Obi Cubana may face trial over money laundering, drug trafficking (DailyTrust)
A popular socialite and philanthropist, Obi Iyiegbu, also known as Obi Cubana, may be prosecuted for alleged money laundering and illicit drug trafficking.
Daily Trust Saturday learnt from multiple sources that Obi Cubana is currently being investigated by a multi-agency security network that also involves foreign intelligence partners.
The socialite was on Thursday grilled at the headquarters of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) over his alleged link to illicit drugs.
The NDLEA recently clamped down on skit maker, De General, over his alleged involvement in illicit drug, including cannabis sativa and tramadol, among others.
Security officials, who craved anonymity as they were not authorised to speak on the matter, said Cubana allegedly received suspicious money from three convicted drug dealers from India, Malaysia and Nigeria. Read more
Families worry over whereabouts of 2 kids, phone repairer in Lagos (Punch)
Parents of two children, Daniel Mudashiru, two, and five-year-old Qozeem Ayinde are currently worried over their whereabouts since November 28 and December 30, 2021 respectively.
This is just as the family of a phone repairer, Emmanuel David, was thrown into distress over the disappearance of the 23-year-old on Sunday, January 2.
City Round learnt that Mudashiru was playing with his peers outside his parents’ residence on Olayinka Street, in the Ajegunle area of Lagos when he went missing.
His mother, Mercy, told our correspondent she was inside on that day, stating that neither his playmates nor her neighbours could explain his whereabouts.
She said, “He was playing with other children outside when I went inside. About 25 minutes later, I noticed that I didn’t hear his voice again and came out but I didn’t see him. His playmates said they left him outside and went back to meet their parents. Read more
Suspected hoodlums stab environmental perssonnel in Lagos (Vanguard)
Some suspected hoodlums on Friday, launched an attack on the men of Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps LAGESC, during an official duty at Ketu – Alapere area of the state.
The incident occured at about 3 pm.
However, the Agency’s Special Squad was courageous enough to apprehend a suspect identified as Aminu Ahmed.
The 29 years old Kwara State Indigene, was apprehended on Aminu Street in a bid to dislodge illegal traders, hawkers and cart pushers in the area.
The Corps Marshal of the Agency, CP Gbemisola Akinpelu (retd) who confirming the incident to Vanguard said, ‘‘while on operation, men of our Special Squad were attacked and one Aminu Ahmed, 29 from Kwara State and a resident of the area who stabbed our officer was apprehended. Read more
LASUBEB rewards teachers and staff with Long Service Award (Guardian)
The Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board has organised its maiden edition of long Service Award for teaching and non-teaching staff of the Board.
Speaking during the ceremony, which held in Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos, the Executive Chairman of LASUBEB, Wahab Alawiye-King, said the award was put together to appreciate teachers and staff for their conscientious and meritorious service to the state government and pupils in the state.
Alawiye-King disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu consented to the initiative due to his passion for the workforce in the basic education sector and to also appreciate their efforts in contributing to the transformation of education in the state.
“We are here to celebrate, commend and encourage them to continue to do their best. We congratulate all the awardees. They should continue to conscientiously do their job, be focused and more dedicated in their service delivery. To whom much is given much is expected,” he said. Read more
Why I didn’t remarry – IBB (DailyTrust)
Former Military President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) has opened up on why he has not taken another wife since the death of his wife, Hajiya Maryam Babangida.
IBB, 80, also spoke on the kind of president he wants for Nigeria in 2023.
The former military president made the revelations in an exclusive interview with Trust TV.
Maryam Babangida died on December 27, 2009, at the age of 61.
Maryam, who was Nigeria’s First Lady between 1985 and 1993, died at the University of California’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre (JCCC) in Los Angeles, United States after battling ovarian cancer for years.
Since her death over 12 years ago, many Nigerians had thought that IBB would take another wife to keep him company but that has not happened to date. Read more
Group tackles Emmanuel over CCTV cameras, Mexican cows (Punch)
The Civil Society groups in Akwa Ibom State have asked the state Governor, Udom Emmanuel, to show evidence of the Close Circuit Television Cameras, and the Mexican cows he claimed to have imported into the state.
Governor Emmanuel had, in an interview broadcast live via AKBC radio and television stations, made the state government believe that CCTV cameras had been installed in major entry points during the COVID-19 pandemic, to monitor the influx of people in the state. He also said his government imported Mexican cows into the state.
“Let me surprise all of you, you may not know this, if you go to those borders, you can check this out, take for example our border towards Itu Bridge, you will see a 3G camera mounted there,” Emmanuel said.
However, the groups said they had yet to see evidence of the CCTV installations and the Mexican cows in the state.
Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, the Coordinator of the Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community, Clifford Thomas, challenged the state government to show evidence of the installations. Read more
No abduction at our training school in Borno – Police (DailyTrust)
The Borno police command has debunked the report that some Police Officers were kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents who attacked the Police Mobile Training School in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The State Commissioner of police, Abdu Umaru, who addressed newsmen in Maiduguri, on Friday, said there was an attempt by the insurgents to invade the training school but officers repelled it.
“No police personnel were abducted at the police mobile training college Gwoza. Yes, there was an attempt to invade the school, we wish to inform the general public that the insurgents, who attacked the mobile training school on the 13th of January, 2022 at 2022hrs were successfully repelled by our gallant and men with less effort.
“The police did not record any single casualty not loss of firearms and no casualty on the part of police was recorded.” CP Umaru said. Read more
Majemite tasks COREN, others on building collapse prevention (Guardian)
Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and other agencies charged with the monitoring of building projects have been called upon to sit up to minimise the alarming rate of building collapse in the country.
Former Commissioner for Lands and Survey in Delta State, Chief Fred Majemite, made the call when he visited the Asaba Specialist Hospital to commiserate with victims of a recent church building collapse at Okpanam.
Majemite, who said the increasing rate of building collapse in urban and rural communities was traceable to quacks in the industry, advocated regular monitoring of different stages in the construction of buildings by professional bodies and individuals.
At the paediatric and female surgical wards of the hospital, the frontline politician, who thanked God that the patients were recuperating fast, pledged to assist government in offsetting their medical bills. He equally gave the victims cash to support their feeding expenses. Read more
Armed Boko Haram ISWAP wrecks havoc on Kautikari village of Chibok (Vanguard)
Armed Boko Haram terrorists suspected to be members of ISWAP group have invaded Kautikari village of Chibok Local Government Area in Borno State wrecking havoc without confrontation. Sources have said.
Unfortunately, three residents were killed with setting ablaze of a local Church and residential houses.
Sources said the insurgents invaded the community at about 4pm of Friday and operated without confrontation before they withdrew at about 7pm.
“The insurgents while in the community started firing gunshots at civilians and burning of residential buildings and shops as they loot livestock and foodstuff”. Read more
Rebel Wilson set to host BAFTA Awards (Variety)
Rebel Wilson will host the BAFTA Awards in March.
The “Pitch Perfect” actor stole the show at the ceremony in 2020 with a gag-filled speech while presenting the award for best director during which she managed to mention Prince Harry, Prince Andrew, coronavirus (then still but a conceptual threat), the lack of swag bags, “Cats” (in which she starred) and the lack of women nominated for best director.
Last year’s awards took place semi-virtually and were hosted by British presenters Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary.
“I look at the exceptional, daring talent nominated in this category and I don’t think I could do what they do,” Wilson said of the all-male nominees. “Honestly, I just don’t have the balls.”
Given everything that has happened since February 2020 – including Prince Andrew effectively being fired as a royal and of course the global pandemic – she will no doubt have plenty of material for the event, which Prince William usually attends in his role as president. Read more
Grieving Sinead O’Connor hospitalised days after death of 17-year-old son (Metro)
Sinead O’Connor has been admitted to hospital as she continues to grieve for her son Shane following his death aged 17.
Shane took his own life over the weekend after he was reported missing from a hospital in Ireland, with Sinead saying she feels ‘lost’ without her son.
The singer told followers on social media she was headed to hospital and receiving help, while also apologising after worrying fans on Twitter overnight.
The 55-year-old wrote: ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I am with cops now on way to hospital. I’m sorry I upset everyone.
‘I am lost without my kid and I hate myself. Hospital will help a while…’ Read more
Baldwin hands phone to Rust shooting investigators (BBC)
Alec Baldwin has turned over his mobile phone to police investigating a fatal shooting on a New Mexico film set.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot as Mr Baldwin, 63, rehearsed drawing a prop gun on the set of the movie Rust in October last year.
Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office confirmed the actor had turned over his device to authorities near his home in New York.
Police had said earlier this week that the actor was not co-operating with the inquiry.
Santa Fe County Sheriff spokesperson Juan Rios told the Los Angeles Times on Friday that police intend to gather data like text messages and voicemails off the handset as part of their investigation into the incident. Read more
Britney Spears rebukes sister Jamie Lynn for ‘selling a book at my expense’ (Guardian)
Britney Spears has hit back at her younger sister, Jamie Lynn, who made allegations about the singer’s mental health and behaviour.
Speaking to Good Morning America in an interview to promote her forthcoming memoir, Jamie Lynn Spears alleged that Britney once locked them both in a room while holding a knife. She also claimed that her sister had screamed in her face during the Covid-19 lockdown, and described her behaviour over the years as “erratic, paranoid and spiralling”.
On Twitter, Britney responded that she and Jamie Lynn rarely spent time together “15 years ago” – the era in which Spears was experiencing a very public period of mental ill health – and said: “So why are they even talking about that unless she wants to sell a book at my expense?”
Jamie Lynn was also asked why Britney had objected to her sister performing a remix of her songs at the 2017 Radio Disney Awards, which Britney said in July “hurt me deeply”.
“I was doing a tribute to honour my sister and all the amazing things that she’s done,” Jamie Lynn said. “I don’t think she’s personally upset with me about that. Truthfully, I don’t know why that bothers her.Britney responded: “It may sound like a silly thing to most people, but I wrote a lot of my songs and my sister was the baby. She never had to work for anything. Everything was always given to her!” Read more
The Highest-Paid YouTube Stars: MrBeast, Jake Paul and Markiplier score massive paydays (Forbes)
With a name like MrBeast, perhaps it was only inevitable that he’d grow to be as big as he’s become. The 23 year old earned $54 million in 2021—the most of any YouTuber ever—as his videos accumulated 10 billion views, doubling from the previous year.
What do people like so much? Well, the internet loves watching stunts, and MrBeast excels at delivering super-sized ones. In the last year, he has spent 50 hours buried alive, offered $10,000 to anyone willing to sit in a bathtub of snakes and hosted his own version of Squid Game, building replicas of the Netflix show’s sets.
MrBeast leads our latest list of the top-earning YouTubers for the first time and likely earns himself a spot among the world’s highest-paid entertainers. In fact, his $54 million payday would have put him in the Top 40 of our last Celebrity 100, a ranking of the top-paid stars across all of entertainment, above folks like Billie Eilish, Kim Kardashian, Angelina Jolie and even BTS. The two right behind MrBeast–No. 2 Jake Paul ($45 million) and No. 3 Markiplier ($38 million)–also would have made that Celebrity 100, which had a $35 million cutoff.
Altogether, the YouTubers collectively earned about $300 million in 2021—another record amount—up 40% from a year earlier, mostly propelled higher by increasing views on their YouTube channels and the ad revenue they generate from those videos. Read more
Harry Potter fans remember Alan Rickman on the 6th anniversary of his death (Metro)
Friday marks six years since the death of Alan Rickman, and fans are paying tribute to the actor with heartfelt messages and stories.
Rickman died aged 69 in 2016 following a diagnosis of terminal cancer.
He suffered a minor stroke in August 2015, which led to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
The star only revealed to his loved ones that his cancer was terminal, before he died in January.
His final two films, Eye in the Sky and Alice Through the Looking Glass, were dedicated to his memory, as was The Limehouse Golem, which would have been his next project. Read more
Canadian doctor delivers ‘Miracle’ baby on flight (BBC)
A Canadian doctor has told of her joy after delivering a “Miracle” baby on an overnight flight to Uganda.
Dr Aisha Khatib, a professor at the University of Toronto, was about one hour into her Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Entebbe when the call went out.
A Ugandan migrant worker travelling home from Saudi Arabia was about to deliver her first child.
The baby, early at 35 weeks, was born healthy, and was named Miracle Aisha, after the doctor.
Dr Khatib, bleary-eyed from a gruelling work schedule back in coronavirus-plagued Toronto, was enjoying a well-earned rest on the third leg of her trip. Read more
Nigeria vs Sudan: Eagles target round of 16 ticket (Punch)
Nigeria will hope to make it two wins from as many games when they take on Sudan in their second Group D game of the Africa Cup of Nations at the Roumde Adjia Stadium on Saturday (today).
The Super Eagles got their 19th AFCON campaign off to a fine start with a 1-0 victory over Egypt in their Group D curtain-raiser on Tuesday.
Carlos Queiroz’s side were second best for virtually the entire game as a Kelechi Iheanacho wonder striker got the Eagles on the right foot in the 33rd edition of the AFCON.
Fresh off the back of the impressive win against the seven-time African champions, Nigeria now turn their attention to the game against Sudan, and know that a win will earn them a spot in the knockout stage.
Nigeria, who are seeking their fourth title, are now unbeaten in all but one of their last seven games in all competitions, claiming five wins and one draw in that time. Read more
Alphonso Davies: Bayern Munich defender diagnosed with mild myocarditis (BBC)
Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has stopped training after the club detected signs of heart muscle inflammation.
The Canadian, 21, has not played since 17 December after contracting Covid-19.
Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann said a mild sign of myocarditis was discovered after Davies returned to training.
“During our follow-up examination that we do with every player that has had Covid-19, we detected signs of mild myocarditis,” said Nagelsmann.
“He has stopped training for now, so he won’t be available to us for the next weeks.” Read more
Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang misses Gabon vs Ghana due to Covid-related heart issues (Metro)
Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been ruled out Gabon’s Africa Cup of Nations clash with Ghana due to minor heart issues following a bout of Covid-19.
Aubameyang, 32, tested positive for coronavirus upon arrival in Cameroon last week and subsequently missed Gabon’s 1-0 victory over Comoros on Monday, his country’s opening game in Group C.
There had been faint hopes Aubameyang would return to feature against Ghana this evening, but the forward was again omitted from Gabon’s matchday squad along with Ittihad Tanger’s Axel Meye and Nice’s Mario Lemina.
Gabon head coach Patrice Neveu also tested positive prior to tonight’s game and did not travel to Yaounde’s Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo. Read more
Eguavoen has found right stimulant for Super Eagles, says Shorunmu (Guardian)
Former Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu, is thrilled that Coach Austin Eguavoen has found the right stimulus for the national team’s bid for a fourth African Cup of Nations title.
Super Eagles on Tuesday, against some pundits’ prediction, dominated Pharaohs of Egypt in their opening game of the competition. Nigeria won the game effortlessly 1-0.
Speaking on the team’s newfound form, Shorunmu warned the Eagles against becoming complacent after a grand entry into the competition, while calling on the players to listen to the instructions of their coach and remain focused on their task.
Shorunmu predicted that the Super Eagles could get to the AFCON final if the players continued with the momentum they used against Egypt and approached every game with winning mentality. Read more
Transfer: Senegal’s Pape Gueye suspended by FIFA, out of AFCON (Punch)
Pape Gueye, part of Senegal’s squad at the Africa Cup of Nations, has been suspended by FIFA because of a transfer dispute, his coach Aliou Cisse said on Friday.
“There were problems between Watford and Marseille on a transfer. FIFA has suspended him,” said Cisse.
Midfielder Gueye started his career at Le Havre and was due to become a free agent in the summer of 2020.
In April of that year, he signed a pre-contract with Watford before changing his mind and agreeing a deal with Marseille.
He has since appeared 61 times for the Ligue 1 club in all competitions. Read more
Nigerians rekindle confidence in Eagles, anticipate victory against Sudan (Guardian)
After an impressive performance against the Pharaohs of Egypt on match day 1 of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, Nigerians have rekindled their confidence in the Super Eagles and can’t wait to watch the next matches showing live and in HD on StarTimes.
The AFCON meeting between Nigeria and Sudan is scheduled for 5.00 p.m. today at the Stade Omnisport Roumde Adjia in Yaoundé. Viewers at home can watch live on the StarTimes World Football channel in high definition picture quality.
Football fans can pay-per-day to enjoy the thrills at N200 for classic bouquet (antenna users) and N400 for super bouquet (dish users). Fans can also watch online via the StarTimes-ON mobile app which costs just N400 weekly for sport VIP subscription.
Moses Simon, Joe Aribo and Kelechi Iheanacho were impressive in the game against Egypt and a win against Sudan on Saturday will qualify Nigeria into the knockout stage, with a game to spare.
Sudan, meanwhile, were lucky against Guinea Bissau in their opening game after their opponents missed a penalty. Read more
Novak Djokovic: Tennis star detained ahead of deportation appeal (BBC)
Novak Djokovic has been detained in Australia ahead of a court hearing that will determine whether the tennis star can stay in the country unvaccinated.
The Serbian faces deportation after his visa was cancelled for a second time, with the government labelling the 34-year-old a threat to public health.
His lawyers are appealing against what they called an “irrational” judgement, with the hearing set for Sunday.
Djokovic is still scheduled to play the Australian Open on Monday in Melbourne. Read more
