16 suspected Yahoo boys arrested in Lagos, Ogun (Nation)
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested no fewer than 16 suspected internet fraudsters also called Yahoo boys in Lagos and Ogun states.
Some of the suspects were arrested in Victoria Island, Lagos, in a raid which was prompted by intelligence reports.
The others were picked up in Otta area of Ogun State.
Read Also: EFCC arrests 89 suspected yahoo boys
The anti-graft commission said the items recovered from the suspects included different brands of cars allegedly acquired from the proceeds of fraudulent activities. Read more
Many injured as another building collapses in Lagos (DailyTrust)
Many people were injured yesterday when a one-storey building collapsed at Sadiku Street, Alagba, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos. The incident came barely 24 hours after a house at Ogudu collapsed, killing two children and injuring two others in the process. Daily Trust had reported yesterday that the bodies of the two children were brought out from under the rubble of a collapsed house at No. 46 Gafari Balogun Street, Ogudu, Lagos State. The Director-General of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, who confirmed yesterday’s incident, said a storey building consisting of eight rooms, 23 shops and one store partially collapsed. Read more
Lagos unveils Lekki regional road to reduce travel time (Nation)
The Lagos State Government plans to deliver its Regional Road Project in Lekki within the next two years.
The road runs parallel to the Lekki-Epe Expessway and it is expected to ease the perennial traffic gridlock along the Lekki corridor and serve as a precursor to the Fourth Mainland Bridge.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ engagement meeting with residents of Eti-Osa Local Government, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako said the regional road was conceived by the Lagos State Government in the Lagos Metropolitan Master Plan (1980-2000) and also identified in the 1991 Layout Approval issued by the state government as strategy to engender the socio- economic development of Lekki corridor. Read more
Gov Abiodun orders contractors to complete abandoned projects (DailyTrust)
Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun. The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, has mobilised contractors handling all uncompleted projects inherited from the previous administration to go back to work without further delay. The Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure in the state, Engineer Ade Akinsanya, disclosed this yesterday after inspecting some of the roads and flyovers under construction in Abeokuta, the state capital. Read more
Woman sets up friend for eight-man rape gang (Nation)
Adamawa State Police Command has arrested a 30-year-old woman, Zainab Jafaru, said to be a member of a nine-man rape gang that violated her 33-year-old friend in Yola, the state capital.
Zainab allegedly deceived the victim into the rapists’ den.
The police said they have arrested five members of the gang, while four others are on the run.
Police spokesman Suleiman Nguroje, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said Zainab deceptively took her friend to the gang and disappeared. Read more
Obaseki joins PDP (Punch)
Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has joined the Peoples Democratic Party.
The governor made the announcement on Friday at the Party’s Secretariat in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
Revealing via his confirmed Twitter handle, the governor wrote, “I have officially joined the @OfficialPDPNig to advance my ambition to seek re-election as Governor of Edo State.
“I, as always, remain committed to engendering good governance and sustainable development of our dear state.”
Also, the PDP announced the defection on its verified Twitter handle, saying, “The Governor of Edo State, H. E. Governor Obaseki has defected to our great Party, the @OfficialPDPNig. The declaration was made this afternoon at the state Secretariat of our party in Benin city, Edo State. Power to the people.” Read more
APC reacts to Obaseki’s defection to PDP (Guardian)
The All progressives Congress (APC) says the decision by Governor Godwin Obaseki to defect to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) did not come to it as a surprising development.
Spokesperson of the APC, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu gave the reaction while speaking with journalists in Abuja.
“It has not come to us as a surprise. We knew he had defected long ago because he resigned his membership of the party which we have accepted,” Issa-Onilu said. Read more
FG releases N4.5b allowances for striking doctors (Punch)
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Friday, disclosed that the Federal Government has released N4.5bn to 31 federal teaching hospitals and medical centres nationwide.
He said the sum covered hazard and inducement allowances of striking doctors for April and May.
Ngige disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after he, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, briefed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the National Association of Resident Doctors. Read more
WHO declares Nigeria Polio free (Guardian)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Nigeria free of wild polio, following the completion of documentation for the free status.
The UN health agency disclosed this on its regional office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, official twitter account @WHOAFRO.
“Today, Nigeria’s complete documentation for Wild Polio virus free status was accepted by the Africa Regional Certification Commission for polio eradication (ARCC).
“It is a historic day for Nigeria, Africa and the Global Polio Programme,’’ WHO said. Read more
Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor: China charges Canadians with spying (BBC)
China has charged two Canadians with spying, more than 18 months after they were detained.
Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, have been held in China since December 2018.
Their arrests came just days after Meng Wanzhou – an executive of the Chinese giant Huawei – was detained in Vancouver, at the request of the US.
Canada called the arrests “arbitrary”, but China denies they were retaliation for Ms Meng’s detention. Read more
Colbert enlists trump’s niece to read faux excerpts from upcoming tell-all (RollingStone)
Stephen Colbert enlisted Donald Trump’s niece, Mary L. Trump, to share a handful of faux excerpts from her upcoming book about the president and his family on The Late Show’s cold open Tuesday.
While Mary Trump’s book, Too Much and Never Enough, is being touted as an explosive tell-all, the tidbits she shared on The Late Show were decidedly more goofy than juicy. In a fake commercial for the audiobook of Too Much and Never Enough, Mary Trump semi-wistfully recalls: “I remember as a child, Uncle Donald would say, ‘I got your nose!’ And we would have to take him to court to get it back.” Read more
‘A woman’: Wikipedia page records trials and achievements of invisible women (France24)
Building on the success of the hashtag #unefemme (a woman), which aims to call out everyday sexism in the media, a satirical Wikipedia page in French has begun recording the many accomplishments of women lumped together in news headlines under the anonymous label “a woman”.
It’s been a busy month of June for “a woman”, rich in thrills, debuts and promotions, judging by headlines in the French press.
A week after taking charge of France’s aviation academy, “a woman” piloted her first stealth aircraft into combat on June 12, the same day she was appointed head of NASA’s human spaceflight programme. Read more
Duffy releases new song ‘River in the Sky’ dedicated to ‘better days to come’ (RollingStine)
Duffy has dropped a new song, “River in the Sky.” The track is the second single she has released in 2020 following her radio-only song, “Something Beautiful.”
On the tender, piano-driven song, the Welsh artiste sings about being “alone/afraid of the dark” and the ways in which she copes with it, envisioning someone who visits her to protect her.
“As I walk this life/Doubt on my mind/I pray to fly, burden-free,” she sings. “She covers me so patiently, as I learn to deal with the pain.”
The singer shared the song on Instagram, with the caption, “For the better days to come.” Read more
How NASA stickers helped forge a bond between a space engineer and his daughter (VOA)
“I remember my dad bringing home NASA stickers for me when I was a little kid and thinking they were the greatest thing in the world,” says Erin Easley, who is now a senior studying industrial engineering at Louisiana State University.
Stickers adorned Erin’s childhood schoolbooks – and other objects.
“Oh yeah, my sister and I would stick them on the furniture in our house, too,” she laughs, “and I’d give extras to kids in my class. I told them dad worked for NASA and had the coolest job.”
Erin’s father, Kelley Easley, was hired in 1983 to work in the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) – a NASA site on the outskirts of New Orleans, Louisiana. NASA calls MAF its “rocket factory” and considers it the nation’s premiere site for manufacturing and assembling large-scale structures for the space program. Read more
Ian Holm, star of ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Alien’, dead at 88 (USAToday)
English actor Ian Holm, who is best known for his roles in “Lord of the Rings” and “Alien,” has died at 88.
Holm’s rep Alex Irwin confirmed the news in a statement to USA TODAY Friday.
“It is with great sadness we can confirm that the actor Sir Ian Holm CBE passed away this morning at the age of 88,” the statement read. “He died peacefully in hospital, with his family and carer. His illness was Parkinson’s related.”
The statement continued, “He was a genius of stage and screen, winning multiple awards and loved by directors, audiences and his colleagues alike. His sparkling wit always accompanied a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Charming, kind and ferociously talented, we will miss him hugely.” Read more
UK set to relax quarantine rule for some countries (BBC)
The government is planning to relax its travel quarantine rules in early July for some countries.
Talks are taking place between UK officials and those in a number of European countries, including Portugal.
However, the UK hopes to make an announcement on 29 June that it has secured a number of “travel corridors”.
The government had previously said that the quarantine would be reviewed every three weeks and 29 June marks the end of the first three-week period. Read more
Solskjaer, Schmeichel salute Ighalo’s impact (Nation)
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has yet underlined the addition of Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo to his side ahead of today’s Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur.
Ighalo’s six loan deal was further extended in the wake of the EPL shut down as a result of COVID-19 lockdown since March.
But speaking yesterday during the presser to preview Manchester United’s return to action against Tottenham Hotspur, Solskjaer admitted that Ighalo has brought so much to the side since his deadline loan deal in January from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua. Read more
Neymar: PSG forward ordered to pay former club Barcelona 6.7m euros (BBC)
Paris St-Germain forward Neymar must pay 6.7m euros (£6.1m) to former club Barcelona, a Spanish court has ruled.
The Brazil international claimed he was owed 43.6m euros in loyalty bonuses by Barcelona, who he left in August 2017.
A judge ruled in favour of the La Liga side but 28-year-old Neymar, who filed the lawsuit shortly after the transfer, can appeal against the decision.
Barcelona said they “welcomed” the judgement and would “continue to firmly defend its legitimate interests”.
The Brazil forward also made a complaint to world governing body Fifa after Barca refused to pay him following his 222m euros (£200m) move in 2017. Read more
Russian team refuses to postpone match despite 6 opponent players testing positive for Covid-19 (RT)
Russian team PFC Sochi has refused to postpone their Premier League (RPL) match against FC Rostov despite the entire Rostov squad being forced into a 14-day self-isolation period after six players tested positive for Covid-19.
The match will go ahead on Friday with Rostov being forced to play their under-18s as a first team, as the RPL returns this weekend following a three-month enforced absence due to the outbreak of the killer disease.
“Rostov and Sochi football clubs have agreed on playing the 23rd round match of the Russian Premier League. The match is happening!” Sochi announced. The club’s CEO said of the matter: “We need to think of ourselves.” Read more
Leroy Sane: Man City winger wants to leave, says Pep Guardiola (BBC)
Leroy Sane wants to leave Manchester City, says manager Pep Guardiola.
City have been trying to persuade the 24-year-old Germany winger to sign an extension to his contract, which expires in 2021.
But Sane, who has been linked with Bayern Munich for the past 12 months, has rejected several offers.
“He wants to join another club,” said Guardiola. “I don’t know if he will leave this summer or next summer when his contract expires.” Read more
Bellew tips Joshua to beat Fury (Nation)
Tony Bellew is confident that Anthony Joshua can catch out Tyson Fury pretty quickly when the heavyweight rivals battle it out next year.
The Brits have finally agreed the financial details for a two-fight deal in 2020, setting up the captivating heavyweight showdown that the boxing world wants to see.
WBC world champion Fury, and Joshua, the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO champion, have agreed to a 50-50 split for their first fight set for next year and then a 60-40 split in favour of the winner for the rematch. Read more