ICYMI: EndSARS protesters arrested at Lekki tollgate, Lucasfilm fires The Mandalorian star, and more

Catch the summary of all the biggest news of the week from the EndSARS protesters returning to Lekki Tollgate to juicy entertainment gist and sports updates as well.

The EndSARS protesters returning to Lekki tollgate under the #OccupyLekkiTollgate banner to prevent the toll from being reopened. Many had kicked against the reopening of the Lekki Tollgate after the Judicial Panel gave green light to do so. Since the 20 October 2020 shooting, the toll gate had remained closed.

The Lekki Concession Company (LCC), the operators of the Lekki Tollgate, had requested to take back control of the toll plaza since December 2020 but the panel refused as an investigation was still going on.

Musician Mr P, EndSARS promoter Rinu, and DJ Switch are among those that kicked against the toll gate reopening.

On Saturday 13 February 2021, the protesters met policemen at the venue who did not allow them to stage any demonstration before bundling them into a Black Maria allegedly belonging to the Lekki Concession Company, LCC and taking them away.

Social media comedian, Mr Macaroni was one of those arrested. At the end of the day, Adetola, a lead lawyer that has been working with protesters since the beginning of the EndSARS movement in 2020 said about 40 of them were arrested on Saturday. However, they were able to obtain their bail and spring them free before the day was over.

Alhaji Lateef Jakande passes

Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who was the first civilian Governor of Lagos State, also passed away this past week at the age of 91. According to his son Deji Jakande, the nonagenarian had not been sick before his demise.

In fact, Deji claimed that his father could still read newspapers without needing glasses and was about to eat breakfast before he started struggling to breathe. Shortly after, the family doctor examined him and pronounced him dead.

Alhaji Lateef Jakande is one of the most loved governors in Lagos State and his legacy includes establishing the Lagos State University (LASU) and building several low-cost estates in various parts of the city.

Upon the news of his death, both the political class and the masses paid tributes to him. His remains were laid to rest at Volts and Gardens cemetery, Ikoyi, Lagos. Read about his final moments here.

Armie Hammer dropped by his agency

William Morris Endeavor agency dropped actor Armie Hammer following several allegations of abuse against him. The scandal had forced Hammer to leave the set of Lionsgate’s “Shotgun Wedding”, a coming film with Jennifer Lopez, and “The Offer”, a Paramount Plus series.

The allegations against Hammer began early in 2020 with leaked messages attributed to the actor appearing to show him expressing his desire to ‘mutilate and sexually dominate women’. Even his ex-girlfriend came forward with allegations as well.

Armie Hammer is not alone in getting fired this week.

Lucasfilm also fired The Mandalorian star

Lucasfilm, the producers of The Mandalorian, fired actress Gina Carano who plays Cara Dune from the show. Carano had posted a statement on her Instagram Story comparing the persecution of Jews in N--i Germany to the treatment of Republicans in the US.

The post had offended fans who started calling for her to be dropped from the set of The Mandalorian. The actress had been in the crosshairs of fans for a long time with several controversial posts mocking COVID mask mandates, spreading conspiracies about the United States election, liking posts disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement, and deriding pronoun usage.

Blessing Okagbare enters Guinness Book of World Records

This past week, Nigerian athlete Blessing Okagbare got a Guinness Book of World Records recognition as the only athlete to have attended the Athletics Diamond Meetings 67 times between 30 July 2010 and 31 August 2018.

The Olympic, Commonwealth Games and World Championships medalist is not the only woman with a Guinness Book of World Records recognition this week …

Ariana Grande 20th Guinness Book of World Records entry

Grammy Awards and Billboard Music Awards winner Ariana Grande also earned her 20th Guinness World Records entry this past week. She had also been in the record for holding the record of the female artist with the most followers on Spotify and most streamed track on the platform in one week as well.

See what her recent record is here.

Emmanuella gets Nickelodeon nod

While it is not a Guinness Book of World Records entry, Nigerian child comedian Emmanuella Samuel was nominated for the 2021 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards. The nine-year-old was nominated in the Favourite African Social Star category.

She is vying for the award alongside Nigerian colleagues, the skit making Ikorodu Bois and Kenyan comedian Elsa Majimbo. South Africa’s Bonang Matheba, Uganda’s Ghetto Kids, and South African magician Wian Van Den Berg are also nominated in this category as well.

Lil Frosh in jail!

Following his arrest earlier in February, Nigerian singer Sanni Wasiu, popularly known as Lil frosh, has been remanded in prison until 9 March 2021. Lil Frosh made the news in 2020 after he was alleged to have continuously assaulted his girlfriend, Gift Camille. You can catch the full gist on our blog.

Burna Boy convoy damages man’s car?

At the beginning of the week, a Twitter user with the name “Duke of Lagos” came online to drag Nigerian superstar Burna Boy after his convoy allegedly damaged his car in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State. He posted a video of himself trying to get an apology but claimed that what he got were threats instead.  You can watch the video here.

Interview with Ay.com on Sido Moments 

Nigerian music OG Ay.com, who had dropped the timeless hit track ‘Pass Me Your Love’ in the early 2000s, has announced that he is making a comeback into the industry. In an interview with SIDO Moments, the singer made some interesting revelations including projects with Peruzzi, Praiz, and others. The full video is up on our channel and you can see the complete details there.

Sports updates

Australian Open (women)

Sofia Kenin, the Australian Open‘s women’s defending champion, was sent tumbling out of the 2021 edition of the tournament with a stunning second-round defeat to Kaia Kanepi while the world No 1, Ashleigh Barty made it safely through.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams secured a smooth passage into the third round of the Australian Open for the 19th time with a convincing victory against Nina Stojanovic before also beating Potapova on Friday.

FIFA Club World Cup

European and German champions Bayern Munich were crowned club world cup champions on Thursday after defeating Mexico’s Tigres UANL 1-0, in the final. The win earns them their sixth trophy in less than nine months.

African side Al Ahly also defeated South American champions Palmeiras after their third-place play-off ended goalless to equal their best-ever finish at the Fifa Club World Cup.

Australian Open (men)

Rafael Nadal enjoyed an easy ride in victory over Serb Laslo Djere whom he defeated in straight sets on Tuesday to progress to the second round at Australian Open 2021 and he also knocked out Mmoh on Thursday and Norrie on Saturday.

The world No 1, Novak Djokovic continues to flourish in the Australian Open as ignited his title defence with a win over Jeremy Chardy that continued with him sweeping aside Tiafoe, Fritz and Raonic

Champions League fixtures update

Chelsea and Atletico Madrid’s Champions League round-of-16 first-leg clash, originally scheduled to take place in Spain, will now be played in Bucharest due to coronavirus restrictions. Premier League teams competing in Europe including both Manchester clubs, Arsenal, and Liverpool also have their matches scheduled to be played at neutral venues as well.

Lewis Hamilton renews Mercedes deal

Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has signed a contract extension with his current team, Mercedes, and will continue to drive for the outfit in the 2021 season as the company announced on Monday, 8 January 2021.

FA Cup quarter-final draw

Manchester United will face Leicester in the last eight of the FA Cup while Everton has a date with Premier League leaders Manchester City. Chelsea will play Premier League‘s bottom side Sheffield United and Championship side Bournemouth, who are currently looking for a new permanent manager, host Southampton.

Coronavirus updates in numbers

As of Friday, 13 January 2021, the total number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Nigeria was 144,521. 1,734 deaths have been reported while 118,866 patients have recovered and been discharged from isolation facilities across the country. This means that the number of active cases was 23,921.