N1.8b tramadol from India, Pakistan seized at Lagos Airport (Punch)
The Nigeria Customs Service had intercepted and seized no fewer than 23 packages of tramadol worth N1.8 billion imported into the country from India and Pakistan.
The PUNCH reports that the substance was seized at by the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos Command of the NCS.
The Customs Area Controller of the command, Compt. Mohammed Yusuf, who disclosed this on Wednesday, at a media briefing at the MMA to announce the command’s first quarter activities, said the tramadol seized were above the threshold allowed by law to be imported into the country. Read more
My husband is a flirt, he runs after anything in skirt — Woman tells Court (Vanguard)
A 44- year-old woman, Oluwatoyin Falade, on Wednesday, prayed to an Orile Agege Customary Court to dissolve her 11-year-old marriage on grounds of infidelity on the part of her husband, Segun.
The petitioner, who lives at 23, Tunde Davids Close, Agege, Lagos has two children for Segun, ages, eight and 11.
“My husband is a flirt, he runs after anything in a skirt.
”I had two girls before I married him and those girls are 15 and 18. They stay with me and I don’t trust my husband because he chases everything in a skirt. Read more
Tribunal: Labour Party supporters boo Apapa out of Appeal Court (Guardian)
The Labour Party (LP) acting chairman, Lamidi Apapa, was booed by the party’s supporters at the Appeal Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
That was after Apapa and the Director General of Peter Obi’s presidential campaign council, Akin Osuntokun had earlier clashed.
Apapa and Osuntokun were seen in viral videos arguing over a seat at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) sitting in Abuja. Read more
Lady remanded in Kirikiri for assaulting Lagos policeman (Channels)
The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned a resident, Olufumilayo Brioluwa, for assaulting a police officer.
The Command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin disclosed this in a Twitter post on Tuesday.
According to Hundeyin, Brioluwa assaulted the police officer in the Ogombo area of the state. Read more
Court jails 2 men for unlawful possession of elephant tusks, pangolin scales (DailyTrust)
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, on Wednesday, convicted and sentenced two men, John Kanu, and Obinna Eze, to four years imprisonment, for conspiracy and unlawful possession of 839.4kg of Pangolin Scales and 145kg of Elephant Tusks.
Both Kanu and Eze were handed the sentence by Justice Nicholas Oweibo, after they pleaded guilty to the charges against them by the Federal Operation Unit, Zone A, of the Nigerian Customs Services, Lagos.
The two convicts were arraigned alongside Anthony Onyebuchi and Monday Nnamanni, in an amended charge marked FHC/L/123c/22. Read more
Buhari to launch N21b VIP wing of Presidential Medical Centre Friday
(Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Friday, May 19th, 2023 officially launch the N21 billion state-of-the-art Presidential/VIP Wing of the State House Medical Centre in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
State House spokesperson, Abiodun Oladunjoye, in a statement on Wednesday said the inauguration of the facility is a demonstration of Buhari’s commitment to advancing healthcare management in Nigeria.
The facilities include a healing garden and an organ transplant operating room which will cater to the President, Vice President (VP), their immediate families and other Very Important Personalities (VIPs). Read more
Family of absconded Abobaku cries out, says Oro cultists are still on his trail (Independent)
The family of Ayelabola of Ile Ife has urged the Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke to copy from his Ogun State counterpart, Dapo Abiodun who had last year signed into law a bill titled ‘Oba, Chiefs, Council of Obas and Traditional Council Law of Ogun State Bill 2021’.
The family according to a statement released and signed by Chief Michael Ayelabola on behalf of the family said their son who had been on the run after he was declared wanted by some of the Oro cult group after the death of the previous Ooni of Ife is yet to regain freedom.
“The bill that was signed into law on Monday, January 10, 2022, by Gov. Abiodun is aimed at respecting human dignity and promoting modernity in the installation and burial of traditional rulers. It is also expected to curb fetish practices in the process of installing and burying traditional rulers in the state”, the statement reads in part. Read more
101-year-old man petitions IGP over son’s abduction in Enugu (Nation)
A 101-year-old retiree Pa Nicholas Ugwoke has petitioned the Inspector General of Police over an alleged attack in his house and abduction of his 33-year-old graduate son, Kingsley Chika Ugwoke.
Pa Ugwoke, the oldest man in Azuokpe village, Umudim, Ibagwa-Ani, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, alleged that some policemen invaded his house, carted away family properties, caused massive destructions in the building and properties inside, shot his son, Kingsley, took him away, and till date his whereabout is unknown to the family.
According to the centenarian, the heartbreaking thing was that till date nobody has told him or members of his family why his house was invaded and destroyed and his last son shot and taken to unknown place. Read more
Jane Fonda says French director asked to sleep with her to “see what my orgasms were like” for a role (Variety)
Jane Fonda revealed on a recent episode of “Watch What Happens Live” that French director René Clément asked to sleep with her during the making of their 1964 thriller “Joy House.” Fonda starred in the film opposite Alain Delon and Lola Albright.
“Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen asked Fonda to name “one man in Hollywood that tried to pick you up once that you turned down.” The Oscar-winning actor replied: “The French director René Clément.”
Fonda elaborated, “Well, he wanted to go to bed with me because he said the character had to have an orgasm in the movie and he needed to see what my orgasms were like. He said it in French and I pretended I didn’t understand.” Read more
Helen Mirren, 77, shows off dramatic hair transformation at Cannes Film Festival (Mirror)
Helen Mirren sent fans into a frenzy when she showed off her dramatic new hair transformation at Cannes.
The actress, 77, usually wears her hair in a soft, platinum bob, but decided to switch things up when she rocked an electric blue up-do for the opening night of the film festival.
The Queen star looked striking as she sashayed along the red carpet in a beautiful blue frock – with matching nail polish – as she arrived at the star-studded bash in France. Later in the evening, Helen sported a stunning black lace gown as she attended a glitzy after party. Read more
Arnold Schwarzenegger is done with The Terminator franchise (FilmNews)
Arnold Schwarzenegger has no intention of starring in any more films in The Terminator franchise.
The actor first played the cyborg assassin in 1984’s The Terminator and reprised the role four more times in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Genisys, and 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate.
While he was tempted back into the fold many times over those 35 years, Schwarzenegger confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that he is done with the franchise because the last two films were not good enough. Read more
Johnny Depp speaks at Cannes about his “comeback” after Amber Heard trial (People)
Johnny Depp is addressing his “comeback” and being canceled by Hollywood.
Speaking at a press conference for his new movie “Jeanne Du Barry” at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, Depp, 59, said that while he did feel “boycotted” following his high-profile legal cases against ex-wife Amber Heard, people had been misled by “fiction.”
“You’d have to not have a pulse at that point to feel like, ‘No, none of this is happening. This is actually just a weird joke,’ ” said Depp, who arrived 15 minutes late for the event. “Of course, when you’re asked to resign from the film you’re doing because of something that is merely a bunch of vowels and consonants floating in the air, yeah, you feel a bit boycotted.” Read more
Comedian Andy Smart dies unexpectedly aged 68 as tributes pour in for great star (DailyStar)
Comedian Andy Smart has passed away “unexpectedly” at the age of 63.
The news was announced on social media today (May 17) by Andy’s daughter Grace.
She wrote: “I’m very sorry to let you all know that dad passed away unexpectedly last night.
“He had so many friends and such a great life. Raise a glass for him.” Read more
Foo Fighters share new single ‘‘Under You’’ and announce free global streaming event (NME)
Foo Fighters have shared the ‘‘Under You’’ — the latest single to be released from their forthcoming album — and announced a free global streaming event.
Shared today (May 17), the single is the second that the rock veterans have taken from their upcoming 11th studio album ‘But Here We Are’, following on from ‘Rescued‘ last month.
Set for release on June 2 via Roswell Records/Columbia Records, the LP will mark their first new material since the passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. Read more
At least 8 killed by heavy flooding in Italy, as river levels continue to rise (CNN)
At least eight people have been killed by heavy flooding and mudslides in the northern Italian region of Emilia Romagna, with more than 5,000 residents being forced to evacuate, according to local authorities.
The bodies have been retrieved from various locations, the vice president of Emilia Romagna, Irene Priolo, told reporters according to Reuters, adding that the rains were easing but that river levels were still rising.
The region, which has been suffering a prolonged drought, is under a red alert – the highest level warning or state of emergency for life-threatening weather events. The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend, has been canceled and the site evacuated. Read more
Sadiq Umar returns to training after 247 days (Sun)
Super Eagles striker, Umar Sadiq was yesterday back in training with his Real Sociedad teammates for the first time, after 247 days he suffered an ACL injury last year in a Spanish La Liga game.
The Nigerian trained with the group, having recovered from the serious knee injury he suffered last year at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez against Getafe.
It was his first game as a starter with Real Sociedad, after which he had just arrive signed from Almeria. A week earlier Sadiq had made his debut coming off the bench and scored the equalizer against Atletico Madrid. Read more
Flying Eagles draw Colombia 3-3 in friendly match (Punch)
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles, on Tuesday night, held Colombia to a 3-3 draw in their final warm-up game to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Colombia increased their chances nine minutes after they had gone behind on 20 minutes with Abel Ogwuche conceding an own goal.
Flying Eagles Jude Sunday came through for the Nigerian team barely six minutes before halftime. Read more
Xabi Alonso warns Mourinho that there are ‘no friends’ when game begins (Football Italia)
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso has learned ‘a lot’ from José Mourinho but warns the Roma coach that there are ‘no friends’ when the game begins.
The former Spain international and Mourinho will reunite again on Thursday in a Europa League semifinal second leg at the BayArena. The Giallorossi won the reverse fixture at the Stadio Olimpico 1-0 last week.
Alonso played 151 games at Real Madrid under Mourinho, scoring three goals. Read more
Piers Morgan claims Cristiano Ronaldo wanted Arsenal transfer after his Mikel Arteta plea (Mirror)
Piers Morgan has never been shy to voice his opinion on his beloved Arsenal – and his latest claim has drawn his old friend Cristiano Ronaldo into the mix.
Arsenal’s stumbling title bid seemingly ran out of steam for good on Sunday, as they were well beaten 3-0 at home by Brighton. It meant dropped points for the fifth time in seven games for Mikel Arteta’s men, leaving Man City needing just one win from their final three League games to retain the title.
Having spent much of the season backing the Gunners to win a first title for 19 years, the divisive TV presenter laid into Arsenal’s players over their apparent lack of bottle: “All over. Totally outplayed by a team that just lost 1-5 to Everton,” he tweeted. “A horribly lacklustre, passion-devoid, spiritless, pathetic performance that cements an inexplicably dismal run-in to a season which promised so much. Bottom line: we choked.” Read more
Kylian Mbappe joins French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama at NBA Draft Lottery (DailyMail)
Kylian Mbappe has joined basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama at the NBA Draft Lottery.
The San Antonio Spurs, based in Texas, were awarded the No 1 pick in the Draft Lottery on Tuesday evening.
Generational talent Wembanyama, once described by basketball legend Lebron James as an ‘alien’, is widely expected to be picked up by the Spurs. Read more
Qatar expresses interest in hosting Rugby League World Cup, organisers say (AlArabiya)
Qatar’s push to become a central hub on the global sporting landscape could see the country be an unlikely host of a Rugby League World Cup.
Qatar is one of four nations to express an interest in staging the 2025 tournament, rugby league’s governing body said Wednesday, after France withdrew its hosting rights.
“We have received expressions of interest from New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa and Qatar already,” said Troy Grant, chairman of the International Rugby League. Read more