Lekki shooting: Two men ask court to disband Lagos Judicial Panel (Nation)
Two men have asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to disband the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS related abuses in Lagos State and Lekki Toll Gate incident.
They prayed the court to declare that Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu was a party in the matter and cannot set up a panel to investigate itself.
The Plaintiffs in the case – Adekunle Augustine and Semion Akogwu – argued that he who pays the piper dictates the tune and because of this, the outcome of the panel will be in favour of the state.
They filed the November 11, 2020 suit marked FHC/L/CS/1572/20 through their counsel, Samuel Adama. Read more
Lagos command tries 81 policemen, dismisses 10 for murder, corruption (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed 10 policemen and reduced the rank of 18 others for gross indiscipline.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Wednesday, said the policemen were tried for different offences, including murder, discreditable conducts, abuse of power, corrupt practices and negligence.
He stated that the personnel were tried in orderly room proceedings conducted at various locations in the state, adding that no fewer than 81 personnel were affected. Read more
Court orders permanent forfeiture of 31 vehicles to Lagos govt (Guardian)
The Lagos Mobile Court has ordered permanent forfeiture of d 31 vehicles to the state government for contravening the Traffic Laws.
The Chairman of the Lagos State Environment and Special Offences, CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi, issued the order after the drivers pleaded guilty.
He held that the 31 defendants pleaded guilty to the one-way traffic offence they were charged with.
“These 31 drivers were charged with driving in the direction prohibited by Law punishable under Part (III) item 27 of the ‘Lagos State Transport Sector Reformed Law of 2018. Read more
Man ‘kills, buries’ lover in Lagos (Nation)
Operatives of the Lagos Police Command have arrested 29-year-old, Segun Titilayo, for allegedly killing, burying his lover.
The deceased, Oritoke Manni, 26, who was a bar attendant at KC Hotel, Apakin Town, Lekki, was declared missing last month after she was said to have gone to Titilayo’s house.
The Nation gathered that Titilayo allegedly called Manni to come to his 29, Otulu Town, Lekki residence but never returned.
Following her disappearance, a missing person report was made at the police and a search commenced with no trace of her until November 7 when her decomposing body was excavated by a Caterpillar at Adron Homes construction site in Otulu. Read more
Obaseki, Shaibu sworn in for second term (Punch)
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, have been sworn in for a second term in office.
The Oath of Office was administered around 12 noon by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Esther Edigin.
In attendance at the inauguration which took place on Thursday at the Tennis Court of the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, were governors of the Peoples Democratic Party including Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, and Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State. Read more
Court orders Toke Makinwa to pay ex-lover N1m for defamation (Nation)
A Lagos High Court at the Tafawa Balewa Square has ordered On Air Personality (OAP) Toke Makinwa to pay ex-lover and fitness entrepreneur Maje Ayida N1 million for defamation.
Justice Olukayode Ogunjobi gave Makinwa and her publisher 30 days to delete the said defamatory words from unsold copies of the book in their custody. Read more
AGN appoints Sam Dede head of disciplinary committee (Punch)
The Actors Guild of Nigeria has appointed veteran Nollywood actor, Sam Dede, as the Chairman of its Disciplinary-Committee. The guild’s Director of Communications, Monalisa Chinda-Coker, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
According to her, the disciplinary committee is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring law and order in the AGN and to ensure that actors uphold ethical standards.
Chinda-Coker listed other members of the committee and they include; Lilian Amah-Aluko, Tricia Esigbe, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Adigizi Bala, Clarion Chukwura and Funsho Adeolu. Read more
Sokoto state govt. expends N232m on Solar power mini grid – ministry (Guardian)
Sokoto State government says it has spent N232 million to install 60kw Solar power mini-grid for security light, hospital, Mosques and local government Secretariat in Sabon Birni local government area of the state.
Alhaji Sani Ahmad, the Director Planning, Ministry for Local government, made the disclosure while briefing the State House of Assembly Committee on Local Government Affairs at Sabon Birni LGA on Wednesday.
The Committee, led by its Chairman, Alhaji Habibu Modachi (PDP-Isa), was at the site of the 60 kw Solar power mini-grid, as part of its oversight of projects executed by the Ministry across the state. Read more
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie voted best Women’s Prize for Fiction winner (BBC)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel Half of a Yellow Sun has been voted the best book to have won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in its 25-year history.
The Nigerian-born author, who won the prize in 2007, was chosen in a public vote from a list of all 25 winners.
Other past winners include Zadie Smith, the late Andrea Levy, Lionel Shriver, Rose Tremain and Maggie O’Farrell.
The one-off award marks the anniversary of the prize, formerly known as the Orange Prize and the Bailey’s Prize.
Half of a Yellow Sun is set in Nigeria during the Biafran War, exploring the end of colonialism, ethnic allegiances, class, race and female empowerment. Published in 2006, it has received global acclaim. Read More
Nurse charged in murder of eight babies (NYPost)
A British nurse was charged in the murder of eight babies and attempted murder of 10 others after being arrested for the third time in connection with the horrific crimes at a hospital’s neonatal unit since 2016, according to reports.
Lucy Letby, 30, who worked at the Countess of Chester Hospital, was arrested after a three-year probe that was launched after the facility raised an alarm about the large number of deaths there between March 2015 and July 2016, the Sun reported.
The hospital in Cheshire, southeast of Liverpool, conducted an internal. Read more
Biden’s foreign policy will be similar to Obama’s, says Lavrov (AlJazeera)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he believes US foreign policy under Joe Biden would be similar to that seen under President Barack Obama, especially on Iran and climate change.
US-Russia ties under Obama were strained, in part due to US sanctions imposed on Russia over its annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine.
Lavrov in 2017 described the ex-president’s administration as “small-hearted and revengeful … They put this time bomb in US-Russia relations. I didn’t expect that from a Nobel Peace Prize winner.” Read more
China condemns defiant Hong Kong opposition lawmakers (BBC)
The Chinese government has condemned the mass resignation of most of Hong Kong’s opposition from parliament as an “open challenge” to its authority.
Nearly all pro-democracy lawmakers quit in protest after four of their colleagues were deemed threats to national security and dismissed.
Many see Hong Kong’s limited democracy as now being in its death throes.
The UK government has accused China of breaching its commitments to protect Hong Kong’s autonomy. Read more
Google Photos to end free unlimited storage in 2021 (Metro)
Google has announced it will be ending unlimited free storage on Google Photos next year.
From June 2021, any photos or videos you upload to the service will count against the 15GB storage limit that Google gives each account holder.
Any photos uploaded before June 1, 2021 will continue to be hosted as normal. The reason for the change is pretty simple: people upload a lot of photos to Google’s servers and the tech giant doesn’t reckon you should get it for free. Read more
Chris Brown joins OnlyFans (PageSix)
Chris Brown has joined OnlyFans.
The singer will offer up subscription-only content for $20 per month, he announced Wednesday night with a series of eye emojis and a link to his page.
It’s yet to be seen if the 31-year-old will splash out any NSFW content on the mostly racy adult content platform — like fellow “Teen Wolf” star Tyler Posey did when he joined.
Several other celebs have also made waves on the platform, most notably big earner Bella Thorne, who caught the ire of sex worker members when she joined.
Page Six has reached out to a rep for OnlyFans for further details on Brown’s account. Read more
Kate Winslet reacts to breaking Tom Cruise’s underwater record in Avatar (Metro)
Kate Winslet is oh-so humble about breaking Tom Cruise’s record for holding her breath underwater.
It recently emerged that the Titanic actress managed to hold her breath for the grand total of seven minutes and 14 seconds while filming a scene for the upcoming Avatar 2 movie. The record had previously been set by Tom who held his breath for six minutes during Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. However, Kate was more surprised that her record-breaking feat had been made public rather than the actual achievement in itself. Read more
Nigeria great Emmanuel Amuneke refuses to give up on job in Europe (BBC)
Former Nigeria international Emmanuel Amuneke says he will continue to put himself forward for coaching jobs in Europe despite being overlooked by Spanish clubs in the past.
The 49-year-old, who last year led Tanzania to their first Africa Cup of Nations since 1980, is seeking a return to management after leaving his role at Egyptian side Misr El-Makkasa.
He also led Nigeria to the 2015 Under-17 World Cup in Chile while as player he won Olympic Gold in 1996, which came two years after winning the Africa Cup of Nations, playing at the World Cup and being named African Footballer of the Year. Read more
Eagles won’t underrate Leone Stars – Rohr (Punch)
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has promised that the Leone Stars will not be taken lightly when they both clash in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, on Friday, The PUNCH reports.
The Group L leaders Nigeria will qualify for the next AFCON tournament should they win both games against Sierra Leone.
The Eagles currently lead Group L with six points from their opening two games three ahead of second-placed Benin Republic who square up to Lesotho and Rohr expect his players to conform to style and taste. Read more
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy makes superb save in Senegal’s win over Guinea-Bissau (Metro)
Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy extended his clean sheet record this season by producing an impressive save in Senegal’s 2-0 victory over Guinea-Bissau. The 28-year-old has kept six clean sheets in eight appearances since joining Chelsea in a £22 million deal from Rennes in September. And in doing so, Mendy became the first Chelsea goalkeeper since Petr Cech in 2004 to keep a clean sheet in his first three Premier League starts. Mendy has now continued his impressive form with Senegal in their latest Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Read more
Tokyo Olympics athletes won’t face 14-day quarantine: Organisers (AlJazeera)
Athletes arriving in Tokyo for next year’s Olympic Games, postponed from 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be exempt from the 14-day quarantine period Japan has imposed on everyone arriving from overseas to help stop the virus spreading.
Olympic organisers said on Thursday details still need to be worked out, but measures for athletes are likely to include coronavirus testing within 72 hours before arriving in Japan.
But they warned that decisions on spectators from overseas have yet to be made, saying a 14-day quarantine was “impossible”. Read more
Tim Henman rates Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s ATP Finals chances (Metro)
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s names will come out of the hat one final time ahead of the ATP Finals in London in what will be, in many ways, a desperately disappointing finish to the most successful indoor tennis event of all time. There will be no raucous atmosphere generated by an 18,000-strong crowd inside the O2 Arena in 2020. No fans are allowed on site as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It won’t be the send-off that this tournament – which London has successfully hosted since 2009 but will move to Turin in 2021 – deserves but it is at least going ahead. Read more
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez out for ‘significant part’ of season after surgery (BBC)
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has had surgery on a knee injury and is “likely” to miss a “significant part” of the rest of season, the club says.
Gomez was injured on Wednesday while training with England before Thursday’s friendly with the Republic of Ireland.
The 23-year-old’s club said he had undergone “successful” surgery to repair a tendon in his left knee.
The Reds are already without fellow centre-back Virgil van Dijk because of a long-term knee ligament injury. Read more