News & Announcements

Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Department of State Services to allow the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu to change his outfit.

 Kanu, who is facing charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony, was arraigned in court on Tuesday.
His lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, drew the attention of the Judge to the treatment his client was being subjected to in the custody of the DSS.
 He said Kanu was still being kept in solitary confinement, adding that inmates who greeted him were also being subjected to the same treatment.
This is despite an order by Justice Nyako for the DSS to allow the IPOB leader to practice his faith, have his bath, change his clothes and eat properly.

 In response, Nyako reiterated her earlier order for the DSS to allow Kanu to enjoy some comfort. She, however, reminded his counsel that a detention facility is not a five-star hotel.

“I don’t want to see him in these clothes again. This one is almost off-white. Also, make sure that you allow him to exercise,” Nyako added.

World’s oldest man has died less than a month short of his 113th birthday.
Father-of-eight Saturnino de la Fuente Garcia passed away at his home in the northern Spanish city of Leon on Tuesday morning. The retired shoemaker was due to celebrate his birthday with his family on February 8, the date he claimed to have been born although official records record his birth three days later.

Saturnino earned his place as the world’s oldest man in the Guinness Book of Records last September when he reached the ripe old age of 112 years and 211.

As well as fathering a large family with his wife Antonina Barrio, he had 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. One of the couple’s eight children, the only boy, died when he was still young.
Quizzed about the secret of his longevity, Saturnino responded: ‘A quiet life and not hurting anyone.’

At least 22 people have been killed so far after back-to-back earthquakes struck the west of Afghanistan on Monday, officials said.
According to data from the US Geological Society (USGS), the 4.9 and 5.3 magnitude quakes affected the north-west province of Badghis, where it caused house and building collapse, reports the BBC.

 
They added that more than 700 houses had been damaged.
Earthquakes can cause significant damage in Afghanistan, where many dwellings are not as stable or well-built.

 The USGS captured two earthquakes on Monday, which hit about 50km (31mi) from Qala-e-Naw, the capital of the province.
The first quake hit in the afternoon, and the second followed about two hours later. Its impact was most felt in the Qadis and Mugr districts.
BBC Pashto reported that the Qadis district chief, Mohammad Saleh Purdil, said the quake had knocked down several houses and killed women and children.

He and other officials have warned the death toll could increase as rescuers sift through the rubble in the remote region.

Badghis in the northwest borders Turkmenistan. It is considered one of Afghanistan’s most undeveloped and poorest regions.
Impoverished Afghanistan is still struggling with a major debt burden and insufficient supplies, made worse after the Taliban’s takeover in August.

Ghana’s hopes of qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nations last 16 remained in the balance after they conceded a late equalizer to draw 1-1 with Gabon in Yaounde on Friday.
Andre Ayew gave the Black Stars the lead at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo but Jim Allevinah’s superb 88th-minute strike earned Gabon a point that leaves them in a strong position to reach the knockout phase.

It was a bitter end to the game for the four-time champions, who were furious that Gabon scored after opting not to return the ball when Ghana put it out of play after one of the Gabon players went down injured.
After a shoving match broke out on the pitch at full-time, the referee summoned a Ghanaian back out from the dressing room to brandish a red card.

The player in question appeared to be Benjamin Tetteh, with television pictures showing that he punched Gabon’s Aaron Boupendza during the melee.
The result leaves Ghana with just one point in Group C, with Gabon on four and Morocco — who secured qualification after beating the Comoros 2-0 earlier — now certain to advance as one of the top two.

An incredible goalkeeping blunder in injury-time handed Sierra Leone a 2-2 draw against heavily-favored Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
With less than 30 seconds left of added time, Badra Ali Sangare scrambled to his right to prevent a backward header from going out for a corner – only to lose control of the ball and letting it slide underneath his body. 
That allowed Steven Caulker to feed his teammate Alhaji Kamara, who nearly lost his balance before stabbing the ball into an open net for the equalizer.

Ivory Coast had been heading for a second straight win in Group E after Nicolas Pepe restored their lead in the 81st minute with a low shot from just inside the edge of the area with his left foot. 

But the stunning mistake from Ali Sangare means Ivory Coast still has work to do in the final round to guarantee a place in the knockout stages.

Hundreds of women across the four local government areas of Ondo State staged protests on Saturday, against the spate of insecurity in the area.
It was learned that the peaceful protests were staged in Oka Akoko, Akungba Akoko, and some other Akoko towns.
The protests were said to have been triggered by the recent kidnap of teachers by some bandits in Auga Akoko, the killing of a police officer by unknown gunmen at Oka Akoko last week, and the attack of 17 travelers on Ifira Akoko-Isua Akoko road by armed robbers among others.

Some of the protesters, who were holding brooms in their hands, were half-naked, chanting various solidarity songs along the streets.
They called on the security agents and the state government to come to the rescue of the area from the attack of the bandits.

The team spirit of the Super Eagles of Nigeria was highly strengthened in the first and second half of the match against Sudan at Garoha just after Samuel Chukwueze and Simon Moses scored to increase the qualification chances of the Nigerian team into the round of 16.

Undoubtedly, the impact of the 4-4-2 tactical formation of Super Eagles technical adviser Austin Eguavoen was felt, however, the early goals at the different halves also contributed to the pressure that the Sudanese team had to deal with.

While the Super Eagles forward were showing their attacking prowess, the Sudanese team was also unable to break the defense of the Nigerian team.
Taiwo Awoniyi scored a controversial second goal for Nigeria, in which the cause of the goal was attributed to the Sudanese goalkeeper’s carelessness. One can’t really say what was going through the mind of the keeper.
The Super Eagles team scored another goal at 54 minutes which was disallowed by the referee. Kelechi Iheanachor who couldn’t fathom what he did to the Sudanese defender before the goal was canceled returned to the match unperturbed.

The Sudanese team made their first substitution at 63 minutes in the second half. Just after that, Kelechi Nwakali was substituted for Ahmed Musa while Kelechi Iheanacho was substituted for Joe Aribo at 65th minute.
The intervention of the VAR at the 68th minute for a not so obvious push by Ola Aina, a super-eagles defender at the goal post area favored the Sudanese, the referee awarded a penalty after his attention was called to a defensive error. Ola Aina got the first yellow card.
Apparently, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have qualified for the round of 16 leading in group D with 6 points. According to sports enthusiasts and the reality of the moment, the match between the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Guinea Bissau on Wednesday is going to be a mere formality for the Nigerian team.

Mobility platform in Africa, Bolt, has secured a 628 million euro investment round to expand its operations.
The facility was its largest ever funding round meant to scale its existing products and accelerate the transition from owned cars to shared mobility in cities.

The investment round was led by Sequoia Capital and Fidelity Management and Research Company LLC with participation from Whale Rock, Owl Rock (a division of Blue Owl), D1, G Squared, Tekne, Ghisallo, and others, and takes Bolt’s valuation to 7.4 billion euro.

Founder and CEO at Bolt, Markus Villig, said: “For decades, cities have been built for cars, not people. That has led to unsustainable traffic, pollution, and loss of public space to parking places. We think this approach is outdated.
“Over the past eight years, we have developed products that offer better and more affordable alternatives for almost every purpose a private car serves.

Villig said the company was partnering with cities to help people make the switch towards light vehicles such as scooters and e-bikes and shared mobility options like ride-hailing and car-sharing to transform urban areas back into sustainable, people-friendly spaces.

That’s why we’re pleased to announce this new round of funding – the biggest in our history – which will help us build a future in which cities have less congestion, less pollution, and more green spaces where people can easily move around in a safe and sustainable way.”

Country Manager, Bolt Nigeria. Femi Akin-Laguda said Bolt is redefining urban mobility by helping people move seamlessly and helping the environment and the cities grow sustainably. “We plan to continue expanding our services in Nigeria and offer a better alternative to move around cities and towns and receive their food. Bolt is an innovative company and with the investment, the mission is to ease mobility for every Nigerian,” he said.

Last month, Bolt announced a range of new safety features to be incorporated on its scooter-sharing network, the largest in Europe, demonstrating how the company is a reliable partner for cities. These features include a tandem riding prevention system, which can detect more than one person riding a scooter at the same time, a cognitive reaction test to ensure riders stay as safe as possible, and a skid prevention system meaning scooters are only used in a safe and responsible manner.

Scooter-sharing is just one part of Bolt’s suite of mobility and delivery products, which are currently used by more than 100 million customers in 45 countries and over 400 cities across Europe and Africa. Other products also include its ride-hailing service; car-sharing service Bolt Drive; Bolt Food, which enables customers to order meals from restaurants; and Bolt Market, a 15-minute grocery delivery service.

In August 2021, Bolt raised 600 million euros in a funding round backed by Sequoia Capital and other investors to boost its new 15-minute grocery delivery service and to accelerate the expansion of its existing mobility and delivery products. With this new investment Bolt will accelerate its expansion rapidly in 2022 and plans to have hundreds of stores operational by the end of the year.

Former Governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Kalu is elated over the victory of Super Eagles against Egyptian team, Pharaohs in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. 

Kalu, who commended the Super Eagles team for their determination and skills during the match, called on the Nigerian team to sustain their giant feat. 

The pillar of sports in Africa stressed that Nigerians are happy with the outcome of the match while advocating grassroots sports development in the country. He said, “I am delighted with the victory of Super Eagles against the Egyptian team. 

“The players displayed their talents during the game and as such, they deserve accolades for the feat attained. “It was a good outing for the Super Eagles team.”
Kalu wished the Super Eagles team continued success in future matches.

The microblogging site, Twitter has reacted to the Federal Government’s decision to lift the restrictions placed on it in Nigeria since June.
“We are pleased that Twitter has been restored for everyone in Nigeria. Our mission in Nigeria and around the world is to serve the public conversation,” Twitter’s Public Policy team said in a tweet on Thursday.
“We are deeply committed to Nigeria, where Twitter is used by people for commerce, cultural engagement, and civic participation,” the tech giant Tweeted.

Twitter was accessible in Nigeria on Thursday after the government lifted a seven-month ban on the social media network.
“President Muhammadu Buhari . . . has approved the lifting of the suspension of Twitter operation in Nigeria effective from 12 am tonight,” the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

Nigeria halted Twitter operations after the company deleted a comment by President Buhari, provoking an international outcry over freedom of expression.
But the presidency said the move had nothing to do with the social media platform’s action.

“There has been a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real-world violent consequences. All the while, the company has escaped accountability,” presidential aide, Garba Shehu, said in the wake of the suspension.

“Major tech companies must be alive to their responsibilities. They cannot be allowed to continue to facilitate the spread of religious, racist, xenophobic, and false messages capable of inciting whole communities against each other, leading to the loss of many lives. This could tear some countries apart.”

The United States, European Union, and Canada were among those who joined rights groups in condemning the ban as damaging to freedom of expression in Africa’s most populous country.