Rapist get 21 years imprisonment as court sentences robbers to death (Guardian)
Lagos State High Court, Igbosere on Wednesday sentenced two men, Williams Umoh Udoh and Ubong Lazarus Isaiah, to death for armed robbery in Lagos.
The court sentenced Ubong Isaiah to death for armed robbery while Williams Udoh was sentenced to a separate 21 years imprisonment for rape at the scene of the crime.
The two robbers were earlier arraigned by the Lagos State Government on an amended five-count charge in June 2017. Read more
Lagos mechanic burnt in gas explosion, NOHIL detains corpse (Punch)
An automobile mechanic, Adeboye Adenitan, has died from the injuries he sustained from a gas explosion at his place of residence in the Gberigbe area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Adeboye got home from work and decided to cook dinner, but when he went inside his room to get something, he became tired and slept off.
It was learnt that the father of two later woke up around midnight to continue the cooking but when he made an attempt to light the gas burner, the whole kitchen was engulfed in flames.
Adeboye’s mother, Bose, said her son suffered severe burns on his head, face, arms and laps, adding that neighbours rushed him to a nearby hospital for treatment. Read more
COVID-19: 81 dead in Lagos as discharged patients near 1,000 (Punch)
The number of coronavirus recoveries in Lagos State neared 1000 on Wednesday, The PUNCH reports.
This was just as 81 coronavirus associated deaths were reported in the state by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The Centre said 201 new infections were recorded in the state on Wednesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 6,266 including 970 discharged patients. Read more
Senate passes N10.8trn revised budget for 2020 (Vanguard)
The Senate on Thursday passed the sum N10.805 trillion as a revised budget for the 2020 fiscal year.
The passage followed consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Appropriations on the Appropriation Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
The Bill was read the third time and passed by the Senate. Read more
Court remands cleric over alleged rape (Nation)
A Magistrates’ Court sitting in Warri, Delta state has remanded a cleric, Bishop Elijah Orhonigbe, at the Nigeria Correctional Service, Warri, for allegedly raping a 19-year-old girl (name withheld).
Orhonigbe is the Founder/General Overseer of Victory Revival Fasting and Ministry, Warri.
The victim is said to be a daughter of one his church members. Read more
EFCC to commence Okorocha’s prosecution, returns recovered N2.7 billion to Imo (Vanguard)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has vowed to commence the prosecution of the former Governor of Imo State, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, upon the conclusion of its ongoing investigation.
The commission also noted that it had already returned over N2.7 billion from the N7.9 billion recovered from different bank accounts and assests belonging to Okorocha to the state for payment of workers’ salaries and pension.
The Zonal Head of EFCC Port Harcourt, Mr. Imam Usman, disclosed this in Port Harcourt during a mid-year briefing on the activities of the commission within the six months. Read more
Chimamanda Adichie’s father dies at 88 (Nation)
Professor James Nwoye Adichie, father of renowned novelist, Chimamanda is dead.
He was 88.
A family source told The Nation Thursday in Awka, Anambra State the erudite academic died on Wednesday night .
He was admitted at the Chira Memorial Hospital in Awkuzu, Oyi local government area of the State. Read more
Bandits kill 57 in new Katsina attacks (Guardian)
Armed gangs killed 57 people in a string of attacks on villages in northwest Nigeria, residents said on Wednesday, as security forces struggle to curb violence in the region.
Roughly 150 gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on residents before looting shops and stealing cattle in a series of assaults on Tuesday in six remote communities in Katsina state, the sources said.
“We lost a total of 57 people in the attacks across the six villages,” a local leader told AFP on condition of anonymity as he feared for his safety. Read more
Unexplained skin rashes ‘could be new symptom of coronavirus’ (Metro)
A mum who suffered with mystery rashes on her hands and feet which left doctors stumped has been told she was one of the first people in the UK to catch Covid-19. Sarah Churchill, 36, first went to her GP with a rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath towards the end of February, when there were only 15 cases here. In the absence of a fever or persistent cough it was thought the painful flare-ups could be a sign of blood cancer or even HIV. But medical tests showed no ailments and it was not until months later that Sarah was told she had actually contracted coronavirus. Read more
Trump, Pelosi at loggerheads over Confederate monuments in US South (France24)
President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out a change to US military bases named after Civil War Confederate leaders, pushing back on pressure to rid public places of monuments honoring the once pro-slavery South.
“These Monumental and very Powerful Bases have become part of a Great A merican Heritage, and a history of Winning, Victory, and Freedom,” Trump said in a tweet.
“My Administration will not even consider renaming these Magnificent and Fabled Military Installations. Our history as the Greatest Nation in the World will not be tampered with,” he wrote. Read more
Confederate and Columbus statues toppled by US protesters (BBC)
Statues of Confederate leaders and the explorer Christopher Columbus have been torn down in the US, as pressure grows on authorities to remove monuments connected to slavery and colonialism.
A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was toppled in Richmond, Virginia, on Wednesday night.
Statues of Columbus in Boston, Miami and Virginia have been vandalised.
The movement has been sparked by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd. Read more
Camel libraries are bringing books to children in Ethiopia (Metro)
Going to the library as a child was always fun: browsing the shelves, queuing for stamps at the counter and coming away with backpack full of books. In Ethiopia, the experience for some is quite different, as they are getting books delivered on the back of a camel. Across the country, over 26 million children are out of school due to Covid-19 lockdowns. Some of them, based in remote villages, are still getting the chance to read and learn thanks to the camel libraries. Save the Children began the camel library in 2010. It includes 21 camels, which are traditionally used by communities in the Somali region of Ethiopia to transport goods across the hot lowland areas. Read more
Deadly mosquito-borne disease EEE reportedly on the rise (NYPost)
Cases of the deadly mosquito borne virus Eastern Equine Encephalitis — along with other insect-carrying diseases– are expected to skyrocket in the northeast in the coming years, a troubling new report claims.
Last year, the US recorded 38 confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne disease and 15 deaths. In the northeast, Massachusetts saw 12 cases, and four each in Connecticut and New Jersey, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
By comparison, in the last decade, the highest number of total cases in the country was 15, with five deaths, in 2012.
As winters grow warmer and the spring and summer seasons get hotter and wetter, EEE spreads, according to a deep dive on the virus posted Wednesday on Medium. Read more
ISS astronauts create fifth state of matter in space for first time ever (RT)
Astronauts on board the International Space Station have created a rare state of matter in ways not possible here on Earth.
A new study published in the magazine Nature suggests that scientists have used a small facility called the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) to create rare Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), also known as the fifth state of matter.
The CAL is capable of chilling atoms in a vacuum down to temperatures one 10-billionth of a degree above absolute zero – lower than in interstellar space. Read more
D’Tigress ‘ll make top 10 in the world, says Akhator (Vanguard)
D’Tigress star Evelyn Akhator is optimistic that Nigeria can be among top basketball nations in the world considering the rapid development of the game in the country.
The last three years have been great for the D’Tigress, winning back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket titles, competing at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2018, and qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Speaking to FIBA. basketball, Akhator who was drafted as a number three pick by the Dallas Wings in the 2017 WNBA Draft admitted that D’Tigress were hungry for more success. They want to take on the world and beat the best teams.
“I see Nigeria getting to the top and becoming a Top 10 country in basketball. Nobody would have thought we would be a Top 20 team and now we are number 14 in the world. I only pray that we all achieve that dream of being top of the best very soon.” Read more
Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal will struggle to find their rhythm when the Premier League restarts (Metro)
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal’s players are focusing on finding their rhythm and fitness following their surprise defeat to Brentford in a friendly on Wednesday. The Gunners comfortably brushed aside Charlton Athletic with a 6-0 win in the first friendly behind closed doors at the Emirates Stadium last Saturday. But Arteta’s players suffered a shock on Wednesday afternoon as they were beaten 3-2 by Brentford at their own ground. The Gunners took the lead in the first half through Joe Willock but Brentford equalled after the break with an excellent finish from Tarique Fosu. Alexandre Lacazette put Arsenal back in front but the Championship club capitalised on some terrible defending by the Gunners to win the game with goals from Halil Dervisoglu and Shandon Baptiste. Read more
WBO offer resistance to Anthony Joshua fighting Tyson Fury before Oleksandr Usyk (Metro)
The WBO have suggested they will push for Anthony Joshua to fight his mandatory before he takes on Tyson Fury in an undisputed unification showdown. Fury and Eddie Hearn confirmed on Wednesday that terms had been agreed for a two-fight deal in 2021, although no date or venue has been decided. There are still a host of issues to sort out before any contracts can be signed, but both sides appear optimistic the fights will happen next year. Read more
Yobo, Nkwocha join others in Africa’s fight against COVID-19 (Vanguard)
Nigerian football greats Joseph Yobo and Perpetua Nkwocha are among other African legends that have signed up in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The campaign against the dreaded virus is speared-headed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in partnership with Speak Up Africa.
A statement on the CAF website said, “CAF in partnership with Speak Up Africa have launched a social media challenge to further raise awareness on proven COVID-19 prevention methods as part of the Stay Safe Africa campaign. Read more
NASCAR’s Bubba Wallace races in Black Lives Matter car after Confederate flag ban (NYPost)
On the same day NASCAR banned the confederate flag, Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s only black driver, raced his No. 43 car with a Black Lives Matter paint scheme.
The hood featured a black hand and white hand gripping in solidarity with the message “Compassion, Love, Understanding” written below. That same phrase was written on the back of the car, and the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was painted on the left and right sides.
Wallace, 26, also wore an “I Can’t Breathe” t-shirt and an American flag mask before Wednesday night’s race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Read more
Dele Alli: Tottenham midfielder banned for one match over coronavirus post (BBC)
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been suspended for one match by the Football Association over a post on social media about coronavirus.
Alli, 24, put a video on Snapchat in February in which he joked about the outbreak and appeared to mock an Asian man.
The England international has also been fined £50,000 and ordered to undertake an education course. Read more