Police arraign 5 men over alleged stealing, wilful damage in Lagos (Guardian)
The Police on Monday arraigned five men in Ikorodu area of Lagos State over alleged theft and destruction of property worth N765,000
The defendants are Saheed Orepekun 34; Faruku Oladele 32, Muftau Ademoritan 22, Popoola Toheebu 22 and Tunde Zakariya, 21.
The defendants, whose addresses were not provided, are being tried for conspiracy, felony to wit assault to cause harm and wilful damage.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. Read more
Alleged Fraud: Court grants Fayose leave to travel abroad (Vanguard)
The Federal High Court in Lagos today, granted permission to former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, to travel abroad for further medical treatment.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke granted permission following an application by Fayose’s counsel, Ola Olanipekun (SAN).
Fayose had through his counsel, sought an order of the court granting him leave “to travel outside Nigeria for further medical examination, diagnosis, treatment and therapeutics, as the exigency of his health demands, on dates which shall not coincide with or obstruct ant date of the trial in this case.”
He also sought an order that his international passport, which was deposited with the Registrar of the Court as part of the conditions for the bail granted should be released to him and returned to the court upon return from the trip. Read more
Court fixes March 15 to hear suit challenging NIN registration amid COVID-19 (Guardian)
A Federal High Court Lagos on Monday, fixed March 15 to hear a suit challenging the ongoing process of linking the National Identification Number (NIN) with Mobile lines.
The court presided by Justice Mohammed Liman, also ordered service of hearing notices on respondents to the suit
The applicant, Mr Malcolm Omirhobo had sued the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) alongside others over the instruction on citizens to link their NIN within a stipulated time frame.
Joined as respondents in the suit are the Attorney General of the Federation, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); the DG NIMC, and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Read more
DPR flags off search, rescue, command centre in Lagos (Vanguard)
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Monday flagged off the Oil and Gas Search, Rescue and Surveillance (SeRAS) Command and Control Centre in Lagos.
The centre is to improve safety and operational efficiency across the industry.
Mr Sarki Auwalu, Director, DPR, who flagged off the programme on Monday, said it was being implemented in collaboration with Omni-Blu Aviation Services Limited and would increase safety and revenue generation.
He said they were critical to operations in the industry, adding that this necessitated the establishment of the National Oil and Gas Excellence Centre (NOGEC) which was inaugurated recently by President Muhammadu Buhari. Read more
Unlawful Road Blockage: Court awards N10.6m in favour of veteran journalist (ThisDay)
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday awarded the sum of N10.6 million damages in favour of a veteran journalist, Geoffrey Anika, in his suit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the construction of a concrete barrier that caused his accident.
The corporation had, in response to threat of attack by Boko Haram terrorists, erected concrete barricades on the highway leading to its headquarters in Abuja, without necessary road signs, which according to the plaintiff, resulted in a ghastly motor accident involving his Peugeot 406 with registration number DP 41 EKY in 2012. Read more
Southeast governors wade into Uzodinma, Okorocha feud (Punch)
The Southeast Governors Forum has waded into the impasse between the Imo Governor, Hope Uzodinma, and the state’s former governor, Rochas Okorocha.
A squabble ensued between both sides’ supporters on February 21 when Okorocha allegedly broke into the Royal Spring Palm Apartment, Owerri, sealed by the Imo State Government on February 19.
The situation was brought under control by the Imo Police Command, which later arrested the senator.
Chairman of the forum, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Francis Nwaze, on Monday said the forum was already handling the issue. Read more
Court remands man, 30 over alleged rape (Guardian)
A Sagamu Magistrates’ Court, on Monday, remanded a 30-year-old man, John Sunday in a correctional service centre for allegedly raping a 20-year-old lady.
Sunday, who resides at Tejuwogbo Lukosi area in Sagamu, is facing a count charge of having unlawful carnal knowledge of the lady (name withheld).
The Prosecutor, Insp. Adekunle Opayemi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on Dec. 21, 2020, at about 6.00 a.m, at Zonia Company road Konigbagbe area in Sagumu, Ogun. Read more
Carpenter stabs ‘Suya’ seller a year after breaking off his teeth (Vanguard)
A Wuse Zone Six Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, on Monday, sentenced a 32-year-old carpenter, Sadaam Ibrahim, to 12 months imprisonment for stabbing a ‘suya’ seller.
Ibrahim, who resides in Wuse II, Abuja, was convicted on a count charge of causing grievous hurt, an offence he admitted committing.
The magistrate, Abdulajid Oniyangi, pronounced the sentence on Ibrahim after he had pleaded guilty to the charge, begged for leniency and said he stabbed the complainant because he was going to stab him with a knife.
Oniyangi, who said that the punishment would serve as a lesson to the convict to make him change his ways, however, gave him an option of N15,000 fine. Read more
FG, govs to resolve fuel price logjam (ThisDay)
The federal government will meet with state governors and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Thursday to find a solution to the issue of right pricing for petrol in the country.
Rising from its meeting with the organised labour last night, the federal government said that both sides have resolved to allow more time in order to look into ways of tinkering with the template for fixing domestic fuel price.
At the meeting which ended at about midnight, THISDAY gathered that the NNPC came up with a price range of N206 per litre for petrol.
It explained that the new price range was as a result of the rise in crude oil price in the international market. Read more
Texas electric firms sued over boy’s death in cold (BBC)
The family of an 11-year-old boy who died in recent cold weather in Texas have filed a $100m (£71m) lawsuit against power companies for negligence.
Cristian Pineda was found unresponsive by his mother in their mobile home last week amid freezing temperatures.
Millions were left without power in the unusually cold weather, which has killed dozens in southern states.
The family suspect hypothermia but police say official autopsy results may take weeks. Read more
PA man threatened to kill lawmakers, black people to start civil war: feds (NYPost)
A Pennsylvania man has been charged with threatening to kill members of Congress and black people in a twisted plot to start a civil war, federal prosecutors said.
The alleged threats by Harry E. Miller, 62, were lodged in calls to the office of Rep. Katherine Clark, a Democrat from Massachusetts, the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania said Friday.
The feds claim Miller said he intended to abolish the government by “spilling blood” — by killing four to five Democrats and shooting black people.
During the call, Miller also told a congressional staffer they would die in his ensuing civil war, federal prosecutors said. Read more
Woody Allen says doc is ‘riddled with falsehoods’ (BBC)
Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn have described a new documentary series about the US actor and director as a “hatchet job riddled with falsehoods”.
The first episode of Allen v Farrow aired on Sunday on HBO.
It shows Farrow, the adopted daughter of Allen and his ex-partner Mia Farrow, speaking about the allegations of abuse she made against her father, which he denies.
The documentary suggests Allen groomed Farrow from a young age. Read more
UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia prolonging war in Yemen, says Oxfam (RT)
Global charity Oxfam has accused the UK government of prolonging the war in Yemen by permitting the sale of air-to-air refuelling equipment to the Saudi state, thus allowing air assets to bomb Yemeni targets for longer.
“As the US has called for an end to the conflict in Yemen, the UK is heading in the opposite direction, ramping up its support for the brutal Saudi-led war by increasing arms sales and refuelling equipment that facilitate airstrikes,” Sam Nadel, head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam, said on Monday.
Nadel was referring to the British government’s decision to licence the sale of air-to-air refuelling equipment, as well as £1.4bn ($1.96bn) of other exports, to the Saudi government last summer.
“The UK claims to support peace in Yemen. It can start by immediately ending the sale of all arms that risk being used against civilians and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis,” Nadel added. Read more
Italian ambassador to DR Congo killed in UN convoy attack (BBC)
Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed in an attack in the east of the country, its foreign ministry has said.
Luca Attanasio, 43, died in hospital on Monday after the United Nations convoy he was travelling in came under fire near Goma, a statement said.
The convoy reportedly belonged to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
An Italian military police officer travelling with the envoy and a Congolese driver were also killed. Read more
COVID-19 vaccination linked to lower hospitalisation risk in real-world data from Scotland (CBC)
Scotland’s vaccination drive appears to be markedly reducing the risk of hospitalization for COVID-19, suggesting that both the Pfizer-BioNtech and Oxford-AstraZeneca shots are highly effective in preventing severe infections, preliminary study findings showed on Monday.
Results of the study, which covered the entire Scottish population of 5.4 million people, showed that by the fourth week after the initial dose, the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines were found to reduce the risk of hospitalization by up to 85 per cent and 94 per cent respectively.
“These results are very encouraging and have given us great reasons to be optimistic for the future,” said Aziz Sheikh, a professor at the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute who co-led the study. Read more
Osaka climbs to second after Australian Open triumph (Guardian)
Naomi Osaka moved up one spot to second in the WTA rankings released Monday following her success at the Australian Open, as she won her fourth Grand Slam title.
The Japanese star beat Jennifer Brady of the US in straight sets in the final to lift the trophy in Melbourne for the second time in three years.
Osaka, 23, trades places with Simona Halep, the Romanian dropping down to third after losing to Serena Williams in the quarter-finals.
Williams jumps up four places to seventh despite again falling short of a record-tying 24th major. The American was beaten by Osaka in the semi-finals. Read more
CAF reschedules African Champions League matches (BBC)
The Confederation of African Football has rescheduled two matches in the Champions League for 28 February to be played at neutral venues.
Both ties involve teams from South Africa who were unable to secure the necessary visas to travel due to restrictions imposed because of the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic
Algeria’s CR Belouizdad will now face South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns in Tanzania at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The Group B encounter had been due to play in Algeria on Tuesday 23 February. Read more
Australian Open stars put Craig Tiley through ‘15 straight days’ of hell (NYPost)
Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley pulled off a miracle in guiding the Australian Open to the finish line, but there will be no revelling in triumph.
If this is success, failure would have been unthinkable.
The veteran tournament director for the first time spoke candidly about his month of “torture” behind the scenes, finally letting his emotions show when he could see the finish line in sight ahead of Novak Djokovic’s victory over Daniil Medvedev in the men’s final on Sunday night.
Tiley admits juggling a global sporting event in the middle of a pandemic has taken a toll on him — particularly in the last six weeks.
Despite sleep deprivation, weight loss and incredible stress — somehow he kept the tournament from derailing.
Tiley told AAP exactly how brutal his 2021 has been after overseeing the arrival of tennis players and officials from around the world — with 72 players and their staff forced into hard lockdown in hotel quarantine for 14 days. Read more
Tiger Woods hopeful of Masters start after latest back surgery (BBC)
Tiger Woods “hopes” to play in the Masters at Augusta National in April after undergoing a fifth back surgery.
The 45-year-old American had a microdiscectomy to relieve a pressurised disc fragment in January.
Woods recovered from spinal fusion surgery in 2017 to win a 15th major at the 2019 Masters, but his participation in this year’s event – which begins on 8 April – is in the balance.
“I’m feeling fine – I’m a little stiff,” Woods told CBS Television.
“I have one more MRI scheduled so we’ll see then if I can start doing more activities. Read more
Messi consoles ex-Barcelona teammate Ronaldinho after Brazil legend’s mum dies from COVID-19 complications (RT)
Lionel Messi has sent a message of comfort to his fellow Barcelona icon Ronaldinho after the ex-Brazil international’s mother passed away due to complications arising from a Covid-19 infection at the age of 71.
Ronaldinho’s mother, Miguelina Eloi Assis dos Santos, was admitted to a Porto Alegre hospital in December after contracting the virus.
The announcement of her death on Sunday led to an outpouring of grief from some of Brazil’s footballing gentry.
The 2005 Ballon d’Or winner, 40, confirmed his mother’s illness in December, saying: “Dear friends, my mother has Covid-19 and we are fighting so that she recovers soon. Read more
Raptors assistant Chris Finch expected to take over as head coach for Minnesota Timberwolves (CBC)
The Minnesota Timberwolves fired coach Ryan Saunders on Sunday night, hours after the team with the NBA’s worst record this season lost for the eighth time in the last nine games.
A person with knowledge of the situation said that the Timberwolves were finalizing plans to introduce Toronto assistant Chris Finch as the new coach Monday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Finch’s hiring has not been formally completed.ESPN first reported Saunders’ dismissal and The Athletic first reported Finch’s looming hiring. Read more
