Most kidnappings in FCT are stage-managed – Wike (Channels)
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has said that most incidents of kidnapping in the nation’s capital were stage-managed by people.
Wike stated this during a chat with journalists after a closed-door meeting with the Senate alongside the FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, on Wednesday on insecurity in the capital city.
According to the Minister, kidnapping has reduced in the FCT following the arrest of the two most wanted notorious kidnappers. Read more
Crude oil production now 1.65m bpd — Edun (Tribune)
The Federal Government has attributed the present increased crude oil production of 1.65 million barrels per day as against the 1.25 million bpd previously recorded, to improved security in the Niger Delta.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, stated this in Abuja at a podcast hosted by Bruit Costaud in collaboration with Ballard Partners of the U.S.A.
The immediate past Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, is the managing partner of Bruit Costard, a lobbyist and public relations firm and an affiliate of Ballard Partners. Read more
Maroko evictees beg Tinubu over LASG’s demolition of shanties on Lekki coastal roads (Vanguard)
Residents of Jakande Ilasan Housing Estate, along Lagos-Epe Express Road, Lekki, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the ongoing demolition of their buildings by the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration in Lagos State.
Most of the affected residents claimed were evictees, initially displaced from the Maroko area which the then military administration demolished in the 90s before settling in Ilasan.
They also called on Governor Sanwo-Olu to direct the operatives of the Task Force to release those arrested while adequate medical care is given to others receiving treatment in hospitals from gunshot wounds. Read more
Lagos targets 30% of African $2.1b gaming industry (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, called for more support and investment in the state gaming, entertainment, and tourism sectors to generate revenue and compete with renowned tourist cities such as Zanzibar, Johannesburg, and Cape Town.
The governor made the call while delivering a keynote address at the ongoing Africa Gaming Expo 2024, tagged “Exploring the Future of the Africa Gaming Market: Emerging Trends, Prospects, and Opportunities,” in Lagos.
The African gaming market is estimated at $2.14bn in 2024 and is expected to reach $3.72bn by 2029, according to Mordor Intelligence, an online research-based firm. Read more
51 Southern Senators elect Abiru as forum chairman (Channels)
Barely 24 hours after a dramatic plenary culminating into the suspension of the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Senator Abdul Ningi, Southern Senators have revived their forum, electing Senator Adetokunbo Abiru representing Lagos East, as Chairman.
The inauguration of Abiru who replaces the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele as well as the Vice Chairman, Senator Victor Umeh representing Anambra, comes nine months after commencement of the 10th Senate.
The 51 Senators from 17 southern states, who met on Wednesday to revive the forum, also elected six executives under Abiru’s chairmanship. Read more
Normalcy returns to Adamawa communities after communal clash (Leadership)
Normalcy has returned after the communal clash that claimed three lives at Selti and Kpasham communities in Adamawa state.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, stated this in a statement, on Wednesday.
SP Nguroje, explained that the Commissioner of Police, Dankombo Morris, patrolled and assessed the area personally with a team of operatives, adding that order has since been restored in the communities. Read more
Nigeria’s food now cheapest in W/Africa, says NACCIMA (Nation)
President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Dele Kelvin Oye, has said recent Naira devaluation was fuelling food and grain export to West African countries as Nigeria’s food is now the cheapest in the sub-region region due to the low value of Naira.
Oye said this in response to comments by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), stressing that while the immediate effect of the devaluation on exports may be positive, the broader implications of a persistent devaluation are multifaceted.
The NACCIMA President in a statement said the observations made by the NGF highlight a nuanced aspect of currency devaluation, especially its effect on trade competitiveness. Read more
EFCC nabs 45 suspected internet fraudsters in Lagos (Vanguard)
Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Wednesday arrested 45 suspected internet fraudsters.
The anti-graft agency said the suspects were arrested on Monday, March 11, 2024 at Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Their arrest followed intelligence on the activities of an Organised Cybercrime Syndicate Network, OCSN, operating in that axis of the state. Read more
Mel B alleges abusive marriage left her with nothing, was forced to move in with her mum (USAToday)
Mel B of the Spice Girls says she had to eat some “humble pie” when she moved back in with her mom after leaving her allegedly abusive marriage and having “nothing” in her bank account.
The singer, 48, spoke with the BBC in an interview published Wednesday about leaving California and moving into her mother’s bungalow in England after she filed for divorce from Stephen Belafonte, whom she has claimed abused her throughout their 10-year marriage.
“I wasn’t just emotionally and physically abused, there was all the financial abuse too,” she alleged. “I didn’t realize that I didn’t have as much money as I thought I had. So I literally had to eat humble pie, live with my mum.” Read more
Sherri Shepherd has Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson sign her chest on TV (People)
Sherri Shepherd is putting the “bust” in Ghostbusters.
On Wednesday’s episode of her daytime talk series Sherri, the host chatted with original Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson — who appears once again as his character Dr. Winston Zeddemore in the upcoming ‘‘Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire’’ — and they got to talking about the most memorable fan encounters he’s ever had in the nearly 40 years since the first film premiered.
“Do you have women coming on [to you] and going, ‘Can you sign my chest?’ ” asked Shepherd, 56, to which Hudson, 78, replied, “No, and I’ve been waiting for that!” Read more
Dad beat up British man who flashed his daughter, 9, near Disneyland (Metro)
A British tourist has been spared jail in France after showing pictures of his penis to a young girl.
The 52-year-old was beaten up by his nine-year-old victim’s dad when he showed her images on his phone on a shuttlebus to Disneyland Paris.
The bus was not owned or operated by Disney. Read more
Kenyans welcome suspension of police mission to Haiti after escalating violence (AfricaNews)
Kenyans on Wednesday welcomed a government decision to halt plans to deploy at least 1,000 police officers to Haiti following the unprecedented violence that erupted in the Caribbean nation.
Kenya had agreed last October to lead a U.N.-authorized international police force to Haiti, but the country’s top court in January ruled this was unconstitutional, in part because of a lack of reciprocal agreements on such deployments between the two countries.
Nairobi resident Lameck Ochieng said he was not surprised by the court ruling. “Our children who were going to be killed outside (in Haiti) now are safe” he said. Read more
Japanese solid-fuelled rocket explodes shortly after launch (AlJazeera)
A small Japanese rocket exploded shortly after launch in a blow to Tokyo-based startup Space One’s attempt to become the first local company to put a satellite into orbit.
The 18-metre (60 feet), four-stage solid-fuel rocket called Kairos exploded into pieces seconds after liftoff at 11.01am (02:01 GMT) on Tuesday, filling livestream screens with pictures of flames and billowing clouds of smoke. Burning debris could be seen falling onto the surrounding mountain slopes as sprinklers began spraying water.
Space One said the flight was “interrupted” after the launch from the mountainous Kii peninsula in western Japan and was investigating the situation. Read more
US House passes bill that could ban TikTok nationwide (BBC)
The US House of Representatives has passed a landmark bill that could see TikTok banned in America.
It would give the social media giant’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, six months to sell its controlling stake or the app would be blocked in the US.
While the bill passed overwhelmingly in a bipartisan vote, it still needs to clear the Senate and be signed by the president to become law.
Lawmakers have long held concerns about China’s influence over TikTok. Read more
3 Egyptian Coptic monks killed in S.Africa, Coptic Orthodox Church says (AfricaNews)
Three Egyptian Coptic monks have been tragically killed in what’s described as a “criminal assault” within a monastery in South Africa, according to the Christian Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt.
The incident is under investigation by South African authorities as a triple murder. The church spokesman stated on Facebook, “Three monks were subjected to a criminal assault inside our Coptic monastery,” while a police spokesperson confirmed the discovery of the victims with stab wounds and noted that the motive remains unclear. Read more
Amuneke, Oliseh, Siasia, Amokachi, Finidi beat deadline for Eagles job (Nation)
Five prominent players from what used to be known as Nigeria’s Golden Generation of the 1990s that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) in Tunisia en route to a maiden FIFA World Cup appearance at USA’ 94 , are in the frame to lead the Super Eagles.
The quintet of Emmanuel Amuneke, Daniel Amokachi as well as Sunday Oliseh , Samson Siasia and Finidi George are the notable candidates that reportedly beat yesterday’s deadline for submission of application for the vacant managerial position of the senior men’s national team of Nigeria.
Last week, the NFF announced that interested and qualified coaches should apply for head coach of the country’s team following the expiration of the contract of the Portuguese Jose Peseiro, who led the Super Eagles to the final of the recent AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire. Read more
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott sues woman over alleged $100m extortion plan (NBC)
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has filed a lawsuit against a woman he claims tried to extort him out of $100 million by alleging he sexually assaulted her after his rookie season.
The suit, filed Monday in Collin County, Texas, names the woman who made the claims as a defendant as well as her attorneys Bethel Zehaie and Yoel Zehaie.
“This case arises out of a blatant attempt by [the woman] and her legal team to extort plaintiff Dak Prescott by weaponizing patently false, yet heinous sexual assault allegations with no basis in reality,” the lawsuit said. Read more
Bournemouth 4-3 Luton: Semenyo double completes stunning Cherries comeback (Football365)
Antoine Semenyo scored twice as Bournemouth produced a stunning second-half display to recover from three goals down and beat Luton 4-3.
On an evening that saw Tom Lockyer return to the Vitality Stadium to thank the medical staff who had helped to save his life 88 days earlier, when this fixture was abandoned after the Luton captain suffered a cardiac arrest, the hosts’ rousing response put a huge dent in the Hatters’ survival hopes.
Luton raced into a three-goal lead at half-time before a dramatic second-half showing from Andoni Iraola’s side. Read more
Messi, Suarez send Inter Miami past Nashville in Concacaf Champions Cup (NBC)
It was the Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez show again versus Nashville on Wednesday.
After salvaging a 2-2 draw at Nashville in Leg 1, Inter Miami had no trouble cruising past the Coyotes with a 3-1 win in Leg 2.
Messi and Suarez scored both goals in the first leg and did more of the same in the second.
Suarez got Miami going early in the eighth minute, with Messi finding the Uruguayan on a slick through ball. Read more
Nuggets hand Heat 4th-consecutive loss in NBA Finals rematch (UPI)
Nine months had passed since the Denver Nuggets faced the Miami Heat in Miami before Wednesday’s rematch of last year’s NBA Finals foes, but the results of the squabble were eerily similar.
Big man Nikola Jokic again used pristine pirouettes to pilfer momentum, driving for acrobatic rim finishes or dishing assists to teammates whenever the score tightened at the Kaseya Center.
The two-time NBA MVP totaled 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in the 100-88 victory in Miami. Forward Michael Porter Jr. logged a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds for the defending champions, who also beat the Heat on Feb. 29 in Denver. Read more
Rory McIlroy: Players Championship missing best players “a shame” (BBC)
Rory McIlroy is concerned that “fans are losing interest” in watching golf because of the current fragmented nature of the men’s professional game.
The financial pull of LIV Golf has attracted dozens of players to move from the PGA Tour to the fledgling Saudi Arabian-funded circuit.
And the split means several of the world’s best are not competing at this week’s Players Championship in Florida. Read more