News & Announcements

The D’Tigress stunned Mali 73-69 on Sunday afternoon to qualify for the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
The Nigerian side maintained their momentum from the win against France on Friday and dictated the pace of the game. They came back from a set down to defeat their fellow West Africans and book a ticket place for the competition billed for September in Australia.

Nigeria lost the first quarter 20-22 at the Ranko Žeravica Sports Hall, Belgrade but rallied back, just like they did against France, from a 2-points deficit to stun the Malians.
In the second quarter, Otis Hughley’s girls became even more dominant, crawling back into the match with a 22-13 points win to end the half 42-35. They also defeated their opponents 22-9 in the third quarter. Mali, however, took charge in the fourth quarter with 25-7 points before a 19-13pts finish in the 4th quarter helped Nigeria to complete the comeback.

“I think fatigue set in and only having one point guard made it tough against a team in survival mode,” Hughley Jr. said after the final buzzer.
“But seriously, hats off to Mali and their undying effort. Credit to their coach who did such an amazing job and Mali almost flipped the script. But our girls took the punch and we’re off to Sydney – we’re just happy about that.”
For the playmaker, Promise Amukamara, who had 10 points and 8 assists, the qualification tournament was different.

“This tournament was very special for us”, she told the FIBA website. “We battled through a lot of adversity. I had to step up and take on the point guard and leadership role. I am not very vocal, so that was a challenge for me.”

The Nigerian girls had lost their fight game against China. Photo: FIBAThe African champions had lost their first game, 90-76, to China before defeating France in their second match.

A Canadian mayor Sunday declared the standoff on a key US border bridge over after police moved in and arrested protesters, but the trucker-led movement against Covid-19 restrictions remained defiantly mobilized in the capital Ottawa and elsewhere.
A heavy contingent of officers backed by armored vehicles made their way to the demonstration near Windsor, Ontario, to clear the Ambassador Bridge, a major border crossing to the US city of Detroit, Michigan.
Authorities began their operation Saturday but several demonstrators had remained, extending the protracted standoff and preventing traffic from flowing.

Police took more forceful action Sunday, placing bridge protesters in handcuffs, towing vehicles, and reclaiming clogged lanes, saying on Twitter that “there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity.”
The road to the bridge was cleared, but cross-border traffic had yet to be restored by midday.
“Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador Bridge came to an end,” Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a statement, referring to the heavy toll on trade and other business by a blockade that had been in place since Monday.

“Border crossings will reopen when it is safe to do so and I defer to police and border agencies to make that determination,” the mayor added.

 The demonstrations have inspired copycat protests around the globe, including in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Australia, and with some US truckers discussing a protest for March.
In Ontario, where authorities have declared a state of emergency, the provincial supreme court had ordered truckers late in the week to end their blockade of the Ambassador Bridge.
The protest has forced major automakers in both countries to halt or scale back production.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who blasted the blockades as “illegal,” promised that “this conflict must end,” but he has faced mounting criticism for failing to act more decisively.
Initially, no arrests were made at the bridge; but drivers were warned that they potentially faced major fines, jail time, and loss of their driver’s licenses if they continued blocking traffic.

Mayor Dilkens, apparently mindful of the division caused by the protests, urged tolerance and respect moving forward.
“I strongly urge all provincial and federal leaders to refrain from any divisive political rhetoric and redouble efforts to help all Canadians heal, as we emerge from almost two years of pandemic lockdowns and restrictions,” he said.

Truckers originally converged on Ottawa to press their demand for an end to a vaccination requirement affecting truckers crossing the international border.
But the movement has spread, as the protesters now seek an end to all vaccine mandates, whether imposed by the federal or provincial governments.
Ottawa has been the epicenter of protests. Police on Saturday estimated that some 4,000 demonstrators were still occupying the center city, on the third weekend of the movement.

The atmosphere among protesters has been festive, with music, dancing, and constant sounding of air horns — but the noise, obstruction, and sometimes rude and aggressive behavior of demonstrators has harmed area businesses and infuriated many locals.
The truckers’ message, however, has resonated more widely than authorities expected.
One opinion survey found that a third of Canadians support the protest movement.

 The truckers have also found support among conservatives and vaccine mandate opponents in other countries, even as Covid measures are being rolled back in many places.
In Paris on Saturday, police fired tear gas and arrested nearly 100 people in an effort to break up convoys of vehicles coming from across France.
By Sunday hundreds of them drove their self-proclaimed “freedom convoy” of cars and trucks northward to Lille, en route to Brussels, where Belgian officials have already banned a demonstration called for Monday.
A vehicle convoy in the Netherlands brought The Hague’s city center to a standstill in another Canada-style protest.

In Switzerland, hundreds of protesters marched in Zurich to protest Covid-19 restrictions, while several thousand others rallied against them, Swiss media reported. Police used tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds.
An estimated 10,000 Australian protesters marched through the capital Canberra to decry vaccine mandates.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to speak with his US and French counterparts on Saturday after the United States warned that Moscow could invade Ukraine in days.

The United States had dramatically raised the alarm over Ukraine on Friday, saying a Russian invasion starting with civilians caught under aerial bombing could begin in days and telling US citizens to leave within 48 hours.

In a diplomatic flurry to head off a possible invasion, Putin will speak with Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron on Saturday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he will also speak to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov the same day, terming this “a pivotal moment” in the crisis and that his government was “prepared for whatever should happen.”

“We continue to see very troubling signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving around Ukraine’s borders,” Blinken said at a press conference in Fiji.

“If Russia is genuinely interested in resolving this crisis of its own making through diplomacy and dialogue, we’re prepared to do that,” he said.

The White House had earlier warned of an attack by the more than 100,000 Russian troops currently massed next to Ukraine, even while the Beijing Olympics were still underway.

Blinken added that dialogue would only be possible if accompanied by “de-escalation.”

“So far, we’ve only seen escalation from Moscow,” he said, adding Russia has yet to respond to “some of the ideas” floated by Washington. “I’ll be asking Mr Lavrov if we can anticipate a response in the coming days, to see if we can carry the dialogue forward.”

Blinken declined to confirm whether the United States would be evacuating its embassy staff from Kyiv: “We’ll have more to say about that in the coming hours,” he said.

On Friday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called on Americans to immediately leave Ukraine, warning a Russian attack “is likely, to begin with, aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians.”

While stressing that it was not yet known whether Putin had taken a decision, saying “we can’t predict the exact determination,” Sullivan made clear the United States was bracing for the worst, including a “rapid assault” on the capital Kyiv.

Sullivan spoke shortly after President Joe Biden and six European leaders, the heads of NATO and the European Union held talks on the worst crisis between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War.

A US official said Biden would speak with Putin on Saturday, while Paris said Macron would also be calling the Russian leader on Saturday.

Underlining the bleak outlook, a string of countries joined the exodus of diplomats and citizens from Ukraine, while oil prices surged and US equities tumbled.

– Western, NATO unity –

Sullivan repeated warnings that Russia risks severe Western sanctions and said that NATO, which Putin wants to push back from eastern Europe, is now “more cohesive, more purposeful, more dynamic than any time in recent memory.”

The Pentagon announced it was sending 3,000 more troops to bolster ally Poland.

Following the earlier group phone call between US and European leaders, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman said “the aim is to prevent a war in Europe.” But if Moscow fails to pull back, “the allies are determined to jointly take swift and deep sanctions against Russia.”

These sanctions would target the financial and energy sectors, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

Sullivan spoke to der Leyen’s chief of staff Bjoern Seibert by video call on Friday to coordinate “the details of a potential transatlantic response, including both financial sanctions and export controls,” according to a White House statement.

– Russia surrounding Ukraine –

Russian naval forces and troops, including units brought in from all over the vast country, now surround Ukraine to the south, east and north.

Russia, which denies any plan to attack Ukraine, already controls the Crimea territory seized in 2014 and supports separatist forces controlling Ukraine’s Donbas region in the east.

The Kremlin says its goal is to get NATO to agree to never give Ukraine membership and also to withdraw from eastern European countries already in the alliance, effectively carving Europe into Cold War-style spheres of influence.

The United States and its European allies reject the demands, insisting that NATO poses no threat to Russia.

Adding to tensions, large-scale Russian military drills were underway Friday with authoritarian ally Belarus, which lies just north of Kyiv and also borders the European Union.

Russia’s defence ministry said Friday it was also holding military exercises near Ukraine’s border in the Black Sea.

According to the head of Norway’s military intelligence service, Russia is operationally ready to conduct a wide range of military operations in Ukraine and the Kremlin just needs to make the call.

Top US general Mark Milley and his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov talked Friday by phone, the Pentagon said, giving no details of the discussion.

AFP

Some gunmen suspected to be armed robbers on Thursday, attacked a bullion van in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

The bullion van belonging to a commercial bank was attacked at Idi-ape-iwo Road axis in Ibadan North East Local Government Area of the state. 

 Two police officers were allegedly shot dead during the attack.
Eyewitnesses said the armed robbers, who had laid an ambush, opened fire on the bullion van and the escort vehicle while heading towards Iwo-road. Attempts to reach the Police PRO, Wale Osifeso proved abortive, as he did not respond to incessant calls.

A British man allegedly raped a woman during an overnight United Airlines flight from New Jersey to London, police said.
The 40-year-old woman told the cabin crew she was sexually assaulted while in business class as other passengers were sleeping on the Jan. 31 flight from Newark to Heathrow Airport, 7News reported.

“Police at Heathrow Airport were alerted to an incident on an inbound flight,” a Metropolitan Police spokesperson told the station. “Officers met the aircraft on arrival and arrested a 40-year-old man on suspicion of rape.”
The accused man was later released from custody pending further investigation. He had been seated in a separate row from the woman, who relayed the incident to crew members before they alerted cops prior to landing, 7News reported.

A message seeking comment from United Airlines was not immediately returned early Wednesday.

 Cops at Heathrow conducted a forensic search of the luxury cabin after the man was taken into custody. Investigators also took a scan of his fingerprints and a DNA sample, the Sun reported.

The woman, a fellow Brit, was taken to a rape counseling facility, where she was interviewed by cops about the harrowing in-flight attack.
The man and woman were apparently strangers but had been chatting and drinking together earlier in a lounge area, a source told the Sun.

“The woman said she was raped by the passenger during the flight while others were asleep,” the source said. “She was distraught and reported it to cabin staff who radioed ahead to police, who were waiting as the plane came into land.”

Passengers on the business class flight paid roughly $4,000 for the trip, according to the Sun.
The woman was “very distressed” after the alleged attack, the source told the newspaper.

A Mexican journalist was shot and killed in the southern state of Oaxaca on Thursday, police said, the latest in a string of journalist deaths that have prompted U.S. lawmakers to pressure Mexico to step up protections.
Heber Lopez, an independent journalist who ran NoticiasWeb, was shot and killed, police officials told Mexican news outlet Milenio. Lopez was attacked at his recording studio, outlet RCP Noticias said on social media.

 The attorney general for Oaxaca said two people were arrested in relation to the crime, though the investigation was still ongoing, reports Reuters.
Lopez, who worked in the port city of Salina Cruz, had received death threats in 2019, according to some local media reports.
The journalist regularly wrote about politics and corruption in local government, Rodolfo Canseco, the director of RCP Noticias, told Reuters.
His death is the latest in a spate of attacks against journalists in Mexico in recent weeks. Three journalists and one media worker were killed in the month of January alone, and a former journalist was killed on Saturday evening.

United States Senators Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio urged Mexico on Tuesday to do more to protect journalists, criticizing Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for lashing out against his critics in the media.

According to human rights organization Article 19, around 145 journalists were killed in Mexico from 2000 to 2021, making Mexico one of the deadliest countries in the world for journalists.
Article 19 called on Mexico’s federal program to protect journalists to “contact (Lopez’s) family members, colleagues and friends, as soon as possible, in order to provide the necessary protection measures,” the organization wrote on Twitter.

The former Registrar of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Adedibu Ojerinde who is standing trial over an alleged N5 billion fraud has entered a plea bargain with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offenses  Commission (ICPC)
Professor Adedibu Ojerinde whose trial was scheduled to commence on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, pleaded with the trial Judge, Justice Obiora Egwuatu to give him 24 hours to settle himself with ICPC through a plea bargain instead of a formal trial.

His new lead counsel, Ibrahim Ishyaku, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), told the court that his client prefers an out-of-court settlement known as a plea bargain to resolve the matter.
The senior lawyer informed the judge that the trial could commence if, after 24 hours, the matter could not be resolved.

“My Lord, our plea is that we be given 24 hours to explore the possibility of a plea bargain to resolve this matter and we ask that the trial be adjourned for the period to enable us to come up with our terms of the settlement.”
ICPC lawyer, Mr. Ebenezer Sogunle did not object to the request but insisted that the trial would proceed in case the plea bargain fails.

The ICPC had on July 8, 2021, arraigned the former JAMB Registrar on an 18-count charge bordering on diversion of public funds to the tune of over N900 million.
He was said to have committed the offense during his tenure as Registrar of the National Examination Council (NECO) and JAMB.

Ojerinde however pleaded not guilty to all the charges and was later admitted to bail in the sum of N200 million.
Meanwhile, Justice Egwuatu has fixed February 9, for a report of the plea bargain to be presented.

Former Governor of Lagos State and presidential hopeful, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said he will use agriculture to feed not just Nigeria, but Africa in general when elected president.
Tinubu, acclaimed National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also assured that he will deliver quality governance when elected president of Nigeria in the 2023 general elections.

Tinubu made this known on Sunday when he received the leadership of the Nigeria Diaspora for Asiwaju (NDA) in London in what is his first major public appearance after recently travelling out of Nigeria.

In his remarks, Tinubu thanked NDA for its many activities geared towards promoting his candidacy, saying he believes Nigeria has the requisite human capital development to drive her developmental strides.
He stressed that the human capital that Nigeria is blessed with remains one of his focuses to deliver on quality governance.

The former Lagos State Governor reiterated among others, the need to invest heavily in education in order to address the menace of out-of-school children, stressing that is the fulcrum of development.

He equally stressed the need for Nigeria to be a big exporter of gas to other African countries and indeed other continents. He expressed confidence that change is a process and that its efficacy lies in the mind of the thinker, adding that he would use agriculture to feed not only Nigeria but Africa.
NDA is a support group, which has carved a niche for itself in its advocacy for a Tinubu Presidency come 2023.

The group was formed with its headquarters in London and a country office in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with the mandate to propagate the gospel of a Tinubu presidency.
Leading the group to meet with Tinubu was its Director-General, Akin Lee Badeji; the APC-UK Leader, Prince Ade Omole; Director, Media & Publicity, NDA, Prince ‘Lanre Adegun; Women Leader, NDA, Dr. Mrs. Ronke Tomori and other APC UK stalwarts.

During the meeting that lasted for about three hours, Badeji expressed the group’s profound appreciation to Tinubu for inviting them to the meeting.
He noted that NDA is not bankrolled by any money bag or political bigwig, but that they are only advocating for a Tinubu presidency having studied his leadership quality.“Sir, we have looked around.

We have searched. We have combed and we have torchlight every nook and cranny of Nigeria with a view to finding a capable hand with the guts, clout, structure, vision, competence, and experience to further consolidate on the achievements of the Buhari/Osinbajo-led administration and give Nigeria a new direction; we saw no other person but you,” Badeji said.

Shortly, when asked, contrary to the speculations going round that Tinubu was rushed out of the country for medical attention, Badeji said the presidential hopeful actually traveled for diaspora consultations. He stressed the move became very germane and necessary following the conclusion of similar exercises, which he had embarked upon in the last couple of weeks.

“It was important the iconic figure interacted with the outside community which included Nigerians in the diaspora of his intention to run for the country’s number one seat,” he said.

Google has announced the expansion of its two-step verification (2SV) process auto enrolments for log-ins to enhance the account security of its users and ensure safer Internet when online.
This is in commemoration of the World’s Safer Internet Day to keep internet users safe online.

February 8 is marked across the world as Safer Internet Day. It is a day to promote more responsible use of online technology.
Dawn Dimowo, Government Affairs, Public Policy Manager, Google Nigeria, on Tuesday said in a statement that the two-step verification initiative saw a 50 percent drop in account breach.

Dimowo said the breaches dropped for 150 million Gmail and two million YouTube creator accounts.
She said that the 2SV introduces the use of mobile phones to confirm a users’ identity every time one accesses their Google Account from a different device.

According to her, aligning with this year’s global Safer Internet Day theme, “Together for a better Internet”, Google is actively working on new technologies.
Dimowo said that the technologies would provide a secure, seamless sign-in experience and eliminate reliance on passwords that have turned out to be a major cause of data breaches and phishing attempts.
‘’Users often find passwords hard to remember and have to update them regularly.

“We don’t just plug security holes; we work to eliminate entire classes of threats for people who depend on our services.
‘’Today alone, billions of people around the world will use our products to help with things big and small from conducting e-payment transactions or teaching an online class full of students.

‘It is our responsibility to keep users’ personal information safe and secure,” Dimowo said.
According to her, Google provides tools such as Security Check-up, which provides users with practical tips on how to increase the security of their Google Account.

She said that in 2021, Google accelerated its effort to eliminate password threats by starting to auto-enroll users in 2SV, providing people with an additional layer of security when cybercriminals attempt to hack into their accounts.
Dimowo said that through the initiative, more than 1.5 billion security checks were done.

According to her, this decrease speaks volumes to how having a second form of verification can be effective in protecting your data and personal information.
She said that Google was proud of these initial results and happy with the response received from users and the community.

The manager said that Google was excited about other ongoing behind-the-scenes work intended to make users even safer.

She said that to improve online security, Google recommends running frequent Security Check-Ups to ensure that accounts were prepared for recovery by adding a phone number and a backup email.

According to her, it secures accounts and prevents bad actors from gaining access, additionally, Google recommends using Google Password Manager.
She said that it was built directly into Chrome, Android, and the Google App to create safe passwords for all online accounts, including shopping, banking, and e-learning sites.

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO Plc) has announced the completion of the acquisition of 100 percent shares in Investment One Funds Management Ltd., a wealth management company.
This is contained in a notice signed by Erhi Obebeduo for GTCO sent to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. on Monday in Lagos.

Mr. Segun Agbaje, Group Chief Executive Officer of GTCO Plc, said in the notice: “We are excited about our foray into the wealth management space.
“It provides us with the opportunity of becoming a one-stop-shop for financial services and products that will empower our customers.“We will focus on replicating our digital-first customer-centric retail strategy to create distribution channels for wealth solutions that we will offer to both institutional and retail clients.”

He said with the acquisition, the bank had been positioned to add value to the asset management business in Nigeria and compete favorably with global wealth managers.
According to the notice, the new subsidiary will provide GTCO with the platform to offer technology-driven funds and investment management services designed to meet the unique investment needs of retail and corporate investors.

It added: “All regulatory approvals have been obtained for the Acquisition and commencement of operations of the Company.”