Parents rage as Lagos school teacher allegedly gives 2-year-old pupil 24 strokes of cane (Tribune)
Cross-sections of parents in Lagos State and Twitter users have condemned in strong terms the alleged brutalisation of a two-year-old pupil of a private nursery and primary school at Mazamaza in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.
The two-year-old pupil, who is a girl, was said to be flogged and wounded by her teacher for alleged inability to recite the English alphabets in class.
The news was broken by one Waka Waka Tailor on his Twitter handle @wakawakatailor, on Friday, describing the flogged girl as his niece.
He also posted the name of the school with the address and two phone numbers as well as two photographs of the small girl with one of them showing various wounds the cane had inflicted on her back and the other in mufti. Read more
LASPOTECH: LASG reinstates 4 sacked NASU leaders (Sun)
The Lagos State Government on Friday approved the reinstatement of four sacked leaders of Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) of Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu.
The decision to reinstate the sacked union leaders was made by the Special Adviser on Education to the Governor, Mr. Tokunbo Wahab at a meeting with officials of the three unions in LASPOTECH.
Wahab assured the union leaders that the letters of reinstatement would soon be given to the sacked NASU members.
The three union leaders thanked the SAE for the approval to reinstate the four sacked NASU members.
Saturday Sun gathered that soon after the news reached the campus, workers jubilated, some song and danced praising Governing Babajide Sanwo-Olu for doing the needful. Read more
Community tackles EKEDC over refusal to fix falling pole two years after complaint (Punch)
Residents of Progressives Estate, Abule Nla, in the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos State have raised the alarm over the danger posed by a falling electric pole in the neighbourhood.
They lamented that the attention of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company had been drawn to the bent pole in front of Block 6 of the estate twice, in March 2019 and July 2020.
The residents said they reported the looming danger at both the headquarters of the company in Marina and its district office in Ijora but no action was taken to replace the pole.
One of the affected landlords, Mr Jegede Lawrence, told City Round that the residents did some palliative work to hold the pole when the EKEDC was not forthcoming but the concrete had started giving way. Read more
Lagos upgrades resident card for multipurpose services (Guardian)
The Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA), yesterday, said only 4.46 million residents have been registered.
The General Manager, Mrs. Ibilola Kasunmu, who disclosed this, announced that the LASRRA card is being replaced with the new Lagos State Resident Identity Card (LAG ID), which has been embedded with more features and functions that enable the holders to enjoy and have access to faster and better services from the state government.
She said that as part of effort to reach more residents as the state hopes to issue 6m cards by end year, about 862 enrollment units would be enlisted across the state.
According to her, the new LAG ID Card is a multi-application smartcard that offers registered residents access to services ranging from a means of personal security and identity verification at points of accessing various government services, applying for loans from Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to payment for services across multiple vendors, including BRT and LagFerry as well as cash withdrawals from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). Read more
Gunshots, as two NURTW factions clash in Agbado, Lagos (Punch)
There was pandemonium in the Agbado area of the Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos State on Friday morning when two factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers clashed in the area.
Eyewitnesses told The PUNCH that road users and passersby scampered for safety when the two warring factions violently engaged each other.
Gunshots were also heard during the conflict over ticket collection at the parks.
The spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the development.
He, however, said policemen had been deployed in the affected areas. Read more
Navy destroys 6 kidnappers camp in Cross River (Guardian)
The Nigerian Navy Ship Victory (NNSV) said it has destroyed no fewer than six camps used by various notorious kidnap gangs in Cross River and recovered various weapons.
The former Commander, NNSV, Commodore Chiedozie Okehie, during his handover ceremony in Calabar on Friday said they destroyed six camps used by notorious kidnappers and rescued victims.
Okehie, who served as commander for nine months, said that they carried out various kinetic operations involving several clearance of sea robbers and militants.
He warned criminals in the state, especially those operating on the waterways to desist from the act, adding that the Navy would deal ruthlessly with anyone perpetrating any form of criminality. Read more
FCT Elections: Police reinstate curfew from 8am to 3pm (Channels)
The FCT Police Command has announced the imposition of a curfew from 8am to 3pm on Saturday for safe conduct of the area council elections.
The police had earlier relaxed restrictions earlier on Friday but said it had received more intelligence that some elements were planning to disrupt the electoral process.
“Based on credible intelligence available to FCT police command, criminals are planning to explore the absence of restrictions of movement earlier announced to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the area council elections,” Commissioner of Police Babaji Sunday said in a Friday notice.
“Accordingly FCT police found it necessary to restrict all movement from 8am to 3pm tomorrow Saturday, 12th February 2022. Read more
PSC directs fresh investigation of Kyari, promotes 89 staff (Guardian)
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has ordered fresh investigation and deferred decision on the case involving suspended Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) Commander, DCP Abba Kyari.
Spokesman of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said: “Kyari had earlier been indicted by a report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States and was also investigated by a special panel set up by the Inspector General of Police.
“The report had earlier been forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for legal advice by the Inspector General of Police.
“The commission also directed that further necessary investigation should take half the time it took the police to conduct the original investigation and that the investigation should be carried out by a different panel. Read more
CSO commends Nigerian army, says decisive offensives against terrorists yielding results (Vanguard)
A rights group, Northern Youth Network (NYN) has said the decisive offensives carried out by the Nigeria Airforce with support of ground troops on terrorists and bandits in the northern part
of the country has brought a lot of relieve to communities that were tormented by activities of the criminals.
Particularly, the group explained that the declaration of BokoHaram/ISWAP and bandits as terrorists has provided the impetus for the military to use maximum force to eliminate terrorism and its sponsors in the country.
In a statement signed by the convener of the group Mallam Abdulrahman Ahmed pointed out that the within the past 3 weeks, the Nigerian Airforce assisted by the ground troops have eliminated several commanders of the terrorist and bandits in Zamfara, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna and along the lake Chad River basins with thousands of them surrendering to the military.
“The Northern Youth Network has observed with great pleasure, the victories recorded by the Nigerian military in the war against insurgency and banditry in the country in the past weeks”, the statement noted. Read more
Death on the Nile banned in Lebanon and Kuwait in protest of Gal Gadot (Metro)
Death on the Nile has been banned in Lebanon and Kuwait due to Gal Gadot starring in the film, it’s been confirmed.
Before becoming an actress, Isreali native Gadot served in the Israeli military for two years, as is mandatory in the country.
The Sir Kenneth Branagh-directed film is being released in the rest of the Middle East this week but won’t be shown in Lebanon or Kuwait due to Gadot’s links to the IDF.
The Daily Mail cites the local Al-Qabas newspaper saying that country caved into the ban due to protests on social media.
However, it’s not the first time the actress’s films have been banned. Read more
Wes Ball directing ‘Harbinger’ movie based on Valiant comic book series at Paramount (Collider)
Deadline is reporting that director Wes Ball has signed on to direct an adaptation of Valiant Comics Harbinger for Paramount Pictures.
The comic is set in a world where a race of evolved superhumans known as Harbingers exist. One of the most powerful harbingers recruits and trains others to be a part of his private army to carry out his goal of conquering the world. A young harbinger, Peter Stanchek, joins forces with a resistance group of harbingers to fight back and save the world.
The Harbinger comics series was created at Valiant Comics by Jim Shooter and David Lapham, with Shooter writing and Lapham doing the art. The comic’s run began in 1992 and ran to 1995 and was rebooted with a new writer and artist in 2012 and that run lasted until 2014.
Ball is best known as a director for his work on the Maze Runner trilogy. Ball served as the director on all three films in the adaptation of the young adult dystopian trilogy starring Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and Giancarlo Esposito. Ball is also set to direct both an adaptation of David Peterson’s graphic novel Mouse Guard and the next reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise. He is also co-writing the later film. Read more
Danish political drama ‘Borgen’ is back after a decade (TheSouthAfrican)
Borgen is back. The Danish political drama about a charismatic woman who becomes prime minister took the world by storm and morphed into one of Scandinavia’s biggest television exports a decade on.
Viewers last saw former Danish prime minister Birgitte Nyborg the day after her brand-new political party scored a sensational win in elections. Ten years on, she is a foreign minister in a government headed by a woman 10 years her junior.
“Since we said goodbye to Birgitte, a lot of things have changed,” said Henriette Marienlund, head of drama at Danish public broadcaster DR which developed the series.
On Sunday, the fourth series will air on Danish TV ahead of its much-anticipated international debut on Netflix in the spring. Read more
Marvel’s Simu Liu joins Barbie movie with Margot Robbie (DigitalSpy)
Actor Simu Liu – best known for his roles in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Kim’s Convenience – is in negotiations to be cast in the star-studded Barbie movie.
The new film stars co-producer Margot Robbie in the titular role, opposite Ryan Gosling as Ken. It is not yet clear what Liu’s role will be, according to Deadline, and the plot is being kept under wraps.
Ugly Betty and Superstore star America Ferrera has also been announced as part of the cast, but her role, similarly, remains a mystery.
Little Women’s Greta Gerwig is directing the movie based on the famous Mattel doll line, and she co-wrote the script with her partner and filmmaker Noah Baumbach. Read more
Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner TV series is heading to Amazon Studios (AVClub)
Last November, Ridley Scott teased that there was a Blade Runner series in the works. At the time, he said that though there was already a full pilot and a bible written, the show still hadn’t been picked up yet. Well, now it’s officially happening: Deadline has announced that the series is now in development at Amazon Studios.
Scott will be the executive producer for the show, titled Blade Runner 2099. The director has yet to share plot details, but based on the title, it appears the show will be set 50 years after the events from the 2017 sequel, Blade Runner 2049, which was directed by Denis Villeneuve.
It’s also reported that Silka Luisa, who’s the showrunner for Apple TV+’s upcoming series Shining Girls, will write and co-executive produce the series, too. There is no word yet on any casting details or on the planned production date. Scott has not announced whether or not he’ll be involved as the director yet.
Though Black Lotus only had a short 13 episodes, it seems promising that Scott is involved with this upcoming series; it will mark his first time revisiting the Blade Runner universe since the first film. Read more
Tina Knowles-Lawson reveals how she defended Jay-Z after a woman called him a ‘gangster rapper’ (People)
Tina Knowles-Lawson will never forget the moment a flight attendant confronted her on a plane and criticized her for allowing her daughter Beyoncé to marry Jay-Z.
“I can remember getting on a plane and an older white woman saying, ‘Oh, your son[-in-law] is a gangster rapper, right? How did you let him marry your daughter?'” the mother and grandmother, 68, remembers.
Knowles-Lawson recalls the conversation in Profiled: The Black Man, a new Discovery+ docuseries, which challenges the negative popular stereotypes about African American men. The Texan businesswoman and philanthropist serves as executive producer on the project that premieres on Feb. 12.
The first episode explores the narrative that Black men “are dangerous” and Knowles-Lawson took the “shocking” incident on the plane as the perfect opportunity to defend JAY-Z, who has been married to the “Brown Skin Girl” singer since 2008. Read more
Mary J. Blige & Dave East risk it all in ‘Rent Money’ video (HipHopDX)
Mary J. Blige returned on Friday (February 11) with her 15th studio album Good Morning Gorgeous, and the R&B legend risked it all in her new video for “Rent Money” right before she takes to the Super Bowl LVI stage on Sunday.
The latest single off the album to get the visual treatment finds Blige hitting the casino, embodying the track’s lyrics about gambling away her love for someone who didn’t deserve it. Throughout the Eif Rivera-directed video, Blige wins big at roulette before losing it all. She then tries to cheat her way back to riches, only to be caught by security. Dave East also appears in the video as the casino’s dealer, rapping about clout chasing ladies.
Good Morning Gorgeous dropped on Friday (February 11) and features appearances from Anderson .Paak, Dave East, DJ Khaled, Fivio Foreign and Usher. The 13-track LP includes the previously released singles “Amazing,” “Good Morning Gorgeous,” and “Rent Money.”
The video for “Rent Money” comes as Mary J. Blige gears up for one of the biggest performances of her career. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar are all set to perform at the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show on Sunday (February 13). Read more
Tunisians mocked me after Eagles AFCON defeat – Iwuala (Punch)
Esperance Tunis winger Anayo Iwuala has revealed how devastated he was after he was jeered by Tunisians following the Super Eagles defeat to the Carthage Eagles in the round of 16 of the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, Punch Sports Extra reports.
The former Enyimba player could only watch the Eagles crash out of the AFCON from his base in Tunisia after he was left out by new coach of the team, Austin Eguavoen.
Nigeria were the clear favourites before the encounter, following their impressive displays in the group stage, where they won all three games, including a 1-0 triumph over eventual finalists Egypt.
Despite their flying start, Eguavoen’s side suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to COVID-19 hit Tunisian side who were without several players heading into the game. Read more
Mbappe gives PSG late win over Rennes ahead of Real Madrid showdown (France24)
Kylian Mbappe scored an injury-time winner as Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for their Champions League showdown with Real Madrid by beating Rennes 1-0 in Ligue 1 on Friday.
Mbappe fired home from a Lionel Messi assist in the third minute of added time at the Parc des Princes having earlier seen a deflected strike come back off the post and been denied a goal by the tightest of offside calls.
The result allows PSG to stretch their huge lead at the top of the French table to 16 points before second-placed Marseille play at Metz on Sunday.
However, the nature of the performance from Mauricio Pochettino’s side suggests they will struggle when Madrid visit for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie next Tuesday. Read more
Petr Cech warns players as Romelu Lukaku shares cryptic post (Mirror)
Chelsea are just one step away from being crowned Club World Cup champions.
On Saturday evening, they will face Palmeiras at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in the climax of the competition and the Blues will be big favourites to clinch the prize.
Manager Thomas Tuchel will want to see a better performance from his team, as they were well short of their best in the semi-finals. Romelu Lukaku’s first-half goal was eventually the difference between the European champions and Al-Hilal, but Chelsea needed Kepa Arrizabalaga to make some smart stops to preserve his clean sheet.
While the UEFA representatives at the Club World Cup typically emerge with the trophy, there have been occasions when shocks have been sprung. Read more
Romelu Lukaku posts mysterious Snapchat message which could worry Chelsea fans (Metro)
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has risked ruffling feathers once again with a cryptic post on social media that will have fans questioning his future at the club.
The Belgian forward caused controversy with an explosive interview which came to light in December, suggesting Chelsea was far from his first choice when leaving Inter Milan last summer.
He also criticised manager Thomas Tuchel for his tactics, while apologising to Inter fans for the way he left the Italian club.
The issue seemed to be in the past, with Lukaku back in the Chelsea team since being left out as punishment in January, but he has now fanned the flames once again.
His Snapchat message read: ‘If you have to force it then it probably doesn’t fit.’ Read more
PGA Tour: Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele two shots off halfway lead at WM Phoenix Open (Sky)
Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele are two shots off the lead at halfway stage of the WM Phoenix Open, with FedExCup champion Patrick Cantlay also in contention.
Koepka carded a second-round 67 at TPC Scottsdale to move to 10 under alongside Schauffele, who fired a bogey-free 65, keeping them in touch with midday pacesetter Sahith Theegala.
Theegala lost his overnight advantage when the young American returned on Friday morning to bogey the final two holes of his opening-round 66, only to respond by birdieing four of the first five holes of his second round.
The world No 318, a sponsor’s invite, responded to missing a six-footer to save par at the eighth by posting back-to-back gains from the 13th, with successive birdies over his final two holes seeing him close a blemish-free 64 and head into the weekend on 12 under. Read more
‘I do not know how Roger Federer is able to do it’, says ATP ace (TennisWorld)
Argentina’s Juan Martin Del Potro admitted that the 2009 US Open experience was “unique” as he will never forget beating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to win his first Grand Slam title. Del Potro beat Nadal in the 2009 US Open semifinal, before beating Federer to raise his first Grand Slam crowd.
“The last two days of the US Open, against Nadal and Federer, were unique. What I experienced in the Davis Cup was a dream. And personally, the Rio Games were very nice,” del Potro said, according to Sportskeeda. “There’s the podium…
[it can] [help] get through everything because they make me feel it. I always liked a low profile, speaking little, speaking on the court and communicating what is fair and necessary. Therefore, going out and saying everything I had saved is not easy,” Del Potro said.
“I feel relieved and transparent as always. I worked three months in Buenos Aires. Perhaps what frustrates me is the pain in the leg. I would like it to be less to deal with everything differently. But it’s what I have to do.” Read more
Boxer Jermall Charlo arrested in Texas on felony assault charge (ABC)
Middleweight champion boxer Jermall Charlo was arrested Friday in Texas on a felony charge of assaulting a family/household member after having a previous conviction, according to Fort Bend Jail records.
Charlo, 31, was still in custody on Friday night, a jail official told ESPN. According to records, he was arrested at 1:29 p.m. after a warrant was issued by the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office in Richmond, Texas. He was being held on $10,000 bail.
A Fort Bend County public information officer didn’t respond to a voicemail seeking comment. A spokesperson for PBC, which promotes Charlo, declined to comment.
Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) is ESPN’s No. 1-ranked 160-pound boxer. He has made four defenses of the WBC middleweight title and also won a title at 154 pounds. Read more