LASG rounds up 80 street urchins, set for evacuation (Punch)
No fewer than 80 children have been reportedly picked by the Lagos State Government for street begging in different parts of the state.
The PUNCH gathered that the step was part of measures to protect the street children from the COVID-19.
“Within the period of this coronavirus, the state has taken between 80 to 100 children. It is in their interest because these children are vulnerable and could be easily exposed to the COVID-19,” a source said.
Our correspondent gathered that some of them might be returned to their states. Read more
Lagos agency recovers dead commercial cyclist in an accident (Guardian)
A commercial motorcyclist late night yesterday lost his life in an accident after an Acura Jeep ran over him around Ojota Expressway inward secretariat yesterday.
The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) said it recovered an unnamed accident victim hit by an Acura Jeep with registration number JJJ 460 CY which reportedly ran into a commercial motorcyclist from behind on the Ojota expressway inward secretariat.
The yet – to – be – identified commercial cyclist, with motorcycle registration number AAB 201 WT, who unfortunately died instantly, had his remains bagged and handed over to SEHMU for further action, while his erstwhile passenger suffered severe injuries. Read more
Lagos DPO arrested for shooting sergeant dead (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the Divisional Police Officer, Ilemba Hausa Division, Yahaya Adesina, for allegedly shooting one of the police personnel attached to the station, Sergeant Onajide Onalaja, while dispersing a crowd in the Ilemba Hausa area of the state.
This is just as the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered a probe of the allegation by Onalaja’s family that Adesina shot dead the cop and attempted to conceal the crime.
Initially, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said two fake/deserter soldiers, Kehinde Elijah, 45, and Ezeh Joseph, were arrested in connection with Onalaja’s killing, adding that investigation was ongoing.
However, in a follow-up reaction on Tuesday, Elkana said Odumosu had ordered the Officer-in-Charge of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Yetunde Longe, to take over the case and conduct a neutral investigation to unravel the true circumstances surrounding Onalaja’s death. Read more
2 dead, 13 injured in Anambra road accident (Guardian)
Two persons were confirmed dead while 1Thethers injured in an accident involving a lorry and a commercial bus along Ihiala axis of the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway in Anambra on Friday.
Mr Andrew Kumapayi, State Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Anambra, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.
Kumapayi said the accident which occurred at about 7.10 a.m. could be attributed to speeding and loss of control. Read more
COVID-19: NCDC validates viral RNA extraction (Punch)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has successfully validated the first phase of the viral Ribonucleic Acid extraction which should enable local production of cheap testing kits for coronavirus.
The validation took place on Thursday in the laboratory of the National Biotechnology Development Agency in Abuja.
The Director-General of NABDA, Prof. Alex Akpa, told the News Agency of Nigeria after the exercise that the success of the validation was important not only to Nigeria but Africa as a whole. Read more
Housewife, 18, says she killed husband to avoid defilement (Guardian)
A housewife, Salma Hassan, 18, who allegedly stabbed her husband to death, has said that she did that because she didn’t know that sex was part of marital obligations.
Salma, who is being detained by the Police Command in Bauchi, told newsmen that she killed her husband, Mohammed Mustafa, because she thought he was “just trying to defile me”.
“I didn’t know that sex is a marital obligation. On that day, when he approached me for sex, I refused because I have never been involved in it before.
“I thought he wanted to rape me but he got angry and was trying to force himself on me. He started beating me.
“I picked up a knife to scare him away but he kept coming and I didn’t know when I stabbed him with the knife in his chest,” she said. Read more
Customs seize Indian hemp worth N1bn (Punch)
The Nigerian Customs Service, Western Marine Command, says it seized various contraband goods worth N1.06bn in the first quarter of 2020.
The largest chunk of goods seized by the command within the quarter was the haul of Indian hemp worth N1bn.
The Comptroller of the command, Olugboyega Peters, said this was the highest value of goods seized by the command since it was created.
He added that the achievement of the command was an indication of an increase in anti-smuggling activities. Read more
Buhari appoints Obioma as new Registrar of NECO (Tribune)
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Professor Godswill Obioma as Registrar/Chief Executive of the National Examinations Council.
Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu announced the appointment on Friday in Abuja. Obioma replaces Professor Charles Uwakwe who was recently sacked along with four other officials of the Council for alleged misconduct.
Adamu in a letter dated 15th May 2020 with Reference No: FME/PS/396/C1/1/134 which he personally signed stated that the appointment which is for an initial tenure of five years, takes effect from 14th May 2020. Read more
Kano insists Eid prayers will hold in mosques (Nation)
Kano Government has insisted Eid Fitri prayers will hold in mosques across the state on Sallah Day with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje last Tuesday approved open prayers to mark the Eid Fitri.
Ganduje, who also approved Sunday service for Christians, mapped out protocols during the religious gatherings.
Reacting to Federal Government’s directive that religious gatherings should not take place during lockdown, Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, said Kano has no choice but to go ahead with approval for the Eid Fitri prayers. Read more
Mum gives birth to identical quadruplets, defying one in 15 million odds (Metro)
A woman in Dallas has defied the odds in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Jenny Marr gave birth to identical quadruplets – beating the incredibly small odds estimated to be around one in 15 million.
The 35-year-old and husband Chris welcomed their four baby boys back in March.
The new arrivals have spent the past two months in Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas’ NICU and the Special Care Nursery, but now the family of six are finally back at home. Read more
Violent crimes drop sharply in locked down South Africa (Guardian)
Violent crimes have more than halved in South Africa since the country went under coronavirus lockdown, police statistics showed Friday, but cross-border smuggling of alcohol and cigarettes have spiked.
Statistics released by Police Minister Bheki Cele showed that categories of violent crimes have declined by between 49 and 82.8 percent since March 27 – compared to the same period last year.
“In relation to serious and violent crime, …there was a dramatic decline in especially the contact crime category which includes domestic violence,” Cele told a news conference. Read more
US naval base shooting was ‘terrorism related’, FBI says (BBC)
A shooting at a Texas naval base that wounded one sailor and left the suspected gunman dead was “terrorism related”, the FBI said on Thursday.
At about 06:15 local time, the suspect tried to drive through a gated entrance to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi before opening fire, striking a sailor.
But the sailor was able to raise a security barrier to block the vehicle, officials told the Associated Press.
There is a possible second suspect still at large, authorities said. Read more
US billionaire wealth skyrockets to over $3t during pandemic (RT)
Over the last two months unemployment in the United States has risen to levels not seen since the Great Depression. However, US billionaires got even richer during the same period of coronavirus pandemic.
A new report by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) and the Institute for Policy Studies showed their fortunes soared by $434 billion or 15 percent during the nation’s lockdown between mid-March and mid-May. The billionaires’ combined net worth rose from $2.948 trillion to $3.382 trillion.
The top five US billionaires—Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and Larry Ellison—saw their wealth grow by a total of $75.5 billion, or 19 percent. Together they captured 21 percent of the total wealth growth of all 600-plus billionaires in the last two months. Read more
UK arrivals will have to self-isolate for 14 days from June 8 (Metro)
Travellers arriving in the UK will have to self-isolate for 14 days from June 8. Home Secretary Priti Patel announced the new measures during the daily coronavirus press conference in Downing Street. She said: ‘We are following the science and introducing public health measures that are supported by SAGE. ‘This will require international arrivals to self-isolate for 14 days – that is the incubation period of the virus so that if people have become infected overseas, we can limit the spread of the virus at home. Read more
Mory Kanté: African music star dies aged 70 (BBC)
The singer Mory Kanté, who helped bring African music to world audiences with hits like Yéké Yéké, has died in Guinea.
Kanté died in hospital on Friday in the capital, Conakry, aged 70, his son Balla Kanté told the AFP news agency.
His death was the result of untreated health problems, he said.
“He suffered from chronic illnesses and often travelled to France for treatment but that was no longer possible with the coronavirus,” he added. Read more
Naomi Osaka banks $37m in single year to smash Sharapova record for highest ever annual earnings for female athlete (RT)
Japanese ace Naomi Osaka, 22, has broken the record for the most a female athlete has ever earned in a year, according to Forbes, joining rival Serena Williams as the only two women on the annual list of the 100 top sport earners.
Despite not currently holding a Grand Slam title and slipping to 10th in the women’s tennis rankings, the former world number one registered the most lucrative ever year for a sportswoman in 2019, earning $1.4 million more than Williams, Forbes reported.
Osaka was a year old when Williams, who is now 38, won her first major title, and the newcomer only picked up her first Grand Slam trophy when she beat the American in the 2018 US Open final, causing the veteran to earn three code violations in a bad-tempered defeat. Read more
Mike Tyson shows off incredible physique and terrifying speed in fresh comeback video (Metro)
Mike Tyson continues to look in phenomenal shape as he targets a return to the boxing ring, giving fans another terrifying glimpse of his age-defying power and speed. The 53-year-old has started sparring again, announcing he was ‘back’ and looking to take part in exhibition fights – with former world heavyweight champions Evander Holyfield and Shannon Briggs both mentioned as possible opponents. Iron Mike sent a message to his Chinese fans on social media platform Weibo on Wednesday evening and now says he will be channelling the spirit of the country’s former dictator, Chairman Mao, when he returns to the ring.Read more
Jerry Sloan, Hall of Fame coach of Utah Jazz, dies at 78 (CBC)
Jerry Sloan, the Hall of Fame coach who was a fixture for decades in Utah and took the Jazz to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, died Friday. He was 78.
The Jazz said he died from complications of Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Sloan had been in failing health for many years.
Sloan spent 23 seasons coaching the Jazz. The team — with John Stockton and Karl Malone leading the way in many of those seasons — finished below .500 in only one of those years. Sloan won 1,221 games in his career, the fourth-highest total in NBA history. Only Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson and Gregg Popovich have more victories. Read more
Inter Milan reluctant to pay £10.75m on Victor Moses (Guardian)
The dream of former Super Eagles striker Victor Moses joining Inter Milan on permanent deal when football activities return to normal after the COVID-19 pandemic may not see the light of day. The winger may be dumped after his flop loan spell.
The Serie A side is said to be reluctant to pay the £10.75m valuation placed on Moses by his English side, Chelsea. The Frank Lampard’s side is looking to sell Victor Moses, with Inter Milan interested in bringing in the 29-year-old winger, according to The Sun. However, the sticking point may prove to be the price.
The Nigerian has struggled to hold down a first-team place while in Italy, making just seven appearances, mostly as a substitute.Moses has also had injury problems, failing to stay fit and not being a major part of Antonio Conte’s starting plans. Read more
Evander Holyfield spars against Wladimir Klitschko in latest comeback video (Metro)
Evander Holyfield has uploaded yet another training compilation as he bids to return to the ring in a potential fight with Mike Tyson, this time showing himself sparring against Wladimir Klitschko. The 57-year-old former heavyweight world champion has announced he is looking to take part in exhibition bouts for charity and is in talks to fight old rival Tyson, who is making his own comeback. Holyfield looked in phenomenal shape as he shared footage of his training regime this week, with Klitschko popping up part way through the video holding a clipboard. Read more
AC Milan and Inter Milan’s San Siro ‘can be demolished’ for new 60,000 stadium, says Italy’s heritage authority (BBC)
The famous San Siro in Milan is set to be replaced by a new stadium after Italy’s heritage authority raised no objections to its demolition.
AC Milan and Inter Milan share the venue, which was built in 1926.
Last year the clubs filed a request to jointly build a new 60,000-seater stadium next to the existing ground.
Although approval from heritage authorities is not the final decision, it is an important step towards implementing the plan. Read more