concussion substitutes will be tried out at the Club World Cup in Qatar in February, FIFA, the governing body of world football, said on Friday.
FIFA said in a statement that it will “trial additional permanent substitutions for cases of actual or suspected concussion” at the competition in Qatar on February 1-11.
It said that this is the first time concussion substitutes will be allowed in an international competition. Read more
South Africa long jump star Luvo Manyonga given provisional anti-doping ban (BBC)
Olympic long jump silver medallist Luvo Manyonga has been provisionally suspended for three breaches of anti-doping rules in 12 months.
The 30-year-old South African, who has battled drug addiction in the past, could be banned for two years for the whereabouts failures.
The delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics are scheduled to start on 23 July 2021.
Manyonga is among the favourites to win gold in Tokyo after winning the 2017 World and 2018 Commonwealth titles. Read more
Kyrie Irving’s Nets absence a reaction to Capitol Hill riot (NYPost)
Kyrie Irving didn’t fly with the Nets for Friday’s game at Memphis, and his status (along with that of Kevin Durant) is still up in the air for Sunday’s home tilt against the Thunder.
A source familiar with the situation told The Post that Irving is fine physically, but was upset by the attack on the U.S. Capitol in Washington by supporters of President Donald Trump.
The All-Star isn’t AWOL, and the team has been aware of why he’s not playing. Irving, in essence, took personal days, according to a source.
“I messaged with Ky, but I want to keep all that stuff private,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “We don’t have any decision on Sunday yet. But we’ll deal with that and figure it out before we go on Sunday.” Read more
Bayern squander two-goal lead to lose at Moenchengladbach (France24)
European champions Bayern Munich suffered only their second Bundesliga defeat of the season on Friday after throwing away a two-goal lead and crashing to a 3-2 loss at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
The away defeat means second-placed RB Leipzig can wipe out Bayern’s two-point lead and top the Bundesliga table if they beat Borussia Dortmund at home on Saturday.
Bayern were cruising at 2-0 up after 26 minutes thanks to a Robert Lewandowski penalty and a superb Leon Goretzka goal at Borussia Park. Read more
Liverpool need second-half flurry to overcome depleted Villa (BBC)
Liverpool reached the FA Cup fourth round with a comfortable victory over a Covid-affected Aston Villa – but it took until the second half to get on top of a home side made up of academy players with no first-team experience.
A coronavirus outbreak at their training ground this week meant no first-team players were available to Villa, with the club fielding a starting XI composed of seven under-23 players and four from the under-18s.
But despite conceding in the fourth minute when Sadio Mane headed in, they remained resolute in defence for the rest of the half and then stunned the visitors when 17-year-old Louie Barry equalised.
The England Under-17 striker, born just a few miles from Villa Park, signed for the club last January for more than £800,000 having had a spell with Barcelona’s academy. His composed finish four minutes before the break was as assured as would be expected from Lionel Messi. Read more