Mob stones Lagos task force, lynches officer for impounding motorcycles (Punch)
A paramilitary officer attached to the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (task force), Monday John, has been feared killed during an attack on the agency around the Kara bridge area on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the task force officials had gone to a destination in Lagos to carry out enforcement on motorcyclists plying the highway.
During the exercise, the officials reportedly impounded some motorcycles and put them in their operational truck and left.
In a bid to recover their seized property, the aggrieved motorcyclists reportedly mobilised, boarded a bus and chased the task force team.
Our correspondent gathered that as the officials approached the Berger end of the expressway, they navigated a bend around the bus stop.
The officials were said to be carrying out another operation at the bus stop when the aggrieved motorcyclists attacked them around 2 pm. Read more
NGO holds maiden safeguarding, child protection conference (Vanguard)
In a conscious effort to change the narrative, Yeshua’s Arm, a child rights organisation held her maiden child protection and safeguarding conference in the community of Ibeju Lekki, Local Council Development Area, Lagos recently.
The one-day child protection and safeguarding training was organised to educate teachers, parents, guardians, caregivers, and everyone that works with and is affiliated with children on the need to protect and safeguard children in the Ibeju Lekki community.
During the training session, resource persons gave practical examples on why parents and caregivers need to make adequate provisions to promote and safeguard the rights of children.
According to the founder, Yeshua’s Arm, Kemi Williams, “children are mostly abused within families and their closest network, hence parents need to be intentional about family members who their children are not comfortable around. The stranger on the street is unlikely to be who your child is most at risk.” Read more
Fuel shortage, pilot error caused Opebi-Ikeja fatal helicopter crash – AIB report (Punch)
A fatal air crash involving Quorum Aviation Limited’s helicopter that fell in the densely populated Opebi area of Ikeja in Lagos, on August 28, 2020, was caused by a pilot error, fuel shortage, among other factors, a final accident report released by the Accident Investigation Report has revealed.
The report detailed how the ill-fated chopper came down just about three minutes to landing at the Lagos airport, leading to the death of the pilot and two other crew members on board.
The AIB on Thursday released the Quorum Aviation crash report alongside four other accident and serious incident reports, as well as one safety bulletin to the public.
The other reports include that of the accident involving Skypower Express Airways’ Air Tractor AT-401B aircraft with registration 5N-BTV which occurred at Rukubi village in Abuja on October 4, 2018; and the serious incident involving Nigeria Police Air Wing Bell 429 helicopter with registration 5N-MDA which occurred at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on August 3rd, 2019. Read more
Fuel price hike looms as marketers kick against N.5m shipment charge (DailyTrust)
As Nigerians continue to groan under the petrol scarcity running for the third week, petroleum marketers may be on the edge over what they described as additional burden from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited which, just last week, introduced a N500,000 transshipment charge on petrol.
NNPC Limited, in a letter dated February 18, 2022, said the new charge is to cover for ship-to-ship operations for retailers, especially depot operators, taking delivery of petrol consignment from NNPC at the ports.
The current fuel scarcity, which is easing, reared its head early this month after cases of adulterated petrol across retail stations that were said to have affected vehicles just as parallel marketers sold a litre for over N600.
While in the heat of that, NNPC in the letter announced the new N500,000 Ship-to-Ship (STS) coordination charge for each transshipment operation of petrol involving the NNPC Marine Logistics. Read more
Ikeja New Era Lions Club organises free medical outreach in Lagos community (Independent)
Ikeja New Era Lions District 404B2 Nigeria on Wednesday organized a medical outreach programme in the Agidingbi community in Ikeja Local Government Area of Lagos State, in a bid to improve the health condition of the residents.
During the event that took place on the premises of Government Technical College in Ikeja, medical officers offered dental services to members of the community, checked their blood pressure and blood sugar levels. They also screened them for diabetes and distributed food items.
The programme was part of the activities to mark the birthday of Lion Kemi Eribake MJF, NLCF, who is the charter president of the club. She said that the club decided to reach out to members of the Agidingbi community on her birthday.
She said that Lions Clubs is an organization that gives back to society by relieving hunger, screening for diabetes,. vision and another focus area, adding that the objective was to positively impact members of their immediate community. Read more
Suspected armed robbers attack 4 commercial banks in Uromi, kill 2 policemen, 5 civilians (Sun)
Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers, yesterday evening, reportedly launched simultaneous coordinated attacks on three commercial banks in Uromi, the headquarters of Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The gunmen who were alleged to have come in their numbers and several vehicles, reportedly attacked First Bank, UBA, Zenith and Union Banks with dynamites for over one hour.
It was learnt that at the end of the operation, no fewer than seven persons, including two policemen and five civilians were killed by the unmasked gunmen who were said to have succeeded in making away with a large sum of money from the three banks.
A resident of the community who would not want his name in print, described the attacks as “too coordinated and in commando style” adding “This is novel in this town. Read more
7 SANs, 16 others apply to become Supreme Court justices (Nation)
Twenty-three lawyers, including seven Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) and two women, have applied to be considered for the six present or future vacancies at the Supreme Court.
The applicants – from five geopolitical zones – will be considered by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) in the next round of appointments to the apex court.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) announced this yesterday in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Rapulu Nduka, which called for public reactions to the listed aspirants.
In the statement, the NBA said its Judiciary Committee, chaired by Dr. Babatunde Ajibade (SAN), had received expressions of interest from 23 lawyers and urged the public to send in petitions, where necessary. Read more
Buhari: Leaders who swear by holy book must not abuse public office (Channels)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said leaders who take the oath of office by swearing with the holy book must not abuse their office.
He stated this during a visit to the Emir of Lafia, retired Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad 1, reaffirming that he has no intention whatsoever to stay beyond the constitutionally recognised two terms of office as Nigeria’s President.
“The traditional ruler is on a terminal appointment. Constitutionally, we (elected public office holders) are not. I cannot go beyond two terms and I have sworn by the Holy Quran that I will uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the President was quoted as saying via a statement issued by his spokesman, Femi Adesina.
“Politics apart, whenever we are made to swear by the Holy Quran, we have to be very careful. We must make sure that we do not abuse the trust God has given us as leaders. I have seen former governors here and I am looking forward to also becoming a former President.” Read more
Kano-born researcher develops model for tracing fake news (DailyTrust)
An indigene of Kano State and student of PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Isah Nasidi, has developed a model that will ease the understanding of information disorder ecosystem, otherwise known as fake news.
Nasidi, who is also a young researcher at Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, developed the model called SAMCAV, which is the first of its kind in the study of information disorder and also discovers the fourth typology of information disorder which he called dil-information.
The research is the outcome of the six months research fellowship of the Kwame Kari-Kari Fact-checking and Research Fellowship which selected 17 researchers from four West African countries to research information disorder.
The researcher who is also the Secretary of Communication History Division of International Communication Association (USA) said “the SAMCAV model links six elements of information disorder; the Source, Agent, Message, Channel, Audience and Victim. These elements are involved in the production, distribution and consumption of information disorder. Everyone of these elements plays a vital role in polluting information which makes it unsafe for consumption.” Read more
Spotify celebrates first year, reveals how fans streamed Nigerian music (Nation)
Music streaming giant, Spotify celebrates its first-year anniversary in Nigeria as it revealed how music lovers streamed Nigerian music locally and internationally.
Phiona Okumu, Spotify’s Head of Music in Sub-Saharan Africa revealed this on Thursday in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos.
“It’s been one year since music streaming giant, Spotify launched in over 40 new markets across the continent, including Nigeria.
“365 days in, we are already seeing Nigerian music lovers discovering more music, local artists finding a megaphone for their work, and Nigerian genres getting exported across the globe. Read more
Avril Lavigne knows ‘love is a lot of work’ as she drops album with MGK, Travis Barker (USAToday)
It’s a new Avril Lavigne on “Love Sux,” her first album since 2019’s emotionally dense “Head Above Water.”
Then again, maybe it’s just the old Lavigne, romping back with taut blasts of guitar, ridiculously catchy choruses and lyrics that both snarl and wink with middle finger sentiments.
“It was so much fun to get back into that sense of wanting to rock out,” Lavigne tells USA TODAY about working on the new record, which arrives Friday in various formats, including cassettes. “I didn’t really overthink anything. I got together with people who understood me in this genre and we complemented each other so well.”
“Love Sux,” the seventh album of Lavigne’s career, bows on Travis Barker’s label, DTA Records. The Blink-182 drummer is longtime friends with Lavigne and extended the band’s connection to Blink bassist and singer Mark Hoppus, who guests on “All I Wanted.” Read more
Ukraine conflict: Fighting rages near Kyiv after Russia invasion (BBC)
Ukraine’s army is trying to repel a full-scale Russian invasion, with fierce battles taking place close to the capital Kyiv.
Fighting is raging at an airfield on the outskirts of the city, and it could become a springboard for the Russian army into Kyiv if its troops seize it.
The Russian assault is being fought on several fronts after it attacked from the east, north and south on Thursday.
There have been reports of several explosions in Kyiv.
Ukraine says dozens of people have been killed, while thousands have fled. Read more
Invisible Narratives hires Apple Music vet Julie Pilat as president of music (Variety)
Invisible Narratives has hired Apple Music veteran Julie Pilat as president of music.
Founded by CEO Adam Goodman, Invisible Narratives is a shopping and entertainment company “at the intersection of the creator economy, the crypto economy and the entertainment business.”
In her new role, Pilat will develop new partnerships across the music industry, empower musicians and fans and use storytelling and technology to monetize video content across fandoms. She will report directly to Goodman.
Prior to joining Invisible Narratives, Pilat spent eight years at Apple Music as a key executive. In 2013, she was recruited by Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre to be the first head of music at Beats Music. Upon Apple’s acquisition of the company, Pilat spearheaded the launch of Beats 1, the first radio station to broadcast live from L.A., New York and London to more than 150 countries worldwide. Read more
Jay-Z, Yo Gotti & Roc Nation set to expose Mississippi Penitentiary with A&E Doc (HipHopDX)
A&E Networks announced on Thursday (February 24) that they had greenlit an upcoming four-part docu-series titled Exposing Parchman. The series will follow Jay-Z, Yo Gotti and Roc Nation’s philanthropic branch Team Roc after they spearheaded a civil rights lawsuit alongside the 29 inmates of Mississippi’s notorious Parchman Prison. The doc will follow the inmates and rappers as they undergo lengthy efforts to reform the corrupt Mississippi Department of Corrections.
The documentary comes after Parchman Prison made national headlines in December 2019 for its high death toll and rampant neglect of the inmate’s basic human needs. The series will follow the developing legal case and will delve further into Parchman’s longstanding history of corruption and abuse.
Desiree Perez, the CEO of Roc Nation, said in a statement that Team Roc, “launched a fight to put a stop to the literal death sentences imposed on inmates through the inhumane, violent, and torturous conditions created by Parchman prison officials. We are honored to develop this series with A&E, Good Caper and ITV to continue to make sure the atrocities and history of Parchman are top of mind on a national stage.”
“A&E has the privilege to partner with Roc Nation to tell the truly urgent story of Parchman Prison as we continue our commitment to impactful programming,” Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for A&E, said in a statement. “The series is emblematic of larger issues within the U.S. criminal justice system, and we hope it spurs desperately needed awareness both at Parchman Prison, and nationwide.” Read more
Sally Kellerman dead: Actress who starred as Hot Lips in MASH dies aged 84 (Mirror)
Oscar-nominated actress Sally Kellerman who played U.S. Army Margaret ‘Hot Lips’ Houlihan in the film version of M*A*S*H has died.
The husky-voiced actress passed away at an assisted care home in California at the age of 84, her son Jack Krane said.
TMZ reports the star had been diagnosed with dementia back in 2017 and hadn’t been well for a few years.
Her son said it was clear to him on Wednesday night that his mother wasn’t well and he said his final goodbyes. Read more
Sean Penn in Ukraine filming documentary about Russia invasion (HuffPost)
Filmmaker and actor Sean Penn is in Ukraine to continue work on a documentary about the ongoing Russian assault.
The Office of the President wrote in a Facebook post Thursday that Penn attended press briefings, met with Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk and spoke to journalists and military personnel about the Russian invasion.
“Sean Penn demonstrates the courage that many others, especially western politicians lack,” the president’s office wrote on Facebook. “The director specially came to Kiev to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country.”
He was also there in late November to work on the project, which is being produced by VICE Studios. Photographs at the time showed him visiting the frontlines of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the Donetsk region. Read more
Bron acquires JJ Bola’s Novel The Selfless Act Of Breathing; Keenan Scott II to adapt (Deadline)
Bron Studios has snapped up rights to The Selfless Act of Breathing, the newly released novel by JJ Bola, to develop into a feature-length film.
Playwright Keenan Scott II (Broadway’s Thoughts of a Colored Man) will adapt for the screen.
The Selfless Act of Breathing follows Michael Kabongo, a British-Congolese teacher living in London on the cusp of two identities. On paper, he seems to have it all: He’s beloved by his students, popular with his co-workers, and the pride and joy of a mother who emigrated from the Congo to the UK in search of a better life. But behind closed doors, he’s been struggling with the overwhelming sense that he can’t address the injustices he sees raging before him – from his relentless efforts to change the lives of his students for the better to his attempts to transcend the violence and brutality that marginalizes young Black men around the world.
Then one day he suffers a devastating loss, and his life is thrown into a tailspin. Michael decides to spontaneously pack up and go to America, where he imagines everything will be better, easier — a place where he can become someone new, someone without a past filled with pain. There he parties with new friends, sparks on new romances, splurges on big adventures, with the intent of living life until the money in his bank account runs out. Read more
Super Falcons, NCDC officials clash at Abuja airport over COVID-19 test (Guardian)
A mild drama occurred in the early hours of yesterday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, as players and officials of the Super Falcons were allegedly humiliated by officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) over COVID-19 test money.
The Super Falcons, who on Wednesday, secured their ticket to the 2022 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations by defeating the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in Abidjan, were held hostage for over three hours inside the airport.
The nine-time African champions had departed Abidjan a few hours after the match, which they won 1-0 and arrived at the international wing of the Abuja airport only to be held hostage by the NCDC officials, who, allegedly, insisted that all players and officials must undergo another round of routine tests and pay a certain amount of money before they would be allowed to leave the airport despite being armed with their COVID-19 test results done less than 24 hours before then.
“This is a national team that has brought honours to Nigeria by winning the African Women’s Nations Cup a record nine times,” a member of the Falcons’ technical crew said bitterly. Read more
Stakeholders restate commitment to Sports devt in Kaduna (Leadership)
Relevant sports stakeholders in Kaduna State have indicated a renewed commitment towards the development of sports in the state.
At a stakeholders meeting convened by Hon. Abubakar Adams Ekene, the former chairman of Kada City FC and now general manager of Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) side, Remo Stars of Ikenne, Ogun State, basically discussed issues that will bring about a positive turnaround in the state sports sector.
Notable names at the stakeholders meeting which had grassroots coaches in attendance were Dahiru Sani (MFR), Abubakar Aliyu, Ali Nayara, Tajudeen Oyekanmi, Ishaya Jatau, Dr. Alex Mana among others including the Kaduna State Football Association (FA) Secretary, Abubakar Usman.
At the meeting, challenges which has bedeviled sports growth in Kaduna State were identified and way forward proffered accordingly. Read more
Arsenal stage thrilling revival to boost top four bid (France24)
Arsenal staged a dramatic fightback as two goals in the final minutes sealed a 2-1 win against Wolves that boosted their bid to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
Mikel Arteta’s side trailed to Hwang Hee-Chan’s early goal at the Emirates Stadium in Thursday’s crucial clash between the top four contenders.
But Nicolas Pepe came off the bench to equalise in the 82nd minute before Wolves keeper Jose Sa deflected Alexandre Lacazette’s shot into his own net in the final seconds.
Arsenal’s third successive league victory moved them up to fifth place and they sit just one point behind fourth placed Manchester United with two games in hand in the race to qualify for the Champions League. Read more
PGA Tour: Kurt Kitayama one ahead at Honda Classic as Danny Willett, Aaron Rai start strongly (Sky)
English duo Danny Willett and Aaron Rai are both within three strokes of early leader Kurt Kitayama after the opening round of the Honda Classic in Florida.
Willett birdied his opening three holes on his way to a three-under 67 at PGA National, leaving the 2016 Masters champion in the group tied-fifth and in touch with Kitayama at the top of the leaderboard.
Rai sits on the same score after closing his opening round with back-to-back birdies, while Kitayama set the pace after starting with three consecutive birdies and adding four more in a row on his second nine to post a six-under 64.
“I don’t think you get an easier day out here,” Kitayama said. “The conditions of the course are perfect, it’s just really tough. I think anything under par out here is really good. You’ve just got to watch the wind and see what happens.” Read more
Oleksandr Usyk: I never ducked Tyson Fury, I’d fight him in the street! (BoxingScene)
WBO, IBF, WBA, IBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk is furious that Tyson Fury, the WBC champion, made a claim that he ran from a potential unification clash.
Fury is scheduled to make a mandatory defense against Dillian Whyte on April 23, likely at Wembley Stadium.
While Usyk is heading in the direction of a rematch with British superstar Anthony Joshua, who was outboxed in their first encounter last September. The rematch is being targeted to take place on a date in May, with several venues and locations being considered.
Before either title fight was finalized, there was talk of an undisputed fight between Fury and Usyk – as various parties in the Middle East were willing to pay a significant sum to host such a fight. Read more
Hall of Fame boxer Vitali Klitschko, mayor of Ukraine’s capital, vows to fight after Russia invasion (USAToday)
Hall of Fame boxer Vitali Klitschko has vowed to fight in the “bloody war” after Russia invaded Ukraine, where he currently serves as the mayor of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv.
“I don’t have another choice. I have to do that,” Klitschko, 50, told “Good Morning Britain” Thursday. “I would fight.”
Klitschko was sworn in as the mayor of Kyiv and head of the Kyiv City State Administration in 2014, one year after retiring from professional boxing to take on a bigger fight in his native country: “My focus is on politics in Ukraine and I feel the people there need me.”
After weeks of tensions, Russia invaded eastern Ukraine on Thursday morning, with explosions before dawn in Kyiv and other cities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that at least 137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed from Russian military attacks, with hundreds more wounded. Read more
New No 1 Medvedev advances to Mexico semis (WestAustralian)
A few hours after clinching top spot in the ATP rankings, top-seed Daniil Medvedev has eased into the Mexican Open semi-finals.
The Russian advanced to the last four with a 6-2 6-3 win over Yoshihito Nishioka.
Medvedev moved to No.1 in the rankings earlier in the day after Novak Djokovic lost to Jiri Vesely at the ATP event in Dubai.
“It’s not easy, actually, to play a match when you get this (news) during the day,” Medvedev said during his on-court interview when asked about becoming world No.1. Read more