Author: Chronicle Editor

A fresh lockdown could be on the way in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna and other major cities in the country on account of the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the National Incident Manager of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad, hinted on Friday. Muhammad, who spoke on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, described the current situation as alarming. The PTF National Incident Manager said that unlike the previous lockdown, the next one will not be total. The Federal Government, according to him, wants economic activities to continue although in a regulated fashion. His words: “Certainly, even if we are…

Suspected herdsmen at the weekend sacked farmers from their farmlands in Ibarapa and Oke Ogun axis of Oyo state. But on Friday, The Nation learnt some farmers were attacked on their way to the farms by suspected herders in Igangan. Some farmers, resident on-farm settlements in the axis, were also sent out of their farmlands by the herdsmen in suspected reprisal for the eviction of the embattled Seriki Fulani of Oyo state, Abdulkadir Saliu. The Convener Igangan Development Advocates, Mr Oladokun Oladiran, confirmed the incidents. He said many of the farm settlers have been sent packing back to town by…

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford says he was subjected to “humanity and social media at its worst” after receiving racist abuse on Saturday night. The 22-year-old, who was awarded the MBE for his work fighting child food poverty, received multiple racist messages on Instagram on Saturday. They were sent to the England striker after his club’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal. “I’m a black man and I live every day proud that I am,” Rashford said on Twitter. https://twitter.com/MarcusRashford/status/1355645676030468096?s=20 “No-one, or no one comment, is going to make me feel any different. So sorry if you were looking for a strong reaction,…

With some countries across Africa continuing to see increases in Covid-19 cases, there’s concern about a new variant of coronavirus in South Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on African nations to boost their surveillance of the virus to detect any mutations that may occur. Daily new case numbers have passed the peak of mid-July, although there are now signs that cases are starting to go down again. There’s been an average increase of 17% in weekly new cases and 30% in new deaths in South Africa over the four weeks up to 17 January, according to the…

The situation in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital of Bangui is “apocalyptic” as rebels encircle the city, a former prime minister says. Martin Ziguélé said there was daily fighting across the country and that he couldn’t leave Bangui without an armed escort. The UN says more than 200,000 people have fled their homes since the conflict erupted last month. Rebel forces now control two-thirds of the country. The Central African Republic is one of Africa’s poorest and most unstable countries, even though it is rich in resources such as diamonds and uranium. The UN estimates that about half the…

Manchester United ended the day two points further behind Manchester City than they started it as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Arsenal at the Emirates. The result caps a disappointing week for the Reds after Wednesday’s defeat by Sheffield United, and City now hold a three-point lead over their rivals and also have a game in hand. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a host of changes from the team that lost in midweek, with Edinson Cavani the most notable starter as Anthony Martial dropped to the bench. Martial emerged in the first half to replace the poorly Scott…

Gabriel Jesus’ ninth-minute goal was enough to earn Manchester City a 12th successive win and consolidate their position as Premier League leaders at the expense of bottom club Sheffield United. It was not a vintage City performance. Aside from Jesus’ close-range strike from a Ferran Torres cross, an instinctive header from Bernardo Silva, created by a stray Oliver Norwood header, was their only effort on target until Aaron Ramsdale denied Oleksandr Zinchenko and then Aymeric Laporte from the corner that followed. Ramsdale also kept out an injury-time Jesus shot. But the Blues’ defensive strength was again on show. Pep Guardiola’s…

Police have arrested a 36-year old school bus driver, Humble Michael, for allegedly defiling a four-year-old pupil of the school where he was employed. Michael allegedly raped the minor on the way home after he had dropped her colleagues off at their various homes. The father of the victim was said to have discovered the sexual assault on his daughter while bathing her. He was said to have found that blood was coming out of her private part while bathing her, and upon inquiry, she disclosed that the driver of her school bus had sex with her on January 21,…

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has made huge seizures of cocaine and heroines with street values worth over N30billion at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. This comes barely a week after the new Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA, Brig Gen. Buba Marwa, vowed to dismantle drug trafficking cartels across Nigeria. One of the seizures, 26.840 kilograms of cocaine is the biggest single seizure from an individual in the past 15 years, The Nation gathered. According to a top official of the agency in Abuja: “On the 27th of January 2021, at about 1320 hours, during the…

Multiple auto accidents have claimed no fewer than 20 persons in Kwara state. Seventeen out of the accident victims were said to have been burnt beyond recognition. The accident occurred at Olokonla area along Bode-Saadu-Jebba highway in Moro local government area. Only one person, however, survived the auto accident as the survivor was said to have escaped unscratched. It was gathered that the cause of the crash was traceable to excessive speed and wrongful overtaking. The accident, which occurred around 3:00 am on Saturday, involved three vehicles: Blue colour commercial Mark Truck GGE614XM, white colour commercial Mitsubishi Canter Truck BRK534YX…