#FindHinnyHumoren: Man rapes, kills, buries job seeker in Akwa-Ibom (Punch)
The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested one Uduak Frank Akpan in connection to the disappearance of a job seeker, Iniobong Umoren.
According to Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Odiko Macdon, in a statement on Sunday, 20-year-old Akpan lured Umoren to his residence under the pretext of offering her a job before he raped, killed and buried the young graduate.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the victim went missing while attending a job interview in Akwa Ibom on Thursday. She had earlier tweeted via her handle, @HinyHumoren, that she needed a job and some persons had suggested prospective employers to her.
But @UmohUduak1, who identified as the job seeker’s friend, raised the alarm on Thursday that her friend was nowhere to be found. Read more
BRT operator decries inflation, lack of forex to import vehicles’ parts (Guardian)
Primero Transport Services Limited, on Sunday said that inflation and its inability to access forex to import vehicle parts’ were hindering its efforts at reviving its faulty buses and providing seamless services to its passengers.
Fola Tinubu, the Managing Director of Primero Transport Services Limited, the operator of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Tinubu was reacting to challenges facing the firm in its bid to provide world-class services to its potential commuters.
He noted that the firm had been struggling in the last six years to make ends meet. Read more
Alleged Molestation: I didn’t authorise release of Baba Ijesha CCTV video to public – Princess (Leadership)
Popular comedienne, Damilola Adekoya, a.k.a. Princess, has washed her hands off a viral CCTV footage on the social media, showing Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James Omiyinka widely known as Baba Ijesha molesting her foster daughter.
This is even as the comedienne said she did not authorise the release of the CCTV footage by Punch Newspaper or any other person whatsoever, to the public.
The comedienne, therefore, through her solicitors, Ibilola Subair Law Firm, said she expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss, however, arising from the content of the CCTV footage released to the general public through Punch Media. Read more
FG restricts passengers from Brazil, India, Turkey (Punch)
The Federal Government has resolved to deny non-Nigerian passport holders and non-residents who visited Brazil, India or Turkey within 14 days entry into Nigeria.
This decision was part of the decisions reached by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 following increasing cases of COVID-19 and fatalities in some parts of the world.
The committee’s chairman, Boss Mustapha, disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Travel advisory for passengers arriving Nigeria from Brazil, India and Turkey.’
According to the statement, the travel advisory shall take effect from Tuesday while it shall be subjected to review after an initial period of four weeks. Read more
INEC office in Akwa Ibom set ablaze (Leadership)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that its local government office in Essien Udim local government area in Akwa Ibom State has been set on fire.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the National Commissioner and chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye.
The statement said the security guard at the INEC office escaped unhurt, addding that the buidling and properties were destroyed.
INEC, however, revealed that an investigation by the police into the incident has commenced. Read more
Seyi Shay seals deal with Universal Music (Vanguard)
British born Nigerian Afro-Pop/R&B star, Oluwaseyi Joshua, popularly known as Seyi Shay recently inked a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group in partnership with Universal Music France.
Seyi Shay is yet to announce her debut single of the year. The talented singer currently serves as one of the judges at the sixth edition of Nigerian Idol.
The award winning singer, has shown her versatility on various genres over the years. We wish her the best, as she leads the new school wave. Read more
Senate President celebrates Nigerian journalists on World Press Freedom Day (Guardian)
President of Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has felicitated with Nigerian journalists as they celebrate this year’s World Press Freedom Day.
Lawan in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, in Abuja on Sunday said that May 3 was set aside every year to remind governments around the world of their obligation to facilitate and respect press freedom.
He said the commemoration of the day was also to remind journalists the need to respect the ethics of their profession.
Lawan said he was proud that Nigeria has a vibrant media that have always resolutely defended freedom of speech.
Lawan said that freedom of the press enables journalists to effectively discharge their roles as the watchdog of the society and Fourth Estate of the Realm. Read more
Electricity consumers kick against proposed new tariffs (Punch)
Electricity consumer groups, on Sunday, kicked against the planned review of electricity tariffs for the 11 power Distribution Companies by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
They maintained that there was no justification for any upward review of electricity tariffs due to the current economic realities and challenges being faced by Nigerians.
The groups, the Energy Consumer Rights and Responsibilities Initiative and All Electricity Consumers Protection Forum made their views known in separate interviews with NAN in Lagos. Read more
Ganduje extends retirement age for teachers, lecturers to 65 (Guardian)
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State says, henceforth, teachers and lecturers working with the state owned institutions of learning will be retiring on attaining 65 years.
Khadijah Umar, a health worker at Hotoro Healthcare Clinic, who lost her legs on a wheelchair.
The governor announced this at the award night marking the 2021 May Day organised by the Kano State Chapter of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) on Saturday in Kano.
“The Federal Government has since approved this for teachers and lecturers working in its institutions, hence, teachers in Kano State are also not left behind.
“Therefore, our teachers and lecturers as from now on will start to enjoy such retirement age from 60-65, and years of service from 35-40 as the federal workers are enjoying,” the governor said. Read more
Over 50 officers injured, 250 people detained in Berlin May Day riots (NYPost)
More than 50 police officers were injured and over 250 protesters were detained after traditional May Day rallies in Berlin turned violent, the German Police Union said Sunday.
More than 20 different rallies took place in the German capital on Saturday and the vast majority of them were peaceful. However, a leftist march of 8,000 people through the city’s Neukoelln and Kreuzberg neighborhood, which has often seen clashes in past decades, turned violent. Protesters threw bottles and rocks at officers, and burned garbage containers and wooden pallets in the streets.
“We don’t have any final numbers, but regarding the known more than 50 injured colleagues and more than 250 detainments, it’s clear that we were far removed from a peaceful May 1,” Stephan Kelm, Berlin’s deputy chief of the police union, told German news agency dpa. Read more
India coronavirus: New record deaths as virus engulfs India (BBC)
India has recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll since the pandemic began – a day after it became the first country to register more than 400,000 new cases.
Its health ministry said 3,689 people had died within the past 24 hours.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the health minister on Sunday morning to review the crisis.
Hospitals are battling to treat patients amid a chronic shortage of beds and medical oxygen. Read more
Dwayne Johnson says people thought he was a girl growing up (PageSix)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says that people often thought he was a little girl growing up.
The former pro wrestler, who is celebrating his 49th birthday on Sunday, said that people he met were often confused by his “soft features” as a child.
“I would say between the ages of 7 and 11, people thought that I was a little girl because I had really soft features and I had really soft Afro hair,” Johnson, who is black and Samoan, said on “Sunday Today with Willie Geist.” Read more
Travelling the Middle East will be the easiest it’s ever been (AlJazeera)
Although the coronavirus pandemic has forced travel to a halt and slammed shut international borders, unprecedented reforms taking place in the Middle East will make travelling around the region easier than ever before, once the world opens up again.
Relaxed visa requirements, shifting politics, and new transport connections promise to draw more visitors to the region, which before the pandemic had the fastest-growing rate of international arrivals and double the global average, according to the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization.
Because of the pandemic and the piecemeal, country-by-country developments, this huge shift across the Middle East has gone mostly unnoticed. Read more
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Iran treatment ‘amounts to torture’, says Dominic Raab (BBC)
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has said Iran’s treatment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe “amounts to torture” – the strongest language the UK government has used to date.
After the British-Iranian woman was sentenced to prison again, Mr Raab said Tehran was using her in “a cat-and-mouse game” for diplomatic leverage.
He also said he believed she was being held illegally under international law.
Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 42, has been held in Iran since 2016. Read more
Olympia Dukakis: “Moonstruck” and “Steel Magnolias” star dies aged 89 (BBC)
US actress Olympia Dukakis, who won an Oscar for her role in the 1987 romantic comedy Moonstruck, has died aged 89, her family have announced.
Her brother wrote she was “at peace” after suffering ill health.
Dukakis had a long and distinguished career in theatre, both as a performer and as a director.
But in her 50s she starred in a series of hit comedies on screen, including an award-winning turn as Cher’s mother in Moonstruck. Read more
Manchester United: Fans protest on Old Trafford pitch against owners (BBC)
About 200 Manchester United fans broke on to the Old Trafford pitch to protest against the Glazer family’s ownership of the club.
The protest took place before United’s home Premier League game against Liverpool, which is scheduled to kick off at 16:30 BST.
The fans were removed from the pitch before some got back on to it later.
There also appeared to be a protest outside the hotel where the United players stayed before the game. Read more
Aubameyang scores as Arsenal beat Newcastle (Punch)
Arsenal won for the first time in four games in all competitions thanks to Mohamed Elneny’s first Premier League goal and a superb strike from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Fourth bottom Newcastle remain nine points clear of the relegation zone with four games left.
Amid growing calls for his dismissal after one of Arsenal’s worst seasons in decades, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta knows the only way to silence the critics is to qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League. Read more
Kevin Durant returning to lineup as Nets start to get healthy (NYPost)
The Nets have gotten back up to a Big 2: Kevin Durant will return for Sunday’s nationally televised game in Milwaukee.
After sitting out Friday’s home loss to the Trail Blazers in order to manage his left hamstring, Durant was removed from the Nets’ injury report Saturday night. Guard Bruce Brown was also ruled available after he missed the past three games with a sore right knee.
Even Nic Claxton, who been in health and safety protocols since April 19, was removed from the injury list. The second-year big man is unlikely to play Sunday against the Bucks but will join the Nets during their five-game road trip, which begins Sunday. Read more
Kentucky Derby: Medina Spirit wins to give trainer Bob Baffert record seventh victory (BBC)
Jockey John Velazquez (left) and trainer Bob Baffert (right) won the Derby for the second year in a row
Medina Spirit won the Kentucky Derby to give trainer Bob Baffert a record seventh victory in the race.
Jockey John Velazquez led Medina Spirit from the front and held off three challengers on the home straight to claim his fourth Derby win.
It was Velazquez and Baffert’s second consecutive win together after Authentic won the delayed 2020 edition in September.
“I cannot believe he won this race,” Baffert told NBC Sports.
“This little horse, that’s him – he was all guts.” Read more
Maradona received inadequate care, left to fate: Medical report (AlJazeera)
Football icon Diego Maradona received inadequate medical care and was left to his fate for a “prolonged, agonising period” before his death last year, an expert medical panel has concluded.
The 60-year-old Argentinian succumbed to a heart attack on November 25, just weeks after undergoing brain surgery on a blood clot. His passing prompted a period of national mourning in Argentina and brought a global outpouring of grief.
Shortly after, Argentina’s public prosecutor convened a panel of 20 experts to examine the cause of death and determine if there had been any negligence. Read more
Joseph Parker beats Derek Chisora by split decision after recovering from early knockdown (BBC)
Joseph Parker recovered from being knocked down in the opening 10 seconds to beat Derek Chisora on a split decision and keep alive hopes of a shot at the world heavyweight title.
The Briton floored New Zealander Parker at Manchester Arena with an overhand right to the temple.
But the former world champion turned the tide and landed combinations as the bout wore on, while Chisora tired.
It proved enough to earn a split decision 115-113 111-116 115-113. Chisora, 37, felt aggrieved by the scoring and said: “I’m beyond getting upset now. It’s difficult. I train hard. I put pressure on, this is the treatment I get from boxing. Read more