Community tackles Lagos ministry over building demolition (Punch)
Residents of Olowolaju Street in Ekoro, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, have accused the state Ministry of Environment of demolishing their buildings without prior notice in order to make way for the construction of a canal.
However, the spokesman for the ministry, Adekunle Adeshina, said a demolition notice was served on the affected residents of the community.
The owner of one of the affected properties, Oloruntuyi Odeniyi, told PUNCH Metro that he was never informed of the decision to pull down his shops, adding that goods in the shops were also destroyed during the demolition.
He said, “They demolished my structures with all my belongings in them without giving any notice. I want the government to compensate or relocate me to another place to alleviate my suffering. Read more
Sanwo-Olu implores FG to fund reconstruction of Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, implored the Federal Government to provide adequate funding for the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, saying the state government has taken a leap to start a 10-lanes highway on the international gateway and has already done almost 18 kilometers of the road.
Speaking while receiving the House of Representatives Committee on Works led by its chairman, Hon. Abubakar Kabir Abubakar during a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Ikeja, the governor, who commended the House of Representatives members for coming to Lagos for on the spot assessment of the works carried out in the state by the Federal Ministry of Works, said urgent action should be taken to work on the Otedola Bridge area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, to prevent regular accidents on the axis.
“We are happy with the level of work that has been done on Apapa-Oshodi Road but we need to go back to do a lot of clean-up,” Sanwo-olu said. “There is still a side road that has not been completed. We know this is a special dispensation given the Order 8 that has been used. But we can still go back and clean up the areas, especially around the Tin-Can Port and Apapa Port, so that we can free the traffic in all those areas and take it up to Ijora. Read more
Extortion resumes as truck owners pay to access Apapa, Tin-can ports (Leadership)
Major truck owners operating in Lagos ports have raised the alarm over alleged extortion by officers of the Nigeria Police, Lagos State Traffic Maintenance Authority (LASTMA), official of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Truck Transit Park.
The truck owners, who spoke as members of Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA), and concerned stakeholders are made up of truck owning associations in the Nigerian maritime sector.
The associations are: Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and Corporate Fleet Owners.
Speaking to LEADERSHIP, they alleged that between N100,000 and N150,000 was collected as bribe to facilitate trucks without electronic call-up paper to access the seaports. Read more
5 killed in Ebonyi as sit-at-home records full compliance (Punch)
Residents of Enugu State on Monday complied with the sit-at-home order declared by all the pro-Biafra groups, including the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, in memorial of those who died during the civil war and pro-Biafra agitators who were killed by Nigerian security agencies.
But in places like Emene and Eke-Obinagu, soldiers deployed to ensure that there was no chaos and breakdown of law and order were reported to have attacked residents.
According to sources, the soldiers, who were patrolling Airport, Orie-Emene and Eke-Obinagu road arrived on Owa Street and began to chase residents gathered in their compound and discussing about the sit-at-home.
One of the sources said, “The soldiers came here with about five patrol vans. Some of them started pointing guns at people and the people started running inside their compounds. Immediately, they all jumped down and started pursuing them.” Read more
Abductors of Jangebe schoolgirls behind Tegina students’ kidnap (DailyTrust)
A bandit group which masterminded the abduction of schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, in Zamfara State, earlier this year, is behind the mass abduction of students from Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area in Niger State, Daily Trust can report.
Members of the gang had moved en masse to Niger State penultimate Saturday, a reliable security source had told Daily Trust at the time. There was no reason adduced for the migration.
The bandits’ group, headed by a notorious bandit called Na-Sanda, operated from Jangebe forest in Zamfara’s Talata Mafara Local Government for years. Na-Sanda is himself originally from Jaja in Zurmi Local Government. Read more
Fear grips Ogun community over death of guard in cell (Guardian)
Palpable tension has gripped residents of Ipaya in the Yewa North area of Ogun State following the death of a member of the Agbekoya Vigilante Group, Shola Adeleke.
The deceased had only worked for a week at the farm, where he was employed, when he was arrested over a missing herder by policemen from Aiyetoro Police Station and later transferred to the state police headquarters in Eleweran.
He died at the headquarters of the Ogun State Police Command, Eleweran, prompting the police to release three other detainees, while the whereabouts of another is still unknown.
Over 300 residents and workers have relocated from the area following apprehension that either the Agbekoya group or the Fulani herdsmen might attack the community. Read more
Customs to verify documents of private aircraft owners (ThisDay)
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has directed all private aircraft owners in the country to present relevant importation clearance documents to the agency for verification.
The service’s Deputy Comptroller, Joseph Attah, disclosed this yesterday at a press briefing in Abuja.
Attah said failure to comply with the verification mandate would be met with appropriate sanctions.
He said, “In line with the need to ensure strict compliance with all regulations, especially at this time of challenging security situation and reluctance of some highly placed individuals to pay taxes, Nigeria Customs Service will be taking stock of all privately owned aircraft in the country. Read more
1 killed, 50 houses burnt in Gombe land dispute (Punch)
About 50 houses were reportedly burnt, while a woman was feared killed in a land dispute involving Filiya and Shongom districts in the Shongom Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The state governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, stated this on Monday during a briefing after a security council he presided.
The governor, who was joined by the traditional ruler of the area, Mai Kaltungo, Saleh Mohammed; the Commissioner for Internal Security, Adamu Kupto; and the Commissioner for Information, Julius Ishaya, said the incident was as a result of land tussle.
Mohammed said, “In the Shongom Local Government Area, we have six districts and the problem that occurred is in Filiya and Shongom districts. Read more
Afejuku to deliver UNIBEN 245th inaugural lecture (Guardian)
Professor of English and Literature at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Anthony Esijolomi Afejuku will deliver the institution’s 245th inaugural lecture on 10th June 10, 2021 at the Akin Deko Auditorium, Ugbowo Campus.
Afejuku is a columnist with The Guardian and a member of the Editorial Board of The Daily Times.
A statement issued by the registrar of the university, Ademola Bobola, disclosed that Afejuku would dwell on The Autobiography of Nigeria adding that Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Lillian Imuetinyan Salami, would chair the lecture.
“All guests should be seated at 3.30p.m.,” the statement added. Read more
Biden, Harris shock DC diners with unannounced visit to popular restaurant (NYPost)
President Joe Biden on Monday had his first known sit-down visit to a DC restaurant since becoming president — joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses after a Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery.
The unscheduled stop caught diners off guard at the popular French restaurant Le Diplomate, where first lady Jill Biden met with friends for boozy mid-week lunches while her husband was vice president.
In honour of Jill Biden, the restaurant this year had lobster risotto, her favorite dish, as a menu special to celebrate her return to DC.
During his four years in office, former President Donald Trump visited just one DC restaurant — BLT Prime, inside his own Trump International Hotel near the White House. Read more
Grammy-winning producer Turn Me Up Josh dies (Metro)
Hip hop producer Turn Me Up Josh – real name Joshua Samuel – has died, it has been reported.
The musician’s death was announced in the early hours of Monday by his longtime collaborator and rapper Lil Durk.
‘Rip turn me up josh smh,’ he tweeted.
The rapper also shared a photo of Josh working in the studio and left several crying and praying emoji on his Instagram stories.
Tributes have begun to pour in for the engineer, with London On The Track writing: ‘Long live josh.’
One fan paid condolences and tweeted: ‘Rip turnmeupJosh smh What you created will keep hitting our souls.’
Praising the musician’s talent, another said: ‘Bro had such good and melodic beats.’ Read more
Gbagbo plans to return to Ivory Coast on June 17 after ICC acquittal (France24)
Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo plans to return home on June 17 following his acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity at theInternational Criminal Court, his party said on Monday.
Gbagbo’s return could be complicated by an outstanding 20-year sentence given to him in absentia in November 2019 by an Ivorian court for misappropriating funds from the regional central bank.
In April President Alassane Ouattara said Gbango was free to return from the Hague but did not say whether Gbagbo had been pardoned.
Assoa Adou, the leader of a pro-Gbagbo party, announced the date of the former President’s home-coming in front of a crowd that had come to celebrate Gbagbo’s birthday in Abidjan. Read more
Canada mass grave find sparks call for more action (BBC)
Indigenous groups in Canada have demanded a nationwide search for mass graves after the discovery of the remains of 215 children.
The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced last week that remains were found at a former residential school set up to assimilate indigenous people.
The find sparked outrage, prompting some in Canada to lay out tiny shoes at makeshift memorials.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged help but gave few details. Read more
School’s out for Myanmar students defying junta threats (France24)
Schools in Myanmar will open on Tuesday for the first time since the military seized power, but teachers and students are set to defy the junta’s calls for full classrooms in a show of resistance.
Four months of national turmoil have followed the February ouster of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, with more than 800 people killed by security forces and a nationwide strike crippling the economy.
Public school teachers — dressed in the green and white uniforms mandated by the education ministry — were prominent in the early mass protests, joining railway workers, doctors and civil servants on the streets.
The junta has insisted schools open on Tuesday after a year’s absence due to Covid-19, but many educators had already decided they could not return to a job they love. Read more
Mariah Carey says memoir was meant to inspire troubled youth, not defame brother (PageSix)
Mariah Carey says she didn’t defame her brother when she portrayed him as violent in her tell-all memoir — since it’s in the public interest for her to inspire people to overcome adversity, new court papers say.
Morgan Carey, 61, sued his pop-star younger sister in March, claiming she defamed him in her book “The Meaning of Mariah Carey” by falsely portraying him as violent when they were growing up.
But the “Always Be My Baby” singer argues in Manhattan Supreme Court papers filed Friday that Morgan’s suit should be tossed out for a myriad of reasons, including that the book’s message of her personal triumph over adversity is a matter of public interest.
Her claim means that a higher legal standard would be required of Morgan to prove defamation, and it’s one that the suit doesn’t meet, according to Mariah’s filing.
The diva superstar says her story is of public interest because of her level of fame and since she wanted to encourage young people who also face difficult upbringings.
Mariah Carey and he brother backstage at the American Music Awards in the 1990s. Read more
Belgian ambassador loses South Korea posting after wife slaps worker (BBC)
Belgium is ending the posting of its ambassador to South Korea after his wife assaulted a woman in Seoul.
CCTV footage of the incident shows Peter Lescouhier’s wife, Xiang Xueqiu, slapping a shop assistant in April.
Staff had wanted to check the clothes she was leaving in were her own, amid concern she might be shoplifting.
Mrs Xiang later met the shop employee to apologise for her “unacceptable behaviour”, the Belgian foreign ministry said. Read more
Naomi Osaka withdraws from French Open & reveals ’bouts of depression’ (BBC)
World number two Naomi Osaka has withdrawn from the French Open after the controversy over her refusal to speak to the media at the tournament.
In a tweet announcing the move, Japan’s Osaka also said she had “suffered long bouts of depression” since winning her first Grand Slam title in 2018.
The 23-year-old said last week she would not do news conferences at Roland Garros to protect her mental health.
“I never wanted to be a distraction,” the four-time major winner said. Read more
Tennis great Pam Shriver condemns USTA’s role in Naomi Osaka fiasco (NYPost)
Pam Shriver, ESPN’s top tennis commentator and a Hall of Famer, wrote a letter to top USTA officials denouncing their role in a statement that led to Naomi Osaka’s sad withdrawal from the French Open.
Osaka, 23, withdrew Monday a day after winning her first-round match due to a statement from the four major tournaments fining her $15,000 and threatening her with a “code of conduct’’ penalty that could lead to her banning from the treasured clay-court Grand Slam event.
Osaka started the controversy by stating on social media she would not do any press conferences during the tournament due to mental health issues.
Shriver believes the tennis bodies acted insensitively. Read more
Olympic anxiety leaves Japanese sponsors counting the cost (France24)
Tokyo 2020 was supposed to be a marketing bonanza, but public opposition and a possible spectator ban over virus fears have left some Japanese sponsors with an Olympic headache.
Around 60 Japanese companies ploughed a record $3.3 billion into the event, which was postponed for a year over the pandemic, and leading firms such as Toyota, Bridgestone and Panasonic have multi-year Olympic partnerships.
Polls show a majority in Japan want the Olympics cancelled or postponed further, making Games-linked advertising difficult. And spectator-free stadiums would deprive local firms of tickets and hospitality for clients, a key sponsor perk.
If the Tokyo Games open as planned on July 23, sponsors can still expect global exposure from international broadcasters. But as Japan battles a fourth coronavirus wave, some are watching the situation uncomfortably. Read more
Copa America: Tournament to be hosted by Brazil after Argentina removed (BBC)
The 2021 Copa America will be hosted by Brazil, after Argentina was stripped of the tournament just two weeks before it starts.
The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) said Argentina was removed as host because of the “present circumstances”.
The country is currently experiencing a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Later on Monday, Conmebol confirmed Brazil would host the showpiece event, which starts on 13 June.
No stadiums have yet been announced for the tournament in Brazil. Read more
Man tackled after running onto court in 76ers-Wizards game (NYPost)
NBA fans continue to behave badly.
The latest incident occurred Monday night when a fan was tackled by security while attempting to run onto the court during Game 4 of the Wizards-76ers series in Washington.
The male, who later was arrested and banned from the arena, according to reports, didn’t get far as he was tackled by the legs and then restrained by a security guard along the baseline with Washington up 80-74 late in the third quarter.
pic.twitter.com/pRsQRQQzLG
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) June 1, 2021
This is just another example of an NBA fan acting out during the playoffs. On Sunday, a Celtics supporter in Boston was arrested after throwing a water bottle that nearly Nets star Kyrie Irving.
The Hawks’ Trae Young was spat on at Madison Square Garden and Russell Westbrook has popcorn dumped on him in Philadelphia. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant parents said they were berated by Jazz fans with vulgar and racist remarks during their series. Read more
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez gives injury update on Kevin De Bruyne ahead of Euro 2020 start (Metro)
Roberto Martinez has revealed that Kevin De Bruyne doesn’t require surgery on his facial injuries but is unsure whether he will return in time for Belgium’s opening Euro 2020 match on June 12.
The Manchester City midfielder suffered a fractured nose and eye socket following a collision with Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger during Saturday’s Champions League final.
De Bruyne was forced off on the hour mark and replaced by Gabriel Jesus as City slipped to a 1-0 defeat in Porto courtesy of Kai Havertz’s first-half goal.With Belgium’s Euros opener against Russia fast approaching, Martinez has admitted that the 29-year-old is still being assessed, with his situation expected to become clearer in the ‘next four to five days’. Read more