EFCC grills Fayemi over N4bn money laundering (Punch)
A former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, is currently being interrogated at the zonal command office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, in Ilorin, Kwara State, over an alleged laundering of N4 billion, The PUNCH has gathered.
Impeccable sources privy to the development told our correspondent that Fayemi arrived at the EFCC facility at about 9:40 am on Thursday.
The PUNCH had in May 2023, reported how Fayemi, through his lawyer, Adeola Omotunde, SAN, pleaded with the EFCC to allow him to present a book in honour of the former President, Muhammadu Buhari, on May 19, before honouring the agency’s invitation for questioning over money laundering allegations. Read more
Bolanle Raheem: Vandi closes defence (Leadership)
Suspended assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Drambi Vandi, the alleged killer of Lagos-based lawyer, Mrs. Omobolanle Raheem, on Wednesday closed his defence before the Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
Vandi closed his case after concluding his testimony as the sole defence witness in the case.
The defendant was arraigned before Justice Harrison by the Lagos State government on a one-count charge of murder contrary to Section 223 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Read more
Nigerian youth, Prosper Daniel, wins China’s Painting Competition (DailyTrust)
A Nigerian youth, Prosper Daniel, has won the “My Dream” painting competition staged for youth across Africa.
Daniel was announced as the overall winner of the painting competition at an award ceremony in Abuja late Wednesday.
Speaking at the event, Mr Li Xuda, Counsellor of the Chinese Cultural Centre Abuja, hailed Daniel’s victory, saying his painting was adjudged the best among over 2,000 works from African youths sent to China in March. Read more
PEPC: Obi, Labour Party tenders INEC’s Form EC8A for Rivers, Benue, others (Tribune)
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and his party on Thursday, tendered INEC form EC8A from six states to advance their petition challenging the declaration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.
The presiding Justice of the five-member panel of Justices of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), Justice Haruna Tsammani admitted the INEC form EC8A from 23 local government areas of Benue state and were marked exhibit PC (1-23).
For Rivers state, the court admitted INEC form EC8A from 15 Local Government areas out of the 23 local governments Areas of the state and was marked PD (1-15) Read more
LASTMA enlightens pupils on rules, regulations in traffic management (Guardian)
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has enlightened school pupils on rules and regulations in traffic management in the state.
General Manager, LASTMA, Bolaji Oreagba, while addressing pupils and children of Kids Court School, Surulere, Lagos, who visited the agency, charged them to be good traffic ambassadors and agents of change to their families, to ensure orderliness and safety always.
Oreagba said: “Students numbering over 50 (males and females) were educated on various traffic signs, which include prohibitory and warning signs, which must be obeyed by motorists on our roads.” Read more
Exam Malpractice: WAEC arrests proprietor, supervisors, others (DailyTrust)
The West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has disclosed that 56 rogue side operators and about 15 others comprising of students, school proprietor and teachers have been apprehended over their involvement in examination Malpractice in the ongoing 2023 May/June Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.
Patrick Areghan, Head of National Office, Nigeria (HNO) at WAEC, stated this while on inspection to schools in Abuja on Thursday.
He said arrests were made in Borno, Oyo, Ogun and Abia.
He added that a total of 1,621,895 candidates registered for the examination but there was the possibility of all not sitting for the examination. Read more
Tinubu meets Senate President, Speaker in Aso Rock (Vanguard)
President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
It was gathered that the meeting commenced about 2 pm after the security meeting with the President and shortly after the principal officers arrived at the State House.
Although the agenda of the meeting is yet to be made public, it may not be unconnected to the inauguration of the members of the 10th National Assembly scheduled for June 5 and the eventual election of a new President of the Senate, Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. Read more
Reps ask FG to remove subsidies outrightly (Channels)
The House of Representatives has asked the Federal Government to outrightly remove subsidies on all petroleum products.
The House made this resolution after adopting the report of its ad hoc committee which investigated the country’s subsidy regime.
The lawmakers, however, want the FG to immediately design measures and palliatives to cushion the effects of the subsidy removal for Nigerians effective through the provision and procurement of CNG Busses as an alternative Transport System with Cheaper Fuel Consumption, as well as introduce intermodal, regional and national transport system to ease mass movement of people across the country. Read more
Britney Spears “agrees” to let her sons move to Hawaii with ex-husband Kevin Federline (Woman&Home)
Britney Spears has agreed to let her two teenage sons move to Hawaii with their dad, her ex-husband Kevin Federline.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Kevin Federline’s lawyers had given Britney a deadline of this Friday, June 2, to agree to the move – otherwise, he’d take her to court, according to TMZ.
Kevin’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, said there should be no issue with 17-year-old Sean Preston and 16-year-old Jayden James moving to Hawaii with their dad, as Kevin has ‘100 percent legal custody and 100 percent de facto physical custody.’ He also added that Britney has not seen the boys in more than a year. Read more
Kim Cattrall to reprise Sex and the City role in And Just Like That (Guardian)
Kim Cattrall is reportedly returning to play the role of Samantha in one scene of Sex and the City spin-off And Just Like That.
According to Variety, the actor shot her dialogue without speaking to or seeing the rest of the cast. Cattrall has spoken of tension between herself and the show’s star Sarah Jessica Parker and was not included in the first season of the new series.
In the first season of And Just Like That, which brings back Parker and the original stars Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis, Cattrall’s character had moved to London and was distant from the group after a disagreement. The new scene will see her have a phone conversation with Parker. Read more
Armie Hammer will not face sexual assault charges in Los Angeles due to ”insufficient evidence” (USAToday)
Armie Hammer is speaking out after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office declined to press sexual assault charges against him.
In a statement to USA TODAY on Wednesday, Tiffiny Blacknell, director of the Bureau of Communications at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office, said they have decided not to pursue charges after a lengthy review revealed insufficient evidence to prove the allegations against Hammer beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Sexual assault cases are often difficult to prove, which is why we assign our most experienced prosecutors to review them,” she said. “In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime.” Read more
Mexico: Police discover 45 bags containing human remains (DW)
Mexican police have discovered dozens of bags with human remains, during a search operation for seven young workers of a call center who went missing a week ago, Mexican prosecution said on Thursday.
Forty-five bags containing dismembered bodies were discovered in the Mirador del Bosque, in the suburbs of the western city of Guadalajara. The city is considered the cradle of the powerful cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).
The Jalisco state prosecutor’s office said it was not yet clear whether the remains belonged to the seven missing workers but declared that the search for them was ongoing. Read more
Sergio Calderón, star of Pirates of the Caribbean and Men in Black, dead at 77 (People)
Sergio Calderón, a prolific actor known for his roles in films like Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Men in Black, has died. He was 77.
A rep for Calderón confirms to PEOPLE “that Sergio passed away Wednesday morning,” and was “surrounded by family at the time” of his death.
“He was in the hospital previously with a bout of pneumonia; not sure that was the cause,” the rep adds. Read more
US actor Danny Masterson found guilty on 2 rape counts (BBC)
A jury in Los Angeles has found US actor Danny Masterson guilty on two out of three counts of rape.
The star of That ’70s Show, a TV series, faces up to 30 years in prison. He was led from court in handcuffs.
Three women, all former members of the Church of Scientology, accused the actor of sexual assault at his Hollywood home from 2001-03. Read more
Mike Pence to rival Donald Trump for US presidency with campaign launch (ITV)
Mike Pence is set to rival Donald Trump for the presidency of the United States when he declares his bid for the White House next week.
Pence, who served as Trump’s vice president, will officially launch his campaign at an event in Iowa on Wednesday June 7 – the date of his 64th birthday.
He will also release a video message as part of the launch, according to two people familiar with his plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Read more
Osimhen not United’s primary target (Punch)
According to British tabloid, ManUtd News, Manchester United are ready to invest heavily in a striker when the transfer window opens, adding that their primary target will be Tottenham Hotspurs’ forward Harry Kane while Victor Osimhen is the club’s second choice.
Erik ten Hag guided the Red Devils to a coveted Top 4 Premier League finish in his first season in charge and they are also in the final of the FA Cup, where they face city rivals Manchester City on Saturday, but there’s ample room for improvement.
The website pointed out that among the sides to have secured European football for next season, only Aston Villa (51) netted fewer goals than the Red Devils (58), highlighting the frontline as the team’s weakest link. Read more
Paris Saint Germain Coach Galtier confirms Lionel Messi exit (Forbes)
Paris Saint Germain head coach Christophe Galtier has confirmed Lionel Messi’s departure from the club at the end of the season.
Messi joined the Ligue 1 giants in 2021. On June 30, the two-year deal he signed when walking from former club FC Barcelona on a free transfer expires.
In the same week that PSG reprimanded Messi for missing training to attend to commercial responsibilities as a tourism ambassador in Saudi Arabia, transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano reported how the Messi camp led by father and agent Jorge Messi had already informed the club’s Qatari owners of their decision to move on at the end of the season. Read more
Brandt Snedeker returns to PGA Tour after rare surgery (GolfMonthly)
Brandt Snedeker returns to competitive action in The Memorial Tournament following a nine-month layoff after having surgery on a sternum injury that had troubled him for years.
The 42-year-old last played in September’s season-opening Fortinet Championship, where he tied for 59th. However, following that, he finally decided the time had come to address the issue.
He explained: “So I had surgery. I had a sternum injury called – been dealing with it for six or seven years – called manubrium joint instability. So a really rare thing. But managed it the best I could and got to the point where I couldn’t play without pain anymore and got tired of dealing with it.” Read more
Karim Benzema to leave Real Madrid ahead of Saudi Arabia move (ABC)
Karim Benzema will leave Real Madrid when his contract expires this month to join Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, sources have told ESPN.
ESPN reported earlier this week that Benzema was offered a two-year contract worth €400 million to move to Saudi in January, the same deal as Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Al Nassr after leaving Manchester United.
The centre-forward, 35, has spent 14 seasons at the Bernabeu, becoming the club’s second-highest goalscorer and winning five Champions Leagues, four LaLiga titles and the 2022 Ballon d’Or. Read more
Youri Tielemans announces departure from Leicester after Premier League relegation (ESPN)
Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans announced Wednesday he will be leaving Leicester City following the club’s relegation from the Premier League.
The 26-year-old Tielemans, who joined from Monaco on loan in 2019 before signing a permanent deal, holds a special place in Leicester’s history after scoring the winning goal in the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea.
He is out of contract this summer and will not be staying around to help Leicester return to the top division after their relegation, which came seven years after the team won the Premier League. Read more
Anthony Joshua’s reaction to Tyson Fury ”sending him a draft contract offer” revealed (GMS)
Anthony Joshua has been in talks with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury on several occasions, but a boxing fight has still yet to materialise.
The ‘Gypsy King’ however revealed that he has made a “draft contract” offer to ‘AJ’ yet again for a meeting this September after struggling to find an opponent.
Joshua and Fury could meet at Wembley Stadium, which would likely jeopardise his planned Saudi Arabia clash with Deontay Wilder in December as part of a proposed four-man tournament. Read more