4 feared killed as Lagos cultists clash, rob residents (Punch)
There is tension in the Ebute Metta area of Lagos State after rival cults clashed in a supremacy battle that has lasted for three days.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the hoodlums looted shops and dispossessed residents of their valuables during the incident.
It was gathered that the fight was between the Kogbagidi Boys and Willoughby Boys.
The Kogbadigi Boys are led by one Tunde, aka Omo Aiye, while the Willoughby Boys are led by one Ase.
The Head of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, Agbodemu Ishola, said the cult fight had been on for a long time.
He said, “They have been on this issue of supremacy in Ebute Metta for a long time now and the Kogbagidi Boys and Freeman Boys are led by one man we know as Ase. They are fighting over territory and they are also being used by politicians.
“They use guns at will among other weapons they use in robbing and killing each other. We have recorded four deaths since they started this fight on Thursday.” Read more
Ban: Okada riders beg Lagos govt, CP warns against planned protest (DailyTrust)
A day to the enforcement of the total ban on commercial motorcycles popularly known as Okada from six local government areas in Lagos State and nine local council development areas (LCDAs) under them, riders have appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to have mercy on them.
While they supported the ban from high ways, they pleaded that the governor allow them to continue to do their business on the streets within the neighbourhood in the state.
Daily Trust gathered that already many operators have fled Lagos while some have moved to areas where their operations are not restricted.
The Leader of Arewa Okada Riders in Lagos, Musa Haruna Gazama, told Daily Trust in a telephone chat that some of the riders had already fled the state while some had moved to other LGAs.
One of the riders that ply Adeniyi Jones axis in Ikeja, Ibrahim Musa, pleaded on behalf of his colleagues for leniency from the government. Read more
Popular Lagos medical practitioner, Adedayo wins APC Reps ticket for Apapa Federal Constituency (Independent)
Popular Lagos medical doctor, Adesola Adedayo popularly called JimSam, has won the ticket of All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for Apapa Federal Constituency.
Adedayo, founder of the popular JimSam Hospital, in Apapa-Iganmu defeated the incumbent, Hon. Muftau Egberongbe, who was seeking another term.
In the result declared by the returning officer, Hon. Muniru Akeem, a former member of the House of Representatives from Oshodi Federal Constituency, Adedayo polled 25 votes, to Egberongbe 24.
A total of 49 delegates were accredited for the exercise and Adedayo and Egberongbe were the two contestants in the exercise. Read more
Nigerian biker completes London-to-Lagos ride for polio campaign (Guardian)
A crowd cheered Kunle Adeyanju as he turned off his motorbike engine after completing an arduous 41-day trip to raise funds to fight polio in his native Nigeria.
The 44-year-old departed London on April 19 and arrived in Nigeria’s commercial hub Lagos on Sunday after slogging through more than 13,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) across 13 countries.
His aim was to raise funds for Rotary International’s fight against polio, which remains a threat in Africa despite being eradicated in 2020.
“I am sleep-deprived because I slept only three to four hours per night. But I feel proud because I accomplished this challenge,” Adeyanju told AFP just after he arrived, wiping sweat off his face. Read more
Airlines delay flights as FAAN shuts airspace over Lagos runway repairs (Leadership)
Local and international air passengers, yesterday experienced flight delays due to the emergency repair of failed and distressed pavement of the runway 18R/36L of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
According to FAAN, the rehabilitation work which started on Saturday, 28th May continued on Sunday May 29th from 0600 to 1300 while the runway will also be closed on Saturday, June 4, 2022, and Sunday, June 5th, 2022.
It was, however, gathered that the repair led to congestion at the Lagos aerodrome because the Saturday and Sunday closure led to delays of local and international flights and also diversion of flights to Abuja and other neighbouring countries’ international airports.
Also, some inbound local flights which were caught up by the sudden closure of the Lagos airspace were forced to divert to Abuja and other airports. Read more
Abductors of Methodist Prelate demand N100m (Vanguard)
The abductors of the Prelate of the Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Rev Samuel Kanu-Uche, and two others from the same church are demanding a sum of N100 million before they could be set free.
According to a statement signed by the Secretary of the Conference and made available to Vanguard, The Rt. Revd. (Dr.) Michael O. Akinwale confirmed the demand by the kidnappers and hinted that the church is appealing to parishioners to rise up and help.
“All Archbishops/Bishops, Your Grace/Right Reverence, Grace, Peace, and Love of God be with you and all that is yours Amen. The devastating news of the Abduction of our Prelate, the Bishop of Owerri, and the Prelate’s Chaplain has left everybody in shock.
“This is a period of trial in which the Church must cry out that ‘The Lord that answereth by Fire’ must be our God to destroy all the manipulations of the Adversary. Let us all arise and cry out to the Lord! Read more
Musk’s Starlink to disrupt ISP market as hope rises for 25m unserved Nigerians (Guardian)
Following the operational licences handed to Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX), owned by world’s richest man, Elon Musk, to operate in Nigeria, there appears to be hope of connectivity for the about 114 access gaps (communities without telecoms services) in Nigeria.
Data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that the 114 access gaps in the country currently house some 25 million Nigerians without basic telephony services. It must also be stated that where there are coverage currently, telecoms services have not been optimal.
Besides, the coming of Starlink is expected to boost Federal Government’s efforts, as enshrined in the National Broadband Plan 2020 to 2025, to reach 70 per cent broadband penetration, covering 90 per cent of the population by 2025. Read more
Bandits burn down 3 vehicles at Katsina security checkpoint (DailyTrust)
Gunmen suspected to be bandits have stormed a security checkpoint at Mil Takwas (Mile 8) in Jibia Local Government Area of Kaduna State, burning down two operational vehicles and one private car.
Sources said the attackers numbering more than 50 came from Bugaje area, but a motorcycle rider alerted the security personnel at the checkpoint about the movement of the bandits.
He said some soldiers were there about 30 minutes earlier, but left for Jibia on receiving a report that other attackers were heading for the town from the Tsambe village area.
“The movement of the bandits from Bugaje was known, so some soldiers were there to repel them.” Read more
Court remands Okorocha in EFCC custody, to hear bail request on Tuesday (Channels)
The Federal High Court in Abuja has remanded a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Inyang Ekwo ordered his remand on Monday following the arraignment of the former governor in court by the anti-graft agency.
He also adjourned the case until Tuesday for a hearing of the bail application filed by Okorocha, who currently represents Imo West senatorial district in the National Assembly.
The former governor is being tried on a 17-count charge to the tune of N2.9 billion filed against him by the anti-graft agency. Read more
Master P mourns daughter Tytyana Miller (TheWrap)
Rapper Master P is mourning the loss of his daughter.
The reality show star confirmed the death of Tytyana Miller, 29, on Instagram.
“Our family is dealing with an overwhelming grief for the loss of my daughter Tytyana,” Master P, also known as Percy Robert Miller, wrote in an Instagram post. “We respectfully request some privacy so that our family can grieve. We appreciate all of the prayers of love and support.”
“Mental illness & substance abuse is a real issue that we can’t be afraid to talk about,” Master P’s continued. “With God, we will get through this. #MyAngel” Read more
Iran rejects Cannes film award (France24)
Iran on Monday rejected as “biased and political” last week’s award at Cannes for a film about a serial killer who targeted sex workers in an Iranian Shiite shrine city.
According to the report, Iranian Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday for her performance in the film “Holy Spider”, directed by Danish-Iranian Ali Abbassi.
Ebrahimi, who went into exile following a smear campaign about her love life, was awarded for her portrayal of a journalist trying to solve the serial murders of sex workers in Iran’s holy city of Mashhad.
The Cinema Organisation of Iran, affiliated with the culture ministry, lashed out at the decision, accusing the festival of “committing a biased and political act by praising a false and disgusting film”.
The film presents “a distorted image of Iranian society and openly insults the beliefs of Shiites”, the organisation said in an official statement. Read more
Snoop Dogg cancels European concert tour dates (UPI)
Rapper Snoop Dogg has announced that “unforeseen scheduling conflicts” have forced him to cancel all of his upcoming non-U.S. concert tour dates for the rest of the year.
The 50-year-old recording artist further explained on social media that family obligations and upcoming film and TV projects are what is keeping him from performing live in Europe and Australia over the next few months.
“He was excited to see his fans around the world and apologies to all that had already made plans to see his show,” the statement on his social media sites said Sunday. “He looks forward to rescheduling dates in the future.”
Snoop Dogg’s U.S. touring schedule is expected to go on as planned. Read more
Nicole Kidman makes surprise appearance during Keith Urban’s Las Vegas show (MusicNews)
Nicole Kidman thrilled the audience at her husband Keith Urban’s Las Vegas concert by making an unexpected appearance onstage over the weekend.
The country music singer shared a video of the Big Little Lies star’s brief appearance on Instagram on Sunday with the caption, “Just a Saturday night in Las Vegas.”
The video shows Nicole appearing onstage during his performance at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace. After giving her a kiss on the cheek, Keith jokingly acted like she was a fan by asking her name and where she’s from, to which she replied, “Nicole Urban”.
She then explained the reason behind her appearance, saying, “I want to get your jacket. You put it on the floor and I’m worried.” Read more
Bradley Cooper transforms into Leonard Bernstein in ‘A Star Is Born’ follow-up (Variety)
Bradley Cooper is fully transformed in the first look at his Netflix-backed biographical drama “Maestro,” which serves as his directorial follow-up to Oscar winner “A Star Is Born.” Set photos from the movie released by the streaming giant depict Cooper opposite co-star Carey Mulligan. Cooper stars in “Maestro” as esteemed Broadway composer Leonard Bernstein, with Carey Mulligan playing Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre. The photos show Bernstein at various ages, with impressive make-up work applied to Cooper to nail his look as an elderly Bernstein.
As Cooper confirmed to Variety earlier this year, production on “Maestro” started this month. Moviegoers shouldn’t expect to see the film released in theaters and/or on Netflix until 2023. Steven Spielberg was originally attached to direct a Bernstein biographical drama and recruited Cooper to star in it. Cooper was coming off “A Star Is Born” at the time and was more interested in writing and directing movies than taking on an acting role for someone else, even Spielberg.
“I [told Spielberg], ‘I always felt like I could play a conductor, but may I research the material and see if I can write it and direct it? Would you let me do that?’” Cooper said. “Steven has a lot of interests — he’ll just choose one thing and all of the other things will be on hold. I think he knew he wasn’t going to make that movie for a while. He was kind enough to hand it off to me, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the last four and a half years.” Read more
French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff killed during Ukraine evacuation (Newsweek)
A French journalist was killed by Russian shelling while reporting on the civilian evacuation efforts in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, the Governor of Luhansk Oblast reported on Monday.
In a Telegram post, regional Governor Serhiy Haidai stated that the evacuation was halted after the death of French journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff.
“Today our armored evacuation vehicle was going to pick up 10 people from the area and came under enemy fire,” the Telegram post said. “Shrapnel from shells pierced the armor of the car, a fatal wound to the neck was received by an accredited French journalist who was making material about the evacuation.”
“We are officially stopping the evacuation,” the post read. Read more
Netflix documentary makers in spotlight at Senzo Meyiwa trial (TimesLive)
A defence lawyer in the Senzo Meyiwa trial wants the high court in Pretoria to exclude the Ten10 Films production company, which aired a documentary on the murder on Netflix, from further proceedings.
Advocate Malesela Teffo told the court the production company had spoken to witnesses which opened them up to intimidation and harassment.
“My witnesses have been exposed to all kinds of threats. This is not only affecting our clients but the family of the bereaved.”
Teffo said with the media they had a platform where they could lay a formal complaint (the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA), but the production company represented an entity which was not a “media house” and was in court as a business concern to gather material that would be used for commercial gain.
He accused the company of “coming through the back door”, saying it took advantage of the media applications.
“They say they want to inform the public … which public? Unless you have money to afford Netflix. This is for the middle class.” Read more
Moses wins first trophy in Russia as Spartak Moscow end 19-year cup wait (ThisDay)
Former Nigeria international, Victor Moses secured his first trophy win in Russia after helping Spartak Moscow beat Dinamo Moscow 2-1 to win the Russian Cup inside the Stadion Luzhniki in Moscow on Sunday. With Dinamo Moscow finishing the Premier League season in the top three and Spartak managing a disappointing tenth position, Moses and co were the underdogs going into the final against their city rivals.
But goals from Sobolev and Promes either side of halftime sandwiched Zakharyan’s 55th-minute effort for Dinamo and powered Spartak to their first Russian Cup triumph since 2003.
Victor Moses saw every minute of action in the encounter, playing as a wing-back.The 2022 Russian Cup is the first trophy Moses will win since he joined Spartak two years ago from Chelsea first on loan and then permanently for €5 million a year later.
The former Crystal Palace winger only picked up a Premier League runners-up medal in his first season with the Gladiators. Before arriving in Moscow, however, Moses won the Europa League, the Premier League and the English FA with Chelsea. The 32-year-old was also a member of the Super Eagles squad that lifted the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa, Nigeria’s third continental title. Read more
Forest promoted to Premier League for first time in 23 years (DailyTrust)
Nottingham Forest clinched promotion to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years with a 1-0 win against Huddersfield in the Championship play-off final on Sunday.
Levi Colwill’s own goal late in the first half at Wembley was enough for Steve Cooper’s side to hit the jackpot in the most lucrative single match in world football.
Promotion to the top-flight is estimated to be worth at least £170 million ($214 million) in increased revenue. Read more
AFN Lauds Organisation of 8th Okpekpe Road Race (ThisDay)
The President of Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Mr Tonobok Okowa has hailed the organization and performances of athletes at the just concluded 8th Okpekpe Road Race.
The AFN boss said: “We at AFN are happy that the race is not just back but better. I was scared that it might not come out well as we haven’t had it in the last two years, but it came better than it used to be. More so, Nigerian Athletes did better than they use to do. They all returned with their personal best time, which is a great improvement. And seeing the massive support from the local community, gladdens my heart.
“Going forward, AFN would advocate that all states should have one road race, so we can train more athletes and perform well at the international stage.”
In his reaction, Edo State deputy governor, Mr. Philip Shaibu, who participated in the VIP category noted that the state government is already taking advantage of the Okpekpe road race to domesticate some sports in parts of the state. Read more
Bassey: The transformation of Nigeria’s rock-solid defender (Punch)
Alvin Bassey is Nigeria’s hottest football prospect as the moment, perhaps only behind Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, who’s caught the attention of some Europe’s biggest club sides, after an amazing season with the Italian side.
The Glasgow Reangers defender has since this season grown into an important player for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, not only playing in his traditional left-back role, but also in central defence.
A mainstay in The Gers squad, Bassey put in a master-class of a performance on May 18 in Seville in the Europa Cup final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, with top sides, including English giants Chelsea, reportedly tracking him.
Frankfurt won the tie on penalties, after a 1-1 stalemate after 120 minutes of nerve-wracking football, with the Germans goalkeeper Kevin Trapp officially named man of the match, but Bassey got many votes with after a sterling display. Read more
14 year-old Egyptian, Goda, emerges winner of ITTF Africa Cup (DailyTrust)
After a pulsating three-day tournament which had 48 players (28 men and 20 women) across Africa, a 14 year old Egyptian, Hana Goda has emerged the youngest winner of the ITTF Africa Cup.
Goda, who made her first appearance at the Africa Cup held at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos was number two seed in the women’s singles and she was at her best from the group matches to the final to become the youngest at 14 years and five months to win the continental tournament at the expense of former champions.
Goda who narrowly lost to Mariam Alhodaby in the women’s singles final of the 2021 African Championships in Cameroon had it easy in the final when she defeated surprise player of the tournament Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello 4-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6) to emerge as the new champion and secured her place at the 2022 World Table Tennis (WTT) Cup Finals later in the year.
Meanwhile, the poster boy of African table tennis, Aruna Quadri lost to arch-rival Omar Assar who reclaimed his men’s singles title after beating Aruna 4-3 in the final. Read more
NPFL: Rivers Utd edge closer to title, beat Dakkada FC 3-2 (ThisDay)
Rivers United continued to exert their superiority over other teams with their fifth away win of the season in a 3-2 victory in Uyo over Dakkada. But in Jos, Plateau United protected their impressive record before their fans after a 4-0 home win over Enugu Rangers, in one of the Matchday 30 fixtures were decided across Nigeria.
They retain their seven points advantage at the top, which they could extend to 10 with a home win over Plateau United next Wednesday in Port Harcourt.
MFM left the bottom of the log for the first time in recent weeks to occupy the 19th spot with 31 points after they grabbed their eighth home win of the season in a 3-1 success over Gombe United in a tie decided earlier on Saturday at the Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu Ode.
It was a fantastic weekend for Fidelis Ilechukwu and his men after Plateau United inflicted on Enugu Rangers their biggest loss of the season in a 4-0 home win to ensure they have picked up all available 45 points from the 15 games played at the New Jos Stadium.Plateau United remain in the second spot with 57 points opening a nine-point lead between them and their defeated foes. Read more
Nadal sets up Djokovic’s French Open quarter-finals(ThisDay)
Rafael Nadal sets up a French Open quarter-final against long-time rival Novak Djokovic after winning an absorbing five-set battle with Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in Paris.Spain’s Nadal, 35, dropped sets for the first time at this year’s event but recovered to win 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3.Top seed Djokovic moved up a gear to beat 15th seed Diego Schwartzman. The 35-year-old Serb produced his best level so far in the tournament to win 6-1 6-3 6-3 in his fourth-round match. Read more