How corpse of missing Civil Defence officer was discovered in a shallow grave (DailyTrust)
The remains of a female officer of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who went missing 18 months ago has been discovered in a shallow grave in Obi Local Government Area of Benue State.
Until she went missing, the deceased, Josephine Cynthia Inalegwu Onche, was serving at an NSCDC post in the Otukpo area of the state.
Cynthia, an Idoma native of Otukpo origin, suddenly went missing while her wedding plans were underway.
Some of her colleagues who didn’t want their names on print, narrated that the family of the deceased had reported her disappearance few days to her wedding in December 2019. Read more
EFCC nabs 36 suspected Internet fraudsters in Lagos (Punch)
Operatives of the Lagos zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 36 suspected Internet fraudsters in various parts of Lagos State.
A statement by the anti-graft agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, said the suspects were arrested in different sting operations by the operatives at Eastern Gorilla, Eko Atlantic, on May 7, 2021; Alogba Estate, Ebute, Ikorodu, on May 19, 2021; and United Estate, Sangotedo, on May 21, 2021, following credible intelligence about their alleged involvement in computer-related fraud.
The statement read in part, “The suspects are Segun Abiola, Gabriel Ebube, Amoo Tunmise, Anidugbe Mofoluwatu, Victor Enuesike, Precious Godwin, Oluwaseun Afolabi, Tolulpoe Amos, Jane Egonu and Precious Anizoba.
“They include Abayomi Timileyin Olanrewaju, Adekunle Dipo Oshunsanya, Tang Jude, Ejobi Peter Prince, Kuti Adebayo, Fagbemi Michael, Salau Oluwasegun, Bello Adebayo Azeez, Lare Awoniyi David, Damilare Kahinde Sikiru, Jayesimi and Samson Ismaila. Read more
Motorists, residents groan over worsening Apapa traffic (Guardian)
Motorists and residents who ply or live in the Apapa axis have continued to groan over worsening traffic situation in the area. Apapa is home to two busiest ports in Nigeria. However, what could have been a blessing has turned a nightmare for motorists and residents as inefficiency of operators of the ports worsens the situation.
Despite efforts by the government to eliminate the causes, Apapa traffic has remained a monster that defies all remedies.
Consequently, businesses have continued to suffer, while commuting has remained a herculean task. Apart from losses in man-hour on traffic, property incomes have continued to suffer.
It is not uncommon to see all kinds of articulated vehicles and tankers parked at entry points to the seaports and it was no different yesterday. Read more
Nigerian firm, Ketron, acquires Shoprite Stores (DailyTrust)
Ketron Investment Limited, a Nigerian firm has completed the acquisition deal of Retail Supermarkets Nigeria Limited (RSNL), owner and operator of the Shoprite stores in Nigeria.
Ketron is owned by a group of investors led by Persianas Investment Limited, a statement from Ketron, said yesterday.
It said the change in ownership has also received the approval of the Nigerian regulator, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Daily Trust had reported the process of Shoprite acquisition in Nigeria since last year when the South African retail giant announced it was divesting its retail outlet in the country.
Shoprite Holdings is Africa’s largest food retailer, operating 2,843 supermarkets in 15 countries and serving 35 million customers in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands; its supply chain includes over 300 local suppliers comprising small businesses and farmers. Read more
Varsity suspends lecturer over alleged sexual harassment (ThisDay)
The Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) has suspended one of its lecturers, Dr. Jonathan Mbachaga, over alleged sexual harassment.
Mbachaga was, until his suspension, an Associate Professor in the institution’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts.
A statement signed by the Chief Information Officer to the Vice Chancellor, Mr Foluso Ogunmodede, on Tuesday, said Mbachaga’s suspension came after a committee inaugurated by the institution to investigate the alleged sexual harassment established a prima facie evidence against the lecturer.
The embattled lecturer was suspended on the grounds of a prima facie evidence of sexual harassment established against him by a panel set up by the institution’s Faculty of Arts, which investigated the allegation. Read more
Stakeholders demand transparency as FG, investors pump N170.5b in new carrier (Guardian)
About three years after its unveiling in London, United Kingdom, and subsequent suspension, the Federal Government is having another go at the new national carrier project with an estimated sum of N170.5 billion already on the table. The sum, contributed by both private investors and budgetary provisions in the last three years, is expected to start up the new airline next year.
Findings by The Guardian showed that private investors have pledged at least $250 million (N112.5 billion), while government’s allocations in the form of “project working capital” between 2019 to 2021 have added up to N58 billion ($128.8 million).
Aviation stakeholders are, however, worried about the lack of transparency in the prolonged build-up to the new venture, coupled with its viability and sustainability in a pandemic era. The worry is not unconnected with the venture’s ability to attract 90 per cent of investment from both local and foreign investors, coupled with a credible technical partner to drive its operations at a time when global aviation has recorded multiple airline collapses and losses to the tune of $90 billion in 2021 alone. Read more
Missing 29-year-old lady found dead in room, vital parts missing (Punch)
A young lady who went missing on Saturday was on Tuesday found dead in her room in Mosogar, in the Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, with vital parts of her body missing.
Sources said the deceased, aged 29, whose identity could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, brought a man home on Saturday night, when she was last seen by her neighbours.
A neighbour, who did not want her name in print, said, “The man was later seen leaving that night; but since then, we did not see her only to discover this morning (Tuesday) that she was dead, with her vital organs missing.”
Another source said the neighbours became worried about the lady’s whereabouts days later when they began to perceive foul odour from the direction of her room. Read more
UNN moves against sexual harassment on campus (Guardian)
To check incessant sexual harassment of students on campus, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), has flagged off its Campus Campaign Against Sexual Harassment (C-CASH) organisation.
The C-CASH, it was gathered is an organisation of lecturers and students who are passionate to reduce sexual harassment on campus.
Vice-Chancellorof the institution, Prof. Charles Igwe, while flagging off the programme, urged students and staff to report cases of sexual harassment to the school authorities, stressing that the ugly trend had become a cankerworm which everybody should join hand to eliminate.
He said: “UNN under my watch has zero-tolerance for any form of sexual harassment, either on a student or staff. My administration abhors any form of sexual harassment. It’s evil and inhuman, and everybody should join hand to fight it.” Read more
Benue, Nasarawa backlogs cause spike in COVID-19 figures, says FG (Punch)
The Federal Government has allayed the fears of Nigerians on the increase noticed in the COVID-19 figures lately, saying the nation has not started experiencing third wave of the pandemic.
It attributed the increase to the backlogs from Benue and Nasarawa states
The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said this in an interview with our correspondent.
Our correspondent had sought to know what caused the recent increase and why figures are being recorded in only a few states, among others. Read more
Mount Nyiragongo: Half a million without water in DR Congo – charity (BBC)
Nearly 500,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been left without clean drinking water after a volcano erupted, the charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned.
It says because cholera is endemic and poses a great threat there is an urgent need to provide people in the eastern city of Goma with safe drinking water.
A reservoir and pipes were damaged when Mount Nyiragongo erupted on 22 May.
Hundreds of thousands of people are still unable to return to their homes. Read more
100 years after Tulsa race massacre, a landmark lawsuit could finally lead to reparations (CBC)
Advocates for survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre, and their descendants, say they hope a landmark lawsuit filed against the Oklahoma city and other defendants could finally lead to some form of restitution, despite decades of previous effort.
“It’s, in my view, probably the worst act of domestic terrorism that we’ve ever seen,” said McKenzie Haynes, a litigation associate at the Shulte, Roth and Zabel firm serving as co-counsels on the lawsuit led by Tulsa attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, in an interview with CBC Radio’s Day 6.
“Black people in America have been hunted and treated like non-humans for centuries, and what happened in Tulsa in 1921 was just a testament of that.” Read more
Over 90% of people in war-hit Tigray need food aid (AlJazeera)
A total of 5.2 million people in Ethiopia’s war-hit Tigray region, or 91 percent of its population, need emergency food aid, the United Nations has warned.
The warning by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) came as it appealed for more than $200m to scale up its response in the northern region where nearly seven months of fighting has caused an increase in already high hunger levels.
“WFP is alarmed at the impact of conflict on already high levels of hunger,” spokesman Tomson Phiri told reporters in Geneva. “We are deeply concerned at the number of people we see in need of nutrition support and emergency food assistance.” Read more
Tulsa Race Massacre: President Biden commemorates 100-year anniversary (BBC)
Joe Biden has become the first sitting president to commemorate the 1921 Tulsa Massacre – one of the worst incidents of racial violence in US history.
Mr Biden flew to Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Tuesday to mark the 100th anniversary of the attack, which claimed some 300 African-American lives.
The two days of violence, sparked by a white mob, were largely erased from history for decades.
It re-entered the national discourse amid racial justice protests last year. Read more
Sam Neill is ‘baffled’ by his Thor character (Metro)
Sam Neill has admitted to being ‘baffled’ by his role in Thor: Love and Thunder as he doesn’t understand the Marvel Cinematic Universe or who his character is – and that is some refreshing honesty.
The laid-back Irish-New Zealander, who will be popping up again in the franchise as an Asgardian performer playing Thor’s father Odin, has called the MCU a ‘complete mystery’.
Sam, 73, told Australian radio station Nova: ‘I’ve never understood any of the Thor films; in fact the whole Marvel universe is a complete mystery to me.’
We won’t test him on any names and places either, as Sam revealed that those nuggets of information were beyond his reach. Read more
Hong Kong activists struggle to keep flame of democracy alive (AlJazeera)
Hong Kong, China – For nearly 20 years, the Civil Human Rights Front has mobilised some of Hong Kong’s biggest police-permitted protest marches, but it is now being accused by authorities of operating illegally.
The student union of the University of Hong Kong, the alma mater of modern China’s founding father, is being evicted by the administration.
As the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre approaches, all but one of the leaders of the alliance that organises the annual candlelight vigil are behind bars.
Hong Kong has long been home to a vibrant and vociferous civil society, which came into its own in the 10 years leading up to the territory’s 1997 return to Chinese sovereignty. Read more
UBC reviewing honours given to Catholic bishop and former Kamloops residential school principal (CBC)
UBC says it is reviewing an honorary degree given to a Catholic bishop, now deceased, who served as principal of the Kamloops residential school where the remains of up to 215 children are believed to have been found.
John Fergus O’Grady was born in Ontario and educated in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, where he was ordained in 1934. He then worked at several schools in B.C.’s Interior, including the Kamloops Indian Residential School.
While it is not clear whether any of the deaths occurred under O’Grady’s tenure, his involvement in the residential school system and, in particular, a letter he sent to parents in 1948 ahead of the Christmas holidays has prompted some members of UBC’s community to demand the university rescind an honorary law degree he received in 1986. Read more
Kia Nurse drains miraculous buzzer-beater to send Mercury past Sky (CBC)
Canada’s Kia Nurse sank a 3-pointer a step inside the half-court line as time expired and the Phoenix Mercury closed the game on a 14-3 run to beat the Chicago Sky 84-83 on Tuesday night.
Phoenix trailed 80-70 with 3:37 to play, but Chicago would not make another field goal the rest of the way.
Megan Walker made two free throws with 29.9 seconds left to pull Phoenix within 83-80, and Kahleah Copper had a shot roll off the rim at the other end. Nurse grabbed the rebound, dribbled down the court and eluded a defender at midcourt for an open look from distance. Nurse went to her knees as her teammates rushed in to celebrate.
“Brianna Turner told me to shoot it, I never make the half-court shot, thank God this one went in,” Nurse, of Hamilton, Ont., said. Read more
Carlo Ancelotti leaves Everton for Real Madrid return (BBC)
Carlo Ancelotti has left Everton to become head coach of Real Madrid for a second time.
The 61-year-old Italian, who managed Real Madrid for two years between 2013 and 2015, has left Everton after 18 months in charge at Goodison Park.
He succeeds Zinedine Zidane at Real and the move leaves Everton searching for a sixth permanent manager in five years.
Ancelotti has signed a three-year deal at Real and said the move represented “an unexpected opportunity”. Read more
Japan, sponsors join athletes to support Osaka after French Open withdrawal (CBC)
Naomi Osaka received support from her country Japan, her sponsors and leading sporting figures on Tuesday after the world No. 2 withdrew from the French Open in a row about media duties, saying she had been suffering from depression and anxiety.
One of the biggest names in sport, Osaka stunned the tennis world when she pulled out of the Grand Slam on Monday after being fined $15,000 US and threatened with expulsion for declining to face the media after her first-round match on Sunday.
Tennis players are required to attend news conferences if requested to do so; Grand Slam rules allow for fines up to $20,000 if they don’t show up. Read more
Jake Paul predicts he will knock out former UFC champion Tyron Woodley inside two rounds (Metro)
Jake Paul predicts he will stop Tyron Woodley inside two rounds following confirmation of his boxing showdown with the former UFC champion.
The YouTube star is seeking to extend his professional record to 4-0 when he takes on 38-year-old Woodley on 28 August.
Woodley, a close friend of Paul’s last opponent Ben Askren, held the UFC welterweight strap for two years.
While he has a decorated wrestling background, the Missouri fighter is also an accomplished striker, boasting a TKO record of 7-2 – including a knockout win over Robbie Lawlor that won him the belt in 2016. Read more
French Open 2021: Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic win, Andrey Rublev out at Roland Garros (BBC)
Third seed Rafael Nadal began his bid for a 21st Grand Slam men’s singles title with a straight-set win against Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
The 34-year-old Spaniard, going for a record-extending 14th triumph at Roland Garros, won 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-3).
Serbian top seed Novak Djokovic also eased through to round two, beating American Tennys Sandgren 6-2 6-4 6-2.
Russian seventh seed Andrey Rublev is out after losing in five sets to German world number 42 Jan-Lennard Struff. Read more
Brazilian court demands Bolsonaro provide info on Copa America (AlJazeera)
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has given President Jair Bolsonaro five days to submit information regarding the government’s last-minute decision to host the Copa America football tournament despite the nation’s ongoing struggles with COVID-19.
The demand by Ricardo Lewandowski came in response to a suit filed by the opposition Workers’ Party, which objected to hosting the tournament given the current public health situation in Brazil and plunged the fate of Latin America’s biggest sporting event into uncertainty once more.Bolsonaro said earlier on Tuesday his government was on board with hosting the Copa America this month after planned host Argentina pulled out due to a dramatic worsening of the coronavirus pandemic there. Read more