Lagosian shot, robbed: Police deny him report, hospital rejects him for not having a police report (Vanguard)
Operatives attached to the Ijanikin Division of the police force in Lagos State, on Wednesday morning, refused to give a police report to a victim of a robbery attack.
The victim, a young man, was attacked, robbed and shot in both legs by robbers on Wednesday morning at Alasia Bus Stop, Ijanikin, along Badagry Expressway.
According to an eyewitness, Segun, who spoke to Vanguard at the scene, “when the victim was rushed to the station by some good Samaritans, the officers on duty refused to issue him a police report.
“Meanwhile, the victim was not bleeding profusely from the gunshots injuries.” Read more
LAWMA boss tasks Apapa residents on clean environment (Tribune)
The Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, (LAWMA), Mr Ibrahim Odumboni has charged residents of Apapa and its environs, on pro-active steps towards ridding the environment of illegal dumpsites, and total eradication of reckless waste disposal practices.
He also urged them to raise a formidable waste policing team, to enforce that objective.
Odumboni gave the charge at Apapa Local Government Secretariat, Apapa, at an inaugural stakeholders’ meeting and public sensitization with residents and other stakeholders, scheduled to take place in all the 57 Local Governments and LCDAs of the state.
The LAWMA boss said the time had come for the Authority to engage with residents and all stakeholders, to rid the council of filth and enthrone a new regime of cleanliness and sustainable environment. Read more
2 dead as fuel tanker explodes on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Punch)
The Ogun Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps said on Wednesday that two persons died in a tanker explosion on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Ahmed Umar, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ota, Ogun State, that the accident occurred about 6.05 a.m. near CDK Company.
Umar explained that the tanker, with no registration number and laden with Premium Motor Spirit, was inbound Lagos-Ibadan Expressway when it exploded some few kilometers after the Sagamu interchange.
The Sector Commander said eight male adults, three vehicles, and a Bajaj motorcycle, were involved in the unfortunate incident. Read more
MC Oluomo qualified to be Oshodi monarch, says royal family secretary (Nation)
The Secretary of Kupoluyi Royal Family also known as Almaroof, Prince Abdulwasiu Almaroof, yesterday said Lagos State Council Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya (aka MC Oluomo), is qualified to be a monarch in Oshodi.
This is contrary to the statement credited to Chairman, Oshodi-Tapa Chieftaincy Family, Maroof-deen Oshodi, that Akinsanya had no right to the throne because he was not a member of the family.
At a briefing with other members of the royal house in Oshodi, Prince Almaroof said Akinsanya’s grandmother was Alhaja Shadia Almroof.
“He (Akinsanya) is from the Kupoluyi Royal Family and that is not contestable. The family held a meeting recently and picked him (Akinsanya) as our candidate for the Oshodi monarch. We expect other ruling houses to also announce their candidates. From those candidates, a monarch would eventually emerge,” he said. Read more
APC reconciliation committee did not visit Bauchi, party stakeholders insist (ThisDay)
Barely three months after the All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its congresses in all the 36 states of the federation, stakeholders of the party in Bauchi Central senatorial zone have stood their ground that the National Reconciliation Committee has not visited the state to reconcile aggrieved members of the party.
The APC National Reconciliation Committee headed by a former Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Adamu, was set up to look into complaints by members of the party after the October 17, 2021, congress of the party.
The Chairman of Bauchi Central APC stakeholders, Hon Adamu Noma, stated this in Bauchi yesterday while addressing a press conference at the NUJ secretariat.
He said the stakeholders wrote to the reconciliation committee about the lingering leadership crisis that engulfed the party in the state after two parallel chairmen of the party in the state emerged through variegated congresses, Hon Sunusi Aliyu Kunde and Hon Babayo Aliyu respectively. Read more
Abducted Ondo farmers regain freedom after 4 days in captivity (Channels)
Ten persons kidnapped at a farm in Ayede- Ogbese, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, have finally regained their freedom.
The spokesperson of Ondo State Police Command, DSP Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed this in a telephone conversation with Channels Television in Akure. He said the victims regained their freedom in the early hours of Wednesday.
It was gathered that a farmer, identified as Femi Alawiye, and nine of his workers were kidnapped by armed men on his farm on Saturday evening.
The kidnappers were said to have lured the victims to the farm under the pretence that the farm was on fire. Read more
Nigeria’s oldest SAN, Oyewo, dies at 91 (Leadership)
The oldest lawyer to earn the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) title, Professor Ajagbe Toriola Oyewo, is dead.
The legal luminary died yesterday at the age of 91 at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State.
Oyewo was among the 72 legal practitioners elevated to the rank of SAN in October 2021.
At 90, the professor of law, who was also a traditional chief in Ibadan, was regarded as the oldest lawyer to be awarded SAN. Read more
UN appoints Nigeria’s Benjamin Sawyerr as UNISFA Force Commander (Independent)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday announced the appointment of Maj. Gen. Benjamin Sawyerr of Nigeria as the Force Commander for the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei, UNISFA.
Mr Sawyerr succeeds Maj. Gen. Kefyalew Amde Tessema of Ethiopia to whom the secretary-general is grateful for his dedication, invaluable service and effective leadership during his appointment with UNISFA. the UN correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria reported.
Mr Abyei is an area of 10,546 km2 on the border between South Sudan and the Sudan that had been accorded “special administrative status” by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA, that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.
Sawyerr has a military career spanning more than 34 years with the Nigerian Army, including as the Director of Defence Information of Nigeria’s Defence Forces since 2021. Read more
Emirates Airlines resumes Nigerian flights Saturday (DailyTrust)
Emirates Airlines has announced the resumption of its flights to Nigeria.
The announcement came less than 24 hours after the Federal Government approved the resumption of flight operations between Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Daily Trust reports that the federal government had, through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), communicated the approval to the UAE while asking the authorities in the Middle East country to also grant the same to Air Peace.
With the coast now clear for the resumption of flights between the two countries, Emirates said it would resume its flights on Saturday. Read more
I am frantically praying for a daughter-in-law, says Kiddwaya’s mom (Nation)
Susan Waya, the mother of Ex-Big Brother Naija season 5 Lockdown star, Terseer Waya, popularly known as Kiddwaya has said she needs a daughter-in-law.
Mrs Waya made this known in a post on her Instagram page.
The billionaire mother, who shared the post to celebrate her first son Tersoo Terry Waya Jr, who is Kiddwaya’s elder brother, said Tersoo will turn 31 on February 4th.
Kiddwaya’s mom noted February is such a special month because of her son’s birthday. Read more
Stolen Roman statue returned to France after 50 years (BBC)
Almost half a century after it was stolen, a Roman statue of the god Bacchus has been handed back to the French museum where it was displayed.
The 1st Century bronze of Bacchus as a child was taken by thieves in December 1973, along with 5,000 Roman coins.
Art detective Arthur Brand traced the statue to the museum when a client was offered it by an Austrian collector.
“Fifty years after a theft it’s unheard of that something comes back – normally it’s been destroyed,” he told the BBC.
The 40cm-high (15.7in) statue was dug up on the site of the Gallo-Roman village of Vertillum in eastern France in 1894 and years later featured in a Paris exhibition of France’s finest art pieces. Read more
Biden approves US troop deployment to Eastern Europe (AlJazeera)
US President Joe Biden has approved sending additional forces to Eastern Europe as Washington moves to avert a feared Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on Wednesday that troops would soon be moved to Poland, Romania and Germany in response to the “current security climate”.
He told a news briefing that 1,000 forces currently based in Germany would be repositioned to Romania and 2,000 troops would be deployed from the United States to Poland and Germany.
The announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday accused the West of trying to provoke Moscow into a war. Read more
Star Trek lines up new Starfleet TV series with classic twist (DigitalSpy)
The Star Trek universe on Paramount+ is expanding.
Following the streaming platform’s TCA executive session on Thursday (January 27), Deadline has confirmed that CBS Studios and Alex Kurtzman’s studio-based Secret Hideout are developing Starfleet Academy, a new series that is likely to be based on the 1990s video game of the same name.
If so, the show will follow a bunch of college cadets, as they’re being geared up to take on leadership roles within the United Federation of Planets space force.
The publication suggests that Absentia co-creator Gaia Violo will be spearheading the project. Read more
Mystery book sculptures fetch £50,000 at auction (BBC)
A series of unique paper sculptures depicting scenes from Scottish literary classics has fetched more than £50,000 at auction.
The works – by an anonymous artist – all went for well above their original price estimate.
A flurry of last minute offers to auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull boosted the money raised for the Scottish Book Trust.
It will use the funds to support its aim of providing books to all. Read more
Italian film icon Monica Vitti dies aged 90 (France24)
Italian actress Monica Vitti, an icon best known for her starring roles in films by Michelangelo Antonioni, has died aged 90, the culture ministry said Wednesday.
“Goodbye Monica Vitti, goodbye queen of Italian cinema. Today is a truly sad day, we have lost a great artist and a great Italian,” Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said in a statement.
Vitti shot to international fame with the 1960 drama “L’Avventura” (“The Adventure”) in which she plays a tormented woman who dallies with the lover of her missing friend.
Born in Rome on November 3, 1931, Vitti — whose real name was Maria Luisa Ceciarelli — discovered her passion for the theatre during World War Two, when she entertained her family with puppets to relieve boredom. Read more
Simu Liu to host first outdoor Juno Awards at Budweiser Stage in Toronto (TorontoStar)
Actor Simu Liu is going from Marvel superhero to master of ceremonies at the 51st annual Juno Awards.
The Toronto-raised star of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” will take the reins as host of this year’s televised celebration of Canadian music May 15.
It’s another high-profile hosting gig for the “Kim’s Convenience” alum who presided over an episode of “Saturday Night Live” for the first time last November.
The Junos will be historic in their own way since it’s the first time the awards show will be held outdoors. Read more
Megan Thee Stallion says she wants to work with Adele after viral TikTok mashup (Independent)
Megan Thee Stallion has spoken out on the viral mashup videos combining her and Adele’s performances, claiming that she’s “ready” to work together in real life.
The rapper and recent university graduate was inadvertently part of a social media trend in late 2021, when TikTok and Twitter users spliced together a performance of her dancing to her song “Body” with audio of Adele’s “Water Under The Bridge”.
Later developments of the video included using Megan’s rap verse with the instrumental version of Adele’s track, as well as adding “reactions” from Adele, seemingly appreciating Megan’s work.
In a recent interview with People, Megan confirmed that she was aware of the viral videos. Read more
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees for 2022 include Dolly Parton, Eminem, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie and Beck (Variety)
Beck, Duran Duran, Eminem, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and A Tribe Called Quest are making their first appearances as potential inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in nominations for the class of 2022 that were announced Wednesday morning.
These seven join 10 more artists who have been previously nominated in the last few years and are being put on the ballot again: Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, Devo, Eurythmics, Judas Priest, Fela Kuti, MC5, the New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine and Dionne Warwick.
The Hall announced this year’s field on Rock Hall social channels and live on SiriusXM Volume channel 106’s “Feedback” morning show with hosts Nik Carter and Lori Majewski. Results of the voting are set to be revealed in May. The date and venue for the fall ceremony will be announced at a later date.
Among the seven first-time nominees, Eminem is the only one landing a nomination in his first year of eligibility. Performers become eligible 25 years after their first commercial recording, and Eminem’s debut album, “Infinite,” came out in late 1996 — although not many fans own a copy, since it was an LP and cassette the aspiring rapper sold out of the back of his car, prior to joining Interscope. Parton is the first-timer who had to wait the longest to get a nomination; her first recordings came out in the early ’60s, so the country-pop superstar has been eligible since the late 1980s. Read more
NFF tasks referees on excellence (Tribune)
The Nigeria Football Federation has strongly demanded that the country’s referees and assistant referees up their game in order to become very relevant and indispensable on the international scene.
This was the central theme of remarks during the badging of Nigeria’s 2022 FIFA referees, assistant referees, beach soccer and Futsal referees at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project inside the package B of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Tuesday.
Member of the NFF Executive Committee and Chairman of the Referees Committee, Alhaji Sharif LMC Rabiu Inuwa set the ball rolling by reminding the auditorium that Nigeria had only one official – an assistant referee – at the ongoing 33rd Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon. “That we could only have one assistant referee at the AFCON is a big indictment on all of us. We are not doing enough as professionals, and we must take this as a big challenge.
“We are proposing that we have a monitoring team for our referees who officiate internationally so that we can have accurate assessment of how they perform and conduct themselves.” Read more
Egypt coach Queiroz hits out at Eto’o for calling AFCON semi-final ‘war’ (Guardian)
Egypt coach Carlos Queiroz hit out at Cameroon legend Samuel Eto’o for sending a “very bad message” after likening Thursday’s Africa Cup of Nations semi-final between the sides to a “war”.
Eto’o, who is now president of Cameroon’s Football Federation, made the comment to his team in a video widely published on social media.
“Prepare yourselves because this is going to be a war,” Eto’o says.
“That is how we need to approach this match. A war! You can’t let this opportunity pass you by.” Read more
Dele Alli says joining Frank Lampard at Everton is a ‘perfect match’ after Tottenham exit (Standard)
Dele Alli is relishing the opportunity to learn from Frank Lampard and believes his move to Everton is a “perfect match”.
Alli moved to Everton on transfer deadline day on a two-and-a-half-year deal and for a fee that could eventually reach £40million.
The 25-year-old decided to move away from Tottenham after slipping down the pecking order and he is hoping to reignite his career at Everton.
In particular, Alli is excited to learn from Everton manager Lampard, who established himself as one of the best goalscoring midfielders in the Premier League during his playing days. Read more
West Brom sack Valerien Ismael after seven months in charge (TheAthletic)
West Bromwich Albion have sacked head coach Valerien Ismael after seven months.
Ismael’s last game in charge saw West Brom lose 2-0 to Millwall, ending their four-game loss streak in all competitions.
A West Brom statement said: “West Bromwich Albion Football Club can confirm Valerien Ismael has today left his position as head coach.
“Assistant head coach Adam Murray has also departed The Hawthorns. Read more
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Barcelona confirm signing on free transfer (BBC)
Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer from Arsenal.
The 32-year-old Gabon striker signed a contract on Monday evening although it was not announced until Wednesday.
Aubameyang’s deal runs until 30 June 2025 and includes an option to agree a departure in June 2023, plus a buyout clause of 100 million euros (£83.4m).
Barcelona feared the move was dead at one point on transfer deadline day despite Aubameyang flying to Spain. Read more
Lee Westwood: Asian Tour now seen as a threat; signs NDA about Saudi-backed breakaway league (Sky)
Former world No 1 Lee Westwood believes players from other tours will see the big-money investment into the Asian Tour as a threat to the sport.
The Asian Tour is undergoing a major overhaul thanks to a $300m investment by LIV Golf Investments, fronted by Greg Norman and backed by the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), with a 10-event International Series including an England-based tournament for the first time.
The tournament also has the Saudi International as its flagship event, previously part of the DP World Tour, where massive appearances fees have helped attract a world-class field to Royal Greens Golf and Country Club.
Westwood has signed a non-disclosure agreement about any possible participation in any proposed Super Golf League (SGL), while Dustin Johnson said he is “not allowed to disclose” whether or not he has received a multi-million-pound offer to contest the Saudi-backed breakaway circuit. Read more
Jaylen Brown could reportedly ‘seek a move’ this offseason if things don’t improve with Celtics (CBS)
It appears the Celtics are finally turning things around, playing the brand of basketball the team has wanted all season. So now would be a great time for another report to surface about breaking up the team’s promising young duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
This latest breakup won’t happen at the trade deadline next week, but in the offseason around the draft. And it could come at the request of Brown.
Steve Bulpett, now at Heavy.com after a long stint as a Celtics beat reporter, wrote Tuesday that multiple sources have told him that “absent the team getting its act together and playing more to its potential, Brown could be the one to acknowledge that the mix isn’t right and seek a move.”
The Celtics are not shopping Brown ahead of the Feb. 10 trade deadline, but they are listening to all offers coming their way. Boston, sitting two games above .500 and in the play-in section of the East standings, isn’t really in a position to hang up on anyone, and should be taking all calls just in case anything appealing crosses Brad Stevens’ desk. Read more
Roger Federer to wait for injury update in April (Eurosport)
Roger Federer is still aiming to make a comeback to tennis – but says he won’t know whether it’s possible until April.
The Swiss star has been out of the game since August 2021 after deciding to undergo surgery on a long-standing knee problem.
Despite saying at the time that he wanted to try and return, there have been precious few updates from the 40-year-old’s camp.
But on Wednesday, Federer appeared on a video call with Credit Suisse – part of the firm’s 2022 Latin American Investment Conference – to share where he was with his recovery. Read more