How 11 FCT villagers were killed in midnight attack (DailyTrust)
No fewer than 11 people, comprising males, females and children, have been reportedly killed by attackers in Kuseki community in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the FCT.
A member of the community, Danladi Usman, said the incident happened last Friday around 10:47pm when the villagers had turned in for the night.
He said the suspects, who came through a bush path, wielding weapons and cutlasses, invaded some houses and opened fire on the villagers. Read more
Markets, schools, offices shut in Imo over sit-at-home order (Nation)
Markets, schools and offices shut down on Friday based on the sit-at-home order by a
separatist group, the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in Imo State.
The development brought economic activities to a standstill. Read more
NAF airstrikes kill ‘scores’ of terrorists in Borno (Punch)
The Nigerian Air Force said airstrikes from its operatives with Operation Hadin Kai have killed scores of terrorists and destroyed their stronghold in Borno State.
The service air mission, which was carried out in the early hours of Friday, was conducted on fleeing Boko Haram elements in Bita, a known insurgent enclave in the North-East.
According to a statement on Friday, by the Director of Public Relations and Information at the NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the coordinated air assault marks a substantial milestone in efforts to degrade the operational capacity of the terrorists threatening national security in the region. Read more
INEC fixes dates for Ekiti, Osun gov polls (Channels)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states for Saturday, June 20 and Saturday, August 8, 2026, respectively.
INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, made this known on Friday, during the swearing-in of six newly appointed Resident Electoral Commissioners, recently confirmed by the National Assembly.
“For Ekiti State, the election will be held on Saturday, 20th June 2026. However, party primaries will start on 20th October 2025 and end on 10th November 2025 to enable political parties to upload their nomination forms to the dedicated portal, which automatically shuts down by 6.00 pm on 22nd December 2025, i.e., not later than 180 days before the election. The final list of candidates will be published on 18th January 2026, while campaign in public by political parties will commence on 21st January 2026 and end 24 hours before election day,” Yakubu said. Read more
Finland begins terrorism trial against Simon Ekpa (Guardian)
Finnish politician and Biafra political activist, Simon Ekpa, appeared before the Päijät-Häme District Court in Finland on Friday as the country’s government commenced his terrorism trial.
In November 2024, the Finnish government arrested Ekpa on suspicion of terror-related activities, including incitement to violence and terrorism financing.
He was accused of using social media to incite violence and causing unrest in the South-east region, as part of his secessionist agitation for Biafra. Read more
Airtel AI Spam Alert Service Flags 9.6m Spam Attempts In 2 Months (Leadership)
Airtel Nigeria, a leading telecommunications service provider and subsidiary of Airtel Africa, has announced that its AI-powered Spam Alert Service issued over 9.6 million spam alerts between March 13 and May 20, 2025.
As part of its ongoing commitment to protecting customers from unwanted and potentially fraudulent communications, Airtel designed the AI Spam Alert Service to analyse traffic patterns and detect anomalies.
In the period since the launch, the AI pinpointed a total of 9,667,008 SMS as potential spam messages in the two months after its launch. Of these, the system identified 528,080 on-net (Airtel-to-Airtel) and 9,138,928 off-net (from other networks) numbers as suspected spam messages, demonstrating the scale of the threat and Airtel’s advanced processing capability. Read more
TotalEnergies sells stake in Bonga Oil Field to SNEPCo for $510m (NewTelegraph)
TotalEnergies has announced the divestment of its 12.5 per cent non-operated interest in the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118 Production Sharing Contract (PSC), which includes Nigeria’s prolific Bonga oil field to Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd (SNEPCo).
The oil multinational explained in a statement yesterday that its Nigerian subsidiary, TotalEnergies EP Nigeria (TEPNG), has signed an agreement to sell the stake to SNEPCo for $510 million.
SNEPCo currently operates the deep offshore block with a 55% stake, in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (20%), TotalEnergies (12.5%), and Nigerian Agip Exploration (12.5%). Read more
Shakira concert at Boston’s Fenway Park cancelled just hours before showtime (RollingStone)
Shakira was scheduled to take the stage at Boston‘s Fenway Park on Thursday, May 29, as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran tour. Leading up to the show, she shared Instagram Story posts expressing her excitement and teasing appearances from Will.i.am and Wyclef Jean. But hours before doors opened for the show, Live Nation announced that the event had been cancelled.
The Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn concert scheduled at the same venue on May 30 has also been cancelled “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Shakira and Jason Aldean and Brooks & Dunn performances originally scheduled for May 29th and May 30th respectively at Fenway Park have been canceled,” the Live Nation statement read. “Refunds will be available at your point of purchase. We apologize for the inconvenience.” Fenway Concerts posted the same statement on social media. Read more
Emmanuel Macron responded after wife ‘pushed him in face’ as lip-reader ‘reveals’ what she said moments after (Ladbible)
Emmanuel Macron might have thought he’d gotten away with downplaying being seemingly bopped in the face by his other half, but then a lip reader came along.
Footage of the President of France, 47, apparently being shoved by his wife Brigitte as they disembarked a plane in Hanoi, Vietnam, went viral earlier this week.
The Élysée initially tried to dismiss the clip, as local media reported that the official residence of the French president claimed that the video could have been AI-generated. Read more
Russell Brand trial date set after actor pleads not guilty to rape and sexual assault (Metro)
Russell Brand has entered a not guilty plea to charges of rape and sexual assault at Southwark Crown Court.
The actor and comedian, 49, appeared in court on Friday after being formally charged by the Metropolitan Police last month with rape and sexual assault.
Brand did not speak to reporters and looked straight ahead as he entered the court building. Read more
Hawaii becomes first US state to charge ‘Green Fee’ on tourists (USAToday)
Hawaii became the first U.S. state to establish a climate impact fee on Tuesday, placing an additional tax on tourists to fund climate change resiliency projects and environmental stewardship within the islands.
As the country’s inaugural “Green Fee,” Act 96 will raise the state’s current transient accommodations tax (TAT) by 0.75% for a total of 11% placed upon the nightly lodging rate, effective Jan. 1, 2026, according to a press release by Governor Josh Green’s office.
The fee will apply to travelers staying in hotels, short-term vacation rentals and for the first time ever, cruise ships. For a nightly hotel rate of $300, that would be an extra $2.25 each night. Read more
Bernard Kerik, who led NYPD on 9/11 before prison and pardon, has died at 69 (NPR)
Bernard Kerik, who served as New York City’s police commissioner on 9/11 and later pleaded guilty to tax fraud before being pardoned, has died. He was 69.
The New York Police Department confirmed his death Thursday on social media. FBI Director Kash Patel said his death came “after a private battle with illness.”
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani reflected on his long history with his former police commissioner on his show Thursday. Read more
China trade talks have stalled, US treasury secretary says (BBC)
Trade talks between the US and China are “a bit stalled”, the US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said.
His comment comes less than three weeks after a temporary trade truce was agreed between the world’s two largest economies, with both agreeing to reduce tit-for-tat tariffs.
Bessent told Fox News on Thursday: “I think that given the magnitude of the talks, given the complexity, that this is going to require [leaders of both the countries] to weigh in with each other”. Read more
Anthony Joshua in discussions over 2-fight deal as surprising name emerges (Mirror)
Anthony Joshua is in talks with Riyadh Season for a potentially lucrative two-fight deal, according to Eddie Hearn, with Jared Anderson possibly being the Brit’s future opponent.
Joshua, the former two-time heavyweight world champion, hasn’t stepped into the ring since his defeat to Daniel Dubois last summer. It seemed as though an immediate rematch was on the cards, but ‘AJ’ sustained minor injuries from their initial bout.
As for Joshua’s future, the 35-year-old is aiming to return to competitive boxing before the end of the year, following elbow surgery. As for Dubois, ‘Triple D’ is set to face Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium on 19 July, with all four world titles on the line in London. Read more
AFCON winner, Ideye, quits Enyimba after one season (DailyTrust)
Former Super Eagles striker, Brown Aide Ideye, has discontinued his playing career with Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) giants, Enyimba, after one season.
The AFCON 2013-winning striker in a tweet said it was an honour to play for the club and would cherish the moments with the two-time CAF Champions League winners whom he scored two goals for in seven appearances.
“To the Chairman, staff, my teammates and fans of Enyimba FC, thank you for the wonderful journey. It’s been an honour to wear the jersey and play for one of the biggest and best football clubs in Nigeria and Africa. Read more
Coco Gauff makes history as Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys join her in French Open 3rd round (CNN)
Coco Gauff came through an unexpectedly difficult match against Tereza Valentová to win 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday, becoming the youngest player in 17 years to reach the third round of the French Open for five consecutive years.
The 21-year-old failed to hold her serve four times during the second set but broke back on five occasions to round off a topsy-turvy run and take the victory over her Czech opponent, who was last year’s girls’ champion in Paris.
Two-time French Open winner Maria Sharapova was also 21 when she reached the third round at Roland-Garros for the fifth straight year in 2008. Read more
Fans blown away after seeing the value of car Phil Foden drives to Man City training compared to his teammates (SportBible)
Fans have been left surprised after seeing the value of the car that Phil Foden drives to Manchester City training compared to his team-mates.
Foden’s current contract at City expires in the summer of 2022, with the 24-year-old having signed a three-year extension back in October 2022.
The England international currently earns £225,000 per week, according to Capology, with that figure making him one of the top earners in City’s squad. Read more
‘So many fights I don’t remember’ – UFC’s most active fighter (BBC)
UFC veteran Kevin Holland is once again preparing to return to the octagon as he faces Vicente Luque on 7 June.
Fighting out of Texas, Holland is known for his short turnarounds and his fight in New Jersey is no different.Luque will be Holland’s 21st fight for the UFC since 2020, making him the company’s most active competitor during this period. Read more