Mother blames pastor as 18-year-old girl disappears after school (Punch)
The family of an 18-year-old girl, Mariam Rauf, has called on security agencies to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of the teenager.
Mariam, a resident of Oke Baale area of Osogbo, Osun State, was last seen on Monday, March 29, when she left home for school and had not been found since then.
However, the mother of the missing teenager, Bukola Ayeni, accused a cleric, Ola John, who had taken partial custody of the girl before her disappearance, of lack of concern since the girl went missing.
Speaking with newsmen in Osogbo on Tuesday, Ayeni explained that her daughter was sleeping in a church pastored by John since 2019 to cure her of bedwetting. Read more
Blasphemy: Police order arrest of 13 in Lagos (DailyTrust)
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, on Tuesday ordered the arrest of 13 leaders of warring groups in Gengere Community, Mile 12 Area of Ketu for their alleged involvement in the crisis rocking the business community.
The leaders were said to have set some youths against themselves over an alleged statement credited to one Alhaji Alidu Mohammed, which they claimed disrespected and blasphemed Prophet Mohammed.
Following the directives of the 13 leaders, some hoodlums in the community on April 30, 2021, at about 3.30 pm went on the rampage in the area.
The Lagos Police Spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement, said the order for the arrest of the leaders was given during interrogation and interview session with some of the leaders by the commissioner of police at the Conference Room, State Headquarters, Ikeja, Tuesday. Read more
One dies as building collapses in Lagos police barracks (Punch)
A bungalow in the Mounted Troop Police Barracks in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday, partially collapsed and killed one Peace Bulus and broke the arm of her sister.
The victims’ mother, Hauwa, who escaped death by a whisker alongside the injured victim and her two other daughters, was said to have collapsed due to shock.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Hauwa and her four children were sleeping in their one-room apartment in the barracks when an implosion occurred in the building around 3am.
It was learnt that the lintel of the door suddenly fell, smashed Peace’s skull and broke her sister’s arm. Read more
Man petitions Sanwo-Olu over threats by land grabbers (Guardian)
A Sea Captain, Emmanuel Attah, has petitioned Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alleging that his life is being threatened by one Mr. Joseph Emeresu Ayede, alias Sato. He also accused Ayede of trying to grab his plots of land.
Attah alleged that Ayede threatened to shoot him over a three-acre land he bought on June 13, 2009, and another 12 x 150 plot situated at Okokomaiko, which he bought twice from the Obanla Family of Isashi, Ojo Local Government Area, Lagos.
The petitioner alleged that he has been compelled to vacate a house he built on the land to secure his life. Attah, a sailor, said his ordeal started when he came back from the seas and met a fish pond on his land, adding that he reported the issue to one of the signatories on his land receipt, Alhaji Sikiru Salau, who told him that the land was only leased to Ayede for N7, 000. Read more
Baba Ijesha risks life sentence as Lagos prepares charges against him (DailyTrust)
The Lagos State Ministry of Justice has counselled the Police to charge Olanrewaju James, Nollywood actor, also known as Baba Ijesha, to court over allegations of sex abuse.
In a statement on Tuesday, Moyosore Onigbanjo, Commissioner for Justice, said the Directorate of Public Prosecutions has recommended five charges against the actor.
“It would be recalled that the Nigeria Police Force arrested Mr. Olanrewaju James (also referred to as Baba Ijesha) on account of various sexual abuse allegations. On the 30th of April, 2021, the Police forwarded the case file of COP v Olanrewaju James to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advise.” Read more
Over one million bags of ‘Tinubu rice’ flood North East (Guardian)
Associates of All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Bola Tinubu, have flooded North East geo-political zone with over one million five-kilogramme bags of rice.
According to them, the foodstuff, meant for distribution to the vulnerable, is to cushion the ravaging hardship in the region. Flagging off the exercise in Yola, Adamawa State, one of the associates, Dahiru Hammadikko, said the gesture was courtesy of Tinubu’s associates in the 19 northern states.
He said over 10,000 households in the 21 local councils of Adamawa were targeted to benefit. He lamented that Nigerians were facing hardship, which informed the group’s move to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians, irrespective of religious and political affiliations. Read more
Why I dumped secular music for gospel – Chidinma Ekile (Vanguard)
Nigerian musician, Chidinma Ekile, popularly known as Chindima has expressed regrets for `wasting’ so much time doing secular music.
The singer who spoke recently on the reason she is now opting for gospel music said “the devil has been winning too long.”
She vows never to return to secular music.
Chidinma who refers to herself as Mummy GO and end-time soldier said she wants to use all of her talents to work for her “father who is in heaven.”
“Our God is faithful, He never lies and He does whatever He says. So I’m here today, it’s been a long journey. Read more
Group moves against female genital mutilation in Oyo, Osun, Ekiti (Guardian)
A non-governmental organisation, HACEY Health Initiative, has appointed community leaders in Ekiti, Oyo and Osun states as focal persons in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) exacerbation in the states.
The group aimed at improving the health of women and girls and advocating against all forms of gender-based violence by partnering with private and public organisations.
Executive Director of the organisation, Mrs. Rhoda Robinson, said: “In a view to achieving the aim, a two-day training programme was organised for the selected focal persons with the aim of increasing partnership in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation.” Read more
52-year-old Ogun man arrested for defiling daughters, neighbour’s niece (Punch)
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 52-year-old man, Kayode Adeniyi, for allegedly defiling his three daughters and the 10-year-old niece of his neighbour.
The suspect, who lives at No. 12 Abere-Ifa Street, Ijoko, in the Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of the state, was arrested after he was reported to the police by his neighbour.
Adeniyi was alleged to have sexually abused his three underage daughters before he was arrested for defiling the 10-year-old girl.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. Read more
George Floyd killer Derek Chauvin asks for new trial (BBC)
The white former Minneapolis police officer convicted last month of the murder of the black man George Floyd has requested a new trial.
Derek Chauvin’s legal team have filed court documents alleging misconduct by both prosecutors and jurors.
Chauvin, who was captured on video kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, was found guilty of murder and manslaughter.
His lawyer says his client was deprived of a fair trial. Read more
50 Cent joins the exodus from New York to mask-free Texas (RT)
After months of hinting at his frustrations with the high taxes and strict Covid-19 restrictions of the Big Apple, rapper Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson has joined the ranks of New Yorkers and Californians moving to Texas.
“I love New York, but I live in Houston now,” 50 Cent said on Tuesday in Twitter and Instagram posts. “I’ll explain later.”
The rapper has apparently followed through after teasing in March that he was “headed to Texas.” 50 Cent made that statement when Governor Greg Abbott announced that he was halting the state’s mask mandate and all remaining Covid-19 restrictions, declaring that “all businesses and families in Texas have the freedom to determine their own destiny.” Read more
5 killed in machete attack at Brazil nursery (BBC)
Five people have died after an 18-year-old man launched a machete attack at a nursery school in southern Brazil, police say.
The victims include three children all reported to be under two years old and two staff members.
The attacker then turned the weapon on himself and is in critical condition in hospital, a police statement said.
It is not clear what was behind the attack in the small town of Saudades, in Santa Catarina state. Read more
Google supports African start-ups with developer scholarship (Vanguard)
Search engine giant, Google is supporting African tech start-up ecosystem with empowerment capacity and developer scholarships. This is as it opened up applications for its 6th Class of the Google for Startups Accelerator programme recently.
The programme is accompanied with the launch of new developer scholarships in partnership with Pluralsight and Andela.
At a virtual event to introduce the initiatives, Google hosted key industry players, policy leads, start-up executives and investors in a bid to help drive the growth of Africa’s tech ecosystem.
The event provided a platform for them to review opportunities unfolding throughout the internet economy, paying special attention to the support of developers and startups in the region. Read more
Pentagon says it’s tracking Chinese rocket debris making ‘uncontrolled reentry’ from orbit (RT)
The US military is tracking the remnants of a Chinese rocket as large pieces of the craft race back to Earth at thousands of miles per hour, making an uncontrolled reentry after the first launch for Beijing’s new space station.
The 18th Space Control Squadron of the US Space Force will plot the Long March 5B rocket’s trajectory as it reenters the atmosphere, Pentagon spokesman Mike Howard said in a statement on Tuesday, noting that its exact path won’t be known for several days.
“US Space Command is aware of and tracking the location of the Chinese Long March 5B in space, but its exact entry point into the Earth’s atmosphere cannot be pinpointed until within hours of its reentry,” he said, suggesting that could come by May 8. Read more
Gates divorce puts spotlight on their foundation (BBC)
News that billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates are to separate after 27 years of marriage has sparked speculation over what will happen to their charitable foundation.
The Microsoft co-founder is a huge name in the tech world, but he and his wife also play a pivotal role in global health campaigns.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – the largest private body of its kind – spends billions of dollars every year on initiatives aimed at eradicating infectious diseases and reducing poverty.
How did their foundation start?
The Gates foundation was born in 2000 as a merger of two previous charitable endeavours. Read more
World’s oldest person pulls out of torch relay for Tokyo Olympics (AlJazeera)
The world’s oldest person, a 118-year-old Japanese woman, has decided not to take part in the torch relay for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics because of concerns about the coronavirus, an official at her nursing home said on Wednesday, casting more shadows over an event, which is already facing significant hurdles including a possible lockdown extension.
Kane Tanaka, who is named in the Guinness World Records, was slated to be one of the relay participants in Fukuoka in southern Japan, which will start on May 11, the official said.
“We received an email from her family which said she wanted to withdraw from the relay as she and her family were concerned about spreading the virus at the nursing home,” they said. Read more
Halep knocked out of Madrid Open by Mertens (DailyTrust)
World number three Simona Halep was dumped out of the Madrid Open on Tuesday, losing 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the round of 16 to Belgian Elise Mertens.
Halep had sailed through the first two rounds on the Spanish clay without dropping a set but she ended up second best in a match which yielded 15 breaks of serve.
Halep produced 10 double faults in the match, Mertens nine.
Halep, a two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one, was twice a break up in the final set at 3-1 and 4-3 but finally succumbed after just over two and a half hours of play. Read more
Mahrez double sends Man City into first Champions League final (BBC)
Manchester City reached their first Champions League final as they overcame Paris St-Germain at Etihad Stadium to secure a commanding victory over two legs.
In a game played in unseasonal snow, the brilliant Riyad Mahrez capped a sweeping move started by goalkeeper Ederson’s 60-yard pass to extend their 2-1 advantage from the first leg in Paris.
PSG suffered a serious blow before kick-off when world-class forward Kylian Mbappe was restricted to the bench because of injury. They did not lack endeavour or intent and had early hope when a penalty was awarded for a handball by Oleksandr Zinchenko before it was correctly overturned, but with Neymar subdued and City throwing bodies on the line in defence, Mauricio Pochettino’s side could not find a way through.
Mahrez punished them again just after the hour when he turned in Phil Foden’s cross at the far post to effectively end the contest. Read more
MMA promotion announces plans to hold fights in space with the help of ex-SpaceX employees and rocket engineers (RT)
If you like your mixed martial arts unencumbered by the constraints of gravity then perhaps the newly-announced ‘Galactic Combat’ is for you, as an MMA league announces plans to hold fights in a spaceship orbiting the earth.
Entertainment company Space 11’s veteran producer, Andrea Iervolino, has a long history of varied projects – and he seems to be seeking something out of this world for his next endeavour.
Iervolino has announced plans to produce a reality television series featuring 40 MMA fighters who will take part in an elimination tournament, with victorious participants earning the opportunity to fight in zero gravity in a specially designed capsule outside of the Earth’s atmosphere.
“If you take UFC, it has a huge fan base,” Iervolino said in a recent interview. Read more
Matteo Spreafico handed three-year ban after adverse results at 2020 Giro d’Italia (BBC)
Italian Matteo Spreafico has been banned for three years by cycling’s world governing body after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance at last year’s Giro d’Italia.
Spreafico, 28, who was riding for the Vini Zabu-KTM team, returned two adverse analytical findings for enobosarm on 15 and 16 October.
Enobosarm, also known as ostarine, is a prohibited substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency list.
He is suspended until October 2023. Read more
UK policeman on trial for ex-football player Atkinson’s murder (AlJazeera)
British prosecutor alleges police officer used unreasonable force against Black former footballer Dalian Atkinson.
Former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson died after being tasered three times and kicked at least twice to the head by an “angry” police officer, a jury heard on Tuesday at the start of a murder trial.
Birmingham Crown Court in central England was told that West Mercia Police Constable Benjamin Monk denies the murder and manslaughter of Atkinson, who also played for Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday.Prosecutor Alexandra Healy alleged that Atkinson, who was 48, was tasered for 33 seconds – more than six times the standard five-second duration – in the incident in 2016. Read more
