LASTMA apprehend 2 members of ‘‘one chance’’ robbery gang (Guardian)
Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), yesterday, apprehended two suspected members of an armed robbery team (locally referred to as ‘one chance’), at Jubilee Bridge, around the Abule-Egba area of Lagos.
Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment, Adebayo Taofiq, confirmed that the suspects were apprehended alongside their operational vehicle, a ‘T4’ commercial bus (APP 406 YE) at the U-turn area of Abule-Egba.
A third accomplice, who was carrying a Point of Sale (PoS) machine, escaped before the arrival of police officers. Taofiq said: “Preliminary investigations revealed that they were the notorious ‘one-chance’ armed robbery gang terrorising the entire Abule-Egba and environs. Read more
Lagos announces date to close Third Mainland Bridge for repairs (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government said plans have been concluded to commence the repairs of the Third Mainland Bridge by the Federal Ministry of Works with the partial closure of Iyana Oworonshoki- Adeniji Adele bound for the effective work of the entire section of the bridge.
Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, who announced this on Thursday, explained that theclosure is part of the ongoing work that started in November 2023 focusing on fixing the ramps, and now, the remaining parts of the bridge will also be repaired in phases.
According to Osiyemi, “In line with the earlier notifications, the Lagos State Government wishes to remind the motoring public that the repairs of the Third Mainland Bridge by the Federal Ministry of Works will continue with the closure of Iyana Oworonshoki- Adeniji Adele bound for the effective repairs of the entire section of the bridge. Read more
Popular Nollywood Actor, Olofa Ina, is dead (DailyTrust)
Popular Yoruba veteran actor, Chief Adedeji Aderemi, popularly known as Olofa Ina is dead.
Aderemi, who died at 73, had acted in a number of movies and was highly respected in the film industry.
The news of his death was announced by a fellow actor, Saidi Balogun, via his Instagram handle (@SaidiBalogun), Thursday night. Read more
Tinubu celebrates Kano governor, Yusuf, at 61 (Nation)
President Bola Tinubu has felicitated with the Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, as he clocks 61 years of age.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu recognized the governor’s steadfast climb through the political ladder in his state.
“President Bola Tinubu congratulates Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State on his 61st birthday. Read more
Ex-Rivers speaker Ehie withdraws suit against 25 pro-Wike lawmakers (Leadership)
A former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, has withdrawn a suit filed at the Rivers State High Court seeking to stop Rt. Hon. Martins Amaewhule-led faction of the House from sitting and carrying out legislative functions.
Ehie had in a suit marked PHC/3638/CS/2023 instituted in a State High Court in Port Harcourt challenged the sittings and the subsequent legislative activities carried out by the 25 lawmakers after the declaration of their seats vacant.
He filed the suit against 25 Rivers Assembly lawmakers in the wake of the political crisis between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike. Read more
Perishable food market traders protest at Lagos House, seek justice (Vanguard)
The entrance to the Lagos State House of Assembly was barricaded by protesters who are members and traders under the aegis of the Orilowo Perishable Food Market Association for ignoring her petition.
The protest, led by the Centre for Human and Socio-Economic Rights (CHSR), in collaboration with civil society stakeholders, demanded immediate approval of the Orilowo Perishable Food Market located at Plot 705 Adekunle Bus Stop, Ikorodu Road, Agboyi-Ketu LCDA.
President of CHSR, Comr. Alex Omotehinse, said that the market, having fulfilled requirements to operate a market, should be given approval to operate within a recognised market in line with established rules and standards that the association is ready to comply with. Read more
Tacha encourages women to “date at least 3 guys” (Guardian)
In a video shared on her X account, Big Brother Naija star Anita Natacha Akide, widely known as Tacha, offers unconventional advice to women, suggesting that dating multiple men simultaneously increases the likelihood of receiving a ring.
The reality TV star encourages women not to limit themselves and to explore their options in the dating world.
Tacha states in the video, “If you want that ring sis, date at least three guys. If Martins doesn’t pop the question, Easy would, and if Easy does not ask the question, Femi would.” Her advice challenges traditional norms about dating and suggests that having multiple suitors may lead to a more favorable outcome. Read more
Plateau killings: Northern governors hail FG’s intervention (Punch)
The Northern Governors’ Forum on Thursday said it is pleased with President Bola Tinubu’s intervention to prevent a recurrence of the killings in Plateau and Kaduna states.
The chairman of the Forum, Governor Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, also thanked the administration for providing support and relief materials to the survivors and families of the slain.
Yahaya, who spoke to State House correspondents in Hausa Language, revealed the forum’s position after closed-door talks with the President at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Read more
Kate Hudson has been writing music her “whole life’’ (MusicNews)
Kate Hudson has shared that she has been writing music her “whole life” but “never shared it”.
During an appearance on Today, which aired on Thursday, the actress opened up about her dream of releasing music.
Kate, 44, first teased an album release a year ago, however, no details have been revealed so far.
“I’ve just been writing music my whole life and I’ve never shared it, and so I just thought maybe I have to do that,” she explained. Read more
Spice Girls to feature on commemorative set of stamps for 30th anniversary (BBC)
If you really, really want a Spice Girls stamp, then you’re in luck.
Royal Mail is issuing a set of 15 stamps celebrating one of the world’s most successful pop groups, as they mark their 30th anniversary.
It is the first time Royal Mail has dedicated an entire stamp issue to a female pop group.
The Spice Girls said they never could have dreamed of that happening when they first formed, adding: “That’s Girl Power!” Read more
DDG trolls fans by ‘finally’ introducing his daughter amid Halle Bailey pregnancy rumours (HipHopDx)
DDG seems to have had enough of fans, followers and media outlets probing him about secretly fathering a child with Halle Bailey, and he has now clapped back by leaning into the speculation.
On Wednesday (January 3), the 26-year-old took to Snapchat and shared a series of mirror selfies of himself holding his “daughter.”
In the first shot, he could be seen holding a baby doll, which he captioned: “FINALLY SHOWING MY DAUGHTER.” In the next two, he held an actual child, albeit a young toddler, writing “SHES FINALLY HERE” and “FINALLY REVEALING HER.” Read more
Transgender woman is disqualified from Ohio House race for not using her former name (NBC)
A transgender woman said she was disqualified from running for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives because she did not disclose her former name.
Vanessa Joy, 42, a former real estate photographer, had hoped to run as a Democrat and represent Ohio House District 50. That hope came to a premature end when she failed to include her former name, or what’s sometimes referred to as a “deadname,” the name a trans person was given at birth and no longer uses after their gender transition.
Ohio law requires people running for political office who have changed their name within the last five years to include their former names on candidacy petitions. The law exempts people who have changed their name because of marriage, but it does not mention exemptions for trans people who have changed their names. Joy said she was unaware of the law until her disqualification. Read more
French booze-free January falls flat with Macron government (BBC)
France’s President Emmanuel Macron has been accused of caving in to the wine lobby by failing to lend his weight to an alcohol-free “Dry January”.
Fifty specialists on addiction wrote an open letter this week, lamenting the lack of government support for the post-festivity no-drinks campaign.
“Our confidence in the government to carry out a coherent and determined policy against alcoholism is seriously compromised,” the doctors wrote. Read more
Glynis Johns, Mary Poppins star and Tony Award winner, dead at 100 (People)
Glynis Johns, the Academy Award-nominated actor who costarred with Julie Andrews in the classic 1964 film Mary Poppins as Winifred Banks, has died. She was 100.
Her manager, Mitch Clem, told Variety Johns died Thursday at an assisted living facility in Los Angeles of natural causes.
“Glynis powered her way through life with intelligence, wit, and a love for performance, affecting millions of lives,” Clem said in a statement. “She entered my life early in my career and set a very high bar on how to navigate this industry with grace, class, and truth. Your own truth. Her light shined very brightly for 100 years.” Read more
King Charles told he must urgently ‘cut all ties’ with Prince Andrew after Jeffrey Epstein update (Mirror)
Source says there is ‘no way back’ for the disgraced Duke of York as he was named in legal files concerning his former friend Jeffrey Epstein and his lover, sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell
The King is facing renewed calls to ban Prince Andrew from all royal gatherings due to his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
A source said yesterday there is “no way back” for Andrew. The disgraced Duke of York is once again at the centre of the story after he was named in legal files concerning his former friend and Epstein’s lover, sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell. Royal sources say King Charles is faced with making a dramatic U-turn on his decision to order his family to fall in line and welcome his brother back into the fold. Read more
Eagles AFCON squad not balanced – Sodje (Punch)
Former Nigeria defender, Sam Sodje, has said that the Super Eagles need to work on their defending, adding that they will need a solid backline to win the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Sodje claimed that head coach Jose Peseiro named an imbalanced Eagles squad for the AFCON tournament scheduled to hold from January 13 to February 11 in Ivory Coast.
The Portuguese gaffer invited 25 players to camp to prepare for the tournament, which starts in eight days. Read more
Leicester’s Iheanacho to join Nigeria for AFCON despite injury scare (Channels)
Injured striker Kelechi Iheanacho will next week join the rest of the Nigeria squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, according to the Nigeria football federation president on Thursday.
Leicester City star Iheanacho is nursing a muscular injury, but the NFF president Ibrahim Gusau said the player was recovering well.
“I have spoken to Iheanacho, he’s recovering fast and has even started running,” Gusau told reporters. Read more
PSG’s Mbappe undecided on club future as contract winds down (Aljazeera)
Paris St Germain forward Kylian Mbappe says he has not made up his mind about where he will play next season as his contract enters its final six months.
Mbappe said last year he would not renew his contract at PSG, which expires at the end of the 2023-24 season when he could leave Paris for free.
The France captain, who has long been linked with a move to Real Madrid, is now free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a new club. Read more
One of Mikel Arteta’s summer signings is now more expensive than Kylian Mbappe, not rice (HitC)
Arsenal have finally got a side of title-winning quality again – which has not been the case over the years.
The Gunners have always seemed to lack world-class talent that could get you over the line in the Premier League season. Don’t get us wrong, they’ve had fantastic players, but not what the likes of some of the current squad possess at the moment.
You have Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and William Saliba – all fantastic assets to the North London side. Read more
Giannis and LeBron lead early voting for NBA All-Star Game (France24)
Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James lead the first fan voting results for next month’s NBA All-Star Game in balloting revealed on Thursday.
Greek big man Antetokounmpo had the overall lead at 2,171,812 votes to pace the Eastern Conference frontcourt while James was next on 2,008,645 to lead the Western Conference frontcourt.
Starters for the 73rd edition of the annual showdown of elite talent will be determined by a formula that includes 50% fan voting and 25% each from NBA players and a media panel. Read more
Oscar Pistorius to be released on parole – 11 years after murdering girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (Sky)
Former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius will be released from prison on Friday, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend.
Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine’s Day 2013 at his home in Pretoria, South Africa.
He said he fired his gun through a bathroom door after mistaking her for an intruder in the early hours.
The decision to grant the 37-year-old parole was made in November. Read more
