Robbers break into judge’s home, steal $1,000, others (Punch)
The police on Tuesday arraigned two alleged serial armed robbers, who on February 22, 2020, broke into the Ikoyi home of a Lagos judge, carting away $1,000, N250,000, four wristwatches, a 50-inch LG television, two shirts and two pairs of shoes.
The accused, Friday Eze and Anuoluwa Adeware – alongside their alleged accomplices, Rasaq Bolaji and Beatrice Elom, were arraigned on 15 counts before the Federal High Court in Lagos.
According to the charge by the police, Eze and Adewale, alongside one Monday Uvi and others still at large, invaded the judge’s home armed with a berretta pistol, a cutlass and a cudgel and dispossessed him of his belongings. Read more
Woman unleashes dogs on tricyclist over N3,500 (Vanguard)
A tricyclist, Mohammed Abdulhammed, escaped death by the whiskers after he was attacked by two dogs released by their owner, over failure to remit N3,500 to the coordinator of tricycles in Igando area of Lagos State.
Trouble started for the 33-year-old tricycle operator, Monday, when he was intercepted by the coordinator, Mojisola Awe, at Santa Maria Street, off Isuti road in Egan, Igando as he was accused of failing to remit previous day’s payment to Awe.
A verbal confrontation, which degenerated into a brawl between the operator, the coordinator, and her two sons, occurred and in the process, one of the coordinator’s sons was alleged to have unleashed their dogs on the helpless tricyclist. Read more
Police prevent driver from jumping into Lagos lagoon (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has restrained a driver, identified as Samuel Akinbode, 40, from jumping into the lagoon on the Third Mainland Bridge in an apparent suicide attempt.
It was gathered that the driver, who attempted to jump into the lagoon around the Oworo-end of the bridge, on Monday, was rescued by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim claimed to be tired of life, had no job and was married with three children, and that dying was the best solution to his problems.
The RRS, via its Twitter handle, tweeted, “Yesterday, our vigilant officers on Third Mainland Bridge prevented this young man from diving into the Lagoon. His expression of frustration made him hell-bent on jumping despite being restrained by the officers.” Read more
Buhari, others should have sleepless nights over insecurity – Sultan (DailyTrust)
The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar. The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Jamaatu Nasril Islam, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar lll, has said that the issue of insecurity in the country, especially in the North should give the government sleepless nights. JNI’s Secretary General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar Aliyu in a statement urged the military to do more to bring an end to the menace of insecurity in the country. He noted that the insecurity bedevilling some parts of the country especially the Northwestern states is an extension of Boko Haram. Read more
DPR warns IPMAN members against selling petrol above official pump price (Guardian)
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) , Osogbo Field Office, has warned members of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association (IPMAN) against selling petrol above the official pump price.
Mr Olusegun Daboh, DPR Operations Controller, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Osogbo.
Daboh said the official pump price which filling stations were allowed to sell petrol was N121.50k and not above N123.50k. Read more
Naira Marley: Fashola yet to leave Abuja since March 22 – Aide (DailyTrust)
.Mr Hakeem Bello, Special Adviser on Communications to the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, says the minister has not travelled out of Abuja since March 22.
Bello made the disclosure in a statement he issued to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.
Naira Marley mistaken for Works Minister, Fashola, says airline
Nigerians react to Naira Marley’s Abuja concert amid COVID-19
He said that the attention of the office of the minister had been drawn to a letter signed by the Chairman /Chief Executive Officer of Executive Jets Services, Ltd, Dr Sam Iwuajoku, concerning a flight it operated to Abuja last weekend.
“In order to set the records straight, the minister “has not travelled out of Abuja since March 22, 2020, when he returned there from an inspection tour of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway construction work and a visit to Lagos, before the lockdown. Read more
Confusion in APC as 3 people lay claim to chairmanship (ThisDay)
Confusion has enveloped the ruling All Progressives Congress following Tuesday’s ruling of the Appeal Court upholding the suspension of the national chairman Adams Oshimhole as three members of the National Working Committee are now laying claim to the leadership of the party.
To stave off leadership vacuum, the National Working Committee of the party had on Tuesday night named the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abiola Ajimobi, as acting national chairman of the party in line with Section 14 subsection 3 of the APC constitution that states that: “The Deputy National Chairman shall act as the National Chairman in the absence of the National Chairman from his zone.” Read more
US sanctions 6 Nigerians over $6m cyber fraud (DailyTrust)
The United State Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) says it has taken action against six Nigerian nationals “for conducting an elaborate scheme to steal over six million dollars from victims across the United States.” OFAC said the move was a coordinated action with the U.S. Department of Justice and that it also coordinated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which on Tuesday released details regarding its indictment against members of the group. CBN alerts customers on COVID-19 cyber-attacks, fraud Alleged N86m fraud: EFCC arrests Ganduje’s commissioner in Kano The six Nigerians indicted in the fraud scheme are; Richard Uzuh, Micheal Olorunyomi, Alex Ogunshakin, Felix Okpoh, Nnamdi Benson, and Abiola Kayode. A release on Tuesday by OFAC said the accused persons “targeted U.S. businesses and individuals through deceptive global threats known as business email compromise (BEC) and romance fraud. Read more
Tshegofatso Pule killing: South African man on murder charge (BBC)
A 31-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a South African woman whose stabbed body was found hanging from a tree last week.
Twenty-eight-year-old Tshegofatso Pule was eight months pregnant.
Mzikayise Malephane appeared in court and was charged with premeditated murder.
After her death, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the culture of silence around gender-based violence had to end. Read more
Integration report reveals significant skepticism towards Islam in Norway (RT)
A recent survey conducted in Norway found that the majority of respondents were skeptical of Islam and immigration, with many blaming immigrants themselves for a lack of integration into Norwegian society.
The 2020 Integration Barometer, commissioned by the Norwegian Integration and Diversity Directorate (IMDI), recently published the results from its ninth survey since 2005 and they make for unsettling reading for immigration advocates.
Only one fifth of respondents said that immigration worked ‘very’ or ‘quite’ well, while 79 percent of Norwegians argued any shortcomings of integration are due to lack of effort from immigrants themselves. Read more
Rifaat al-Assad: Syrian President’s uncle jailed in France for money laundering (BBC)
The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to four years in prison by a Paris court for money-laundering.
Rifaat al-Assad was convicted of embezzling Syrian state funds to buy homes and offices worth €90m (£80m) to build a French property portfolio.
The 82-year-old former vice-president denies any wrongdoing. His lawyers say he will appeal.
His property assets in Paris and London will be seized, the court ruled. Read more
GOP members create super PAC to boost Joe Biden ahead of election (NYPost)
A group of prominent Republicans — including former White House staffer Anthony Scaramucci — are launching a super PAC to identify GOP voters who have cooled to President Trump and convince them to cast their ballot for Joe Biden, according to a report Wednesday.
The “Right Side PAC,” composed of former officials from the Trump and George W. Bush administrations, will initially focus on Republicans in the battleground states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Axios reported.
They will use digital, mail and telephone to reach the voters and encourage absentee voting. Read more
Coronavirus: What is dexamethasone and how does it work? (BBC)
An anti-inflammatory drug called dexamethasone has been hailed as a ground-breaking treatment for hospital patients seriously ill with Covid-19.
A UK trial showed the drug could save lives – the first internationally to do so – and it can be used in the NHS immediately.
What is the drug?
Dexamethasone is a steroid – a medicine that reduces inflammation by mimicking anti-inflammatory hormones produced by the body. Read more
Israeli team build reusable facemask that disinfects itself and kills Covid-19 (Metro)
Israeli researchers say they have invented a reusable face mask that can kill the coronavirus with heat by drawing power from a mobile phone charger. The disinfecting process takes about 30 minutes – and users should not wear the mask while it is plugged in, said Professor Yair Ein-Eli, who led the research team at Technion University in Haifa. The new mask has a USB port that connects to a power source such as a standard smartphone charger that heats an inner layer of carbon fibers to up to 70 degrees Celsius. Read more
Serena Williams confirms she will play US Open 2020 (Metro) International tennis will resume in August and Serena Williams has confirmed her participation at the US Open 2020 – a major boost for the United States Tennis Association (USTA). With Roger Federer missing the event due to a second round of knee surgery and Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic non-committal, organisers would have been desperate for the 23-time Grand Slam champion – who finished as runner-up in 2019 – to commit, which she has done. The ATP and WTA Tours will resume at different times in August, while the French Open has been pushed back a week as part of a new-look calendar that will see combined events in New York, Madrid, Rome and Paris go ahead. Read more
Man United’s Fernandes relishing potential partnership with Pogba (Vanguard)
Bruno Fernandes is relishing the prospect of playing alongside Paul Pogba when Manchester United resume their Premier League campaign on Friday.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side return to action at fellow Champions League hopefuls Tottenham, with United in the mix for a top-four finish following a strong run of form before the coronavirus-enforced shutdown.
United’s resurgence has coincided with the arrival of Fernandes from Sporting CP and the midfielder was influential in the impressive 2-0 win over rivals Manchester City in their most recent top-flight outing in March. Read more
Champions League to be completed in final 8 in Lisbon, with final on August 23 (Guardian)
The 2019-2020 Champions League, suspended since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will be completed in a ‘Final Eight’ in Lisbon in August, UEFA said on Wednesday.
Europe’s top club competition will be decided by a series of one-off matches beginning in the Portuguese capital on August 12, with the final on August 23, European football’s governing body confirmed.
Similarly, the Europa League will be completed with a ‘Final Eight’ across four German cities including Cologne, with the final there on August 21. The closing stages of the women’s Champions League will go ahead in Bilbao and San Sebastian at the end of that month. Read more
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s father holding up talks over new Arsenal contract (Metro)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s father’s preference to meet with Arsenal bosses in person to discuss fresh terms is holding up the club’s attempts to extend his current deal, according to reports. The Gabon striker is out of contract next summer, when he will be free to leave the Emirates for nothing, and recently admitted that his current situation marks ‘the most important decision of his career’. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is desperate to keep the club’s top scorer in north London, personally intervening to persuade him to stay, though talks are proving tricky. Read more
Blue Jays player, coach refuse to pay rent for Toronto condos blaming COVID-19 (CBC)
Toronto Blue Jays slugger Ryan “Rowdy” Tellez and first base coach Mark Budzinski are accused of leaving a pair of Toronto landlords on the hook for thousands of dollars in unpaid rents after signing leases for downtown Toronto condos.
Both men say since the COVID-19 pandemic has suspended the Major League Baseball season and because they’re currently living in the U.S., they shouldn’t have to pay their rent in Toronto.
Tellez, who was paid an $850,000 US signing bonus when he was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2013, and has made hundreds of thousands more playing pro baseball, hasn’t paid his $4,100 monthly rent payment since March, said his landlord Linda Pinizzotto. Read more
Lionel Messi set to extend Barcelona contract despite boardroom rows (RT)
Despite previous boardroom unrest behind the scenes at the Camp Nou, Lionel Messi looks set to extend his FC Barcelona contract this summer, according to reports from Catalonia.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will agree terms that should keep him playing for the Blaugrana until at least June 30, 2023, by when he will have just turned 35.
Messi, about to celebrate his 33rd birthday in exactly a week’s time, is currently under contract until the summer of 2021. As was well known, however, the Argentine boasted a unique clause in his deal that meant he could have walked away as a free agent upon the conclusion of this season, had it not been brought to a halt by the coronavirus pandemic. Read more