Pastor allegedly rapes 13-year-old girl seeking prayers (DailyTrust)
A 32-year-old prophet, Godson Nse Thompson, is being held in Uyo Correctional Centre, Akwa Ibom State for allegedly defiling a 13-year-old girl sent to him for intercessory prayers.
The accused, a father of three children from Ikot Offiong Nsit in Nsit Ibom Local Government Area, was said to have taken the victim to his house on the pretext praying for her, only to end up raping her.
Narrating her ordeal in court, the victim, a senior secondary one student of a government secondary school in Uyo, said her in-law took her to a church at Information Drive in Uyo for prayers on Friday, July 10, 2020.
She stated that her in-law (her sister’s husband) left her in the church around 6pm and the prophet requested that she accompany him elsewhere to pray for somebody, which she did. Read more
INTERPOL arrests 3 in Lagos, Edo for cyber fraud (Punch)
The International Criminal Police Organisation, in collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has arrested three Nigerians in connection to cyber fraud.
The operation targeting malware cyber fraud across Southeast Asia led to the arrest of the three suspected scammers.
In a sting operation conducted by the EFCC, the suspects were arrested in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State, and in Benin City, Edo State.
According to a statement by INTERPOL, the operation was part of a global operation codenamed “Killer Bee” involving the organisation’s General Secretariat headquarters and National Central Bureaus and law enforcement agencies in 11 countries across Southeast Asia. Read more
Man docked for alleged possession of human skull (Guardian)
A 38-year-old man, Ebuka Enuma, was on Tuesday docked in a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ court in Lagos for alleged possession of a human skull.
Enuma, who resides in Bariga area of Lagos, is charged with unlawful possession of human part.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecution Counsel, ASP Rita Momah, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 13, at Amukoko cemetery, Lagos.
Momah alleged that the defendant broke into the cemetery and excavated an old grave and stole the skull.
She said that the defendant was arrested while trying to leave the cemetery. Read more
19 suspects arrested at illegal oil storage site (Nation)
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) on Monday arrested 19 suspects and recovered N4 million from an illegal oil refining and storage site at Etal Avenue, Kudirat, Abiola way, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Eighty-one trucks and 12 pumping machines were also recovered from the site.
The operation was carried out by the Commandant-Generals’ Special Intelligence Squad following credible intelligence.
A statement by the corps spokesman in Lagos, Seun Abolurin, said: “19 suspects (one female) were arrested, N4 million, 81 trucks, nine buses, 12 pumping machines, 25 surface tanks, 140 drums of illegally-refined diesel, and 15 generators were recovered from the site. Read more
Panellists task Nigerians on environment-friendly buildings (Tribune)
Panellists at a two-day conference in Lagos on Monday called for the education of Nigerians to understand and embrace green construction culture toward mitigating climate change and enhancing health.
The panellists at the 10th Unite ESG Summit with the theme: “Towards a Sustainable Culture’’, said green construction would safeguard health, environment and socioeconomic well-being.
Speaking on the topic, “Sustainable Building – Land Use, Regulations, Design, Planning, Construction, Technology and Materials” the panellists emphasised how all factors must interplay for green construction efficiency.
Obas Ebohon, a Professor of Sustainability and Environmental Law, London South Bank University (LSBU), called on governments to come up with standard policies for sustainability in construction. Read more
Gunmen attack 5 officials of NIWA in Anambra State (Vanguard)
Gunmen have attacked five officials of the Nigerian Inland WaterWays Authority, NIWA, inflicting gunshot injuries on them.
Vanguard gathered the workers who are members of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, were attacked on Wednesday 25th May 2022 at Otu Junction, Nnewi South, Anambra State, on their way to their official assignment.
It was also learned that the victims are presently receiving treatment for gunshot wounds at hospitals in the state and that three bullets were extracted by the Doctors from the neck of one of the officials, rushed to the Nnewi General Hospital.
Confirming the unfortunate incident, President-General of MWUN, Prince Adeyanju Adewale, said “They were travelling in their official NIWA branded Hilux when they were attacked for straying into Biafra land in a Nigeria branded sport utility vehicle. Three bullets were extracted by the medical team from the neck of one of the officials rushed to the Nnewi General Hospital. Read more
Buhari to leave for Spain (Channels)
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday depart Abuja for Madrid, Spain at the invitation of the Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez.
The President’s trip which will be his first to the country in his tenure will meet with the Head of State of the Spanish nation, His Majesty King Felipe VI.
President Buhari is expected to discuss issues of mutual interest to both countries, which will expectedly result in the signing of Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding on a wide range of topics geared toward further enhancing the bilateral relations between the two nations.
Such areas include Extradition and transfer of convicted persons, Mutual Legal Assistance, Cultural Matters, Cooperation towards fighting crime and enhancing security, as well as issues affecting dependents of diplomatic staff. Read more
N2.9b fraud: I’m not guilty –Okorocha (Sun)
Former Imo State governor and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Rochas Okorocha, has entered a plea of not guilty to the 17-count money laundering charge preferred against him and six others by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The ex-governor, who is currently the Senator representing Imo West, had initially declared his intention to contest for presidency in the 2023 general elections.
He was, however, arrested by operatives of the agency, few hours before the ruling APC screened its presidential candidates.
His arrest was predicated on his alleged refusal by the former governor to make himself available for trial, as the prosecution agency accused him of deliberately evading service of the charge on him.
Senator Okorocha, who took his plea before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, was arraigned alongside a chieftain of the APC, Anyim Nyerere Chinenye, and five companies- Naphtali International Limited, Perfect Finish Multi Projects Limited, Consolid Projects Consulting Limited, Pramif International Limited, and Legend World Concepts Limited. Read more
Land dispute stalls completion of power project in Kaduna (Guardian)
The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, (TCN) Engineer Sule Abdulazeez has said that local landowners are stalling the completion of the Kudanda 215KVA power project in Kaduna State.
The Kudandan installation when completed will be linked with the 33KVA Mando power station which serves Kaduna, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara states in the Northwest.
The Managing Director who was in Kaduna on inspection of Kudenda power lines said the project is being stalled because the landowners complained that compensation offered to them is too meager.
One of the affected landowners in the Kudandan community, Martins John said about 200 houses are affected in the community by the project and the compensations offered to them by the government are too small. Read more
Group disagrees with Women Minister on causes of child molestation (Sun)
Group, Weekenders Magazine, has disagreed with the Women Minister, Pauline Tallen, in her recent speech that younger parents are responsible for the increasing rate of child molestation in the country.
The Executive Director, Princess Joy Idam, made this known while speaking at a sensitization campaign on the proper use of sanitary pads to mark the 2022 Children’s Day, themed’ Securing our future today soft project’ in Abuja yesterday.
Idam stated that the increasing rate of child’s molestation can not only be blamed on the inability of parents to take care of their wards but also on the corrupt mindset of the adults.
She said: ” I don’t totally agree with the minister on her recent speech that rising cases of child’s molestation are based on the inability of parents to take care of their wards, especially younger parents. Read more
Anita Baker thanks Chance The Rapper for helping her acquire her masters (Vibe)
Anita Baker has shared that her fight to own her masters was assisted by Chance The Rapper. In a video shared on Twitter while performing in Las Vegas for a sold-out limited show residency, the singer noticed the rapper in the audience. She took the opportunity to publicly express gratitude for his assistance in her journey to owning her recordings.
“Would you guys say hello to a friend of mine by way of the music industry, and by way of helping me get a hold and ownership of my master records? Mister Chance The Rapper is right there,” Baker announced to the enthusiastic audience as the Chicago musician stood to his feet. “Thank you so much,” she can be heard saying near the end of the clip.
Chance The Rapper responded to the clip on social media, praising Anita Baker’s showmanship and acknowledging her musical legacy.
“I saw one of the greatest performances of my lifetime last night!” he expressed. “Thank you so much @IAMANITABAKER for being an inspiration and an icon to so many of us.” Read more
Kanye West features on new track from Vory, ‘Daylight’ (NME)
Kanye West has teamed up with Vory on his new track, ‘Daylight’.
Vory featured as a guest on West’s last two albums, ‘Donda’ and ‘Donda 2’. The new track ‘Daylight’ will feature on Vory’s upcoming album, ‘Lost Souls’, which is released this Friday (June 3) via Dream Chasers/Universal Music Group.
West produced the track alongside collaborators 88-Keys, Ojivolta, and Ratatat’s Evan Mast, aka E*vax. The song was mixed by Mike Dean.
Vory and West last worked together on ‘Donda 2′ track ‘Lord Lift Me Up.’ Read more
Tom Hanks thrilled to see Queen Elizabeth II drink martini at royal dinner (FilmNews)
Tom Hanks has revealed Queen Elizabeth II’s drink of choice is a martini.
During an appearance on BBC’s The One Show alongside Austin Butler to promote their new movie Elvis on Monday, the Hollywood icon recalled the time he attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in London to mark a visit from former U.S. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama back in 2011.
Hanks revealed that he was sitting next to The Queen during the meal, and had prepared some “chit chat” in advance.
“I knew I was going to be sat next to her and so I wanted to be able to talk about things that were of import but not presumptuous,” he remembered, before going on to describe how the monarch was soon presented with what he thought was a glass of water. Read more
Paramount+ teams with RAI and ZDF on ‘The Gymnasts’ from Italy’s Indigo Film (Variety)
Paramount+ has partnered with Italian and German public broadcasters RAI and ZDF on coming-of-age TV series “The Gymnasts” from Italy’s Indigo Film (“The Great Beauty”) to be directed by Cosima Spender (“Palio”) and Valerio Bonelli.
Also on board as a key partner on “The Gymnasts” — which was recently presented at the Series Mania Co-Pro Pitching Sessions — is London-based super-indie All3Media International, which will be handling international sales of the show in territories not covered by its main broadcasters.
The project is part of The Alliance, the production pact forged among continental Europe’s leading public broadcasters to co-finance innovative, high-profile TV series for the international market.
But, in an interesting twist,“The Gymnasts” will be premiering as a Paramount+ original in Italy and across France, the U.K., Canada, Australia, Latin America and South Korea. Read more
Shakespeare comes out on top at France’s Molières theatre awards (RFI)
The 33rd Molières French theatre awards, back after a two-year disruption due to Covid, awarded four trophies to Shakespeare’s popular comedy “As You Like it”.
The ceremony, held on 30 May, also heard from #MeToo activists calling for the fight against sexism and harassment in the industry to be stepped up.
Léna Bréban’s version of William Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It” (Comme il vous plaira) was a favourite at the annual event, honouring the best performances by private and state-supported theatres in France.
She walked away with the trophies for Best Show in a private theatre, Best Direction, Best Actress for Barbara Schulz and Best Supporting Actress for Ariane Mourier. Read more
NATO: Turkey says Sweden, Finland should amend laws if needed (Aljazeera)
Turkey’s foreign minister has said Finland and Sweden should change their laws if needed to win Ankara’s backing in their historic bid to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, doubling down on a threat to veto an enlargement of the alliance.
Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey, a NATO member for seven decades, would not lift its opposition to the two Nordic countries’ ascension unless its demands were met, echoing recent comments by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ankara has accused both countries of harbouring people linked to groups it deems to be “terrorists”, including the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and has taken issue with their decisions to halt arms exports to Turkey in 2019.
It has demanded they must halt their support for the PKK and other groups, bar them from organising any events on their territory, extradite those sought by Turkey on “terrorism” charges, support Turkey’s military and “counterterrorism” operations, and lift all arms exports restrictions. Read more
French Open: Coco Gauff reaches semi-finals to record best Grand Slam result (GMS)
US tennis star Coco Gauff has booked her place in the semi-finals of the French Open after another straight-sets win.
The 18-year-old defeated compatriot Sloane Stephens 7-5, 6-2 to extend her impressive run of form at the tournament.
Gauff is yet to drop a single set at Roland-Garros and her quarter-final victory marks her best result at a Grand Slam.
Her dominant run has set her up to face Martina Trevisan in the next round, which will be Gauff’s first ever major semi-final. Read more
Ex-Nigerian League coach, Maurice Cooreman, dies (Independent)
Maurice Cooreman, a former coach with several Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) sides, has died.
The late coach who managed clubs in the Nigerian domestic league such as Akwa United, Enyimba, Ocean Boys, Warri Wolves, Gombe United etc reportedly passed away in his native Belgium at the age of 79.
Cooreman led the defunct Ocean Boys to the Nigerian title in 2006, but was sacked in September 2006 and then rehired two weeks later.
He managed Enyimba from October 2006 to November 2008 and received a five-match ban in April 2008 after attacking a referee. Read more
Manchester City star De Bruyne passes his UEFA A coaching licence (DailyMail)
Kevin De Bruyne has been awarded his coaching diploma after passing his UEFA A licence.
The Belgian FA embarked on a unique project in 2019 when they announced that 19 players, including De Bruyne, would be doing their UEFA A and B licences while on international duty.
De Bruyne, it was reported on Tuesday, is one of 10 players to have completed the courses and as such has been awarded his A licence.
It emerged this season that De Bruyne was undertaking sessions for youth sides in the Manchester City academy, up to the U16s. That appears to have all contributed to De Bruyne being awarded the second highest coaching badge, after the UEFA Pro licence. Read more
Ivan Perisic sends emotional message to Inter as Tottenham confirm wide man’s signing (TeamTalk)
Tottenham have confirmed the signing of Croatia international Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan on a free transfer.
The 33-year-old had become a target for Tottenham in recent months, as his contract began to run down at the San Siro. Over the weekend, Antonio Conte’s side reportedly reached a ‘full agreement’ with Perisic on personal terms.
And Tottenham have now revealed Perisic will link up with the team when his Inter deal expires on July 1.
Perisic, who has won 113 caps for Croatia, has signed a two-year contract with the north London club. Read more
Stanford Cardinal golfer Rose Zhang lands Adidas’ first NIL deal (ESPN)
Stanford Cardinal freshman women’s golfer Rose Zhang is the first college athlete to land a name, image, likeness deal with Adidas after the endorsement was announced Tuesday.
“Rose is an extraordinary athlete, a class-act both on and off the golf course and is determined to be the best in the world every single day,” global director of sports marketing for Adidas Golf, Tim McNulty said in a statement. “Having Rose join team Adidas is something we’ve been looking forward to for quite some time, and we look forward to supporting her as she continues to make her mark on women’s golf around the world.”
It has been quite the week for the world’s top-ranked amateur golfer as Zhang won the individual NCAA championship a week ago and won the team championship only five days ago.
Zhang shot a 3-over-75 to cap the national title at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is the second consecutive individual title winner for the Cardinal. Zhang has already won the U.S Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls Junior Championship and now adds college success to her list of accomplishments. Read more
Sergio Perez signs new Red Bull deal in blow to Pierre Gasly’s F1 ambitions (Mirror)
Sergio Perez ‘s fine start to the season has been rewarded with a new Red Bull contract.
The Mexican scored 190 points in his debut season with the team, and has already managed more than half of that total in the first seven races of 2022. His victory at the Monaco Grand Prix brought him to within just 15 points of team-mate and championship leader Max Verstappen.
Red Bull confirmed on Tuesday that he has agreed to a two-year contract extension, securing his place with the team and in the sport until the end of the 2024 season. With Verstappen already tied down to a long-team deal, there will be no space at Red Bull for new faces for at least two more seasons after the current campaign.
“For me, this has been an incredible week,” said Perez. “Winning the Monaco Grand Prix is a dream for any driver and then to follow that with announcing I will continue with the team until 2024 just makes me extremely happy. Read more