Trader accuses Alaba market guards of arson, looting shop (Punch)
A trader at the Alaba International Market, Lagos State, Kamlotachukwu Arum, has accused guards at the market of looting her shop and stealing goods estimated at N65m.
The Anambra State indigene claimed that after perpetrating the act, the men also set her shop on fire to cover up their crime.
She stated that efforts to involve the police were frustrated by the market leaders, who asked her to see the incident as an act of God.
PUNCH Metro gathered that on March 3, 2019, Arum received a call from one of the traders asking if she was aware that her shop had been burnt. Read more
Lagos, USAID sign pact on electrification devt plan (Independent)
The Lagos State Government and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Power Africa, Nigeria Power Sector Program (PA-NPSP) have signed a letter of cooperation to develop electrification plan for Lagos.
The agreement was reached on Tuesday during a virtual signing event when the representatives of the Lagos State Government and the USAID PA-NPSP executed a letter of cooperation to formally launch the Lagos State Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) initiative.
The Lagos State IRP, which will be developed in close coordination with PA-NPSP, will serve as a roadmap to guide the development and implementation of a comprehensive electrification strategy that is best suited to the long-term needs of Lagos State. Read more
Police arraign two men over alleged N21.2m fraud (Nation)
Two men, Animashaun Akeem and Bamiduro Saheed, were on Thursday arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrates’ Court over an alleged N21, 215,000 fraud.
The Police had alleged that the defendants obtained N21, 215,000, from three men, under disguise of helping them to buy and ship a Mercedes Benz GL, from United States of America (USA) into the country.
Akeem, 33, and Saheed, 30, of no fixed address, are facing a nine-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining, forgery, stealing and fraud preferred against them by the Police, before Magistrate Mrs. Bola Osunsanmi. Read more
Buhari chairs virtual launch of gold purchase programme (ThisDay)
President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday presided over the virtual launch of Gold Purchase Programme in State House.
The presentation was made by the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMDI).
At the event held in the Council Chambers at the State House, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, presented a gold bar to President Muhammadu Buhari. Emefiele also presented to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, a dummy cheque of N268,608,236:00 for 12.5kg LBMA gold in favour of the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative. Read more
Corper, one other rescued as Ogun police, kidnappers clash (Punch)
A serving member of the National Youth Service Corps, Agnes Okoroji, who is attached to the Federal Girls College, Sagamu, Ogun State, and one Tawa Sosanwo, were on Wednesday rescued from the den of kidnappers by policemen.
One of the suspected kidnappers was shot dead, while the others escaped through a nearby bush on the Sagamu-Ijebu Ode Road.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed this in a statement. Read more
WTO: Okonjo-Iweala thanks Buhari, ECOWAS, others (DailyTrust)
Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Thursday expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the House of Representatives for supporting her candidacy for the position of Director General of the World Trade Organisation ( WTO).
”I want to also thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, and the Nigerian ambassadors to Switzerland, WTO as well as the Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva,” she said. Read more
NLC, ULC reconcile, merge (Nation)
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has reconciled with the United Labour Congress(ULC) led by Joe Ajaero to form a united labour movement.
The ULC broke away in 2015 during the delegates conference to elect new leadership for the NLC.
President of NLC, Ayuba Wabba, broke the news to reporters at the end of a joint session meeting addressed by the two leaders of the unions on Thursday in Abuja. Read more
N40bn probe: Reps committee orders arrest of NDDC acting MD (DailyTrust)
The House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has issued warrant of arrest on the acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei. The resolution was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia) at an investigative hearing on Thursday in Abuja.
The resolution was made after Pondei and his team, walked out on legislators investigating the alleged N40 billion irregular expenditure in the commission. Pondei, accused the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Olubumi Tunji-Ojo (APC-Ondo) of corrupt practices. Read more
Wike storms Nunieh’s house, takes ex-NDDC MD away (Nation)
Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, who rushed into the residence of a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joi Nunieh, following alleged police harassment , has taken her to the Government House.
Wike was said to have arrived the house, which was surrounded by over 15 armed policemen, in the morning.
He reportedly bulldozed his way into the building and zoomed off with the embattled ex-NDDC managing director. Read more
British Vogue editor ‘racially profiled’ by security guard at magazine’s offices (CNN)
British Vogue’s editor Edward Enninful has revealed that he was racially profiled on his way into the magazine’s own offices, with a security guard instructing him to enter the premises via the loading dock.
Enninful, who became the magazine’s first ever Black editor-in-chief in 2017, posted details of the incident to Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday evening.
“Today I was racially profiled by a security guard whilst entering my work place,” he wrote. “As I entered, I was instructed to use the loading bay.
“Just because our timelines and weekends are returning to normal, we cannot let the world return to how it was. Change needs to happen now.” Read more
Trump demotes campaign manager Brad Parscale In shake-up (HuffPost)
President Donald Trump will replace his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, amid lagging polls and a disastrous rally in Oklahoma last month, he announced Wednesday.
“Brad Parscale, who has been with me for a very long time and has led our tremendous digital and data strategies, will remain in that role, while being a Senior Advisor to the campaign,” Trump wrote on Facebook as his favored medium, Twitter, was inaccessible following a massive hack. Read more
Jamie Foxx fights a superpowered drug ring in the first trailer for Project Power (Gizmodo)
Everybody wants to be a superhero, and now everyone can. In the first trailer for Project Power, a drug called Power can temporarily access people’s inner superpowers. But bringing these abilities to the world comes at a price, and former soldier Art (Jamie Foxx) doesn’t think it’s worth the cost.
Netflix has released the first trailer for Project Power, a new film about a drug that gives people superpowers for five minutes at a time. The only catch is that you don’t know what power you’ll get until you take it. Also, it can kill you. People have started using the drug in New Orleans to commit crimes, tapping into advantages like invincibility and invisibility—and garnering the attention of folks who want to seize and control it for use in the police and military. Read more
UK court rules IS bride Shamima Begum can return to Britain to challenge removal of citizenship (RT)
Shamima Begum – one of three London schoolgirls who traveled to Syria to join Islamic State in 2015 – will be allowed to return to the UK to challenge the removal of her British citizenship, senior UK judges have ruled.
The 20-year-old left the UK five years ago and lived under IS rule for over three years. She was found in a refugee camp in February last year, and was discovered to be pregnant.
Then-UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid later revoked her British citizenship on national security grounds. Read more
Coronavirus: Russian hackers target Covid-19 vaccine research (BBC)
Russian hackers are targeting organisations trying to develop a coronavirus vaccine, a group of national security services has warned.
The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said the hackers “almost certainly” operated as “part of Russian intelligence services”.
It said the group used malware to try and steal information relating to Covid-19 vaccine development.
NCSC director of operations Paul Chichester said it was “despicable”. Read more
Tom Hanks warns that COVID-19 will wreak havoc on your ass (Vulture)
Tom Hanks, presumably the next addition to Mount Rushmore, has been outspoken about his recovery process ever since testing positive for the coronavirus in March. Hanks previously said that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, experienced varying degrees of symptoms while quarantining in Australia, and he’s now donating plasma and blood for coronavirus vaccine research. Appearing on Tuesday’s The Late Show, though, America’s Dad revealed that one of his COVID-19 symptoms was a real pain in the … “I had bones that felt like they were made of soda crackers. Every time I moved around I felt like something was cracking inside me,” he explained. Read more
“Tenet” release date could be pushed back again (Metro)
Tenet, the new spy blockbuster from Christopher Nolan, could have its release date pushed back even further due to coronavirus, according to a veteran analyst. The thriller, which stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson and Elizabeth Debecki, has already been delayed twice Its current release date stands at 12 August 2020. However, as quoted by Variety, industry expert Eric Handler has written in an industry forecast report that an August release is a ‘low likelihood’. Read more
Chukwueze to line up for Villarreal against Real Madrid (Nation)
Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze will most likely be thrown into today’s all-important match for Villarrea in the crucial La Liga match against Real Madrid.
The 21-year-old came from the bench and made an impact in their 2-1 loss to Real Sociedad on Monday but reports suggest Coach Javi Calleja would be starting the Super Eagles star against Real Madrid.
Already, Villarreal has lost the ticket to feature in the UEFA Champions League while they will be aiming for a spot in the Europa League. Read more
Dakar’s 2022 Youth Olympics postponed until 2026 – IOC (Punch)
The 2022 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar will now take place instead in 2026, the IOC and hosts Senegal announced on Wednesday.
The four-year delay was forced by the global health crisis generated by coronavirus, and the holding back by a year of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and a slew of other major international sporting competitions.
“The postponement of Dakar 2022 allows the IOC, the National Olympic Committees and the International Federations to better plan their activities, which have been strongly affected by the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” read a joint statement issued by Olympic rulers the IOC and Senegal. Read more
Sokoto government to spend N1.65b on Sports arena, hall (DailyTrust)
The sum of N1.65 billion is to be expended on the construction of a new sports arena and indoor sports hall in Sokoto state, Commissioner for Information in the state, Alhaji Isah Bajini Galadanci, has disclosed. Bajini stated this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the state executive council meeting presided over by Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. Sokoto teachers turn to farm to survive COVID-19 crunch Regrouping Sokoto bandits force thousands out of their communities He disclosed that the contracts for the two projects were awarded to Qualitrend Global Solution. Read more
Africa Cup of Nations 2023 to be played in June/July (BBC)
The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations will take place in June and July, says the acting Secretary General of Confederation of African Football (Caf), Abdel Bah.
The timing of the competition has been the subject of speculation after President Ahmad stated in June that it would take place in 2023 while saying he ‘did not know what month’.
“As of today, the 2023 Nations Cup is planned for June/July because, to make it clear, in the regulations we have decided to play all Nations Cups in June/July,” Bah told BBC Sport Africa. Read more
Paul Pogba set for new Manchester United contract (Eurosport)
Paul Pogba is closing in on a new five-year deal with Manchester United.
The Sun reports that Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is set to sign a new, five-year contract with the club.
The 27-year-old French international is now happy to stay in Manchester and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is no longer preparing for life without the midfielder, with a deal expected to be announced towards the end of the current season.
However at 27 he should be caught on the ball far less than he is currently and United should add more competition in midfield to make sure they are not dependent on a player who has underperformed or been injured for far more than half of his time at the club. Read more
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang annoyed as Trent Alexander-Arnold escapes red card (Metro)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has made his frustration clear after Trent Alexander-Arnold escaped a red card during Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday evening. Mikel Arteta’s side went a goal behind in the first half as Sadio Mane opened the scoring for the Premier League champions. But a rare mistake from Virgil van Dijk allowed Alexandre Lacazette to equalised before another error from Alisson led to Reiss Nelson’s winning goal before half-time. However, Liverpool were fortunate to avoid having a man sent off following Alexander-Arnold’s challenge on Bukayo Saka in the 49th minute. Read more