Taraba Monarch: I just found corpses of my kidnapped wives, children (DailyTrust)
The Chief of Mutumbiyu Justices Chiefdom in Taraba State, Justice Sani Muhammed (rtd), says the decomposed bodies of his two abducted wives and five children have been found.
The monarch told our correspondent on the telephone that the bodies were discovered early Saturday morning and would be buried at Mutumbiyu.
“The bodies of my family members killed by kidnappers was found and will be brought to Mutumbiyu,” he said. Read more
16-year-old female student wins N7.5m Interswitch national science contest (Tribune)
A 16-year-old female student of Top Faith International School, Akwa Ibom, Orevaoghene Whiskey won this year’s edition of the Interswitch National Science competition among secondary school students nationwide.
She is the first female student to win the annual competition, which entered the fourth edition this year.
Interswitch Spark science competition is an initiative of Interswitch Nigeria, integrated payments and digital commerce platform company as part of its social intervention projects on education in Africa. Read more
EFCC quizzes actress for spraying new naira notes (Punch)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced a probe of an actress and cosmetologist, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, for spraying and stepping on the redesigned naira notes.
Omoseyin was arrested by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday, February 1, on Awolowo Road, in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State.
According to the commission, the 31-year-old actress was arrested after a video showing her spraying and stepping the new naira notes at a party surfaced online, an offence which the EFCC said was contrary to Section 21 (5) of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Act, 2007, adding that the suspect would be charged to court after investigations were concluded.
The anti-graft agency stated these in a statement released to its verified Twitter handle late Friday. Read more
50 people escape death as truck crashes into 10 vehicles at Iyana-Oworo (Independent)
About 50 people escaped death on Friday, as a laden with bags of flour lost control and rammed into ten vehicles at Iyana-Oworo, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
According to Prime Business Africa, the brakes of the truck marked as ‘J 9365O’ failed, making the driver of the lorry drive uncontrollably down the sloppy road at Iyana-Oworo, hitting a white Hilux Van lifting it to as high as 100 feet and triggering a series of collisions among at least nine other vehicles as the traffic situation on the road made it hard for other vehicles to escape.
However, all the passengers in the vehicles involved were unhurt, except two drivers who sustained minor injuries on their faces. Read more
Again, Catholic priest Alia wins rescheduled APC governorship primaries in Benue (Tribune)
For the third time, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia has won the rescheduled governorship primary election of the All Progressive Congress in Benue.
Declaring the result of the rescheduled governorship primary on Friday, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Basheer Lado said the Rev Fr polled 410,682 votes to beat his closet rival, Barr Sam Ode, who polled 22,319
Senator Lado explained that the total number of registered voters of the party for the election in the 23 LGAs of the state was 868,010. Read more
Hugo Boss engages Mr Eazi for campaign (ThisDay)
EmPawa Africa founder/musician/song writer Oluwatosin Ajibade, popularly known as Mr Eazi, has joined luxury fashion brand, ‘Hugo Boss’ in their Spring/Summer 2023 campaign. Themed “Be Your Own Boss”, the promotion tells the stories of ordinary people who have gone through extraordinary routes to become great at what they do and who they are. The social-first campaign also includes podcasts, behind the scenes, stories, and reels.
Joining the campaign, Mr Eazi posted an adorable picture of himself as a child along with a current image wearing a sweater from Boss’ new season. Along with the musician, the campaign features a lineup of celebrities and models including fellow Nigerian Anthony Joshua, Colombian pop singer Maluma, US supermodel Gigi Hadid, and British supermodel Naomi Campbell.
Other celebrities on the campaign include South Korean actor Lee Minho, and Italian tennis player Matteo Berrettini. This new collaboration comes after a slew of successful releases of songs like ‘Legalize’, ‘Patek’ and the latest single — ‘Werser’ which is already gaining traction on Tiktok. He also revealed via a tweet that he will release a couple of projects this year. Read more
Buhari mourns Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (ThisDay)
President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family of elder statesman, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (rtd), who recently passed on.
Recalling the life and times of the retired military man, President Buhari, in a press release issued yesterday by presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, noted that “the late Air Commodore Dan Suleiman, who served as a Military Governor in Plateau State was one soldier that lived the oath, always ready to defend the unity and peace of the country in whatever capacity he found himself.”
The President remarked that after his exit from the Military, the Air Commodore continued to defend Nigerian citizens as an activist, noting that he was one of the founding fathers of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), that fought for the revalidation of the June 12, 1993 elections, as well as the return of the country to democratic governance. Read more
You can’t impose Tinubu on the North, Bafarawa tells El-Rufai (DailyTrust)
Former governor of Sokoto, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has expressed his displeasure with Governor Nasir El Rufai of of Kaduna state for saying the north is in support of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Presidential Candidate of the ALl Progressives Congress (APC).
In an interview with BBC, Bafarawa, a chieftain of People Democratic Party (PDP), said other persons from the region were also pushing their candidates.
“He (El-Rufai) was insisting that Tinubu must win the election, whether people like it or not, they have already won. Who told him that the whole of the North is supporting the APC? Read more
Malcolm-Jamal Warner details a Tribe Called Quest’s influence on his music career (HipHopDX)
Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been touring as part of a jazz tribute to A Tribe Called Quest for a little over a year, but their impact on his life began decades ago.
The renowned actor told HipHopDX that his love for the iconic Hip Hop group started when he first saw the video for their 1990 debut single, “I Left My Wallet In El Segundo.”
“It was weird. But at the same time it was almost a welcome weird, because it was different,” Warner said. “It wasn’t the typical aggressive ‘Arrr,’ but there was something. It was weird, but there was something fly about it. Read more
Former Sex Pistols star fails in Ireland Eurovision bid (Deadline)
Ireland will be competing in the Eurovision Song Contest this year without the services of John Lydon, after the former Sex Pistols singer failed last night in his bid to represent the country.
One of the wildest men of British music in his 1970s punk heyday, Lydon, aged 67, had entered the Irish leg of the competition with his song ‘Hawaii’, inspired by his wife Nora who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
Prior to competing, Lydon – possibly one of the more unexpected names to ever appear on a Eurovision bid – had explained he wanted to raise awareness of the disease. Read more
Close Encounters, Christmas Story actress Melinda Dillon dies at 83 (CBS)
Oscar-nominated actress Melinda Dillon, best remembered as Ralphie’s mother in “A Christmas Story” and for climbing Devils Tower with Richard Dreyfuss in search of UFOs in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” has died at age 83.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported her death Friday, citing an online obituary page, which says Dillon died Jan. 9 and was cremated.
An Arkansas native, Dillon scored a Tony nomination for her work on Broadway in the 1960s in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She made sporadic TV appearances in the 1970s then gained attention in Hal Ashby’s film Bound for Glory in 1976. She appeared the following year as a hockey wife in the Paul Newman comedy Slap Shot. Read more
All American cancels filming in Downtown Los Angeles following nearby shooting (Deadline)
A street shooting disrupted the filming schedule of the CW series All American Friday. According to sources, the drama had production set up in two Downtown Los Angeles locations for today. The unrelated shooting occurred in the vicinity of one of the locations, we hear. No one from the show was hurt.
Sources close to the production tell Deadline that crew members did not feel safe to continue following the incident. After learning about the situation and discussing it with the crew, out of an abundance of caution, All American studio Warner Bros. TV pulled all location work on the show for the day and moved filming back to the WB lot, sources said.
The incident in question is believed to have taken place in the 5800 block of S. Vermont Avenue at 9:04 a.m. According to LAPD, a 48-year-old male was walking in the alley when he was approached from behind by the 34-year-old male suspect. Following an altercation, the suspect shot the victim with a firearm before fleeing on foot—he remains at large. The victim was transported to a local hospital by LAFD and is in stable condition. Read more
Juice WRLD’S estate sells off majority of his catalogue in quiet deal (HipHopDX)
Juice WRLD‘s estate has reportedly sold off the majority of the late rapper’s catalogue in a nine-figure deal quietly negotiated in the early months of 2022.
According to Billboard, independent record label and music publisher Opus Music Group now owns 90 percent of the late Chicago rapper’s publishing and the rights to 90 percent of the income derived from his master recordings.
The deal included not only the massive output of Juice WRLD music that has already been released to fans — two albums in life; two posthumous albums; a collaborative mixtape project with Future; a solo mixtape and nine EPs — but also hundreds of unreleased songs. Read more
Sexual Assault survivors speak out on Grammy weekend (Variety)
On the eve of Grammys weekend, a group of sexual assault survivors came together to call on the music industry to take action against sexual predators and those who enable them.
“We need to take concrete steps to make sure that the music industry is safe and equitable,” said Melissa Schuman, a former member of the 2000s girl group Dream, who previously accused Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter of rape, which he has vigorously denied.
“How much does music care?” Schuman asked, referencing Friday’s MusiCares Person of the Year gala, a Grammy tradition which raises funds to assist music professionals in need.
Pope Francis to meet South Sudan war victims (VOA)
Pope Francis on Saturday will meet victims of South Sudan’s civil war, a day after delivering an impassioned plea for the country’s leaders to recommit to peace for the sake of their long-suffering people.
Francis is making the first papal visit to South Sudan since it gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but then plunged into a brutal ethnic conflict that left the young nation divided and traumatized.
The Argentine pontiff will address a group of South Sudanese living in a camp outside Juba who were forced to flee ethnic violence during the war. Read more
Man City see off Leicester to go 3rd in WSL (BBC)
Chloe Kelly scored her first Women’s Super League goal of the season as Manchester City beat bottom side Leicester City to move up to third.
WSL top scorer Bunny Shaw’s 61st-minute looping header – her 10th league goal of the season – put Gareth Taylor’s side in front.
Kelly’s superb strike made sure of the points 13 minutes later.
The England forward cut in from the right before arrowing a low left-footed strike into the far corner. Read more
Ighalo eyes Club World Cup title (Punch)
Striker, Odion Ighalo, will be aiming to join the exclusive list of Nigerian players who have won the Club World Cup when he leads Saudi Arabian champions Al-Hilal out against reigning CAF Champions League winners, Wydad Casablanca on Saturday (today) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat with a spot in the semi-finals on the line, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The duo Obiora Nwankwo and Joel Obi are the only Nigerian players to have won the Club World Cup.
In their two previous appearances at this competition, Al-Hilal have never lost a second-round affair, crushing Al Jazira 6-1 at this stage last February and squeaking past Esperance de Tunis 1-0 in 2019. Read more
Mikel Arteta makes his next two targets clear after Gabriel Martinelli deal (Mirror)
Gabriel Martinelli has signed a new contract keeping him at Arsenal until 2027 – and Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are next in line.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has made no secret of his wish to tether the nucleus of his exciting young squad to the Emirates on long-term deals.
And after the boost of Brazilian forward Martinelli agreeing terms for another four-and-a-half years, with the club holding an option for a further 12 months, England winger Saka and defensive revelation Saliba are expected to follow suit by extending their Arsenal careers. Read more
NPFL: IMC deducts 3 points, 3 goals from Bayelsa United over assault on assistant referee (Leadership)
The Interim Management Committee (IMC) has deducted three points and three goals from Bayelsa United, following assault Assistant Referee 2 Ojeleye Ebenezer at the Samson Siasia Stadium in Yenagoa in Wednesday’s NPFL game with Doma United.
The sanction followed a review of the official match report of the midweek game against Doma United which ended 1-1.
Further sanctions against Bayelsa United include a fine of ₦1 million and another ₦500,000 for failure to ensure the restriction of access by unauthorized persons to all restricted areas. Read more
Richard Torrez Jr. drops, stops James Bryant after 1 round (BoxingScene)
Richard Torrez Jr. remained a knockout every time out following his latest victory.
The 2020 Olympic Silver medalist made quick work of James Bryant. Torrez scored a knockdown at the end of round, which left Bryant unsteady upon rising to his feet with his corner opting to stop the contest prior to the start of round two in their ESPN-televised opener Friday evening from Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
Bryant was issued a warning mere seconds into the fight after nearly wrestling Torrez to the canvas. The frequent clinches on the inside were the only moments where Bryant was competitive. The difference in skill level was apparent in every combination offered by Torrez, who was dangerously accurate with his left hand. Read more
Kurt Kitayama leads PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (ESPN)
Kurt Kitayama is starting to feel more comfortable each time he gets in contention on the PGA Tour, and the Californian can only hope that’s the case going into the weekend at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Kitayama opened with 10 straight pars before getting on track and finished birdie-par on two of the tougher holes at Pebble Beach for a 2-under 70 that gave him a one-shot lead Friday.
Kitayama was at 9-under 134 and led by one over Keith Mitchell, Brandon Wu, Joseph Bramlett and Hank Lebioda. Read more