Former PDP Spokesman, Olisa Metuh spotted preaching in Garki Market (Vanguard)
Former National Publicity Secretary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, was spotted at the Garki International Market in Abuja on Saturday morning preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and urging his listeners to adjust their lives and put their trust in God.
Metuh, who participated in the evangelism week organised by the Guiding Light Assembly, a Pentecostal church in Abuja, was seen engaging his listeners at the market with the gospel and the testimony of God’s goodness to him.
The former PDP spokesman was heard recounting his ordeals, particularly his health challenges, unjust court trial and ten months incarceration and submitting that he survived by the mercies and grace that can only be found in faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Read more
Woman dies in toilet evading EFCC arrest (Sun)
A business woman, Olufunmbi Jaiyeola, has allegedly died in her toilet while running away from operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), who invaded her residence in Magodo area of Lagos .
The EFCC had stormed her house at number 15, Dele Onabule Street, Magodo Brooks on June 2, to effect her arrest over an undisclosed reasons.
According to a police source, the woman refused to open the door for the officials, who laid seige for hours, but a family member later re-surfaced and gained access into the house and the operatives also gained followed suit into the house.
According the police officer, “while EFCC in company with the suspect’s relatives were searching for her, they discovered that she was hiding in the toilet and they forced the door open and they met the woman fuming from her mouth and gasping for breath.”
The EFCC and her relatives rushed her to Lagoon Hospital, Adeniji Jones, Ikeja ,where she was certified dead on arrival. Read more
1 injured as container-laden truck falls on Lagos rail tracks (Punch)
A truck laden with a 20ft container overturned on Saturday at the Oyingbo Rail Crossing, Yaba, Lagos.
The incident injured a male passerby and blocked a section of the road.
According to a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, the truck driver drove on the bad sections of the road, and overturned into the rail tracks.
“Upon arrival at the incident scene, an articulated truck laden with a 20ft container was found at the railway crossing at the aforementioned location. Read more
Bandits kill over 25 worshipers in Ondo Church (Vanguard)
Many persons were feared dead today as suspected bandits opened fire on worshipers at the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, in Owo council area of Ondo State capital.
The state police spokesperson, Funmi Odunlami said the command would speak on the ugly incident later.
Vanguard gathered that the heads of state security agencies have rushed to the ancient town
A member of the St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, in Owo council area of Ondo State, Kehinde Ogunkorode has confirmed that gunmen suspected to be kidnappers attacked the church killing no fewer than 25 worshippers. Read more
‘We were locked in the church for over 20 mins’, Priest speaks on Ondo attack (DailyTrust)
Rev Father Andrew Abayomi, one of the priests at St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, Owo, Ondo State, has narrated how the church was attacked.
Daily Trust had reported how many worshippers were killed when terrorists bombed the church on Sunday morning.
In an interview with BBC Yoruba, the cleric said suspected terrorists struck as the day’s service was about to end.
“We were about to round off service. I had even asked people to start leaving, that was how we started hearing gunshots from different angles.”
“We hid inside the church but some people had left when the attack happened. We locked ourselves in the church for 20 minutes. When we heard that they had left, we opened the church and rushed victims to the hospital.” Read more
NDLEA intercepts large drug consignments, arrests 11 (Nation)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it has thwarted attempts by drug cartels to break through security at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja and the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos and seized large consignments of drugs.
Its spokesman, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this, said no fewer than 11 members of the trafficking syndicates were arrested in connection to the seizures.
In a statement on Sunday, he added a 35-year-old physically challenged lady, Kasarachi Onumajuru, who hides under her condition to deal drugs in Umudumaonu community, Mbaitoli local government area of Imo state was also arrested on Sunday 29th May.
The statement reads: “First on the list of those arrested in connection to seizures at the two airports is Ofor Chima Chileobi who had on Friday 20th May attempted to export to Dubai, UAE, 200 blocks of cannabis sativa weighing 30.20kg concealed in 40 sacks of bitter leaf through the SAHCO export shed, a cargo wing of theMurtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. Read more
Atiku’s chances extraordinarily bright – Hyat (Guardian)
As Nigerians prepare for the 2023 general elections, Mr Felix Hyat, PDP chairman in Kaduna State, has said that the chances of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, his party’s presidential candidate, are “extraordinarily bright”.
“Atiku is a well known name in Nigeria. No name is equal to his.
“He was Vice President for eight years and got 11 million votes in the 2019 presidential election. So, his chances this time are just very bright,” Hyat, former aviation minister, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
He said that Atiku’s focus, as he told PDP delegates, would be to unite the country, ensure adequate security and create jobs.
“Nigerians must unite to save the country and strengthen the economy. That’s Atiku’s focus. Read more
World Environment Day: Soludo targets planting of 1m trees in Anambra (Tribune)
Anambra State Government has said it will plant no fewer than one million trees to promote aforestation and check environmental degradation ravaging the state.
The State Commissioner for Environment, Engr. Felix Odimegwu, disclosed this at the weekend, during a press conference to mark this year’s World Environment Day.
He said the State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo was expected to start off the campaign on Sunday.
While describing the theme for this year’s celebration “Only One Earth” as apt, he said under the policy each household would be expected to plant at least two trees every year.
He said, “Anambra State is facing serious environmental health degradation, and serious climate change challenges. This is the time to take up the collective and individual responsibility of protecting, and restoring our only ‘one earth’ by avoiding actions leading to environmental pollution and degradation. Read more
Vigilante killed in Abuja over blasphemy (DailyTrust)
A member of a vigilante group was Friday killed in the Lugbe area of Abuja over an alleged blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that the mob killing occurred at the timber market section of Fruit Market in Federal Housing Estate, Lugbe.
Eyewitnesses said the victim, a Muslim, was known for the act of blasphemy and that the latest was on midnight of Saturday.
The mob action took place around 1pm on Saturday after he sought refuge in the vigilante office in the market.
It was gathered that the local security outfit was outnumbered by the mob that killed him in front of the office and thereafter, burnt his remains. Read more
Platinum Party at the Palace: The royals were the real stars of the Jubilee concert (BBC)
At most pop concerts, the audience don’t turn their backs on the stage. But this wasn’t a normal pop concert, and this wasn’t a normal audience.
For most of the 22,000 fans attending The Platinum Party at the Palace, the Royal Family were the real stars.
Ten minutes before the show started, Prince Charles walked the short distance from Buckingham Palace to the temporary grandstand, waving cheerfully at the crowd as they shouted “Charles! Charles! Sir! Sir!” and zoomed their camera phones in to get a better glimpse of the heir to the throne.
And while acts like Queen, Elbow and Duran Duran took to the stage, the audience craned their necks to see what was happening in the royal box.
Some even brought binoculars. Read more
Bangladesh: Deadly fire and explosions at container facility (AlJazeera)
At least 49 people have been killed and more than 300 injured after a massive fire swept through a container depot in southeastern Bangladesh, according to senior officials.
The fire broke out at a container facility on Saturday night at Sitakunda, 40km (25 miles) from the port city of Chittagong, triggering multiple explosions, officials said.
“The death toll has risen to 49,” Elias Chowdhury, Chittagong’s chief doctor, told Al Jazeera. He added that more than 300 people have been injured in the blaze and subsequent explosions.
“The number of fatalities is expected to rise as some of the injured are in critical condition,” Chowdhury earlier told the AFP news agency. Read more
Box Office: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ scores $86m in massive second weekend (Variety)
“Top Gun: Maverick” has the box office sizzling… again.
In its second weekend of release, Tom Cruise’s all-American action film collected a sensational $86 million from 4,751 North American theaters. Those returns rank among the top 10 highest-grossing second weekends in domestic box office history. They also push “Top Gun: Maverick” to $291 million in North America, enough to overtake 2005’s “War of the Worlds” ($243 million) as Cruise’s highest-grossing film ever at the domestic box office.
Thanks to positive word of mouth, rapturous reviews and premium screens, ticket sales for “Top Gun: Maverick” dropped a scant 32% from its $160 million debut over the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. It’s the smallest second-weekend decline for a movie that opened to $100 million or more, according to Comscore. That’s an especially impressive benchmark — even for a well-reviewed movie — because blockbusters, like “Maverick,” tend to be front-loaded and drop at least 50% after opening weekend. By comparison, recent big-budget tentpoles “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and Marvel’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” each declined 67% in its sophomore outing, while Robert Pattinson’s “The Batman” fell 50% in its second weekend. Read more
Georgia teen allegedly threatens to kill sheriff over rapper Young Thug’s arrest (NYPost)
A Georgia teen was charged with 23 counts of making terroristic threats after allegedly threatening to kill the Fulton County Sheriff for rapper Young Thug’s arrest as well as several arrests of members of the YSL organization.
Quartavius Mender, 18, was arrested on May 26 after allegedly making death threats on the Instagram posts of Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat, according to FOX 5.
The threats were made after Atlanta rapper Young Thug, Gunna, as well as 26 associates were arrested and charged with racketeering.
Officials said that Mender wrote that he was going to kill Labat, his wife, and Atlanta Public Schools Police Chief Ronald Applin if one of the defendants wasn’t released from custody. Read more
Ryanair forcing South Africans to do Afrikaans tests to prove passports are real (Metro)
South Africans have said being forced to take tests in Afrikaans to verify their passports is ‘discrimination’.
Multiple South Africans have recently had to answer general knowledge questions in Afrikaans to enter the UK or Ireland, despite this not being a rule officially enforced by either country.
The seemingly new policy is Ryanair’s effort to combat a ‘high prevalence in fraudulent South African passports’, the airline told Metro.co.uk.
It comes after government officials were arrested for allegedly running an illegal operation to sell fake passports for £258 (R5,000). Read more
Several dead and wounded in Philadelphia street shooting (France24)
Three people were killed and 11 others wounded on Saturday after multiple shooters opened fire into a crowd in the US city of Philadelphia, according to police.
The shooting took place on a busy street known for its nightlife. Police Inspector D. F. Pace told reporters that two men and a woman had been killed, adding that officers responding to the incident “observed several active shooters shooting into the crowd.”
“You can imagine there were hundreds of individuals enjoying South Street, as they do every single weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Pace said. He said that “numerous” officers were already on the scene when the first shots were heard, describing it as a “standard deployment” for the area on summer weekend nights.
A responding officer fired at one of the shooters, who dropped his gun and fled, though it was unclear whether the man was hit, Pace said. Local media reported that no arrests had been made. Read more
Man rescued from Thames after being Tasered dies (BBC)
Police were called to reports of a man armed with a screwdriver and shouting on Chelsea Bridge Road
A man who was rescued from the River Thames after police used a Taser to try to restrain him has died.
The Met Police said it was called at 09:03 BST on Saturday to reports of a man shouting on Chelsea Bridge Road armed with a screwdriver.
He was rescued from the water but died in hospital that night, The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
It is investigating the contact the Met Police had with the man who was in his early 40s.
The IOPC said investigators had obtained accounts from the officers involved and secured police body-worn video footage. Read more
Rafael Nadal dominates Casper Ruud for 14th French Open title (NYPost)
Rafael Nadal pulled away to beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the French Open final on Sunday for his 14th championship at Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title overall, adding to two records he already owned.
Nadal’s victory came two days after his 36th birthday and made him the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament.
Ruud led 3-1 in the second set, a deficit that spurred Nadal to raise his level — he took the last 11 games.
The Spaniard’s first triumph in Paris came in 2005 at age 19. No man or woman ever has won the singles trophy at any major event more than his 14 in Paris. And no man has won more Grand Slam titles than Nadal.
Rafael Nadal hits a backhand during the men’s singles final against Casper Ruud during the French Open.
He now is two ahead of rivals Roger Federer, who hasn’t played in almost a year after a series of knee operations, and Novak Djokovic, who missed the Australian Open in January because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and lost to Nadal at Roland Garros. Read more
India 2022: High-flying Flamingos secure World Cup Berth (DailyTrust)
Nigeria’s U-17 female team, Flamingos, have secured one of the three African slots after playing 1-0 aggregate over Ethiopia in the final qualifying rounds on Saturday.
The Bankole Olowokeere side had won the first leg 1-0 away before playing an entertaining 0-0 draw at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja to end the campaign with 15 goals without conceding a single goal.
They had several chances to score goals but the Ethiopian goalkeeper refused to allow the girls to breach her defence.
Flamingos kickstarted their chase for a ticket to this year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over DR Congo in the second round, first leg encounter in Kinshasa in March 2022.
A few days later, two goals by Opeyemi Ajakaiye and one each by Tumininu Adeshina, Anastasia Atume and Taiwo Afolabi steered Nigeria’s U17 girls to a 5-0 defeat in the return leg in Benin City took the Flamingos to an 8-0 aggregate win over the Central Africans. Read more
Haney beats Kambosos to become undisputed lightweight world champion (Punch)
Unbeaten American Devin Haney comfortably beat Australian George Kambosos on points Sunday to become the first undisputed lightweight world champion in modern boxing history.
Highly-rated WBC title holder Haney, a clear favourite, successfully defended his belt for a fifth time and in the process took the WBA, IBF and WBO straps off Kambosos with a unanimous verdict.
Victory made him the first undisputed lightweight champion since Pernell Whitaker in 1992 and the first in the four-belt era, which began in 2004. Read more
Iga Swiatek sends classy message to emotional Coco Gauff after French Open final thrashing (Metro)
Iga Swiatek has promised Coco Gauff she will find Grand Slam success in the future despite being thrashed in the French Open final.
Swiatek won her second title at Roland Garros after brushing aside her American opponent 6-1 6-3 on Saturday.
The Pole was in ruthless form, sinking Gauff in just over an hour on Court Philippe Chatrier.
Gauff, 18, appeared devastated with the result and sat in her chair courtside in tears. Read more
Brazil don’t need Neymar magic to win, says manager Tite (Guardian)
Brazil no longer rely on superstar Neymar to win games, manager Tite said Sunday, with an Olympic gold medal-winning generation looking to step up at the World Cup.
Neymar underlined his importance to Tite’s side by netting the 72nd and 73rd goals of his Brazil career in a 5-1 friendly thrashing of South Korea in Seoul last week.
That took him within striking distance of the legendary Pele’s record of 77 goals for the five-time World Cup winners.
Tite played down Brazil’s dependence on Neymar as his team prepared to face Japan in a friendly in Tokyo on Monday, saying a new generation of players are ready to share the load.
“I have been in charge of the national team for a long time, and in that time I have made lots of mistakes and also made some good decisions,” he said. Read more
Van Aert powers to Criterium du Dauphine win (France24)
Jumbo’s Wout van Aert won the opening stage of the Criterium du Dauphine on Sunday afer a hilly 192km run from La Vaulte Sur Rhone to Beauchastel.
Wearing his Belgian champion tunic Van Aert beat Britain’s Ethan Hayter of Ineos and the American Sean Quinn of EF in a bunch sprint to the line in bright sunshine after a showery day in the Ardeche region.
The peloton managed to drop the sprint specialists such as Dylan Groenewegen and Phil Bauhaus 10km from home on this first of five hilly runs, with a time trial and three mountain stages also on the menu.
World No.1 Van Aert picked up 10 bonus seconds for the win and will be wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey on the 170km run from Saint Peray to Brives on Monday, along a route resembling the opener. Read more