Rape Sentence: Church members say popular Lagos pastor framed, conviction will be overturned (Punch)
Some members of the iReign Christian Ministry, Lagos, on Friday, expressed shock as the church’s founder and senior pastor, Bishop Oluwafeyiropo (Feyi) Daniels, was sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for raping a church member.
The members of the church, which is located at 1a Gbolade Adebanjo Crescent, Opebi, Ikeja, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH, said the pastor was being victimised and that his imprisonment would not stop the work of God.
The court on Friday sentenced Daniels to life imprisonment for raping his 23-year-old assistant (name withheld). Read more
‘‘Men hearts are failing over hardship, don’t remove discount on BRT’’, opposition warns Sanwo-Olu (Vanguard)
The Accord Party in Lagos State on Saturday advised Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu not to carry out the planned removal of 25 per cent discount on public transport services in the state.
The Lagos State Chairman of the party, Mr Dele Oladeji, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Oladeji said that residents still find it difficult to survive the economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy hence the need for the government to sustain the public transport discount. Read more
Gunmen abduct Oyo State PMS Chairman (Guardian)
Unknown gunmen, on Saturday, kidnapped Alhaji Akeem Akintola, the Oyo State Chairman, Tipper, Lorry and Quarry Park Management System (PMS).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Akintola, popularly known as KUSO, was kidnapped at his residence at Ajiboye area, Omi Apata, Ibadan.
A source, who did not want his name publised, said that the gunmen stormed Akintola’s residence in the early hours of Saturday and abducted him to an unknown destination. Read more
Police trailing abductors of Lagos PDP Chairman — Commissioner (DailyTrust)
The Police Command in Ogun, says it is on the trail of abductors of the Lagos State chapter chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Philip Aivoji, who was abducted on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway.
Commissioner of Police (CP) in Ogun, Mr Abiodun Alamutu, said this while speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta on Friday.
Aivoji was abducted by yet-to-be-identified persons on Thursday evening.
He was abducted at the Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, alongside nine other party members who were with him. Read more
Troops discover corpses of ‘police officers at IPOB/ESN camp’ in Imo (Channels)
Combined troops of the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force in conjunction with the Nigerian Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, have discovered remains of two kidnapped police officers in the camp of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and it’s armed affiliate Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The discovery follows a raid of several camps of the IPOB/ESN) along Umulolo – Umukele – Amousu and Agbobu in Okigwe Local Government Area of Imo State.
According to a statement put out by the army on Thursday, the troops stormed and destroyed hideouts of the terrorist despite encountering several Improvised Explosive Devices enroute and cordoned-off and searched several buildings used by the terrorist. Read more
NCAA confirms Ibadan airport incident, suspends Mattini Airline permit (Tribune)
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has confirmed the runway excursion involving a Challenger CL 601 aircraft, operated by Mattini Airline Services Limited, with registration marks N580KR at Ibadan Airport on 26th January 2024 and has suspended the PNCF of Mattini Airline Services Limited with immediate effect.
According to the regulatory agency, Mattini Airline Services Limited holds a valid Permit for Non-Commercial Flights (PNCF).
Already, in line with statutory provisions, the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) has launched an investigation into the occurrence. Read more
Kogi Gov Ododo makes first appointments (Nation)
On his first day of office, the newly sworn-in Kogi Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has appointed cabinet members and other key aides.
He announced that the nomination of some commissioners would be forwarded to the Assembly for prompt confirmation as members of the State Executive Council (SEC) during his inaugural speech.
The Nation reported that Ododo was sworn in as the 5th elected Kogi Governor on Saturday afternoon. Read more
Shun enticements from drug traffickers, barons, Marwa charges NDLEA officers (ThisDay)
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd), has charged men and officers of the agency to shun any enticement that conflicts with the ethos of their profession as anti-narcotic operatives.
Marwa gave the charge Saturday in Jos, Plateau State during the graduation ceremony of members of the Strike Force elite corps of the agency.
He said: “Here is my appeal to each of you: Shun any enticement that conflicts with the ethos of your profession as an anti-narcotic operative. Anything that would compromise your discipline and dedication to duty should be avoided. As an anti-narcotic officer, you bear a huge obligation to remain incorruptible in the face of any temptation that might be sprung on you by drug traffickers and barons.” Read more
Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut “Pussy Island” now has a much more family-friendly title (Uproxx)
For her directorial debut, Zoë Kravitz dared give it a provocative title: It was to be called Pussy Island. The actress always maintained that she wasn’t just trying to get attention, that it was an essential part of understanding the tone of her movie, in which she directs her now-fiancée Channing Tatum. Alas, the title “Pussy Island” was too pure for this world: Not only does the thriller have a new release date but also a new name.
Per Entertainment Weekly, the film, once set to be released earlier this year, will now drop in late summer, on August 23. What’s more, moviegoers won’t be able to say, “One for Pussy Island, please.” Instead, it will be called the far more family-friendly (and far more generic) Blink Twice.
Back in summer of 2022, Kravitz said she refused to change the title, saying the p-word is an important part of the film’s DNA. Read more
Zendaya says she would reprise her role as Chani in a prospective third Dune movie (DailyMail)
Zendaya confirmed that she would sign on to reprise her role as Chani in a prospective third Dune film during a cast interview with Fandango that was released on Friday.
The 27-year-old performer was joined by several of her castmates, including Timothee Chalamet and Florence Pugh, for the sit-down, where they discussed various aspects of the upcoming Denis Villeneuve-directed movie ‘‘Dune: Part Two’’.
At one point, the actress – whose boyfriend recently showed his affection for her on social media- was asked if she, as well as her castmates, would be interested in reprising their roles in a prospective film based on the 1969 novel Dune Messiah. Read more
Pharrell Williams to tell his life story with Legos in new movie (HipHopDX)
Pharrell Williams‘ life story is on its way to the silver screen — but instead of live action, it will be told through Legos.
According to a Deadline report on Friday (January 26), the Morgan Neville-directed Piece by Piece will hit theaters on October 11, and it will be a film the whole family can enjoy.
Pharrell said in a statement, “When I had this crazy vision to tell this story through Lego bricks, I couldn’t have imagined a better partner than Morgan. He is a legend. Grateful that Focus wanted to collaborate with us and I’m honored to share this with the world and bring people into my universe. Building with Lego bricks encourages us to follow our imagination. … Who would’ve thought that playing with these toys as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life? It’s proof that anyone else can do it too.” Read more
Herbert Coward, known as ‘‘Toothless Man’’ in Deliverance, killed in car crash (Fox)
Herbert “Cowboy” Coward died in a car crash Wednesday, according to authorities. He was 85.
The crash occurred as Coward and a friend, Bertha Brooks, left a doctor’s appointment, North Carolina Highway Patrol Sgt. M.J. Owens said. The actor pulled out onto U.S. Route 19 in front of a truck, which hit his vehicle.
Both Coward and Brooks died along with a pet squirrel and a chihuahua, authorities claimed. Coward, who lived in Haywood County, was famous locally for having a pet squirrel, he said. Read more
Colman Domingo set to direct and star in Nat King Cole biopic (FarOut)
Colman Domingo will star as Nat King Cole in an upcoming movie musical biopic from a script he co-wrote. The film is also set to be his feature-directing debut.
Domingo, who was recently nominated for ‘Best Actor’ at the Oscars 2024 for his performance as civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in the Netflix movie Rustin, said: “I’ve been working on it quietly for a few years,” during an appearance on the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast.
It’s not yet known which period of the singer’s life the film will focus on, and Domingo only shared: “It’s something I’m looking forward to putting together with some great partners.” Read more
Jennifer Crumbley, Michigan school shooter’s mother, to testify in manslaughter trial (ABC)
Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, will testify in her own defense, lawyer Shannon Smith said Thursday as her manslaughter trial got underway with opening statements.
“Jennifer Crumbley is going to take the stand and tell you about her life, her son … and when he did something she could have not have predicted,” Smith said, though a date for her testimony was not announced.
The mother is facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter for her role in the November 2021 shooting that left four students dead and seven others injured. Read more
Houthi TV says US and UK airstrikes hit Yemen oil terminal (Newsweek)
American and British airstrikes have targeted Yemen’s main oil-export terminal, the television station linked to the country’s Houthi group has said.
Al-Masira television had reported on Saturday that two airstrikes had hit the port of Ras Issa, according to Reuters, although there were no other details.
The reported incident appears to be in response to a campaign of attacks by Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea. These include a hit on Friday that caused a fire on the fuel tanker Marlin Luanda, which required U.S. Navy assistance. Read more
AFCON: Eagles vow to devour Lions in last-16 clash (Punch)
Nigeria and Cameroon will renew their Africa Cup of Nations rivalry in a round of 16 clash of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium on Saturday (today) in Ivory Coast, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Eagles finished second behind Equatorial Guinea in Group A, while Rigobert Song’s men relied on a late 3-2 comeback win against The Gambia to progress behind Senegal in Group C.
The Eagles will be aiming to avoid another round of 16 AFCON exit as they were dumped out at this stage by Tunisia at the last edition in Cameroon. Read more
Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool boss’ decision is hard to take – Virgil van Dijk (BBC)
Virgil van Dijk said Jurgen Klopp’s decision to step down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season is a “hard one to take”.
German Klopp announced on Friday that he would leave his role in July.
He informed the club of his decision in November but the players were only told shortly before Friday’s public announcement.
“The manager means so much for us, to me, to the club,” said Reds captain Van Dijk. Read more
Sean Dyche blames Everton’s money problems for Andros Townsend exit (Mirror)
Sean Dyche claims he could not offer Andros Townsend a new contract because of Everton’s money problems.
Dyche was told to cut Everton’s wage bill when he took over a year ago and says he could not table Townsend new terms when he was still battling back from a serious knee injury.
Townsend, 32, joined Luton on a free in October and is proving he can still cut it in the top flight as he returns to Goodison Park today in the FA Cup. Read more
Joel Embiid fending off Nikola Jokic, injury to be MVP betting favorite (ABC)
Last season, it took a career- and league-high 33.1 points per game, and perhaps a bout of voter fatigue, for Joel Embiid to dethrone Nikola Jokic as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
This season, the two superstar big men are the front-runners for the honor yet again, with Embiid taking a lead in the betting odds — +140 on ESPN BET as of Saturday morning — after a historic 70-point performance Monday pushed him to 36.0 PPG on the season.
Embiid and Jokic will go head-to-head for the second and final time this season when the 76ers face the Nuggets in Denver on Saturday (5:30 p.m. ET, ABC), a game that will presumably be another pivotal moment in the heated race. Read more
Aryna Sabalenka overwhelms Qinwen Zheng to win back-to-back Australian Open titles (Telegraph)
Aryna Sabalenka has promised to keep signing the bald head of her fitness coach Jason Stacy having gone through the superstitious ritual before every match of her triumphant Australian Open.
Having completed a one-sided win over Qinwen Zheng in Saturday’s Melbourne final, Sabalenka explained: “I don’t know why but I started to do it before my first match. He is not happy with that. I think we are going to do it for the year now.”
The rite was part of a repertoire of light-hearted routines, all designed to keep Sabalenka loose throughout her dominant fortnight. Of the leading women, she is the biggest, the strongest and the heaviest hitting. So if she can throw off the mental hang-ups that used to plague her, Sabalenka could soon be establishing a dynasty, especially on the hard courts that best suit her bombastic game. Read more
Novak Djokovic stunned in Australian Open semis by Italy’s Jannik Sinner (CBC)
Jannik Sinner ended 10-time champion Novak Djokovic’s perfect semi final record at the Australian Open, earning a place in a Grand Slam final for the first time on the back of Friday’s commanding win.
The 22-year-old Italian broke Djokovic’s serve twice in each of the first two sets but missed a match point in the third set before holding on for a 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 victory.
Djokovic had won all 10 semifinals and all 10 finals he’d played previously on Rod Laver Arena. Read more