NOUN clerk arrested for allegedly killing colleague over N70,000 debt (Punch)
A senior clerk at the National Open University of Nigeria, Makurdi centre, Benue State, Iko Danasabe, has been arrested for the alleged murder of his colleague, Francis Atache.
Danasabe reportedly connived with some gang members to kill Atache, also a clerical official at NOUN, and dumped his corpse in a bush.
City Round learnt that Danasabe was into a contribution scheme and had given Atache N70,000 to help him deposit the money with the thrift collector. Atache was said to have failed to deposit the money and refused to return it to Danasabe.
After several attempts to get him to refund the sum, Danasabe allegedly engaged some suspected members of a cult group which he belonged to and waylaid Atache at a smoking joint. Read more
Unionists react to Sanwo-Olu’s cancellation of LASU VC appointment process (Nation)
Workers union leaders in Lagos State University (LASU) on Saturday expressed mixed feelings on the cancellation of the ongoing process of appointing LASU vice-chancellor, by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the governor had in a statement on Friday announced the cancellation of the process for the appointment of the ninth substantive vice-chancellor of the state-owned university.
The governor directed that a fresh process that would end in 45 days should begin without be a delay. Read more
15 million BVN already linked with NIN, says NIMC boss (Guardian)
Director General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), Aliyu Aziz, has disclosed that 15 million people with Bank Verification Number (BVN) have been linked with the National Identity Number (NIN).
Besides, he said the ongoing enrollment into the National Identity System has nothing to do with the second wave of COVID-19, as the exercise had been on before the pandemic.
He told The Guardian in Abuja, yesterday, that NIMC has adequate equipment and up to this moment, the organisation has not utilised it to full capacity and the strategy now has changed completely. Read more
Obaseki hails court verdict, says ruling victory for truth, rule of law’ (Independent)
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has hailed the ruling of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on the certificate forgery case brought against him by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The governor, in a statement, said the judgement is a triumph of the rule of law and a testament to the fact that truth would prevail ultimately no matter how vehemently detractors push lies in the face of incontrovertible evidence.
According to the governor, “The verdict of the Federal High Court, delivered by Honourable Justice Ahmed Mohammed is well-received and a victory for the rule of law. It was a most needless attempt by desperate individuals trying to undo the will of the people through the backdoor but we are happy today that justice and truth have prevailed.” Read more
FG Releases Sharing Formula For COVID-19 Vaccine (DailyTrust)
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has released the details of how the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine doses would be distributed across states.
This was disclosed during a webinar organised by NHPCDA tagged “Sensitisation Meeting with Media Gatekeepers on COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction.”
Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the NPHCDA, had said the country will receive 100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at the end of January.
Bassey Okposen, programme manager, national emergency routine immunisation coordination centre, NPHCDA, during his presentation at the webinar on Friday, said the vaccines would be administered around the last week of January or early February. Read more
Amotekun operatives clash with Fulani herdsmen in Oyo community, 7 feared dead (Independent)
No fewer than seven people have been confirmed dead after operatives of Amotekun engaged some Fulani herdsmen in Oyo State.
The incident reportedly occurred at Aiyete in Ibarapa North Local government area of the state on Saturday.
Our correspondent gathered that men of Oyo State Security Network also known as Amotekun Corps engaged the Fulani herdsmen in a fight. Read more
UAE firm to build specialist hospital, diagnostic centre in Osun (Thisday)
The MGT Group, a multi sectoral and multidisciplinary firm with patented technologies headquarted in the United Arab Emirates, UAE, and operating in several countries of the world has expressed readiness to invest in building a world-class specialist hospital and a medical diagnostic center in Osun State.
The firm also expressed interest in investing in the State’s solid mineral asset, just as it applauded the Oyetola’s administration for building, renovating and revitalising 332 Primary Healthcare Centres across the State, describing it as worthwhile, unprecedented and unparalleled.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ismail Omipidan, said in a statement that the Founder and Chairman of the MGT Group, Ashok Puri, made these disclosures when he received Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, who was on a working visit to the firm’s office on Thursday. Read more
Scores killed, cattle rustled In Zamfara attack (DailyTrust)
Suspected armed bandits Friday evening invaded Dada village in Zamfara state killing scores of people and carting away herds of cattle, Daily Trust gathered.
Residents told Daily Trust that dozens of unidentified gunmen arrived on motorbikes firing at residents after they blocked all escape routes.
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“The armed bandits came on motorbikes and asked all residents to remain indoors. Some of the residents got killed when they were trying to escape the assault”
“As I’m talking I can’t tell you the exact number of those killed. The armed criminals had fled after the security operatives arrived at the community and we are now searching the surrounding bushes for bodies.
“Some of the residents are still missing. They might be hiding inside forest but we are still counting losses incurred from the attack,” a resident Ali Shuaibu said. Read more
Google suspends ‘free speech’ app Parler (BBC)
Google has suspended “free speech” social network Parler from its Play Store over its failure to remove “egregious content”.
Parler styles itself as “unbiased” social media and has proved popular with people banned from Twitter.
But Google said the app had failed to remove posts inciting violence.
Apple has also warned Parler it will remove the app from its App Store if it does not comply with its content-moderation requirements. Read more
Twitter removes ‘misleading’ tweet from Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei (NYPost)
Twitter has removed a “misleading” tweet from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Twitter has removed a “misleading” tweet from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Official Khamenei Website/Handout via Reuters
Twitter moved to block a tweet from Iran’s Supreme Leader after he cast doubt on the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccines and called US- and UK-made vaccines “completely untrustworthy”
“It’s not unlikely they would want to contaminate other nations. Given our experience France’s HIV-tainted blood supplies, French vaccines aren’t trustworthy either,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the message earlier this week.
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Twitter told The Post that the tweet was in violation of the company’s robust rules against coronavirus misinformation. Read more
Qatar-Saudi land border reopens after Gulf crisis detente (Aljazeera)
Vehicles have crossed the Saudi Arabian land border from Qatar for the first time since four Arab states severed diplomatic and transport ties with Doha in mid-2017.
The development came on Saturday after a deal this week to restore relations between the Gulf neighbours.
“Yes, the border is open,” one Qatari source told AFP news agency, while another confirmed that traffic at the Abu Samra crossing, 120km (75 miles) south of Doha, resumed about 07:00 GMT. Read more
Storm Filomena: Spain sees ‘exceptional’ snowfall (BBC)
Storm Filomena has blanketed parts of Spain in heavy snow, with half of the country on red alert for more on Saturday.
Madrid, one of the worst affected areas, is set to see up to 20cm (eight inches) of snow in the next 24 hours.
Further south the storm caused rivers to burst their banks.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told a news conference that three deaths had been reported so far. Read more
Black girl handcuffed by police in Ontario at age 6 awarded $35K in damages by rights tribunal (Yahoo)
The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has awarded $35,000 in damages to a young Black child handcuffed by police at an elementary school in Ontario’s Peel region when she was six years old.
The decision comes approximately one year after the tribunal ruled that Peel police used “racially discriminatory” force against the girl and that the actions of the two Peel police officers constituted a “very serious” breach of her human rights.
“I am happy this rather lengthy and difficult chapter is finally over,” the child’s mother and litigation guardian was quoted as saying in a news release from the Human Rights Legal Support Centre Thursday. Read more
Fire at India hospital ward kills 10 newborn babies (BBC)
Ten newborn babies have been killed in a fire at a hospital in India as members of staff rushed to evacuate the ward in the early hours of Saturday.
Seven infants were rescued from the blaze before firefighters arrived at the Bhandara District Hospital in the western state of Maharashtra.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as a “heart-wrenching tragedy”.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and an investigation is under way. Read more
Missing Indonesian plane feared crashed as debris found (AlJazeera)
An Indonesian Sriwijaya Air plane is feared to have crashed into the sea after the Boeing 737 lost contact with air traffic control in the capital Jakarta with flight tracking data showing it plunged into a steep dive minutes after takeoff.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said flight SJ182 was delayed by an hour before it took off at 2:36pm (07:36 GMT) on Saturday.
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The Boeing 737-500 disappeared from radar four minutes later, after the pilot contacted air traffic control to ascend to an altitude of 8,839 metres (29,000 feet), he said. Read more
LeBron James stars in Lakers’ win over Bulls (BBC)
LeBron James scored 28 points as the Los Angeles Lakers edged a narrow victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Reigning NBA champions the Lakers, without the injured Anthony Davis, won 117-115 with James adding seven rebounds and seven assists.
Zach LaVine top-scored for the Bulls with 38 points, 19 of which came in the first quarter.
Elsewhere, Stephen Curry scored 38 points as the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 115-105.
The Warriors netted 20 three-pointers to avenge their defeat by the Clippers on Wednesday, bouncing back from 22 points behind to secure their fifth win in seven games.
“I think our guys just hung in there,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Read more
Ex-Notre Dame coach Ryan Ayers charged with voyeurism, domestic battery (NYPost)
A former Notre Dame men’s basketball assistant coach is accused of recording two women without their consent while naked or when he had sex with one of them, prosecutors said.
Ryan Ayers, who left the programme in September, surrendered early Thursday at a jail in South Bend, Indiana, on a warrant charging him with three counts of voyeurism and one count of domestic battery, a spokeswoman for the St. Joseph County prosecuting attorney told The Post.
Ayers, 34, is scheduled to be arraigned and have his initial bail hearing Thursday afternoon, spokeswoman Jessica McBrier said.
Charging documents obtained by The Post show that investigators found “various images of naked women where they seem to be unaware” they were being photographed on Ayers’ phone. Read more
Abu Dhabi Open: Heather Watson knocked out in second round (BBC)
British number two Heather Watson was knocked out of the Abu Dhabi Open in a gruelling second-round defeat by Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Alexandrova, the 17th seed, won 7-5 6-7 (7-9) 6-3 after more than two and a half hours on court.
After losing the first set, Watson came from 4-1 down in the second set tie-break to level the tie.
But she was broken in the eighth game of the decider before Alexandrova served out the match.
She will play second seed Elina Svitolina in the third round. Read more
Man United Pellistri tests positive to COVID-19 (Nation)
Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri has tested positive for Covid-19, ruling him out of making his senior debut against Watford on Saturday.
The 19-year-old, who signed in the summer transfer window, has not been displaying symptoms but returned a positive test, his agency confirmed. He must now follow the Government guidelines and isolate for 10 days.
“I think we’ve done well to follow the protocols as we have, we’ve had the odd case and Facundo Pellistri got a positive, so he reported that on his Twitter, we don’t normally comment on who they are but Facundo is well and hopefully he’ll be back with us soon,” manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said at his pre-match press conference. Read more
Ibrahimovic returns to AC Milan squad against Torino (France24)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been recalled to the AC Milan squad after seven weeks out injured for Saturday’s Serie A match against Torino.
The 39-year-old, who has missed the Serie A leaders’ last eight league games, had not been expected to return until next weekend against Cagliari.
Ibrahimovic scored 10 goals in six league games before picking up a thigh injury after scoring a double in a 3-1 win over Napoli on November 22, and later had problems with his calf. Read more
Clash of the titans as Roma host Inter at Stadio Olimpico (Nation)
Inter and Roma, second and third in Serie A, are in the running to finally dethrone Juventus and end the Old Lady’s nine-year stranglehold on the Scudetto. Roma will be looking for another win after the 1-3 Serie A success over Crotone while following on a shock 2-1 loss in their previous game against Sampdoria in Serie A action, Inter Milan and their travelling supporters will be hoping that they can get a better result in this one. The loss prevented Inter Milan going top of the table as AC Milan lost 3-1 to Juventus. The midweek results around the peninsula have given the Scudetto fight a new twist. Juventus are just seven points back of AC Milan and six from second-placed Inter Milan.
Roma are not out of the question when it comes to the title fight. The Giallorossi are four points behind AC Milan in the race for the Scudetto. A win against Inter Milan would pull the capital club level with Inter Milan on points. Read more