Man hit by Lagos ambulance driver seeks medical help from Sanwo-Olu (Guardian)
A 29-year-old man, Mr Ismaila Bakare, who was knocked down on March 13, 2021 by an Ajah General Hospital ambulance has appealed to Lagos State government for medical assistance.
The driver, who was said to be on the wrong way around 6:00pm, hit Ismaila on his way home from Lekki Phase 1 roundabout. He was said to have rushed Ismaila to Lagos Island General Hospital, where he allegedly abandoned him.
The nurse in charge, Okunsanya Funmi, told The Guardian that as at Sunday, March 14, only one drip and an injection had been administered on Ismaila. Read more
4 remanded for impersonating Lagos environmental officers (Punch)
Four men, who allegedly impersonated officials of the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources officials, have been remanded in a custodial centre by the state mobile court.
It was gathered that the suspects, Afolayan Nurudeen, Fowowe Oluseyi, Kayode Olaleye and Muibi Babatunde, allegedly used fake documents to extort money from unsuspecting members of the public.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the ministry had received complaints from the public on the activities of some men who usually extorted money from them under the pretext of enforcing sanitation laws in different parts of the state.
According to the Director of Public Affairs of the ministry, Kunle Adeshina, the complaints prompted the ministry to liaise with officials of the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps to be on surveillance for the suspects, who had been operating in the Orile Iganmu area before they were apprehended. Read more
NDLEA intercepts 200kg of hard drugs at Lagos, Abuja, Kano airports (ThisDay)
Attempts by some defiant traffickers to export hard drugs through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano have been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), who seized 200 kilogrammes of the illicit substances from them.
Spokesman of the NDLEA, Mr. Femi Babafemi said in a statement yesterday that at the Lagos airport, a 41-year-old Adewuyi Olayinka was arrested while trying to export 650 grammes of cocaine wrapped in two parcels to the United Kingdom through the SAHCO export shed of the MMIA cargo, Ikeja.
The statement quoted the Commander, MMIA Command of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Garba, as saying that the drug was concealed in dry local pepper and herbal concoction popularly called ‘agbo’
In the same vein, 107 kilogrammes of hard drug suspected to be Khat has been seized at the cargo shed of the Kano airport while being exported to Canada. According to the Acting Commander, MAKIA Command of the NDLEA, Mr. Mohammed Ajiya, “the drug, which weighed 107kilogrammes was concealed in golden colour nylon bags covered with textile materials and labelled tea with a view to deceive and mislead our officers. Read more
NBC inspects equipment in Lagos ahead of digital switchover (Guardian)
In preparation to fully transit Lagos from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting on April 29, Acting Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, has inspected the equipment on ground in the state.
Idachaba, who was in Lagos at the weekend, commended ITS Ltd and their partners, StarTimes, for putting in place the required transmitters, calling for more efforts to ensure success of the transition.
Speaking after inspecting digital transmitters at Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Channel 10, Tejuosho, Lagos, Idachaba said the country hoped to complete the digital rollout by 2022. Read more
Herbalist, artisan arrested for allegedly killing Ogun housewife for ritual (Punch)
Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 29-year-old herbalist, Baoku Gbuyi, and a 27-year-old bricklayer, Olamide Odulaja, for allegedly killing a housewife, Modupeola Folorunsho, and her four-year-old son, Peter, for a money-making ritual.
The suspects were arrested following a report by the head of the family, Abiola Folorunsho, that his wife and son were missing.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Oyeyemi said the bereaved husband lodged a complaint at the Ijebu-Igbo divisional police headquarters last week Sunday. Read more
Rage over attack on Ortom (Nation)
There was uproar Sunday over the weekend attack on Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom by bandits.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the Northern Governors’ Forum, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other groups condemned the attack, urging the police to track down the criminals.
Police Inspector General Muhammed Adamu has dispatched a team of policemen and officers from the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to Makurdi, the state capital, to investigate the incident and arrest those behind it.
He also directed the Benue State Police Commissioner, Audu Madaki, to strengthen security around the governor and throughout the state. Read more
Anglican Church vows not to compromise faith over use of hijab in Kwara (ThisDay)
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) Ecclesiastical Province of Kwara has vowed not to compromise its faith or trade away its heritage as a result of the current intimidation and harassment over the use of Hijab in Christian missionaries’ schools in the state.
The church, during the weekend, also aligned with state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) over the total rejection of wearing of Hijab in missionaries’ schools in the state.
A statement issued in Ilorin and signed by Archbishop, Most Revd. Israel Anoo, stated that “the use of Hijab has negated their belief and doctrinal principles on which the schools were founded in the first place.
“These schools have been in existence for many years. We even learn on good authority that the incumbent Executive Governor of Kwara State, Mr. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, attended one of them. Read more
Baptists protest wearing of hijab in mission schools (Nation)
Members of the Kwara State Baptist Conference on Sunday protested peacefully in Ilorin against hijab-wearing in grant-aided mission schools.
The protest was held on the premises of the conference headquarters in Surulere, Ilorin.
The protesters carried placards such as ‘No hijab in Baptist schools and other mission schools’, ‘Give us back our schools’, ‘Let peace reign in the state of harmony’, ‘No religious violence in Kwara’.
The conference President, Rev Dr. Victor Dada, said: “For emphasis sake, we want to reiterate that under no circumstances will we allow the wearing of hijab in our schools. The schools are our heritage and a legacy bequeathed to us by our forefathers. Read more
Court sentences fake medical doctor to 54-year jail term (Guardian)
A medical practitioner with the Adamawa State Hospital Service Management Board (HSMB), Ibrahim Mustapha, has been sentenced to 54-year imprisonment by Yola High Court in Adamawa State for allegedly practicing with fake documents.
Justice Nathan Musa also ordered the court registry to auction the man’s property and the money realised be remitted into the state central treasury.
It was gathered the Department of State Services (DSS) had, in 2019, arraigned the convict for securing employment with fake documents. Read more
“Arrow” actress Katie Cassidy auctioning off digital nude art for $18k (PageSix)
Arrow actress Katie Cassidy is taking the art world by storm with a series of digital nude artworks —where she is seen naked and covered in black and white paint.
Following her divorce and the end of her hit CW show, Cassidy is the first celebrity to put nude artworks of herself on the rapidly emerging NFT digital art market.
The 34-year-old actress — who is the daughter of the late “Partridge Family” star David Cassidy — is auctioning the photos of herself, shot by celebrity photographers The Riker Brothers, on NFT marketplace Opensea.ie at a starting price of $18,000 per image.
Her collection, called “ME. SHE. WE.,” is dedicated to empowering women and describe how she learned to love herself again following divorce and the end of “Arrow.” Read more
Boy George says being in prison was ‘life-changing’ experience (Metro)
Boy George has reflected on his experience of being in prison and admits, at first, he thought being incarcerated would have ‘finished him off’. The Culture Club singer, 59, was sentenced to 15-months in prison in 2009 for falsely imprisoning a male escort. George – real name George Alan O’Dowd – was released early after serving four months of his sentence and now says, looking back, his time in prison was a ‘life-changing’ experience. ‘I always maintained that jail would finish me off, but it didn’t. You somehow find the strength,’ he revealed in an interview with Reader’s Digest magazine. Read more
Australia floods: Thousands evacuated as downpours worsen (BBC)
Thousands of Australians have been evacuated or rescued from flooding across Sydney as heavy rain continues to batter the east coast.
Days of torrential downpours have caused rivers and dams to overflow across New South Wales (NSW) and south-east Queensland, damaging large areas.
Officials say the “one-in-a 50-year event” may continue all week and have urged the public to exercise caution.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has offered funds for those forced to flee. Read more
9-year-old boy hospitalised after Miami Beach shark attack (NYPost)
A 9-year-old boy vacationing in Miami Beach was reportedly bitten by a shark while swimming in the ocean on Sunday.
The youngster’s mother told Local 10 News her son in the water for just a few minutes before he was bit.
The child was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital where he may have to undergo skin graft surgery, his mother told the news station.
The family was visiting Florida from Minnesota, the report said. Read more
2 men who raped mother in front of her children sentenced to death (Metro)
Two men have been sentenced to death for raping a woman in front of her children in Pakistan. Abid Malhi and Shafqat Ali found the woman waiting for help beside a motorway in the eastern city of Lahore after her car ran out of fuel. She had locked the car doors but the attackers broke a window and dragged her outside where they raped her at gunpoint in front of her terrified children. The men also stole money, jewellery and bank cards before fleeing. Read more
Turkish lira falls 14% after bank governor sacked (BBC)
Turkey’s currency has tumbled as much as 14% after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sacked the country’s central bank governor over the weekend.
Naci Agbal had been credited as a key force in pulling the lira back from historic lows.
Mr Erdogan replaced him in a surprise move on Saturday, the third central bank governor exit in under two years.
Mr Agbal, appointed in November, had been raising interest rates to fight an inflation rate running above 15%. Read more
Trump will return to social media with own platform ‘in two or three months’, says adviser (RT)
Former President Donald Trump’s exile from social media may soon be over. His adviser, Jason Miller, announced that Trump will launch his own platform in the coming months – a move Miller said would “redefine the game.”
Miller announced the project to Fox News on Sunday, saying that Trump’s platform would be ready for launch in “two or three months.”
Trump was banned from his platform of choice, Twitter, in January. After a crowd of his supporters stormed the US Capitol to protest the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory, Twitter accused Trump of “inciting violence” and permanently removed him from the platform. Every major social media platform soon followed. Read more
Serena Williams withdraws from Miami Open (BBC)
Serena Williams has pulled out of this week’s Miami Open after having oral surgery.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was knocked out of the Australian Open semi-finals by Naomi Osaka in January.
“I am disappointed to withdraw,” said 39-year-old Williams, who has won the Miami Open eight times.
“Miami is a special tournament for me because it’s my home and I am sad I won’t be able to see the incredible fans this year.” Read more
Nets break Wizards hex after scary James Harden moment (NY Post)
The Nets had lost both of their meetings against lowly Washington, including the worst defensive performance in the entire NBA all season. Sunday they broke whatever hex the Wizards had on them.
Brooklyn got back to its winning ways, a 113-106 victory at Barclays Center.
The Nets got typically impressive performances from James Harden (26 points, eight assists, five rebounds) and Kyrie Irving (game-high 28 points, seven boards and six assists), Harden shaking off a collision late in the first half to excel in the second. Newly acquired Blake Griffin made his Nets debut, and even fired up the crowd with his first dunk since December 2019. Read more
Messi celebrates record Barca appearance with two goals in thrashing of Sociedad (BBC)
Lionel Messi celebrated a record-breaking 768th appearance for Barcelona with two goals as the Spanish giants thrashed Real Sociedad 6-1 in La Liga.
The Argentina forward, 33, moved one game clear of former midfielder Xavi’s total as Barca closed the gap on leaders Atletico Madrid to four points.
Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring, Sergino Dest scored twice and Ousmane Dembele also found the net.
Messi has now scored 23 league goals so far this season. Read more
Spike Lee returns to MSG for first time since James Dolan, Knicks war (NYPost)
Spike Lee finally has returned to Celebrity Row at Madison Square Garden after accusing team owner James Dolan and the Knicks of not doing the right thing last season.
The famed director and longtime Knicks fan had said March 3 of last year that he wouldn’t attend any games for the remainder of the season after a tiff with Dolan and Garden security over him using the wrong entrance at a game.
The 64-year-old Oscar winner was in his customary courtside seat more than a half-hour before tipoff of Sunday’s game against the 76ers. A video surfaced online last March of Lee yelling at MSG security and yelling that he was being treated like banned former Knicks star Charles Oakley. In an interview with ESPN the following day, Lee said he was “being harassed by James Dolan and I don’t know why.” Read more
Spurs beat Villa to keep top-four hopes alive (BBC)
Manager Jose Mourinho said it is “sad” Tottenham had to suffer their shock midweek Europa League exit in order to produce the committed performance that saw them secure the victory at Aston Villa which keeps Spurs in the hunt for a top-four Premier League finish.
They were labelled a “disgrace” by captain Hugo Lloris after the 3-0, last-16 second-leg defeat by Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday that saw Spurs throw away a 2-0 aggregate advantage and left their hopes of qualification for next season’s Champions League pinned on their league placing.
But Carlos Vinicius’ opener and Harry Kane’s second-half spot-kick ensured Tottenham made the necessary winning response to climb to sixth in the standings, three points behind Chelsea in fourth.
“OK, I am really happy with that, but it is sad we need such a bad defeat to have this kind of reaction,” Mourinho told BBC Sport. Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts to Fred mistake in Manchester United FA Cup exit to Leicester (Metro)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to criticise Fred for his sloppy error in Manchester United’s FA Cup defeat to Leicester City. Solskjaer’s United went down 3-1 to their Premier League rivals in the quarter-finals of the competition and were far from their best. Goals from Kelechi Iheanacho and Youri Tielemans secured the win for Leicester – who will face Southampton in the semi-finals – with Mason Greenwood scoring a consolation for the Red Devils. Iheanacho’s first goal was an absolute gift from Fred. A sloppy backpass left Dean Henderson stranded as Iheanacho rounded him and tapped into an open goal. Read more
Chelsea fans hail Tuchel revolution as they edge closer to century-old club record (RT)
Chelsea showed more signs of their resilience under Thomas Tuchel as the Blues battled past Sheffield United to book an FA Cup semi-final spot and remain unbeaten in 14 games under their new German boss.
Tuchel’s men were made to fight hard by the Premier League’s bottom side but ultimately got the job done at Stamford Bridge thanks to a first-half own goal from Oliver Norwood – who steered Ben Chilwell’s cross into his own net – and an injury-time strike from Moroccan wing wizard Hakim Ziyech.The visitors had chances through David McGoldrick, who spurned a golden chance to equalize, and Oliver McBurnie, who saw his effort saved by Blues stand-in ‘keeper Kepa Arrizbalaga. Read more