All The Excitement That Went Down This Week

These are surprising times indeed. Man’s attempt to restore peace and order and perhaps, faith in the supernatural ended up leaving many with mixed feelings. With rescues from death traps to deaths to “prophets” getting recognised. Here is a
rundown of the week:

The rage of lawlessness

A prison gate. | Photo Newstage

A woman identified as Rosemary Godday has been released from Kirikiri maximum prison in Lagos following an investigation into her case of alleged forgery and theft. According to her representative, Flemer Project Initiative, Godday, who sells fish and raincoats at Bar Beach and allegedly suffers from a communication deficiency had opened an account and deposited over a million naira. When she went back to collect some money, she was denied because she made a mistake in her name. After producing an affidavit with her signature, she was thrown into prison for fraud and forgery.

Birthright taken

Adidas. | Photo Adidas ph

These are sad times for Adidas. The German sportswear giant has lost a legal battle to trademark its “three stripes” motif in the EU, as a court ruled the design was not distinctive enough to deserve protection. The three parallel stripes seen adorning everything from running shoes to sports bags and the sleeves of t-shirts are “an ordinary figurative mark”, the General Court of the European Union ruled. The court, the EU’s second-highest tribunal, upheld a 2016 ruling by the bloc’s intellectual property regulator cancelling the registration of the three-stripe design as a trademark following a challenge by a Belgian shoe company.

Naira Marley and the law

Naira Marley

Nigerian artist, Naira Marley who recently regained his freedom after spending 35 days in Ikoyi prison for “cybercrime-related activities” days has vowed to help others. According to the “Am I A Yahoo Boy” crooner, many in prison are innocent. He wrote that he met a man “who has been in jail for nine years but never been to court”, and another who “I met another. Been in jail for over two years because he is in a relationship with one rich woman’s daughter and the woman locked him up for not leaving her daughter. I can’t change Nigeria but together we can.”

I go tell MC Oluomo

MC Oluomo (Musiliu Ayinde Akinsanya), who is unarguably the most popular NURTW leader nationwide, became the subject of discussion on social media after he shared a photo of him and his family with Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp and his wife Matty Kemp. The post sent social media into a frenzy with some tagging him a representative of “agberos” in Nigeria and does not deserve “such an honour”. Maybe a prophet is not known in his hometown. Well, to your tents O
Isreal!

Sad ending

Chanchal-Lahiri doing his stunt. | Photo AFP

An Indian magician Lahiri known as Jadugar Mandrake (Wizard Mandrake) died while trying to replicate an underwater Houdini-inspired stunt—tying himself up with chains and ropes and being lowered into a river. But the 40-year-old — his legs and his arms tightly bound — failed to emerge from the water to the horror of onlookers including his family and team members. It was initially believed that the vanishing act could be part of the stunt. Before his death, he bragged that he had successfully pulled off a similar stunt 21 years ago and came out with 29 seconds at the same venue. This death-defying stunt was to “revive interest in magic”.