Osinbajo congratulates Tinubu, calls for unity (Punch)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has congratulated Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his victory at the All Progressives Congress presidential primary.
He also called for unity among APC members, saying Tinubu’s sterling contributions to democracy stood him out.
Osinbajo said this in a statement titled, “VP Osinbajo congratulates Asiwaju Tinubu on his victory at APC Presidential Primary Election.”
The statement read, “I congratulate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his victory at our party primaries and his emergence as the Presidential Candidate and Flagbearer of our great party, the APC for the forthcoming 2023 Presidential Elections. Read more
Ogudu Muslim Community Praying Ground landlords seek court protection over land invasion (Tribune)
The Lagos State High Court has fixed June 13, 2022 for hearing in a matter filed by the aggrieved Landlords at Ogudu Muslim Community Praying Ground, Oworonsoki/Ibadan Expressway, Ogudu area of the state over forceful encroachment on their land by a suspected land grabber despite having obtained Certificate of Occupancy (Cof O) and Deed of assignments as required by law.
The landlords had filed a suit before the court against a man identified as Mr. Ajibola Bisiriyu and his cohorts, who they alleged had continually invaded their lands, leading to their request for a restraining order against him and his cronies from illegally possessing their lands.
In a separate suit delineated ID/1722LMW/2022 and ID/1724LMW/2022 filed before Justice Gbadebo Oshoala and ID/1726LMW/2022 filed before Justice A.M Lawal, at the Ikeja Division of the State High Court, the aggrieved landlords are praying the court for a declaration that by virtue of their Certificate of Occupancy and Deed of Assignment they are rightful owner of the land. Read more
Okada rider rescued after allegedly killing pedestrian in Lagos (Guardian)
Lagos State Police Command, yesterday, rescued a commercial motorcyclist from an angry mob after he allegedly killed a pedestrian around Jakande Estate, Isheri Road, Isolo, Lagos.
Trouble started when the Okada ride allegedly veered off the road and hit the man, who died on the spot.
The action angered residents and passers-by, who trooped out to attack the Okada rider, before policemen intervened and rescued him to a hospital, while the remains of the pedestrian were evacuated.
Confirming the incident, spokesperson for the Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the angry mob had set fire on the motorcycle before policemen arrived the scene.
He said: “The rider veered off the road and hit a pedestrian. Unfortunately, the pedestrian fell and died on the spot. People around decided to lynch the motorcycle rider. The Lagos State Police Command condemns jungle justice in very strong terms.” Read more
Sanwo-Olu to send-forth intending pilgrims Sunday (Vanguard)
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State will on Sunday bid farewell to the 2022 Hajj intending pilgrims from the State to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The traditional one-day seminar and Prayer to send forth intending pilgrims which will hold at the Blue Roof, Lagos Television, Agidingbi Ikeja, is followed by airlifting of the pilgrims to the holy land.
Speaking on the event, the Hon. Commissioner for Home Affairs, Prince Anofiu Olanrewaju, said that the occasion was an avenue for the Governor, his deputy and other government functionaries to have personal interaction with the intending pilgrims and wish them well on the journey.
A statement signed by the Board Secretary, Mr. Hakeem Kosoko stated that the seminar would be used to further educate the intending pilgrims about the spiritual exercise as well as what is expected of them in the Holy land. Read more
Ogun police arrest man for raising false alarm (Punch)
Men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested one Wakilu Ogundairo for allegedly raising a false alarm on alleged Boko Haram invasion through a WhatsApp voice note.
Ogundairo was accused of raising a false alarm of Boko Haram terrorists’ invasion of Imosan-Ijebu in the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this on Thursday in a statement.
Oyeyemi said the suspect circulated the false alarm on social media, thereby causing panic among law-abiding citizens. Read more
Tanker explosion kills 1, destroys properties in Jos (DailyTrust)
One person has been killed and properties including vehicles, shops and a veterinary school burnt on Thursday morning after a fuel-laden tanker fell at the Polo roundabout area of Jos North Local Government Council of Plateau State.
The deceased who was said to be the driver of the tanker was discovered in a gutter around the scene of the incident.
DSP Alfred Alabo, the spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, confirmed the incident but couldn’t ascertain the casualty figure, adding that the command had been making efforts to unravel the cause of the accident.
Eyewitnesses said the tanker went up in flames soon after it fell down, adding that personnel of the state’s fire service and the police were deployed in the area. Read more
Rapper Falz releases fifth studio album, “BAHD” (Punch)
Nigerian rapper, songwriter, and actor Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz the Bahd Guy, has released his fifth studio album titled BAHD, in the wee hours of Thursday.
The new album, released under his self-owned record label, Bahd Guys Entertainment, comprises 12 tracks and features Nigerian stars like Tiwa Savage, The Cavemen, BNXN, LAX, Chike, and new Mavin Records signee BoySpyce.
BAHD comes three years after Falz’s last studio album, Moral Instruction, in which the 31-year-old heavily sampled the late Afrobeat icon, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and dealt extensively with socio-political themes including government corruption, religious hypocrisy and terrorism, and failing moral standards on the part of Nigerians.
His new album departs from that political tone, settling instead for the comic and light-hearted themes for which the rapper first came to be known. Read more
Kaduna confirms terrorists attack, says 31 villagers killed (Guardian)
Kaduna State government on Thursday confirmed the killing of 31 villagers by terrorists who attacked about three villages.
“The bandits attacked the first two locations and killed 31 citizens. They then headed into Ungwan Maikori, where they killed one person and burnt some houses,” Kaduna State commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan in a statement.
Aruwan, however, denied reports that the terrorists were aided by a helicopter to attack communities and kill villagers.
“While the Government mourned the gruesome killing and burning of houses in the attacked locations, a report was published suggesting that the victims of the attack were killed by terrorists using a helicopter.
“The story that a helicopter provided air support to the bandits against the locals, is therefore an untrue account.” Read more
Democracy Day: FG outlines programmes ahead of June 12 celebration (Independent)
The Federal Government on Thursday unveiled programmes lined up for the celebration of June 12, Democracy Day.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture made this disclosure at a press briefing held in Abuja to give out the programmes of events to intimate Nigerians on what to expect on this year’s Democracy Day.
Mohammed highlighted the importance of the programme stressing that it’s designed to honour the people who paid the supreme price in the struggle for democracy in the country.
“As you may recollect, President Muhammadu Buhari, in June 2018, directed that Nigeria’s Democracy Day, marked every May 29, be shifted to June 12 to honour Moshood Abiola, winner of the 1993 presidential election. Read more
97 LGs record suspected Lassa fever cases, casualties rise (Punch)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Thursday said there has been a significant increase in the number of Lassa fever deaths and cases across the country.
The centre, through its latest situation report on the disease, stated that as of May 2022, no fewer than 155 deaths with 4,820 suspected cases had been reported across 97 local government areas in 24 states of the federation.
Lassa fever, an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral illness spread by the common African rat also known as the mastomys rat species, is endemic in Nigeria and some other West African countries.
The Lassa fever situation report, which the centre made available to The PUNCH on Thursday, read in part, “The number of suspected cases has increased compared to that reported for the same period in 2021. Read more
Britney Spears’ ex-husband Jason Alexander attempts to crash wedding to Sam Asghari (Metro)
Britney Spears’ ex-husband Jason Alexander tried to crash her wedding to Sam Asghari while live-streaming to his followers, before being apprehended by security.
Jason, who had been married to Britney for 55 hours in 2004, is said to have showed up and approached event security, telling them Britney had invited him and that she was his ‘first and only wife’.
According to reports from TMZ, Jason had been live-streaming the moment before what appeared to be a physical struggle as the image froze up.
They claim Jason made it inside Britney’s home where he continued to live stream before eventually being restrained outside the property. Read more
Capitol riot hearing: Trump accused of ‘attempted coup’ (BBC)
Former US President Donald Trump orchestrated last year’s Capitol riot in an “attempted coup”, a congressional inquiry has heard as a prime-time hearing opened into the raid.
Liz Cheney, the Republican vice-chair of the committee, said Mr Trump had “lit the flame of this attack”.
Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, said the riot endangered American democracy.
Trump supporters stormed Congress on 6 January 2021 as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.
After almost a year of investigation, the Democratic-led US House of Representatives select committee opened on Thursday evening by showing clips from interviews it conducted with members of Mr Trump’s inner circle. Read more
Star Wars director JJ Abrams’ new TV show gets scrapped (DigitalSpy)
Star Wars and Mission Impossible director JJ Abrams’ new HBO show Demimonde has been cancelled due to issues surrounding its budget.
The project had been described as “an epic and intimate sci-fi fantasy drama” and was set to star Watchmen’s Danielle Deadwyler as a “woman who is torn away from her husband and daughter in a brutal scientific accident”.
The series was already in pre-production in Belfast and crew who had started working on it have now been stood down, the BBC reports.
Abrams was reportedly seeking a $200 million budget, topping the budget of HBO’s upcoming Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. Read more
Grammys add new awards: Songwriter of the Year, Song for Social Change, more (Variety)
The Recording Academy has announced several new awards and rule changes for the Grammy Awards, including Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical), along with Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media, and a Special Merit Award for Best Song for Social Change. Other amendments include changes to the Grammys entry and voting processes — including a rule that ups the minimum new content for album eligibility from 50% to 75%. All updates go into effect immediately for the 65th annual Grammy Awards, taking place in 2023.
The specifics of the rule changes are expected to be posted on grammy.com later in the day, but sources tell Variety that the Songwriter category is limited to non-performing and non-producing songwriters, i.e. those who are credited solely as a writer or co-writer.
Although the Songwriter of the Year award is long overdue, other changes reflect a new and faster responsiveness from the Academy to calls for change from the music community. The increase in percentage of new content for album eligibility is likely in response to a recent trend of albums squeezing out another year of eligibility with “bonus editions” that tacked on live or B-side-level material in order to push the release up to 50% new content.
“We’re so excited to honor these diverse communities of music creators through the newly established awards and amendments, and to continue cultivating an environment that inspires change, progress and collaboration,” said Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. “The Academy’s top priority is to effectively represent the music people that we serve, and each year, that entails listening to our members and ensuring our rules and guidelines reflect our ever-evolving industry.” Look for Variety’s interview with Mason about the changes, publishing later today. Read more
Vanilla Ice responds to claims he didn’t write ‘Ice Ice Baby’ while trashing Suge Knight (HipHopDX)
Former Death Row Records CEO Suge Knight is currently incarcerated, so perhaps Vanilla Ice is feeling somewhat emboldened. During a recent interview with The Art of Dialogue, Mario “Chocolate” Johnson, who has co-writing credits for the Vanilla Ice Billboard Hot 100 smash “Ice Ice Baby,” claimed he had nothing to do with the writing of the song.
Clearly bothered by Johnson’s comment, Vanilla Ice fired back via Twitter on Wednesday (June 8), shortly after an article was published on TMZ. He wrote, “Suge Knight garbage. Now put your fanny pack on and dancin shoes and let’s kick it @TMZ.”
“Ice Ice Baby” was released in 1990 and became the first rap song to land at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Outside of the United States, “Ice Ice Baby” topped the charts in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.
Centered around the bassline of “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, who didn’t receive songwriting credit or royalties until after it blew up. As for Johnson, he claims he wrote multiple songs for Vanilla Ice’s debut album To The Extreme. Read more
3 people shot dead at Maryland manufacturing plant (Metro)
Three people were shot and killed at a manufacturing facility in Maryland on Thursday afternoon.
Deputies responded to an active shooting on the 12900 block of Bikle Road in Smithsburg around 2.30pm, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
‘At this time the Sheriff’s Office can confirm that there are multiple victims and the suspect is no longer a threat to the community,’ the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook.
Three people were found dead at Columbia Machine Inc and a fourth person was critically injured, according to the sheriff’s office. The suspect and a trooper exchanged gunfire and were both wounded.
Law enforcement officials stand near the scene of a shooting at Columbia Machine, Inc, in Smithsburg, Maryland
‘The suspect fired and shot the state trooper in the shoulder, who then returned fire and shot him,’ said Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. Read more
2 Britons captured by Russian forces ‘are sentenced to death’ for fighting in Ukraine (DailyMail)
Two British men and a Moroccan man held by Russian forces in Ukraine have been sentenced to death, Russian state-media has reported.
Shaun Pinner, 48, and Aiden Aslin, 28 – along with Moroccan national Saaudun Brahim – were all captured while fighting in Ukraine.
The supreme court of the Russian-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) issued death sentences on Thursday, Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The three men said they will appeal the decision, Tass reported. The court is not internationally recognised, the BBC said. Read more
Nigeria beat Sierra Leone 2-1 without fans in Abuja (Punch)
Super Eagles defeated Leone Stars of Sierra Leone 2-1 at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja without fans in the stands on Thursday in their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations encounter.
The fans were absent as a result of the one-match ban placed on the country by the world football–governing body, FIFA, over the fracas that followed the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup playoff round against the Black Stars of Ghana in March.
Nigeria overcame a stunning early goal to turn the screw on Sierra Leone and eventually win 2-1 to pick all three points in a Day 1 encounter of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series at the MKO Abiola Stadium on Thursday.
The fleet-footed Leone Stars, who famously came back from four goals down to tie the match 4-4 in an AFCON qualifier against Nigeria in Benin City in November 2021, had knocked hard at the Super Eagles’ door as early as the 4th minute, when a rasping shot from Mohamed Turay was tipped over the bar by Francis Uzoho. Read more
Nigeria’s basketball on the brink (Guardian)
Nigeria is one of the most improved basketball nations in the world. The country, which hitherto played second fiddle to Angola, Mozambique, Senegal, Central African Republic and North African countries in the continent’s pecking order, has in the last 15 years, dominated the sport such that its national teams, D’Tigers (men) and D’Tigress (women), during this period, won more continental trophies than all the other African countries combined.
At the world level, Nigeria has become one of the pundits’ favourites to excel at such competitions as the Olympics and the FIBA World Cup. Among its recent feats, Nigeria’s men team in 2012 became the first African country to win a game at the Olympics when it beat Tunisia at the London Games.
The women team went a notch higher, when, in 2016 it became the first African side to get to the quarterfinals of the World Cup at the Spain edition of the FIBA competition.
Nowadays, it has become common for pundits to list Nigeria’s men and women teams among the favourites in major championships. Read more
Premier League suspends £43m Russian TV deal because of Ukraine invasion (Mirror)
The Premier League has suspended a six-year, £43m broadcasting deal with Russian station Match TV as a consequence of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Clubs were informed of the decision at their annual meeting in Harrogate this morning.
Match TV is owned by Gazprom Media, a subsidiary of Gazprombank, and was ordered to have been established by a decree from Putin in June 2009. The network also has a deal with the Football Association to broadcast club games and UEFA to show the Champions League.
A deal that saw games shown by Russian media group Rambler was suspended in March.. At the time, a new deal with Match TV to kick in from the start of next season had already been agreed. No timeframe has been placed on the suspension being lifted and the clubs did not vote on the matter.
The decision comes after Manchester City ’s Ukraine star Oleksandr Zinchenko urged sporting organisations to “stop the sale of rights to broadcasts of international sporting competitions to Russian media” on his Instagram account. Read more
Wimbledon men’s and women’s champions will win £2m as record prize money announced (BBC)
Total prize money for this year’s Wimbledon will be a record £40.3m, tournament organisers have announced.
The winners of the men’s and women’s singles will each win £2m, a decrease from £2.35m the last time full capacity crowds attended in 2019.
The pot is an increase of 5.4% compared with 2019, when prize money totalled £38m, and an 11% increase on 2021.
In 2020, players who would have qualified received £10m in lieu of prize money for the cancelled event. Read more
PGA Tour suspends LIV Golf Series participants as Saudi-backed league gets underway (USAToday)
Seventeen golfers who are currently playing in the LIV Golf Series have been suspended for an unspecified period, the PGA Tour announced Thursday, saying the players made their choice to play in the Saudi-backed league for “financial-based reasons.” Those who choose to participate in the future will also be suspended, the Tour announced.
The announcement came roughly 30 minutes after the LIV teed off in London for its first 54-hole, team-oriented tournament.
Players who have resigned their PGA Tour membership won’t be eligible for the FedEx Cup Playoffs and will not be allowed to play in PGA Tour events as “a non-member via a sponsor exemption or any other eligibility category.”
“I am certain our fans and partners — who are surely tired of the all this talk of money, money and money — will continue to be entertained and compelled by the world-class competition you display each and every week, where there are true consequences for every shot you take and your rightful place in history whenever you reach that elusive winner’s circles,” PGA Tour president Jay Monahan said in a statement. Read more
Steph Curry’s foot injury latest Warriors concern after game 3 loss (NBC)
Steph Curry walked to the podium Wednesday night at TD Garden following the Warriors’ 116-100 Game 3 loss in the NBA Finals with a slight limp and an ACE bandage wrapped around his left foot, hidden by his sweatpants.
He scored 31 points, making six 3-pointers in Golden State’s loss. And now, he’s the Warriors’ biggest concern going forward due to a possible left foot injury — the same foot he hurt against the Celtics in the regular season.
“I’ll be alright,” Curry said to reporters. “I think I caught it underneath [Al Horford]. Obviously in decent pain, but I’ll be alright. See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.”
Draymond Green picked up his sixth and final foul with four minutes remaining, pushing Marcus Smart away from a pile that Curry was under. Green told reporters after the game he could hear his teammate screaming, raising the level of worry with the Warriors now down two games to one to the Celtics in the Finals. Read more