Two butchered to death as cultists clashed at Mile 12 (Vanguard)
Two suspected cultists were butchered to death, Friday, during a clash between two rival cultists group within Mile 12, Lagos.
The cause of the incident which occurred at about 1.30 pm could not be ascertained by Vanguard but it was gathered that the clash occurred between Oniyanrin and Mile 12 Underbridge.
Eyewitnesses’ account said one of the victims popularly called “Soko” a catfish seller within the axis was carrying out his business when some cultists suddenly arrived from nowhere and started to foment trouble which led to people running helter-skelter in the area such that roadside traders abandoned their wares and scampered for safety while traffic officials also went into hiding. Read more
Synagogue collapsed building: Court fixes April 24 for adoption, final written addresses (Nation)
A Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere, on Friday fixed April 24, for adoption and final written addresses on the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) collapsed building trial.
The Lagos State Government had sued SCOAN over the building collapse which killed 116 worshipers of the church on September 12, 2014.
The defendants in the case are two engineers, Messrs Oladele Ogundeji and Akinbela Fatiregun and their companies Hardrock Construction and Engineering Company and Jandy Trust Ltd.
They are facing trial on 110-count charge of involuntary manslaughter, while the Registered Trustees of SCOAN were charged with building without approval. Read more
Wife to die by hanging for husband’s murder (Guardian)
A Kano High Court sitting on Friday sentenced a housewife, Rashida Saidu to death by hanging for killing her husband.
Rashida, who was charged for the murder of one Dr Adamu Ali, is a teaching staff of Federal college of education, Kano. Read more
Oluwo suspended for six months (Punch)
Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, was on Friday suspended for six months by the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers.
A committee headed by Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun, was also constituted by the council to further investigate the matter involving Oluwo and Obas in Iwo land. Read more
Residents lament high cost of house rent in Enugu (Guardian)
Some residents of Enugu have expressed concern over the astronomical rise in house rent in the city.
A cross-section of the people, who spoke on the development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Enugu on Friday, said that decent accommodations in Enugu were becoming unaffordable to low income earners.
They called for urgent government’s intervention to make accommodation affordable, especially for civil servants. Read more
Nasarawa govt. proposes law to compel use of mother tongue – Commissioner (Sun)
The Nasarawa State government has concluded plans to enact a law to compel parents and children to speak their local languages so as to preserve them from extinction.
Dogo Shammah, State Commissioner of Information, Culture and Tourism, stated this in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Lafia.
According to him, the rate at which people are neglecting their mother tongue and adopting foreign languages is disheartening, adding that local languages may go into extinction if urgent steps are not taken.
He noted that Hausa and English languages were taking over local languages, hence the need for all hands to be on deck to rescue the situation. Read more
Three kids burnt to death in midnight fire (Guardian)
Three children have reportedly been killed in a midnight fire in a community in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra State. It was gathered that parents of the children were not at home when the incident happened. While the father of the kids, who was said to be a musician, reportedly went to perform at an event, the mother allegedly eloped with a lover to a nearby hotel.
A resident, who preferred anonymity, told newsmen that the mother had locked the three children in a room and lit a candle before she left with the lover. He said: “The woman is a teacher. She left with her lover to a nearby hotel that night. The three children were locked up in a room and they got burnt beyond recognition in the inferno believed to have been caused by a lit candle. The children were aged five, four and two years respectively. She has been arrested by the police for investigation.” Read more
FG releases N386m to fight coronavirus (Nation)
The federal government has released N386m to forestall unforeseen outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 virus, hitherto known as coronavirus.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) received a sum of N315m while N71m was released to the port health services division of the ministry for improved surveillance at the ports of entry.
Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Abdullahi Mashi, disclosed these on Friday during a media parley in Abuja. Read more
Half a million tonnes of electronic wastes dumped in Nigeria monthly – Don (Guardian)
A don, Prof. Adekunle Bakare, has called for implementation of genetic safety evaluation assessment protocol to reduce about 500,000 tonnes of electrical and electronic wastes being imported into Nigeria monthly.
Bakare, a Professor of Genetics Toxicology at the University of Ibadan, made the call while delivering the institution’s inaugural lecture.
His lecture was entitled ‘Environmental Xenobiotics and Biological Spiral Staircase: For Good or for ill.” Read more
Coronavirus: South Korea ’emergency’ measures as infections increase (BBC)
South Korea has stepped up measures to contain the spread of the deadly new coronavirus, as confirmed infections increased sharply for a second day.
PM Chung Sye-kyun said it was now an emergency as 100 new cases and the country’s second death were confirmed.
The virus has also spread in Iran, which reported two further deaths among 13 new cases, bringing the total number of deaths there to four. Read more
COVID-19: Cured cases surpasses new confirmed cases – Embassy (Guardian)
The People’s Republic of China Embassy in Nigeria says 2 out of 13 provinces on the Chinese mainland are not seeing new cases of confirmed COVID-19.
According to a newsletter on “Fighting 2019-nCoV” by the Embassy in Abuja, as of 24:00 on Feb. 19, the National Health Commission received 74,576 reports of confirmed cases on the mainland.
“These include 2,118 deaths and 16,155 patients cured and discharged from the hospital; there still remained 4,922 suspected cases.
“So far, 126,363 are now under medical observation, who have been identified as having had close contact with infected patients. Read more
‘We work full time but still can’t afford food’ (BBC)
Corin Kealoha and Shaun Karagory both work full time – but cannot afford food without the help of a food bank.
“We can’t even live off our wages,” says Corin, 46, who works as a hotel receptionist. “That’s why we come here.”
The couple are at St Vincent’s Food Pantry, in Reno, Nevada, where they have picked up cardboard boxes containing cereals, bread, milk, peanut butter, and some meat.
And their story offers a glimpse into the complicated reality behind the economic recovery lauded by President Donald Trump. Read more
Distracted PSG seek to rouse themselves against Bordeaux (Vanguard)
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), go into Sunday’s home game with Bordeaux with a comfortable 10-point lead in Ligue 1, but life has been anything but comfortable for the French champions over the last week.
Club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was indicted on Thursday in a Swiss corruption investigation, which does not directly involve PSG but is, however it turns out, a distraction.
Meanwhile, the future commitment of the club’s star striker is again in doubt, after Lionel Messi said in an interview published in Spain on Thursday that Neymar “really wants to return to Barcelona”. Read more
Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante ruled out for three weeks (Guardian)
N’Golo Kante will be sidelined for three weeks after suffering a muscle injury against Manchester United, Chelsea coach Frank Lampard said on Friday.
Kante limped off after 12 minutes of Monday’s 2-0 defeat to United at Stamford Bridge and Blues boss Lampard does not expect to have the France midfielder back until March.
“N’Golo is not fit, he has a muscle injury, similar to the one he picked up against Arsenal; hopefully three weeks, something around that,” Lampard told reporters. Read more
Deontay Wilder v Tyson Fury II: Fight preview and all you need to know (BBC)
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will face each other again almost 15 months on from a controversial draw that left punters desperate for a re-run of their thrilling affair in Los Angeles.
Tickets in Las Vegas are exchanging hands for thousands of dollars, the fighters are volleying spiteful words at one another with gusto and pundits who have frequented Sin City more times than they care to remember have labelled the occasion a “monster”.
Somewhere amid the chaos is the prize of Wilder’s WBC world title. If Fury wins it, all four heavyweight belts will be shared between two British fighters – him and Anthony Joshua, who holds the IBF, WBA and WBO titles. Read more
Scrabble stars battle for N2m as 2020 MSPL league begins (Guardian)
The 2020 Mindgames Scrabble Premier League (MSPL) will officially begin tomorrow at the Lagos Country Club, Ikeja with the players vying for over N2 million in prize money.
The championship, which is divided in divisions A and B, will feature 12 teams, including Airpop Alpha, Blazers, Brainiacs, Bulldozers, Gracious Pickers, Hurricanes, Lekki Bombers, Lusty Seniors, Olowoyeye Predators, Phoenix, Supreme and Lekena Drones.
The 10 teams in Division B are Airpop Falcons, Anagrammers, Aries, Brain Teasers, D. Warriors, Encore Flamingos, FPC Titans, High Flyers, Indomitable and Merry-ers will take the centre stage in the second division. Read more
AZ Zola to battle Abu Babes in Lagos JOF U-13 Football Cup final (Guardian)
The month-long Lagos State JOF U-13 Football Championship will end on Sunday at the Campos Mini Stadium in Lagos Island AZ Zola of Ijegun battling Abu Babes of Ibeju Lekki in the final match.
Before the final game, the third-place match will be played between Aguda United from Surulere and Zamaj Babes from Dopemu.
The competition, which is strictly for youngsters under 13 years in Lagos State, is being sponsored by JOF Nigeria Limited, an integrated logistics services provider with subsidiaries in properties and investment portfolios. Read more
Anthony Joshua may be crowned Ajagungbade of Yorubaland (Guardian)
World heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, will bag a chieftaincy title in his hometown, Sagamu when he returns to Nigeria in March.
Joshua was given a hero’s welcome in Sagamu on Wednesday when he paid an unscheduled visit to the town, his first appearance in Nigeria since he reclaimed his WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles from Mexico’s Andy Ruiz in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua’s visit was celebrated by hundreds of fans, who surrounded him, singing praises during his visit to the Alaafin Elepe Palace and the Akarigbo of Remo land. Read more
Chelsea, Tottenham in top four crunch, Everton face Arsenal test (Guardian)
All eyes will be on Stamford Bridge and the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League this weekend as they battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League heats up, while runaway leaders Liverpool can take another step towards the title.
With the league’s first winter break done and dusted, it is full steam ahead for the clubs fighting to secure the lucrative Champions League berths behind champions-elect, Liverpool.
Any London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham is a feisty occasion, but there is an extra spice to the rivals’ latest meeting as they are in direct competition for a European place. Read more
Zidane says he’s in support of Ramos’ Tokyo Olympics dream (Nation)
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane says he will back his La Liga club captain Sergio Ramos if he decides to represent Spain at the Olympic Games later this year.
The defender who turns 34 next month has been chosen in Spain’s preliminary squad for the tournament.
Ramos is set to captain the team at the European Championship and has been playing for Real Madrid at his usual relentless pace, starting 30 games already this season. Read more