Man stabbed to death by daughter’s lover (Vanguard)
There was confusion in Otu -Jeremi, headquarters of Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State, Wednesday night,as a man was reportedly stabbed to death by his daughter’s lover.
It was gathered that trouble started when the deceased whose identity could not be ascertained at press time, returned home from a journey and found the suspect simply identified as Paul, in a romantic mood with his daughter.
“In the process of asking what was going on, an argument broke out and they started to fight.
“As they were fighting, the suspect stabbed the man with a broken bottle. The man died before he could get help,” a source said.
Contacted, Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Mr. Bright Edafe confirmed the arrest.
He however, said: “The suspect went to a lady’s house. He claimed he heard a child crying, so he went there to carry the child when the deceased came and said ‘what are you doing with this child?’ Read more
NDLEA grills socialite, Obi Cubana, for alleged drug links (Punch)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Thursday grilled socialite, Obi Iyiegbu, popularly known as Obi Cubana, for his alleged link to the illegal narcotic business, The PUNCH has learnt.
The PUNCH reports that Iyiegbu, who is the Chairman, Cubana group of companies, was grilled for about five hours at the Abuja headquarters of the NDLEA before he was granted bail and asked to return at a future date.
Impeccable sources told our correspondent that suspicious payments were made into Cubana’s account by three convicted drug dealers from Malaysia, Nigeria and India.
Operatives of the NDLEA and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have now widened the probe into Cubana and his business network based on the premise that he may be involved in the drug business. Read more
President, Sanwo-Olu, Abiodun, Buni visit Shonekan’s family in Lagos (Nation)
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday visited the Lagos home of the late Head of Interim National Government (ING) following the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Ernest Shonekan, to commiserate with the deceased’s family.
The President was accompanied to the Lugard Avenue, Ikoyi home of the Shonekans by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his Ogun and Yobe states’ counterparts, Prince Dapo Abiodun and Mai Mala Buni.
He and his entourage arrived at Shonekans’ house around 4.40 p.m and were received by members of the family.
President Buhari, who was on a one-day visit to Ogun State to inaugurate some projects executed by the Abiodun administration, stopped in Lagos on his way to Abuja and spent some time to commiserate with the late Shonekan’s family. Read more
Govt arrests 12 for trading on pedestrian bridges (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has arrested 12 persons for illegal trading and loitering on pedestrian bridges in Oshodi and Ladipo areas of the state.
The Corps Marshal, Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps, Gbemisola Akinpelu, said this in a statement on Thursday.
Akinpelu was quoted to have said this at the command headquarter of the agency in Bolade-Oshodi after she led a team on an operation.
She said, “The government constructed the pedestrian bridges strategically across major highways in the state to assist residents in safe crossing along highways in order to reduce accidents as well as enhance the free flow of traffic on Lagos roads. Read more
Recruitment: NSCDC Shortlists 5,000 Out Of 1.5m Applicants (DailyTrust)
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has shortlisted 5,000 out of the nearly 1.5 million job applicants.
The development comes two years after the corps began the process to recruit Nigerians into to the service.
The Commandant General of the Corps, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, said this at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday,
He said accreditation and documentation will begin on January 31, 2022.
Audi said, “We are here to brief Nigerians on the outcome of the recruitment process we started in 2019. Actually, the recruitment exercise started in 2019 and when the portal was opened, a total of 1,477,042 applicants filed for this vacancy
“Out of this figure, the board requested for an update of applicants’ information in March 2020 and out of which 217,000 responded. Read more
‘Why we upgraded our alma mater’s Biology lab, donated books and more’ (Vanguard)
The Chairman, set of 1979/84 set of Lagos Baptist Senior Secondary School, Orile-Agege, Dr. Aina Odusola, has stated that the refurbishing of the Biology laboratory, donation of textbooks to the school library and the laying of foundation for equipping of ICT library were aimed at giving back to their alma mater that made them who they are.
The highpoint of the commissioning on Wednesday at the school premises was the announcement by Dr. Odusola of scholarship awards to two students to study Medicine and Law in any university in Nigeria.
According to the alumni chairman: “Today is a special day as my set, 1979/1984 is giving back to their alma mater for setting the base of what we are today.
“We can’t leave everything to the government or the ministry of education, MOE. Read more
Twitter users intensify civic engagement, accountability as service is restored (Guardian)
With the lifting of the seven months ban on micro blogging platform, Twitter, yesterday, by the Federal Government, many government agencies, parastatals, corporate Nigeria and users returned to the platform amid intensified calls for accountability and civic engagements.
In the 222 days of Twitter ban, especially from June 5, 2021, when the suspension became effective, many users of the platform have been unable to express displeasure or call out sub-par services rendered by some government agencies and corporate entities.
With the return of Twitter, many users are hoping to explore the platform to address issues of poor customer service and also to demand government accountability.
This is even as more reactions continued to trail the lifting of the suspension as announced in a statement signed by the Chairman Technical Committee, Nigeria-Twitter Engagement and Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi. Read more
Bayelsa to organise State Burial for first African Harvard Graduate (Leadership)
The governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has said that the state government will organise a state burial for the late Ambassador Baraebibai Ekpebu.
Ekpebu, a former Nigerian Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, died at the age of 90 at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital on January 2, 2021.
The deceased, who was the first African to graduate from the prestigious Harvard University in the United States, also attended Princeton University.
He hailed from Okoloba Community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area. Read more
Abuja court orders interim forfeiture of N110.4m traced to primary school teacher (Guardian)
Justice D. Okorowa of a Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday, ordered an interim forfeiture of N110.4 million traced to the bank accounts of one James Erebuoye and seven others for allegedly being proceeds of crime.
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), had in an ex-parte motion filed by its counsel, Raheem Adesina, prayed the court for an order of interim forfeiture of a Toyota Lexus SUV, a Toyota Venza car and an Ipad device.
ICPC’s spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, in a statement, yesterday, said the properties were seized by the commission from Erebuoye and his accomplices, who were alleged to have benefitted from over N500 million illicit fund stashed in the account of a primary school teacher, Mrs. Roseline Uche Egbuha.
Egbuha, who teaches at Ozala Primary School, Abagana, Anambra State, was arrested in June 2020 by the commission for allegedly laundering N550 million. Read more
UK’s Prince Andrew stripped of military roles, use of HRH title (AlJazeera)
Britain’s Royal Family has stripped Prince Andrew of his military roles and royal patronages and said he will no longer be known as “His Royal Highness”, as the second son of the Queen fights a lawsuit in the United States in which he is accused of sexual abuse.
The 61-year-old Duke of York was forced to step down from public duties in 2019 because of his connections to convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and after a disastrous interview on the BBC’s flagship current affairs programme, which he had hoped would clear his name.
“With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” a Buckingham Palace statement said on Thursday.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.” Read more
Jasmine Guy calls Bill Cosby scandal ‘heartbreaking’ for the black community (PageSix)
The pain caused by Bill Cosby’s public fall from grace is still fresh for many figures from his past — including “A Different World” actress Jasmine Guy.
Guy — who had a starring role on the “Cosby Show” spinoff — tears up when talking to Page Six about the comedian’s downfall, saying she struggled to believe the allegations at first.
“I couldn’t really put the two images together,” Guy says.
“It’s heartbreaking for those of us in the business that admire him, his talent and his mind — and then as a black person it’s heartbreaking because he meant a lot to the community.”
Accusations of drugging and sexually assaulting women had racked up against Cosby for years, but it took a joke by comedian Hannibal Burress going viral in 2014 to bring fresh eyes to the cases. Read more
Zendaya honours late Ronnie Spector, hopes to make her ‘proud’ in biopic (PageSix)
Zendaya, who will be starring as the late Ronnie Spector in an upcoming biopic, posted a heartfelt tribute to the singer on Instagram following the news of her death on Wednesday.
“This news just breaks my heart. To speak about her as if she’s not with us feels strange as she is so incredibly full of life,” the “Euphoria” star wrote. “There’s not a time I saw her without her iconic red lips and full teased hair, a true rockstar through and through.”
Zendaya, 25, expressed how grateful she was to have had the opportunity to know the “Be My Baby” singer.
“Ronnie, being able to know you has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” she wrote. “Thank you for sharing your life with me, I could listen to your stories for hours and hours. Thank you for your unmeasured talent, your unwavering love for performing, your strength, resilience and your grace.”
She continued, “There is absolutely nothing that could dim the light you cast. I admire you so much and am so grateful for the bond we share. You are a magical force of greatness and the world of music will never be the same.” Read more
Bachelorette alum Clint Arlis dead at 34, Nick Viall pays tribute: ‘Taken Far Too Soon’ (People)
Bachelor Nation is mourning the death of Bachelorette contestant Clint Arlis. He was 34.
The architectural engineer’s death was announced Thursday on Twitter by his high school wrestling coach Scott Bayer of Batavia, Illinois, who shared some memories of the Batavia High School alum and his time on the team and touched on his professional wrestling career.
“It is with a heavy heart and a sense of profound loss that we announce the death of one of the Batavia Wrestling Program’s All-Time greats, 2005 graduate, Clint Arlis,” Bayer wrote. “Clint was the beloved son of Coach Tom Arlis and his wife, Jamie, protective, loving older brother of his sister, Taylor, and the boyhood idol and best friend of his kid brother, Coach Logan Arlis.
“I have come to know Clint over the years since I joined Tom’s coaching staff and the Batavia Wrestling Family in the late fall of 2005, after his graduation. I have found him to be extraordinarily devoted to his family and deeply committed to the sport wrestling at a level few of us have ever reach[ed] in our careers.” Read more
Taylor Swift fans ‘gasping’ over Jake Gyllenhaal’s latest photoshoot (Independent)
Taylor Swift fans are “gasping” over Jake Gyllenhaal’s latest photoshoot that is a perceived nod to Swift’s re-released version of “All Too Well”.
The track has long-been assumed to be about Gyllenhaal, who Swift reportedly dated for three months from October 2010 until the singer’s 21st birthday in December 2010.
However, the 10-minute version left virtually no doubt that “All Too Well” was written in the aftermath of Swift and Gyllenhaal’s split.
After Swift’s fans heard the song, they rushed to Twitter to pledge allegiance to the singer, and #JakeGyllenhaal soon began trending with over 100,000 tweets under the hashtag. Read more
Sandra Bullock’s ‘The Unforgivable’ tops Nielsen’s Streaming Movie Chart (THR)
Sandra Bullock’s The Unforgivable easily topped Nielsen’s movie streaming chart in its first full week of play on Netflix.
For the week of Dec. 13-19, the film racked up a hefty 556 million minutes of viewing time, according to Nielsen. The Unforgivable also won a spot on Nielsen’s top 10 list of most watched streaming programs for the week, coming in No. 6.
Nora Fingscheidt directed The Unforgivable, which is based on the 2009 British miniseries about a woman who is released from prison after two decades.
Nielsen’s streaming ratings, which are delayed by roughly a month, cover viewing on TV sets and don’t include content watched on computers or mobile devices. And they apply to the U.S. only. Read more
Sam Adams Dies: Literary Agent to Margaret Atwood, Peter Bogdanovich, Stephen J. Cannell Was 94 (Deadline)
Sam Adams, a literary agent whose career began in the postwar years at Warner Bros. and ended with the deal to bring The Handmaid’s Tale to the big screen, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 94.
Adams’ client list included Handmaid’s author Margaret Atwood, the recently-deceased Peter Bogdanovich, Saturday Night Fever director John Badham, TV giant Stephen J. Cannell, Oscar-winner Alvin Sargent, Casablanca star Paul Henreid and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Adams got his start in Hollywood delivering messages at Warner Bros. while he was still at Beverly Hills High School. At Warners, he met the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis and Edgar G. Robinson. His stint at the studio was interrupted by 18 months of active duty in the army.
After the war he turned to journalism, serving stints at the William Randolph Hearst-owned Los Angeles Examiner, the Armed Forces Radio Services, the Beverly Hills Press and finally The Hollywood Reporter. Read more
AFCON: Burkina Faso beat Cape Verde, now second in Group A (Punch)
Burkina Faso forward Boureima Bande scored with his chest to help the Stallions beat Cape Verde in Group A.
The 23-year old was on hand to guide home Issa Kabore’s delivery with his chest into the unguarded Cape Verdean goal six minutes before the break.
The Stallions who lost their opening match to hosts Cameroon came into the West African derby without captain Bertrand Traore, who tested positive for Covid-19.
Erickson Patrick Andrade of Cape Verde challenged by Boureima Hassane Bande of Burkina Faso during the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations Afcon Finals football match between Cape Verde v Burkina Faso
Gustavo Sangare who scored the tournament’s first goal came close to adding to his tally but the enterprising midfielder failed to beat Josimar Dias inside four minutes.
Dias pulled a smart save to deny Tapsoboa on 12 minutes, the midfielder released fierce low drive from a set piece towards the far corner. Read more
Amstel Malta pledges support for Super Eagles (Punch)
Premium malt drink, Amstel Malta, has declared its support for the Super Eagles at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cameroon.
The brand announced its sponsorship and declared the product as the official drink of the Eagles in the ongoing competition.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles had won the Pharaohs of Egypt in their first match on Tuesday.
A statement on Thursday quoted the Senior Brand Manager, Amstel Malta, Aminah Jagun, as saying, “Amstel Malta Ultra is identifying with the Super Eagles because football is a universal language and has fostered oneness and unity amongst us regardless of tribe and region. Read more
Chelsea transfer round-up: Jules Kounde in ‘sight’ as Antonio Rudiger hope emerges (Mirror)
Transfer buzz around Chelsea has a number of intriguing layers at the moment.
There are a selection of defenders at the club linked with a move away, as their contracts are up at the end of the season.
Additionally, there are players tipped to make possible arrivals in January given the ongoing injury issues Thomas Tuchel has in his squad.
Furthermore, there are players mentioned with the summer in mind, when the Blues will surely strengthen again with some big-name acquisitions. Read more
Key men return after Covid outbreak as Bayern head to resurgent Cologne (France24)
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich will be back to near full strength at resurgent Cologne on Saturday with a host of first-choice players now out of Covid isolation.
Bayern’s lead in the table was trimmed to six points last weekend when a makeshift team lost 2-1 to Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Second-placed Borussia Dortmund can further reduce Bayern’s lead before kick-off in Cologne if they beat Freiburg on Friday.
“It will be a difficult game, especially with the form Cologne are in at the moment, they are a team that are physically very strong,” Bayern winger Serge Gnabry said of Cologne, who are sixth in the league table after three straight wins. Read more
Thanasi Kokkinakis explains what he has to do against Marin Cilic in Adelaide SF (TennisWorld)
Wildcard Thanasi Kokkinakis struggled with his break point conversion for a set and a half but everything changed after he broke the serve of Aleksandar Vukic for the first time. Kokkinakis, ranked at No. 145 in the world, recovered from a set down 6-7 (5) 6-3 6-2 to reach the Adelaide 2 semifinal.
Kokkinakis blew a total of 11 break points before breaking Vukic for the first time in the eighth game of thereakpoint battle in his on-court interview, per Tennis Australia.
“He was coming up with some good serves, I was being a little bit tentative. “I was trying not to lose my marbles completely but when the two went in the second set, so I was 0 and 11, I was really about to lose it”.
After winning the second set, Kokkinakis broke Vukic twice in the third set to complete a comeback win. “I just tried to make returns, put the ball in play and give myself a chance,” Kokkinakis related. Read more
Kim puts heat on Oh in two-way WPGA battle (WestAustralian)
Grace Kim was straight back out on the putting green after a tantalising round that turned the maiden Australian WPGA Championship into a contest.
The 21-year-old’s three-under 68 at Royal Queensland GC in Brisbane pushed her to five-under for the tournament and within a shot of overnight leader Su Oh.
Playing in the afternoon slot, Oh began her round with two early birdies before dropping a shot to be six-under through six holes in what’s looming as a two-horse race.
Kim, fresh off a win at Geoff Ogilvy’s Sandbelt Invitational last month, will enter the weekend confident she can reel her in though missing numerous birdie putts for a second-straight day. Read more
NBA: Bucks overwhelm Warriors in first half, cruise to win (StraitsTimes)
Giannis Antetokounmpo notched his third triple-double of the season as the Milwaukee Bucks blew out the visiting Golden State Warriors 118-99 on Thursday (Jan 13) night to snap a two-game losing streak.
The five-time All-Star produced 30 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists and shot 11 of 17 to lift Milwaukee to just its second win in six games.
Khris Middleton hit five tree-pointers and added 23 points, Bobby Portis chipped in 20 points and seven rebounds and Grayson Allen scored 15.
Shots were falling all night, as the Bucks hit 51.2 percent from the field (44 of 86) and 43.9 per cent (18 of 41) from three-point range. Read more