Lagos teacher bags life jail for defiling 8-year-old pupil (Punch)
The Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court presided over by Justice Ramon Oshodi, on Monday, sentenced 23-year-old John Osifo to life imprisonment for defiling his eight-year-old student.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the defendant was initially arraigned on January 31, 2022, on a one-count of defilement to which he pleaded not guilty.
Osifo’s charge sheet read, “Statement of offence defilement of a child contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
“Particulars of Offence, Osifo John between May 2020 and June 2021, at number 2 Vissol Street, Jejelaye, Ajamgbadi, and Marifod Private School Ajamgbadi, Lagos, in the Ikeja Judicial Division did defile one (name withheld) aged eight years, by having unlawful sexual intercourse with her.” Read more
Farotimi’s detention, blatant violation of citizens’ rights — Atiku (Leadership)
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has once again criticised the arrest and detention of Lagos-based lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, over alleged defamation charges, describing the situation as a ‘pervasive climate of impunity and the blatant violation of citizens’ rights.’
Atiku took his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday in a statement commemorating the International Human Rights Day to condemn the lawyer’s arrest and detention, describing it as a violation of fundamental rights.
Atiku also faulted the circumstances surrounding Farotimi’s incarceration, highlighting that he was being prosecuted under a cyberbullying law that “does not exist in Ekiti State”. Read more
‘Defamation’: Farotimi, Afe Babalola’s supporters clash in court (DailyTrust)
Supporters of human rights lawyer, Mr Dele Farotimi, and those of legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), clashed on Tuesday at the Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Confusion erupted after the adjournment for ruling on the bail application of Farotimi to December 20, 2024.
Babalola had dragged Farotimi to court over alleged defamation of his (Babalola’s) person in his book titled, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.’ Read more
SERAP, NGE urge Nigeria to end media crackdown on International Human Rights Day (Vanguard)
On International Human Rights Day, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) and the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) jointly called on Nigerian authorities to cease using repressive laws to intimidate journalists, critics, and media organizations.
The groups highlighted the misuse of the Cybercrimes Act, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) codes, and other legislation to stifle free expression. They noted that Nigeria’s press freedom remains under severe threat despite 25 years of uninterrupted democratic rule.
Citing data from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), SERAP and NGE revealed that 110 verified press attacks were recorded in 2024, surpassing the total for 2023 within nine months. Read more
Kogi probes examination malpractice in WASSCE (Channels)
Kogi State Government has charged Examination Misconduct, Investigation and Disciplinary Committee to investigate the involvement of Schools and Persons indicted in the conduct of the 2024 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in the state.
The State Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, who gave the charge on Tuesday while inaugurating the committee in Lokoja the state capital, described examination malpractice as a cankerworm that must be stem in the bud as it affects the future of children.
According to him, the committee is to investigate the level of involvement of schools and persons and to recommend the appropriate punishment for indicted persons in line with the provision of the Kogi State Education Law and Other Matters Connected Therewith, 2020. Read more
Thugs invade Edo tribunal’s inaugural sitting (Nation)
Suspected thugs yesterday stormed the venue of the inaugural sitting of the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal at Edo State High Court Complex on Sapele Road, Benin.
All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) politicians and their supporters were attacked and pelted with stones and other dangerous items by yet-to-be-identified suspected thugs.
Members of the APC and supporters of Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo were at the venue of the tribunal’s sitting, when suspected hoodlums suddenly invaded the area and injured some persons. Read more
Abducted A’Ibom lawyer, niece released from kidnappers’ den (Punch)
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has confirmed that an abducted lawyer and his niece have been rescued from their kidnappers’ den by the operatives, PUNCH Metro learnt on Sunday.
A trending video monitored by our correspondent indicates that the victims were rescued when operatives of the command stormed an underground tunnel where the victims were held hostage.
The operatives, acting on a tip-off soon, closed in on the place where the abductees were kept and strenuously lifted a slab which was rolled over them by their captors, to bring them out of the tunnel. Read more
Tax Reform Bills: Senate South-East Caucus calls for wider consultations (Leadership)
The South East Caucus in the Senate on Monday joined other stakeholder groups in calling for broader consultations on the Tax Reform Bills currently under consideration in both chambers of the National Assembly.
The leader of the caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), made the call while speaking with journalists after a closed-door meeting held with senators from the five South-Eastern states in his office.
At the media briefing, Abaribe clarified that while the South East senators are not opposed to the bills, they believe wider consultations are necessary before the proposed legislation is fully considered by the National Assembly. Read more
Beyoncé’s mum blames hackers after ‘liking’ post about Jay-Z rape allegations (HipHopDx)
Beyoncé’s mum, Tina Knowles, has blamed hackers after she appeared to like a post relating to the rape allegations made against Jay-Z.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Knowles had liked a news report about the allegations levied against her son-in-law and Diddy with the two of them accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000.
Knowles has now denied that she ever liked such a post and that her Instagram account was hacked. Read more
Police in Kenya hurl teargas at protesters against gender-based violence (AfricaNews)
Police in Kenya hurled teargas canisters Tuesday at hundreds of protesters against gender-based violence, or femicide, in the capital, Nairobi, and arrested an unknown number of people.
Protesters chanting “Stop femicide” were dispersed by police in a public park where they had gathered and later engaged in running battles along the streets. Several protesters were injured in the confrontation Tuesday.
One activist, Mwikali Mueni, told The Associated Press that she suffered a neck injury from uniformed police officers and was heading to the hospital. Read more
Grenade found inside passenger’s carry-on luggage at LaGuardia Airport, TSA says (NBC)
For those traveling, just remember: Leave the explosives at home.
A grenade was found inside a man’s carry-on luggage at LaGuardia International Airport, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The passenger was going through security at the New York City airport on Monday when the weapon of war was discovered in his bag. It was determined to be a real, albeit inert, grenade, according to the TSA. Read more
Paramount’s $8b Skydance merger faces fresh hurdles (NYPost)
Paramount Global’s $8 billion merger with Skydance Media faces a slew of fresh hurdles as it looks to gain US regulatory approval — from controversy over a 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris to objections from the Teamsters union, sources told The Post.
The outlook for the mega-deal has grown murkier since Donald Trump won the presidential election, sources say. That’s partly because the president-elect has filed a $10 billion lawsuit claiming Paramount’s CBS network engaged in “voter interference through malicious, deceptive, and substantial news distortion”.
The beef is over a controversial 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, which Trump claims was edited to eliminate the vice president’s clunky, meandering language and prop up her image during the crucial days before Election Day. Read more
Guns N’ Roses announce 2025 tour with 2 nights in UK (Standard)
Legendary rock band Guns N’ Roses have announced a “massive” 2025 European and Middle East tour that includes two nights in Britain.
Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Slash and co will play Villa Park in Birmingham on June 23, 2025 and Wembley Stadium in London on June 26, 2025, as part of the Because What You Want & What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things tour.
The supporting act for both UK concerts is Rival Sons, a rock band from Long Beach, California.
Other concerts across Europe are set to feature support from Public Enemy and the Sex Pistols. Read more
Stray Kids tease “Walkin on Water” music video (UPI)
South Korean boy band Stray Kids is giving a glimpse of its new music video.
The K-pop group shared a preview of its video for the song “Walkin on Water” on Monday.
The “Walkin on Water” teaser opens with a group of unknown people readying bows and arrows on the balcony of traditional Korean buildings. The members of Stray Kids are later seen riding dirt bikes in the courtyard. Read more
Daniel Penny acquitted in chokehold death of homeless man on NY subway (BBC)
A 26-year-old man has been acquitted of homicide for putting an unarmed homeless man in a fatal chokehold, a case that sparked weeks of protests and reignited debates over public safety, mental illness and race.
Jurors deliberated for five days before declaring Daniel Penny not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the death of 30-year-old Jordan Neely on a New York City subway train on 1 May 2023.
The verdict comes after prosecutors agreed to drop a more serious charge of second-degree manslaughter on Friday, as jurors could not reach an agreement. Read more
Lookman: Playing For Super Eagles big turning point of my football career (CompleteSports)
Super Eagles winger Ademola Lookman says playing for the senior national team was the turning point in his football career.
Despite his appearances in the aged-grade teams for England, he made his Super Eagles debut against the Black Stars of Ghana in a 2022 World Cup qualifying playoff.
Since then, the Atalanta winger has made 28 appearances and scored eight goals for Nigeria. Read more
Emma Raducanu warned she risks losing £9m in lucrative tennis sponsorship deals (Metro)
British tennis star Emma Raducanu is at risk of losing her £9m portfolio of sponsorship deals, according to sports finance expert Dr Rob Wilson.
The 22-year-old teamed up with a number of global brands after she incredibly won the US Open major singles title as a qualifier in 2021.
Over three years later, though, Raducanu still hasn’t registered a second trophy anywhere on the WTA Tour – with injury problems massively hampering her 2022 and 2023 seasons – before a rebuilding year in 2024. Read more
Neil Harris to step down as head coach after ‘steering club away from relegation zone’ (SkySports)
Neil Harris is set to step down as Millwall head coach.
The Championship club said in a statement on Tuesday that Harris will leave after their league game at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Millwall host Sheffield United on Wednesday in the league before Harris’ final game. Read more
Aryna Sabalenka wins first WTA Player of the Year award after clinching 2 Grand Slams (Independent)
Aryna Sabalenka has been voted the WTA Player of the Year for the first time after the Belarusian won two Grand Slam titles and secured the year-end world number one ranking, the governing body of women’s tennis said.
After successfully defending her Australian Open trophy in January, Sabalenka won the U.S. Open crown in September for her third Grand Slam title and leapfrogged Iga Swiatek to top the world rankings a month later.
She also won tournaments in Cincinnati and Wuhan to end her 2024 campaign with four titles. Read more
Golf star reveals eye-watering costs of playing on the PGA Tour (DailyMail)
PGA Tour star Michael Kim has lifted the lid on life at the top of golf, revealing he spent nearly $100,000 just to travel to tournaments in 2024.
The world No 151 has won once on the PGA Tour since joining golf’s elite back in 2016.
The 31-year-old has made career earnings of just over $7million – including $1.48m during the 2024 season.
Kim played in 30 tournaments over the past 12 months – making the cut in just over half – and he recently posted details of his outlay just to travel to and stay at events. Read more
Eddie Hearn hails Floyd Schofield’s quest for greatness against Shakur Stevenson (BoxingScene)
Eddie Hearn has hailed Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield’s quest for greatness after the youngster agreed to challenge Shakur Stevenson on February 22.
Schofield, 22, is scheduled to face the more experienced 27-year-old Stevenson for the WBC lightweight championship on Riyadh Season’s February 22 card which has Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol’s rematch as the headliner.
According to promoter Hearn, Schofield, 18-0 (12 KOs), took up the fight with Stevenson, 22-0 (10 KOs), to challenge himself. Read more
