Two labourers drown in Lagos hotel well (Punch)
What was meant to be a minor job at a hotel on Ashanti Close, Apapa area of Lagos State, went awry as two labourers drowned in the facility’s well.
The victims, Yau Umaru and Ismaila Salisu, went to the hotel on February 13, 2020 to put finishing touches to the well which they started digging some days earlier.
City Round learnt that while Salisu was working on the well, his legs slipped and he fell into the pool of water. Umaru was said to have gone inside the well to rescue him only to be drowned too.
A resident of the area, John Chukwudi, told our correspondent that policemen from the Apapa division, who responded to a distress call, joined the hotel workers to bring out the victims.
“Unfortunately, they were brought out dead. It was painful. It took over 30 minutes after they got drowned before the policemen and hotel workers were able to bring them out. They could have been rescued alive if help came their way on time,” Chukwudi stated. Read more
One month after, tricyclists, motorcyclists back on Lagos roads (Guardian)
It is now five weeks since the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu restricted commercial tricyclists and motorcyclists, popularly known as keke Marwa and okada from plying in six major local councils, major highways and bridges. While compliance is high in some of the restricted areas, it is business as usual in some areas.
The restricted means of transportation are back. They ply these restricted routes though not in large numbers as before. While some have hailed the restriction, it is bad news for commuters, as the few available buses and cabs have capitalised on the scarcity of public transportation by hiking transport fares to as much as a 100 percent. This has led to increase in the number of stranded commuters at bus stops.
A visit by The Guardian to some areas like Ilupeju, Surulere, Lagos Island and Yaba showed that the restriction was effective during the day time but not at night. Some parts of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and Ikorodu Road, into Ikorodu Town have not observed the ban. One of the commercial motorcyclists, who spoke with The Guardian on the condition of anonymity, said the police were only using the situation to extort from them. Read more
Student found dead in boyfriend’s apartment (Punch)
A 34-year-old welder, Tunde Kasali, has been arrested by the police in connection with the death of his girlfriend, one Victoria Nwogu, said to be a polytechnic student.
Nwogu was reportedly found dead in Kasali’s apartment at Igbobi Sabe Square, Jibowu area of Lagos and was foaming from the mouth.
It was gathered that a bottle of Sniper –a pesticide infamous for being used to commit suicide – was found open inside the room.
City Round learnt that Kasali, who is married, had harboured Nwogu in the apartment on February 8, 2020.
Kasali had reportedly told the police that he woke up around 1am and found Nwogu panting for breath, suspecting that she drank from the Sniper. Read more
Mowe ‘Baby Factory’: Police launch manhunt for buyers (ThisDay)
The Ogun State Police Command may have begun a mass arrest of some highly placed persons in the society, said to be regular buyers of newly born babies at a ‘baby factory’ located in Imedu Olori area of Mowe in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state.
A top source at the Command disclosed to THISDAY yesterday that no fewer than 10 persons are currently being interrogated in connection with the crime.
The police source, who craved anonymity, said, “Some of the people that the wind of investigation is blowing toward their direction include some ritualists and herbalists who have clients among some rich people in the society.
“For this class of people, some of whom are currently being detained, any baby bought is usually doomed to die as they would be used for money rituals. Read more
End of road for woman used by ‘pastors’ to perform fake miracles
(Guardian)
A 44-year-old woman, Mrs. Bose Olasukanmi who was used by several ‘fraudulent’ pastors to perform fake miracle has been arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) in Lagos after months of trail on her by the undercover operatives.
According to a source close to IRT, the suspect Olasukanmi used to relocate to another church after being paid for every successful performance so that their trick would not be exposed by people or relations who may see her in the drama.
Her relatives would not be able to reach her to find out whether she is the Olasukanmi they know or somebody who resembles her.Her first performance was at a Lagos Church followed by a church in Port Harcourt and the church in Abakaliki before the cat was let out of the bag. Read more
Nigerian pastor jailed for 34 years in UK (Punch)
An evangelical pastor was jailed for 34 years in Britain on Friday, after he was convicted of a catalogue of rape and sexual abuse against children and adults over two decades.
A judge said self-styled prophet Michael Oluronbi carried out “one of the worst cases of sexual abuse” against children to come to court.
Oluronbi, 60, who is originally from Nigeria, was convicted of 15 counts of rape, seven counts of indecent assault and two counts of sexual assault at a trial that ended in January. Read more
NIPRID develops hand sanitizer from local sources (Nation)
The Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRID), Dr. Obi Adigwe, has revealed that the institute has developed a pilot hand sanitizer as part of its preparedness to address shortages in supply chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 virus.
Dr. Adigwe who made this known in a press briefing on coronavirus Friday in Abuja, explained that the disruptions were due to panic buying or genuine shortages.
According to him, “One of the global fallout of the recent outbreak has been supply chain disruptions of various commodities that are relevant to controlling the outbreak. These disruptions have either been through panic buying or genuine shortages, and it has been global. Read more
Ex-chief magistrate jailed five years for stealing (Punch)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibadan zonal office, on Friday, secured the conviction of a former Deputy Chief Registrar of the Oyo State high court, Mutiat Adio.
Justice Muniru Olagunju found her guilty of one count of stealing preferred against her by the anti-graft agency.
The convict, who was also a chief magistrate in the state, was accused of stealing the sum of N22,375,913 from a commercial bank contrary to section 390(11) of Criminal Code, Cap.38, Law of Oyo State.
This is the second time in less than two years that the former judicial officer got jail terms for fraud-related offences. Read more
Court halts agency from investigating Sanusi (Nation)
The Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Friday has granted an interim injunction restraining the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission from Investigating the Emir Muhammad Sanusi II over alleged land deals.
The presiding Judge, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa, who granted an interim order directing parties to maintain status-quo pending hearing and determination of the substantive suit brought before him by the Plaintiff, Emir Muhammad Sanusi.
That the Respondents are to be served with the order of this Honourable court made in this suit and other processes through the 1st Respondent. Read more
24 hours after Kano court order, Oshiomhole yet to resume office
(DailyTrust)
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. The embattled National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole is yet to resume office 24 hours after a Federal High Court sitting in Kano set aside his suspension as the national chairman of the party. It could be recalled that an FCT High Court in Jabi, Abuja on Wednesday suspended Oshiomhole as the national chairman of the party. Read more
Macron urges France to restrict visits to the old over coronavirus (Guardian)
President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged the French to limit visits to elderly people who are most vulnerable to the spread of the coronavirus that has already left nine dead in the country and made hundreds ill.
Macron, who shook up his agenda this week to focus on efforts to contain the outbreak, said on a visit to an old people’s home that they were by far the most vulnerable to its effects.
“Our absolute priority is to protect the people who are the most fragile in the face of this virus,” Macron said. Read more
Saudi Arabia detains three senior members of royal family (BBC)
Three senior members of Saudi Arabia’s royal family, including the king’s brother, have been arrested for unexplained reasons, US media report.
Two of the men were among the kingdom’s most influential figures.
The detentions have been linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In 2017 dozens of Saudi royal figures, ministers and businessmen were confined to the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh after the crown prince ordered their arrests.
Mohammed bin Salman is considered the de facto ruler of the kingdom, after he was named crown prince by his father in 2016. Read more
Bill Clinton says he had oral sex with Monika Lewinsky ‘to relieve pressures of the job’ (Metro)
Bill Clinton has opened up about his affair with then-White House intern Monica Lewinsky during his time as US President in a new documentary series about his wife Hillary. The ex-president claimed he had sex with Ms Lewinsky – who was just 22 at the time – to relieve the pressures of the job. He saw his intern as ‘something that will take your mind off it for a while’, he said. Leading the country, he said, makes you feel like ‘you’ve been in a 15 round prize fight that was extended to 30 rounds’. He added: ‘Everybody’s life has pressures and disappointments, terrors, fears of whatever.’ Having an affair, Mr Clinton said, was among ‘things I did to manage my anxieties for years’. Read more
Mick Mulvaney: Trump replaces White House chief of staff (BBC)
US President Donald Trump has replaced his acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, whose departure had long been rumoured.
He said North Carolina lawmaker Mark Meadows would take over the job, a development tipped for weeks.
Mr Trump said Mr Mulvaney would become US special envoy to Northern Ireland.
Mr Mulvaney was perceived to have implicated the president in last year’s impeachment inquiry in an off-the-cuff remark at the White House podium. Read more
Oil sinks to $46 as OPEC, others’ talks collapse (Punch)
The international oil benchmark, Brent crude, tumbled to $46 per barrel on Friday as the negotiations between the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners broke down.
Russia, the leader of the 10 allies, adamantly refused to go along with a plan for deeper crude production cuts to tackle the coronavirus’ impact on global oil demand, sources involved in the discussions told S&P Global Platts.
Brent, has been on a downward trend since the coronavirus broke out, fell by $3.84 to $46.15 per barrel as of 8:10pm Nigerian time on Friday.
OPEC had on Thursday revealed a plan under which it would slash its production quotas by an additional 1 million barrels per day for the rest of the year, contingent on Russia and nine other non-OPEC allies agreeing to shrink theirs by 500,000 bpd. Read more
Blind man fails citizenship test after being denied Braille (BBC)
A blind man has been denied US citizenship after immigration agents refused to provide him with an English language sentence to read in Braille.
Lucio Delgado, 23, was born blind and uses a cane to get around. He moved to the US from Mexico six years ago.
Mr Delgado said he was offered a large-print sentence to read, which he could not, being totally blind.
Mr Delgado, who is legally blind under Illinois state law, was told to get a doctor’s note to prove his condition. Read more
Last-minute court order halts US execution (Guardian)
The US Supreme Court on Thursday put a last-minute temporary block on the execution of man found guilty of murdering of three police officers in Alabama in 2004.
Nathaniel Woods, 44, was accused of being the “mastermind” behind the deaths of police officers allegedly lured into an ambush when they tried to arrest him over drug charges.
Lawyers had lobbied the court over the method of execution, which would be by lethal injection.
“It is ordered that execution of the sentence of death is hereby stayed,” the Supreme Court said in a statement, just hours before Woods was due to die. Read more
Sophia Loren: ‘Female directors don’t yell’ (BBC)
Sophia Loren has starred in almost 100 films during her 70-year career
Hollywood veteran Sophia Loren, who has picked her favourite female-focused movies and TV shows for Netflix in recognition of International Women’s Day, discusses her choices, the challenges facing female directors, and her love of pizza.
Long before Parasite triumphed at the Oscars last month, Sophia Loren became the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English speaking role.
The year was 1961 and the film was Two Women, a powerful World War Two drama. By that stage, Loren was a veteran of almost 50 films, but the role changed her life.
“Before I made Two Women, I was a performer,” she once said. “Afterward, I was an actress.” Read more
See Ogbemudia Stadium and die (Nation)
Government has no business running sports. It shouldn’t be involved in funding sports, except the amateur cadres at big tournaments, such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, African Games and qualifiers, where the country’s flag and anthem are sung. Government should just provide the enabling environment for sports to thrive. The templates should be backed by laws from the National Assembly or/and State Assemblies, such that no new government jettisons laudable projects.
Indeed, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki’s resolve to make sports a new economy underscores the revolutionary things that have trailed his four-year stay in governance. The governor’s dream is in tandem with what operates in saner and civilised climes. Obaseki’s new economy for Edo State isn’t just a dream, but one that has several examples in developed economies. Let me illustrate with just football in Spain, which is a developing economy like ours. Read more
Monaco want €13.5m for Onyekuru (Punch)
Monaco have told Galatasaray to pay €13.5m for the services of forward, Henry Onyekuru.
According to Turkish website sabah.com.tr, Galatasaray had made an inquiry as regards making Onyekuru’s loan deal at the club permanent but the French side has told the Yellow and Red to match the amount they paid to Everton (€13.5m) in the summer.
The Nigerian forward returned the Turkish side in January and has already featured for the Turkish giants five times, one more than he played for his parent club since joining in August.
The management of Galatasaray have stressed that the club might not be able to afford the amount quoted by the French side. Read more
God has rescued my athletics career from wicked people in AFN, says Idamadudu (Guardian)
Throughout the 2017 and 2018 athletics season, Praise Oghenefejiro Idamadudu was one of the most reverend home-based female athletes. She was almost the sole reason why many Nigerians cared about track and field business following her landmark achievement both in local and international competitions.
At the age of 18, Idamadudu was already a Commonwealth Games medalist. She was on a fast lane, racing towards achieving more continental titles when her dream and aspiration was thwarted mid last year through suspension by the Ibrahim Gusau-led board of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN).
Idamadudu just returned from the World Athletics Relays in Yokohama, Japan, when she was handed the suspension in Abuja. Her offence was that she could not remember the name of the AFN president when a journalist interviewed her during a protest over the federation’s failure to settle allowances of the athletes who represented Team Nigeria at the African U18/U20 Athletics Championships in Abidjan. Read more
Bayern Munich: Serge Gnabry on tears, tough times & finally realising his childhood dream (BBC)
The route I’ve taken made me who I am – Gnabry
Serge Gnabry cried when he wasn’t allowed to make his dream move to Bayern Munich as a child.
He was 10 years old and his father Jean-Hermann didn’t want the talented youngster entering the Bundesliga giants’ academy, a more than two-hour drive from their home in Stuttgart.
“I wanted to, it’s a true story,” Gnabry tells BBC Sport. “Back then, Bayern was already the best club. It took me another 12 years to come back here.”
Instead, he was made to wait until he was 12 before joining Stuttgart’s youth system. Within a further four years – in 2011, at the age of 16 – he was on his way to Arsenal and the Premier League. Read more
Joshua has praised Fury’s mentality following last month’s win (Nation)
Anthony Joshua believes Tyson Fury’s battle with depression and mental health issues has improved him as a fighter.
Joshua’s British rival had previously been on a journey of anguish and despair before beating the undefeated Deontay Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch in February.
And Joshua believes Fury’s 30 months away from the ring between November 2015 and June 2018 has made the Gypsy King an even better boxer. Read more
Tiger Woods out of Players Championship with back injury (BBC)
Tiger Woods will miss next week’s Players Championship at Sawgrass because of a back injury.
Woods has not played since the Genesis Open three weeks ago where he came 68th and missed this week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, citing back stiffness.
The Masters begins on 9 April where Woods, 44, will hope to defend the title he won for a fifth time in 2019. Read more
Uganda call up Nigeria Ikpeazu for AFCON qualifier (Punch)
Hearts striker Uche Ikpeazu has earned his first international call-up from Uganda.
He is in national coach Johnny McKinstry’s squad for two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against South Sudan later this month.
Ikpeazu, 25, was born in England but qualifies for Uganda through his mother. He is also eligible for Nigeria through his father but McKinstry, a Northern Irishman, has moved to cap him. Read more