Residents flee over alleged invasion by Arewa boys in Delta community (Guardian)
Some residents living in the Bonsaac area of Asaba, Oshimili South Local Council of Delta State have fled, following an alleged invasion of the community by a group known as Arewa boys.
The Guardian learnt that a few others remaining now live in fear over the group’s alleged harassment and threat to life and property. According to community sources, trouble started when the group tried to constitute a vigilance body, but some members of the community resisted, saying the boys’ activities were suspicious and would serve no good.
It was learnt that Bonsaac’s vigilante group had, following intelligence, accosted some of the boys, who were said to be terrorising the community at night with motorcycles. Upon sighting the Bonsaac team, the boys escaped, leaving one of their members, who was arrested alongside his motorcycle. Read more
Police detain prince over killing of Osun politician (Channels)
The Osun State Police Command has arrested Prince Eniola Oyeyode over the killing of Dr Richard Okin in the Ejigbo Local Government Area of the state.
Okin was shot dead on Saturday at 9:48 pm after the 50th Coronation Anniversary of the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin.
The police said, “Oyeyode instructed one of his civilian guards named Hammed Abdul-Jelili to fire his double barrel gun into the air to confirm if the gun is in good condition or not, but instead shot directly at the victim and he was rushed to a hospital but confirmed dead by the doctor”. Read more
Brazil returnee excretes 60 wraps of cocaine in Lagos – NDLEA (DailyTrust)
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a Brazil returnee, Udechukwu Ekene Theophilus, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos for ingesting 60 big wraps of cocaine.
The suspect who was arrested during inward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the D-Arrival Hall of the Lagos airport on Sunday 21 January 2024, initially refused to undergo body scan, raising health concerns in a desperate bid to evade arrest.
The NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said this on Sunday in Abuja in a statement. Read more
Lagos issues 5-day eviction notice to Ijora causeway bridge squatters (Tribune)
Lagos State government, on Sunday, issued a directive for the eviction of illegal occupants under the Ijora Causeway Bridge and the Lagos Blue Rail Line overhead bridge in Ijora.
The Commissioner for the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab during an inspection tour of the area issued a five-day quit notice to be given to illegal squatters to remove all their shanties.
He stated, “The occupation of underneath the Blue Rail Line bridge by minibuses, block moulders, fuel sellers, and miscreants poses a danger to the safe operation of the Blue Rail Line service, and the government will not allow this to continue.” Read more
Insecurity: Why Tinubu must convene community, stakeholders’ meeting to address rising menace – Afenifere (Sun)
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural and political organisation, Afenifere, has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately assemble a community and stakeholders’ meeting to discuss and address the pressing issue of national insecurity.
This suggestion was made as the organisation expressed great concern over the rising kidnapping cases, plaguing the country.
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, in a statement on Sunday, highlighted the disturbing possibility that insiders might be involved in these kidnapping cases, pointing to individuals with prior connections to the victims as possible masterminds or collaborators. Read more
NAFDAC worries over illegal importation of unregistered medical syringes (Vanguard)
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, weekend expressed worry over the influx of unregistered medical syringes into the country, alleging that intelligence reports showed that some compromises are being made at the port of entry.
The Director-General, of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye also admonished members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, to think more of the interest of the country over and above personal gains in their activities as clearing agents at the nation’s ports.
Adeyeye noted with regret that due to a compromise at the port of entry, illegal importation of unregistered containers of syringes is being allowed into the country. Read more
Atiku urges enhanced security measures as Niger, others exit ECOWAS (Punch)
The Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has called for a tight security measure in the wake of the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger from the Economic Community of West African States.
The military regimes of the three Sahel countries who have been at loggerheads with ECOWAS over sanctions imposed on them, announced their withdrawal forthwith from the regional bloc in a joint statement on Sunday.
With the withdrawal, many believe Nigeria’s fight against terrorism could be affected considering the country borders Niger Republic up north. Read more
N17.8b for Kwara hotel renovation enough to build new varsity — Don (Leadership)
A University don, Dr. Uthman Oladele, has urged the Kwara State Government to reconsider its plans for the N17.8billion renovation of Kwara Hotel. Instead, he suggested that the substantial amount be more effectively utilized in establishing a new university within the state.
Dr. Oladele, who added his voice amid the controversies that greeted the announcement of the Kwara Hotel renovation, pointed out that several reputable Nigerian universities were established with budgets significantly lower than the proposed amount for the hotel renovation.
He cited examples such as Afe Babalola University, Covenant University, Al-Hikmah University, and even Kwara State University, which he claimed were started with much lower amount of money. Read more
Dakota Johnson addresses the Stanley cup craze on ‘SNL’ in ‘Big Dumb Cups’ sketch (NBC)
The Stanley cup obsession has made its way to “Saturday Night Live.”
During the most recent episode, host Dakota Johnson was accompanied by Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman, all of whom were dressed in giant Western hats and holding Stanley cups while they appeared to be on a ranch.
The sketch opened with the three actors saying the requirements for owning the Stanley: driving a big car, being between the ages of 12 and 70, going to Target every day and being “physically or at least spiritually” blond. Read more
British base jumper dies when parachute fails on tower block leap in Thailand (Metro)
This is the chilling moment a British man fell to his death from the 29th floor of an apartment high-rise in Thailand after his parachute failed to open.
Nathy Odinson, from Huntingdon, in Cambridgeshire, illegally climbed to the top of the building in the coastal resort of Pattaya on Saturday to perform the stunt.
Footage shows the 33-year-old counting down ‘three, two, one, see ya’ before the deadly jump. Read more
Usher leads NAACP Image Awards with 6 Nominations including Entertainer of the Year (HipHopDx)
Usher‘s career renaissance has continued with his latest round of nominations, which include six nods from the NAACP Image Awards.
Rap-Up confirms that Ursh has been nominated for such awards as Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Male Artist. He’ll be facing off against the likes of Chris Brown, Burna Boy, Fantasia Barrino, and recent Oscar nominee Colman Domingo for the awards.
Victoria Monet, meanwhile, took the lead in the women’s categories. With a total of five nominations, the “On My Mama” performer is up for such awards as Outstanding Female Artist. Read more
3 US service members killed in Jordan drone attack, Biden says (Aljazeera)
Three US service members have been killed and at least 25 others wounded in a drone attack in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, the United States military has said.
“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement on Sunday.
He said the US “will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing.” Read more
Matthew McConaughey celebrates wife Camila’s 41st birthday: ‘Hot Mamma’ (People)
Matthew McConaughey is wishing his special lady a happy birthday!
The actor, 54, dedicated a sweet post to his wife, Camila Alves McConaughey, on Instagram in honor of her 41st birthday on Sunday.
The How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star shared a photo of the couple rocking matching sunnies as they cuddled up in a doorway together. Read more
Thousands flee as Israeli troops advance in southern Gaza City of Khan Yunis (AfricaNews)
As the conflict escalates in the southern Gaza City of Khan Yunis, thousands of Palestinians are evacuating towards Rafah near the Egyptian border, carrying whatever belongings they can.
Israeli troops have ordered residents to leave a downtown area that includes Nasser Hospital and two smaller medical facilities.
Approximately 1.5 million people, or two-thirds of Gaza’s population, are now crowded into shelters and tent camps in and around Rafah, where safety remains elusive due to ongoing Israeli strikes. Read more
Ukraine says corrupt officials stole $40m meant to buy arms for the war (NPR)
Employees from a Ukrainian arms firm conspired with defense ministry officials to embezzle almost $40 million earmarked to buy 100,000 mortar shells for the war with Russia, Ukraine’s security service reported.
The SBU said late Saturday that five people have been charged, with one person detained while trying to cross the Ukrainian border. If found guilty, they face up to 12 years in prison.
The investigation comes as Kyiv attempts to clamp down on corruption in a bid to speed up its membership in the European Union and NATO. Officials from both blocs have demanded widespread anti-graft reforms before Kyiv can join them. Read more
Enoh hails Amusan’s historic achievement in Astana (CompleteSports)
The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has extended warm congratulations to Tobi Amusan for her extraordinary accomplishment in setting a new African women’s indoor record in the 60-meter hurdles at the Astana Indoor Meet in Kazakhstan.
Tobi Amusan’s outstanding performance at the meet showcased not only her exceptional athleticism but also her unwavering dedication to the sport. Clocking an impressive 7.77 seconds, Amusan not only secured the victory but also etched her name in history by erasing the longstanding record of 7.82 seconds set by Glory Alozie in 1999.
Senator John Owan Enoh expressed his admiration for Tobi Amusan’s remarkable achievement, stating, “Tobi Amusan has demonstrated the epitome of true athleticism, and we are immensely proud of her. Her dedication and commitment to her craft are an inspiration to aspiring athletes across the continent. Tobi’s achievement is not only a personal triumph but a historic moment for Nigerian and African sports.” Read more
Guinea edge past 10-man Equatorial Guinea at AFCON (BBC)
Mohamed Bayo headed a 98th-minute winner as Guinea reached the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations with victory over 10-man Equatorial Guinea, who had earlier missed a penalty.
Equatorial Guinea midfielder Federico Bikoro was dismissed 10 minutes after the break for catching Bayo in the ribs with his studs.
The National Thunder were awarded a spot-kick midway through the second half after Sekou Sylla caught Iban Salvador, but captain Emilio Nsue hit the base of the right-hand upright. Read more
Aston Villa refusing to give up on former Manchester City starlet (HitC)
Aston Villa have not given up on their pursuit of Middlesbrough forward Morgan Rogers and they remain confident of sealing a deal before the January transfer window closes, HITC understands.
The 21-year-old only joined Boro in the summer and has grown with confidence since his arrival on Teesside and has impressed enough to catch the attention of Villa.
Rogers impressed Villa boss Unai Emery in their FA Cup fourth round win at Boro and off the back of that display, they firmed up their interest with an opening offer – as revealed by HITC. Read more
Bruno Fernandes’ reaction to “greedy” Man Utd team-mate speaks volumes (Mirror)
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes could be seen reacting furiously after Alejandro Garnacho went for glory and ignored teammates in the 4-2 win over Newport County
Bruno Fernandes was furious with Alejandro Garnacho after the Manchester United winger spurned a golden chance in the early stages of Sunday’s 4-2 win over Newport County.
Erik ten Hag’s side managed to avoid a major upset against the League Two outfit but it was from a comfortable afternoon’s work for the Red Devils, who were two goals to the good inside 13 minutes courtesy of Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo. Read more
Lara Gut-Behrami claims her 6th win in Cortina but won’t say if she’ll compete at the 2026 Olympics (TimesColonist)
Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami is halfway to Lindsey Vonn’s Cortina record after claiming a World Cup super-G on Sunday for her sixth career victory on the Olympia delle Tofane course — which again was the site of multiple crashes.
Too bad the 32-year-old Gut-Behrami can’t say for sure yet whether she’ll still be competing in two years at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
In a race when many of the top favourites struggled with a tricky course-set, Gut-Behrami edged Stephanie Venier, Friday’s downhill winner, by 0.21 seconds. Romane Miradoli finished third, 0.41 behind. Read more
We deserve the qualification, says Dala (TheStar)
Angolan forward Jacinto Dala says they deserved to qualify for the quarter finals of AFCON 2023.
The Palancas Negras were unstoppable against Namibia as they won 3-0, with Dala involved in all three goals.
The forward ended up winning the Man of the Match, his second so far. Read more