Police arrest pastor over murder of girl for ritual (Punch)
The Delta State Police Command has arrested a yet-to-be identified pastor and one other for the alleged murder of a 13-year-old girl whose heart was ripped open and other vital organs removed.
Saturday PUNCH gathered that the victim and her mother, a petty trader, were members of the pastor’s church located along Board road in Boji Boji Agbor.
It was a gory site to behold as the remains of the girl, Miracle Nwafor, dumped close to the Central Hospital Agbor, were being removed by the police on Friday in the Agbor area of the state.
A source in the community said the pastor had recently decided to ‘help’ the girl after the evening service by calling for a motorcycle to convey her home. Read more
Ban: MTN, Glo, Airtel, others await FG’s formal order to block Twitter (Punch)
The Federal Government on Friday announced the indefinite suspension of the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who announced the suspension in a statement by his Special Assistant, Segun Adeyemi, cited what he described “the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”
According to him, the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission “to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.”
The government said the suspension would take effect soon. Read more
Storm gathers over non-constitution of NDDC board (Nation)
Some traditional rulers, opinion leaders and ex-militants in the Niger Delta are throwing their weight behind former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, following his seven-day ultimatum to the federal authorities to inaugurate the substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Niger Delta Affairs Minister Godswill Akpabio, who met Tompolo in his Oporoza den in Warri Southwest, Delta State on Thursday, said they had a fruitful discussion.
Akpabio gave no details beyond saying he would fast track things.
The Tompolo ultimatum expires Sunday and the President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, vowed that the ultimatum remains valid. Read more
Air Peace workers get 100% salary increase (DailyTrust)
An indigenous airline, Air Peace, has approved salary increase ranging from 10 to 100 per cent to different categories of staff.
The increment, according to the carrier, was coming despite the present harsh operating condition induced by COVID-19 with most of its aircraft stranded abroad.
Daily Trust reports that it was jubilation galore for workers of the airline when they got an increase in last month’s salaries.
The excited workers could not hide their joy as they embraced the Chairman and CEO of the airline, Allen Onyema, when he arrived at the domestic terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos on Friday. Read more
Niger pupils’ abduction: Bandits hike ransom to N200m (Nation)
Citing delay in the payment of the N110 million initially demanded as ransom for the 156 pupils kidnapped from Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School, Tegina, Niger State, their abductors have now raised the ransom by N90 million.
The bandits have also rejected the N11 million raised by the community as they insist on being paid N200 million before the pupils are released.
Already, two parents of the abductees have reportedly died of heart attack.
Another parent, Malam Ali Mohammed, said the gunmen threatened to kill the children if the ransom demanded was not paid.
Mohammed, who is a tipper driver, has five children among the abductees. Read more
Police council confirms Baba as IGP (DailyTrust)
The Police Council has confirmed Usman Alkali Baba as Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, announced the confirmation at the end of a meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dingyadi said the confirmation of Baba as IGP was unanimous because of his track records.
The minister said Buhari directed him to ensure insecurity is brought to the barest minimum.
The President had on April 6 appointed Baba as acting Inspector General of Police. Read more
Catholic Church bans Mbaka from commenting on partisan politics (Nation)
The Catholic Church has banned the spiritual director of Adoration Ministries Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), Ejike Mbaka from commenting on partisan politics.
The ban came after the recent controversy surrounding the disappearance and reappearance of the fiery Catholic priest, which also led to the shutdown of his Adoration Ministry.
In a copy of the letter to Mbaka obtained by The Nation, the Catholic bishop of Enugu Diocese, Callistus Onaga, announced the conversion of the adoration ministry to ‘chaplaincy’.
The letter dated June 3, contains the diocesan directives and guidelines for the conduct of the adoration ministry. Read more
70% of govt agencies host data abroad despite $220m local infrastructure (Guardian)
With as much as $220 million investments in about 11 data centre operations in Nigeria, utilisation of this huge infrastructure is still below 30 per cent in the country.
The Guardian gathered that a data centre requires between $10 million and $20 million depending on the Tier before it could be sited.
While checks have shown that telecoms operators and other ICT firms host their data locally, governments’ Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that should lead in local hosting are increasing the sector’s capital flight by hosting their data abroad.
It was gathered that about 70 per cent of governments’ MDAs still host data abroad despite data localisation guidelines in the country. It was revealed that Israel, Ukraine, UK, USA, were among the countries where some Nigerian data are hosted. Read more
Shocking video shows mob beating Indian doctor after death of Covid patient (RT)
Police in Assam, India, have arrested 24 people after a mob brutally beat a doctor following the death of a coronavirus patient. Video footage of the shocking beatdown went viral.
Dr Seuj Kumar Senapati was beaten with brooms, whips and even bedpans at a rural clinic in Assam earlier this week, the Indian Express reported on Thursday. Senapati, the Express reported, had been assigned to work in the clinic to treat coronavirus patients, one of whom died on Tuesday.
The mob which attacked Senapati was reportedly made up of family members and friends of the deceased patient.
Video footage shared on social media purportedly shows Senapati cowering on the ground as the enraged mob rains down blows on him. The person filming the shocking incident appears to be repeatedly telling the attackers to stop, to no avail. Read more
Facebook suspends Trump accounts for two years (BBC)
Facebook Inc has suspended former US President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years.
He was barred indefinitely from both sites in January in the wake of posts he made on the US Capitol riots, but last month Facebook’s Oversight Board criticised the open-ended penalty.
Facebook said Mr Trump’s actions were “a severe violation of our rules”.
Mr Trump said the move was “an insult” to the millions who voted for him in last year’s presidential election. Read more
USA Today fights to quash FBI subpoena demanding readers’ data (RT)
The publisher of USA Today has challenged an FBI subpoena ordering it to hand over data on anybody who read a specific story about the fatal shooting of two agents in February, insisting the request violates the First Amendment.
Gannett, which owns USA Today and a number of local newspapers around the US, asked a Washington, DC district court to toss the FBI order in a May 28 court filing, first reported by Politico on Thursday.
“The subpoena violates the First Amendment to the US Constitution by demanding records that would identify particular persons who read a particular USA Today news report,” the publisher said, adding that the request runs afoul of other legal protections for news outlets. Read more
Top German cleric asks to quit over Church sex abuse failures (BBC)
Germany’s top Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, has offered his resignation to the Pope over the Church’s child sexual abuse scandals.
“It is important to me to share the responsibility for the catastrophe of the sexual abuse by Church officials over the past decades,” he said in a letter to Pope Francis.
He is the Archbishop of Munich. The Pope is still considering his offer.
Pope Francis has sent two bishops to Cologne to investigate abuse cases. Read more
G7: Rich nations confident on reaching tech tax deal (BBC)
Finance ministers from the G7 group of leading economies are confident of striking a deal on taxing multinational companies at their meeting in London.
The agreement is expected to include a global minimum rate of corporation tax.
It would target tech giants such as Amazon and Microsoft.
German finance minister Olaf Scholz said the deal would “change the world”. Read more
Paris Hilton sells memoir to imprint behind Jessica Simpson’s book (NYPost)
Paris Hilton has just sold a memoir to the same publisher as Jessica Simpson’s recent best-seller — William Morrow imprint Dey Street Books — Page Six has learned.
Simpson’s book came out in February 2020 and was a No. 1 best-seller.
Hilton shopped the memoir via lit agent Albert Lee at UTA, and the upcoming publication was acquired by Dey Street’s editorial director Carrie Thornton. Dey Street describes Hilton’s memoir as “both searingly honest and deeply personal” and adds, “Hilton will share the real Paris Hilton as her celebrity persona evolved.”
A publishing insider told us when the book was being shopped that it would try to capitalize on “the success of Jessica Simpson’s book, and nostalgia for early 2000s-era pop culture.”
Hilton previously put out a more fluffy 2004 book, “Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose.” Read more
French Open 2021: Serena Williams reaches fourth round as draw opens up (BBC)
Serena Williams remains the highest seed in her half of the French Open draw after a dominant third-round victory against Danielle Collins.
The American seventh seed beat compatriot Collins 6-4 6-4 and will face Kazakhstan’s 21st seed Elena Rybakina next.
Williams, 39, is one of just four top 10 seeds left in the women’s draw after Aryna Sabalenka lost earlier on Friday.
The Belarusian third seed was beaten 6-4 2-6 6-0 by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Read more
Antonio Conte: Tottenham call off talks with Italian over becoming their manager (BBC)
Tottenham have called off talks with Antonio Conte about becoming their next manager.
The former Chelsea boss, 51, looked set to replace Jose Mourinho after Spurs’ hopes of luring Mauricio Pochettino back from Paris St-Germain were dashed.
However, negotiations have ground to a halt and BBC Sport understands there is no likelihood of them resuming.
Suggestions from Italy are that Conte was starting to have doubts due to the transfer budget he was set to be given. Read more
Canada’s PM says 2022 Beijing Olympics will offer chance to ‘pressure’ China on human rights issues (RT)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that Ottawa and other concerned countries will politicize the 2022 Olympics in Beijing, using the occasion to address China’s alleged human rights abuses.
During a lengthy sit-down with Toronto Star columnist Martin Cohn on Friday, Trudeau said the world community should pool efforts to ramp up pressure on China, noting that the upcoming 2022 winter games may provide just that opportunity.
“The pressure on China right now from the international community … is significantly acute, particularly with the Winter Olympics coming up in China next year,” he said, adding “it would be easy for China … to shrug off what any one country – including just the US – alone says. But when the global community comes together, that starts to shape their own calculations.” Read more
French Open: Yana Sizikova released from police custody (BBC)
Russian tennis player Yana Sizikova has been released from police custody a day after she was arrested as part of an investigation into match-fixing at last year’s French Open.
The 26-year-old, who is ranked 101st in doubles, was released without being charged.
She is “shocked” at the allegations, her lawyer told Russia’s Tass news.
The investigation began in October after suspicions of “organised fraud” and “sports corruption” were raised. Read more
Zlatan Ibrahimovic endorses AC Milan’s push to sign Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud (Metro)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has endorsed AC Milan’s push to sign Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud.
The France international is set to leave the Champions League winners at the end of this month when his contract expires.
AC Milan are among the clubs who have registered their interest in signing the 34-year-old, while Roma and Inter have also been linked with a move.
And Ibrahimovic, who returned to AC Milan in 2019, is keen to see his side complete a deal for Giroud this summer. Read more
Singapore Grand Prix cancelled as Formula 1 bosses assess replacement options (BBC)
The Singapore Grand Prix has been called off this year and Formula 1 is assessing its options to replace the race, BBC Sport can reveal.
F1 and the Singapore authorities agreed it will not be possible to hold the event in the context of immigration restrictions in the city state.
Other races later in 2021 could also fall prey to the coronavirus pandemic.
Turkey, China and a second race at Austin in the USA are all under consideration as replacements. Read more