An Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 had to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from Portland, Oregon.

According to the BBC, the incident happened on Friday, when the aircraft returned to Portland 35 minutes into its flight to California after an outer section, including a window, fell.

The airline said the plane, carrying 174 passengers and six crew members, landed safely.

“Alaska Airlines flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure,” the company said.

On Saturday morning, the company said it would “temporarily” ground all 65 of its 737 Max 9 aircraft to conduct inspections.

BBC quoted the UK Civil Aviation Authority as saying it is “monitoring the situation very closely”.

A passenger sent a photo to the KATU-TV news outlet showing a gaping hole in the side of the plane next to passenger seats.

Another outlet, KPTV-TV, reported photos sent in by a passenger showing a large section of the plane’s fuselage missing.

Announcing the grounding of the 65 planes, Alaska Airlines’ CEO Ben Minicucci said: “Each aircraft will be returned to service only after completion of full maintenance and safety inspections.”

Minicucci commended the efforts of the six crew members on board the flight which had reached 16,000ft (4,876m) when it began its emergency descent, according to flight tracking data.

[DailyTrust]

Chelsea’s full squad to face Preston in today’s FA Cup third round tie at Stamford Bridge has been revealed.

According to Football London, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has a list of players that includes Christopher Nkunku, Djordje Petrovic and Enzo Fernandez to face Preston on Saturday evening.

Chelsea head to the game after beating Luton Town 3-2 in their game in the Premier League.

Here is the full list of Chelsea players available for the Preston clash:

Goalkeepers: Djordje Petrovic, Marcus Bettinelli, Lucas Bergstrom

Defenders: Alfie Gilchrist, Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill, Ian Maatsen, Thiago Silva, Malo Gusto

Midfielders: Conor Gallagher, Moises Caicedo, Leo Castledine, Enzo Fernandez

Attackers: Raheem Sterling, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk, Armando Broja, Deivid Washington, Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku

The kick-off time for the match is 6.30 pm, Nigerian time.

[DailyPost]

A founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George, has lamented the security situation in the country, saying that it has gone beyond control.

He said the situation the country is in at the moment has gone beyond playing politics, adding that President Tinubu has a lot of work to do and Nigerians are ready to give him time.

“The state of our nation has been completely in a shambolic situation, it is perpetual despair and despondency. There is hunger in the land and there is anger in the land; the insecurity has gone beyond control,” Chief George said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

“So, when you look at all those things; we are all Nigerians and I listened to his (Tinubu) New Year speech and I also listened to what Chief Osoba said, this is not the time to play politics, it is our nation. He (Tinubu) has a hell of a job to do and I have listened to him. He has these eight objectives for the year, national defence, internal security, and job creation; the man who left who was my oga did a woeful job, he did not do well at all; they belong to the same party.

“So, we all Nigerians will give him a chance, let us see how he is going to handle it. Bola Tinubu, God will guide him – he is in the hottest seat in the whole of Africa today because for every 10 Africans 6 are Nigerians, brilliant people. So nobody can pull any wool over our eyes, I pray for him, I pray for our country.”

With the recent killings in Plateau which claimed over two hundred lives and killings happening in other parts of the country, George was asked what he expects from President Tinubu to stem these ugly developments and he advocated for the use of modern technology.

“You need equipment, you need surveillance. The technology available now was not available at our time. So, it will be a combination of modern technology; put cameras all over like they do here in England. You don’t have to be physically there; you monitor from your control room things that are happening.”

The elder statesman also reiterated calls for state police, saying that much powers are concentrated on the shoulders of the Inspector General of Police.

“We need every state to have its police on the ground, whatever it is going to cost us because police work is a communal work, it means you will employ people from that community to do the police work,” he said.

He said the President does not have to do these things within one year but he must start from somewhere so that the people will see that he is doing something about the insecurity bedeviling the nation.

The Nigeria Police Force says its Cybercrime Centre acting on a petition at the instance of Hon and Doctor Mrs Seye Oladejo has arrested three persons in connection with a case of, cyberstalking, and threat to life.

The spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Friday, said suspects namely Adebukola Kolapo Nnedum Micheal Somtomchukwu and Isaac Akpokighe, all males of ages 27, 25 and 30 respectively are members of a syndicate called Gistlover family, responsible for the daily running of the Gistlover blog, a microblogging platform known for Cyberstalking, incitement, Blackmail, and sundry, which has over the years been a course for public outcry.

Ademuyiwa said the blog is known for Cyberstalking, incitement, Blackmail, and sundry, which has over the years been a course for public outcry.

Upon interrogation, the three suspects denied working for Gistlover, however, one of the suspects said he created a fake Gistlover page to gain followers on his social media page.

The statement read, “Upon arrest the suspects revealed their various degrees of involvement in the conspiracy, corroborating the already available overwhelming pieces of evidence. The first suspect Adebukola Kolapo a.k.a Omo oba Gistlover was responsible for the creation of over 80 percent of the Gistlover pages thereby lending his digital footprint for the perpetration of the aforementioned criminal act.

“Being on the payroll of the said platform and having enjoyed incentives like car gifts and monies, Adebukola was saddled with the responsibility of scouting, editing and captioning content including the cyberstalking post made against the complainant, Hon. and Dr. Mrs Oluseyi Oladejo. Adebukola has also contributed to laundering monies obtained from the illegal scheme through various means.

“In more developments, digital Forensic analysis led to the recovery of eight (8) gist lover pages created on the instruction of the head of the syndicate by Adebukola, and wallet addresses used in laundering these monies.

The arrest of the trio has caused controversy across social media platforms.

“The Second suspect, One Nnedum Somtochukwu also shared in the conspiracy wherein at every point the page was taken down for certain infractions and violation of policies at the instance of reports from Law Enforcement Agencies, the suspect using his platform will by all means redirect traffic to the new page, helping the blog to evade sanctions.

“Enjoying incentives like referrals for promotions from the head of the syndicate, Nnedum has also been found sharing content, feedback, and making defamatory remarks with the said head of the syndicate.

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“The Third suspect, Isaac Akpokighe a 30 years old male resident of Igando Lagos State unlike the duo above, is like hundreds of Nigerians who having observed the lucrative nature of the Blackmailing, cyber stalking and false information market, decide to imitate the Gistlover blog. By so doing, he created several such pages and mirrors the activities of the blog including reposting the defamatory and life-threatening post against the complainant and many other notable Nigerians. Digital forensics led to the recovery of four gistlover pages created by Isaac Apkokogho.

The police spokesperson said that the suspects would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.

He added that while strongly warning against all sorts of partnerships that promote the illegal activities of this blog and others engaging in similar activities, the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, applauded the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center led by CP Uche Ifeanyi Henry, as he reaffirmed the commitment of the Force to ensuring the safety of citizens in the physical and digital space.

see the full statement below

NPF-NCCC UNVEILS THREAT ACTORS BEHIND COMPLEX CYBERSTALKING AND BLACKMAILING BLOG, ARRESTS 3, RECOVERS 12 ACCOUNTS.

as the IGP reaffirms Police commitment to Ensuring Improved Digital, Physical Safety.

In an onward fight against the menace of cyberstalking, threat to life and blackmailing schemes operating in the guise of micro blogging pages, and contending with the online safety of many, the Nigeria police Force National Cybercrime center, acting on a petition at the instance of Hon and Doctor Mrs Seye Oladejo have arrested three in connection with a case of Conspiracy, Cyberstalking, and threat to life.

The suspects namely Adebukola Kolapo Nnedum Micheal Somtomchukwu and Isaac Akpokighe, all male of ages 27, 25 and 30 respectively are members of a syndicate called Gistlover family, responsible for the daily running of the Gistlover blog, a microblogging platform known for Cyberstalking, incitement, Blackmail, and sundry, which has over the years been a course for public outcry.

Upon arrest the suspects revealed their various degrees of involvement in the conspiracy, corroborating the already available overwhelming evidences. The first suspect Adebukola Kolapo a.k.a Omo oba Gistlover was responsible for the creation of over 80 percent of the Gistlover pages thereby lending his digital footprint for the perpetration of the aforementioned criminal act. Being on the pay roll of the said platform and having enjoyed incentives like car gifts and monies, Adebukola was saddled with the responsibility of scouting, editing and captioning contents including the cyber stalking post made against the complainant, Hon. and Dr. Mrs Oluseyi Oladejo. Adebukola has also contributed in laundering monies gotten from the illegal scheme through various means.

In more developments, digital Forensic analysis led to the recovery of eight (8) gist lover pages created on the instruction of the head of the syndicate by Adebukola, and wallet addresses used in laundering these monies.

The Second suspect, One Nnedum Somtochukwu also shared in the conspiracy wherein at every point the page was taken down for certain infractions and violation of policies at the instance of reports from Law Enforcement Agencies, the suspect using his platform will by all means redirect traffic to the new page, helping the blog to evade sanctions.

Enjoying incentives like referrals for promotions from the head of the syndicate, Nnedum has also been found sharing contents, feed backs, and making defamatory remarks with the said head of the syndicate.

The Third suspect, Isaac Akpokighe a 30 years old male resident of Igando Lagos State unlike the duo above, is like hundreds of Nigerians whom having observed the lucrative nature of the Blackmailing, cyber stalking and false information market, decides to imitate the Gistlover blog. By so doing, he created several of such pages and mirrors the activities of the blog including reposting the defamatory and life-threatening post against the complainant and many other notable Nigerians. Digital forensics led to the recovery of four gistlover pages created by Isaac Apkokogho.

The suspects will be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.

While strongly warning against all sorts of partnerships that promote the illegal activities of this blog and others engaging in similar activities, the Inspector General of Police IGP Olukayode Egbetokun PhD. NPM, applauds the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center led by CP Uche Ifeanyi Henry as he reaffirms the commitment of the Force to ensuring the safety of citizens in the physical and digital space.

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI,
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA

5th January, 2024

Renowned Political Economist, Pat Utomi has lamented that the legislators in Nigeria are rubber stamped and are watching the country drift aimlessly.

Utomi stated this on Friday while speaking with newsmen shortly after paying a condolence visit to the family of the late former Speaker, House of Representatives, Ghali Na’abba in Kano.

He noted that Na’abba represented a season when lawmakers were independent compared to the present crop of legislators.

According to him, “Late Na’abba represents for us a season in which we had an independent legislature that ensured that government policy could be aligned to service to the people.

“Today we don’t have a legislature. I can say that without even batting an eyelid. We have rubber-stamp legislators who are watching the country drifting aimlessly and are not offering options. Honourable Ghali Na’Abba did offer that when he was the Speaker of the National Assembly.

“We collaborated with him back in those days from civil society, from direct action, we stood by him to ensure that we have a working system. Many years afterwards as we saw the drift got worse, we thought that we needed to treat it the third way, a different way, right now it is going to be the second way because nothing else is left in the country. A country that is not working, run by politicians who just think about themselves and self-love. So what we have in our country today, can be called government of the worst by people who are consumed by self-love.”

[NaijaNews]

The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) has disclosed that it granted Pioneer Status Incentive (PSI) to 34 companies in 2023.

The Deputy Director of Investor Relations at the Commission, Lovina Kayode, made the disclosure yesterday at a media briefing in Abuja

She said tax incentives are meant to boost foreign investments for the country even though it is becoming a contentious issue due to the high amount of revenue lost to waivers granted yearly.

Lovina stated that the commission follows stringent procedures in granting tax breaks, saying that is why only few companies benefit.

She said: “The pioneer status incentive is a stimulus that allows a company to get three years of not paying Corporate Income Tax, just to get more investments.

“This process is stringent because our parent ministry and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) are involved to make sure the right investors get this incentive.

“So far this year, we granted 34 applications and one of the things we intend to do is to ensure we are not just giving incentives to undeserving companies. However, there is already a notion that Nigeria gives out too many waivers, incentives and concessions.
“But tax expenditure, which means what the government has lost by granting pioneers status incentive, is just a small amount compared to what the country gains by granting these incentives to qualified companies.”

She explained that the commission has plans to publish impact reports on the effectiveness of the pioneer status on job creation and other economic activities that promote investments.

“On impact, that is one thing NIPC is planning on, next year. It is one of our biggest tasks to do an impact assessment. These incentives we gave out, how have they impacted the country in terms of job creation?”

“How many jobs are the companies creating and what kind of import substitution has come about because we have granted these incentives; and how much would the government gain after the three years of them not paying these taxes,” she added.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Aisha Rimi, restated her resolve to facilitate and assist investors to stake their investments in the country in a bid to actualise the mandate of the commission.

[NaijaTimes]

The Ogun State Area Command II of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has officially released a bullion van that made headlines back in 2022, having been apprehended with smuggled rice and a whopping N24 million.

Customs Area Controller Olusola Alade made this announcement on Friday during a press briefing, disclosing that the bullion van, initially impounded in April 2022 for transporting 12 bags of 50kg smuggled foreign parboiled rice, has now been released, based on reports by News Agency of Nigeria.

The van, which was traced back to an Abeokuta branch of Access Bank, also harboured the sum of N24.4 million. The cash and the bullion van, sporting the registration number FKJ 993 BZ, have been handed over to officials of Bankers Warehouse Ltd. and Access Bank in Abeokuta.

What Customs said

• “The bullion van belonged to Bankers Warehouse and was impounded on April 22, 2022, by a joint border patrol team along the Sokoto-join/Joga road in the Abeokuta axis.
• “The Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adeniyi, has now ordered the release of the bullion van and the money to both the Bankers Warehouse and Access Bank on compassionate ground after investigation,” Alade said.
• “The seized foreign parboiled rice which were 12 bags of 50kg each were carefully concealed in the said vehicle. “Consequently, the said vehicle and the items were conveyed to the Customs House in Abeokuta for safekeeping.
• “After examining the vehicle, the money was discovered and deposited at the Abeokuta branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for safekeeping.
• “The vehicle was detained while the rice was converted to seizure in line with Section 168 of Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
• “In connection to the above seizures, three suspects were arrested, detained, granted administrative bail, and subsequently charged to court for aiding smuggling,” Alade explained.

Subsequently, Bankers Warehouse Ltd. and Access Bank submitted an appeal letter to the Customs’ Comptroller-General, seeking the release of both the van and the money on compassionate grounds.

After careful consideration of investigation outcomes and recommendations, the Comptroller-General approved the release, aligning with the provisions of Section 248 (1) and (2) of the NCS Act, 2023.

[Nairametrics]

The much-anticipated bout between Anthony Joshua and Francis Ngannou is officially confirmed, set to unfold in Saudi Arabia later this year. A press conference scheduled for January 15 in London will unveil the exact date of this 10-round battle, as announced by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, part of Riyadh Season.

Originally, Joshua was set to face Deontay Wilder post his victory over Otto Wallin on December 23. However, this plan disintegrated when Wilder faced defeat against Joseph Parker, nullifying their proposed match.

The clash between Joshua and Ngannou emerged after the former UFC star entered the WBC’s top 10 heavyweight rankings following his debut in professional boxing. Ngannou’s bout against Tyson Fury in October garnered attention, where he impressively floored the WBC champion in the third round, although ultimately losing in a split decision.

Despite opinions suggesting Ngannou’s performance merited a win, Fury secured a victory, solidifying his title fight with Oleksandr Usyk. Nevertheless, Ngannou’s skill and credibility as a contender in the heavyweight category were widely acknowledged.

Meanwhile, Joshua’s recent win against Otto Wallin showcased his determination to regain supremacy in the heavyweight division. Demonstrating boxing finesse, Joshua dominated the match, prompting Wallin’s corner to halt the fight after five rounds.

The forthcoming clash between Joshua and Ngannou holds the promise of an electrifying face-off that has fans eagerly awaiting the details.

[Leadership]

There is palpable anxiety among party stakeholders and supporters ahead of the Supreme Court judgment expected to be delivered this January on the various petitions challenging the rulings of the Court of Appeal on the governorship elections.

After the March 18, 2023, governorship elections in the states, some of the aggrieved candidates and their parties went to court challenging the declaration of some of their opponents as winners of the exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Some of the governorship election cases began from various state tribunals and appeal Courts, before they eventually ended at the Supreme Court.

States like Kano, Lagos, Ogun, Nasarawa, Benue, and Bauchi are among those expecting the final judgment from the apex court.

Kano

In Kano State, anxiety has continued to mount as residents await the apex court judgment on the state governorship election dispute as supporters of the two warring parties in the state; the New Nigeria Peoples Party and the All Progressives Congress, stage protests and rallies against and for the judgment of the Appeal Court.

The appellate court had affirmed the verdict of the tribunal that sacked Governor Abba Yusuf and declared the candidate of the APC, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, as the authentic winner.

Supporters of the NNPP have continued to fault the Appeal Court ruling, especially the controversy surrounding the claim that two different judgments were delivered, which were against and also in favour of the incumbent governor.

On the contrary, the APC supporters continued to hail the two judgments which favoured their candidate.

The anxiety in the state had compelled the Kano State Police Commissioner, Gumel, to ban all protests or rallies and forced the leadership of both parties to sign a peace accord, even though this has not yielded much result as there were incidents of violence.

Speaking to Saturday PUNCH, a chieftain of APC in the state, Alhaji Alhassan Yaryasa, said the NNPP supporters should be blamed for the tension in the state.

“You see all that the NNPP supporters are doing is just to get public sympathy because they didn’t win the governorship election at the beginning,” he said.

However, effort to speak with the state NNPP Chairman, Alhaji Hashimu Dungurawa, failed as he didn’t respond to several phone calls from one of our correspondents.

Residents fear in Benue

In Benue State, anxiety and expectations are high as residents await the Supreme Court verdict on the appeal of the governorship candidate of the PDP, Titus Uba, challenging the judgments of the tribunal and the Appeal Court, which upheld the election of Hyacinth Alia of the APC, as the winner of the governorship election in the state.

Saturday PUNCH spoke with some of the residents who expressed fear over the possible outcome of the final judgment.

One of the residents, who simply identified himself only as Julius for security reasons, stated that the civil servants and retirees in the state were currently in prayers for the governor to win at the apex court.

However, both the publicity secretaries of the ruling APC and the opposition PDP, Daniel Ihomun and Bemgba Iortyom respectively expressed confidence in winning the final judgment. While the APC believed that the governor convincingly won the election, the PDP stressed its hope of getting justice at the Supreme Court.

Ogun PDP, APC confident

Meanwhile, the PDP in Ogun State has re-echoed its optimism of upturning Governor Dapo Abiodun’s victory at the apex court.

The Secretary of the party, Dr Sunday Solarin, claimed that the mandate was given to the party’s governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, but was allegedly stolen by the APC, even as he (Solarin) expressed the hope that the mandate would return as the rightful winner.

But the APC’s Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, in his reaction, charged Adebutu to concentrate on the allegations of vote-buying and money laundering levelled against him rather than misleading their members and the public with “boastful desperation, false hope”.

In Lagos, the Head, Media and Communications for Jandor4Governor Campaign Organisation, Gbenga Ogunleye, told Saturday PUNCH that the Lagos State chapter of the PDP and its governorship candidate, Dr Olajide Adediran, would be victorious at the Supreme Court.

He explained that the focus of their petition at the apex court was to challenge the qualification of the declared winner, Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC, as laid down in the electoral law, adding that the Justices of the Supreme Court would look at the facts of the matter before delivering the justice.

Contacted for reaction, the state chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Cornelius Ojelabi, refused to comment on the matter, saying, “The judgment will soon be delivered and it doesn’t make sense for us to start making commentary on that.

“We’ve been to the tribunal and Appeal Courts and we won. They went for the first and second and they failed. It is a matter of days for the Supreme Court to pronounce the judgment and that will be the end of the story.”

In Nasarawa State, the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had earlier in a split judgment of two to one, nullified the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of the APC and declared David Ombugadu of the PDP as the winner of the election.

However, the Appeal Court, in a unanimous judgment, reversed the verdict of the tribunal and upheld the election of Governor Sule after which the matter was taken to the Supreme Court.

Commenting, the state APC Chairman, Aliyu Bello, expressed confidence in being victorious at the apex court and that the party was undisturbed as there were documents to back up their election victory at the court, advising members and supporters of the PDP to shun unguarded utterances capable of causing tension in the state.

The PDP Chairman in the state, Francis Orogu, noted that the available documents and evidence would give the party and its candidate the desired justice.

Bauchi APC optimistic

In a related development, the acting Chairman of the APC in Bauchi State, Muhammad Hassan-Tilde, explained tone of our correspondents that the party was hopeful of victory based on the grounds upon which the petitions challenging the judgments of the tribunal and the Appeal Court which upheld Governor Bala Mohammed of the PDP, were based.

Hassan-Tilde, who called on their supporters to remain optimistic and prayerful, further said that there was a strong belief that their candidate, Sadique Abubakar, would be victorious at the apex court.

[Punch]