Wife exposes pastor who staged own kidnap to extort brother (Nation)
A self-proclaimed pastor resident in Maraba, Nasarawa State has been arrested for arranging his own abduction in order to extort money from his wealthy family. Forty-seven-year-old Richard Onyekachukwu said he resorted to playing pranks because his younger brother and other family members were not willing to offer him financial assistance in spite of their healthy financial conditions.
Others arrested for conspiring with Onyekachukwu to commit the offence include his wife Mary and his friend, 39-year-old Enoch Frank Nwaolisha.
According to a police source, on June 16, one Mr. Prosper, Onyekachukwu’s wealthy younger brother, reported to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba that his elder brother named Richard (Onyekachukwu) had been kidnapped and a line of conversation had been opened with his abductors who were asking for a ransom.
The source further disclosed that the IGP immediately directed the Commander of the FIB Intelligence Response Team (FIB-IRT), Abba Kyari, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) to investigate the matter, ensure the safe return of Onyekachukwu and fish out the culprits. Read more
Lagos #EndSARS panel awards N10m to Kolade Johnson’s family (Punch)
The Lagos judicial panel has awarded the sum of N10m to the family of the late Kolade Johnson.
Johnson was shot during a raid by police officers at Onipetesi area in Lagos, while watching an English premiership match between Tottenham and Manchester United on March 31, 2019, The Cable reported.
The incident sparked outrage on social media, after which the police authorities identified Ogunyemi Olalekan, a police inspector, and Godwin Orji, a sergeant, as the officers involved in the shooting.
Following an orderly trial, Olalekan was dismissed from the force after he was found guilty, while Orji was acquitted. Read more
Court jails septuagenarian 7 years for N75.5m fraud (Vanguard)
Mobile Court convicts 33 persons for violation of COVID-19 protocols
An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Friday sentenced a septuagenarian, Olawale Ogun, to seven years’ imprisonment for defrauding two companies of a total of N75.5 million.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Mojisola Dada convicted Ogun on six counts of stealing by fraudulent conversion.
His company, Storage Index Ltd., was convicted on three counts of fraudulent conversion.
Dada said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) proved its case against the defendants beyond all reasonable doubt.
Sentencing Ogun, Dada described him as a “callous, calculating and cunning old man who expended the funds on women”. Read more
Inside the neighbourhood of suspected Super TV CEO’s killer (Punch)
“Who are you looking for?’’ a gateman howled as he partly opened a gate to peep at our correspondent on Thursday. Seeing that the ‘intruder’ was not one of the tenants in the building, he firmly bolted the gate and walked farther into the compound.
The building, on 57 Akinwunmi Street, Alagomeji, Yaba, attracted attention after an occupant, Chidinma Ojukwu, who lived in the place with her father, was arrested and paraded by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly stabbing the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, to death at a service apartment they lodged in the Lekki area of the state.
The suspect, said to be a 300 level student at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, is in police custody. The police noted that casual workers cleaning the apartment discovered Ataga’s remains in the place the next day.
A few houses from the suspect’s residence is a health centre and the two storey building painted in brown and white colour has two gates and faces a church. The Ojukwus were said to have lived downstairs. Some residents told our correspondent that the suspect’s father had yet to return home after he was released by the police. He was earlier arrested alongside his daughter for obstructing cops who came to apprehend the suspect. Read more
Our strategic investments in infrastructure is for economic growth –Sanwo-Olu (Leadership)
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday said the huge investments in infrastructure development by his administration would help to economic prosperity of the state.
The governor stated this at the formal commissioning of the Upgraded Rehabilitated Ikoyi Network of Roads which included Thompson Avenue, Milverton and Mac Donald, Lateef Jakande, Roads.
He said at the inception of his administration, conducted an audit of the road infrastructure in the state because they knew that roads are the critical infrastructure on which almost all other activities depended.
Sanwo-Olu said, ‘’We were mindful of the fact that improved access across the State would lead to increased productivity. Read more
Nigeria self-sufficient in rice, ready for export -RIFAN (Vanguard)
President of Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN), Alhaji Aminu Goronyo has said that with 9 million metric tons of annual rice production, Nigeria is now self-sufficient in rice and almost ready for exportation.
He spoke in Kaduna on Thursday when the Central Bank of Nigeia (CBN) and RIFAN flagged-off the sales of nine million metric tons of rice paddy to millers.
They also flagged off the distribution of implement, fertilizers and inputs to rice farmers for the 2021 wet season farming.
The RIFAN President, however, said that the feat was achievable only due to the courage, commitment and patriotism of rice farmers who remained on the farm despite security challenges. Read more
Knocks, Kudos as government presses forward to regulate Social Media (Guardian)
When The Guardian threw the question of whether or not the Federal Government should regulate the social media to Nigerians, it elicited mixed reactions. While many citizens, including lawyers, online publishers and human rights activists, threw their weights behind it, others kicked, warning that it would infringe on Nigerians’ right to freedom of speech and expression.
In Imo State, an Owerri-based lawyer, Gibson Nwebo, who was among those that supported the government’s move, however, said: “I am in support of regulating social media to the extent that it will not infringe on the right of expression. Expression does not mean that you run people down falsely, using social media.”
A human right activist in Bayelsa State, Wisdom Ikuli, stated that even though he had vehemently opposed social media regulation in the past, recent events in the country had made him to change his position.
He said most social media practitioners failed to understand that their rights end where those of other persons begins. Read more
Ife-Ifewara road: Senate asks FG’s contractors to refund N140m (Punch)
The Senate has commended the Redeemed Christian Church of God and its General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, for rehabilitating the Ife-Ifewara Road, at a cost of N188m.
The red chamber also directed Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited, which abandoned the project after collecting mobilisation funds, to refund N140m to the federation account.
The road project was earlier awarded to Messrs Cartil Construction Nigeria Limited but was abandoned after the company was paid N151m by the Federal Ministry of Works.
After spending N188m to rehabilitate the road, the RCCG petitioned the Senate through the Church Secretary, Pastor Niyi Adebanjo, on February 9, 2021, and accused the ministry of paying N151m to the contractors which abandoned the project until the church rehabilitated it as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. Read more
Police allay fear over threat to attack Osun estate residents (Guardian)
The Osun State Police Command has allayed the fears of residents of Olofa Estate in Ofatedo over a letter written to them by a gang of armed robbers threatening attack unless N20m is contributed for them.
The community has been thrown into panic after receiving the letter dropped in some strategic areas by the suspected robbers on Wednesday.
In the letter sighted on Thursday, the robbers threatened to kill all the guards in the community and said that no house would be spared during the attack.
A copy of the letter read in part: “This is to inform you all that we thieves are coming to this community. We won’t spare any house or else you contribute a sum of N20m and keep it with the chairman. We will only visit and take the money from him. We will kill all your watchmen if they try to stop us. We are coming with full force.” Read more
George Floyd murder: Derek Chauvin sentenced to over 22 years (BBC)
The US white ex-police officer convicted of murdering African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020 has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in jail.
The judge said Derek Chauvin’s sentence was based “on your abuse of a position of trust and authority, and also the particular cruelty shown” to Mr Floyd.
Mr Floyd, 48, died after Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes.
His murder caused global protests against racism and police brutality. Read more
Mystery of what caused South Florida condo collapse deepens (CNN)
The collapse of a high-rise condo tower in South Florida early Thursday morning has left at least four people dead and 159 more currently unaccounted for. Now, as the search for survivors continues, a critical question looms: What caused the building to fall?
Officials are promising an urgent inquiry as engineers have said it is impossible, at this stage, to pinpoint a precise reason. Local officials familiar with the condo complex, which is only four decades old, have repeatedly shot down rumors that it was in any unusual state of disrepair.
An attorney for the building’s condominium association, Kenneth Direktor, warned against early speculation. The building, he told CNN, had been subject to a series of inspections “over the last several months” as part of its milestone 40-year safety certification process.
“Nothing like this was foreseeable,” Direktor said. “At least it wasn’t seen by the engineers who were looking at the building from a structural perspective.” Read more
Colombia leader says chopper hit by gunfire near Venezuela border (RFI)
President Ivan Duque said the helicopter he was flying in Friday near the border with Venezuela was hit by gunfire in the first attack against a Colombian head of state in nearly 20 years.
No one was injured, and authorities did not say which side of the border the shots came from. Colombia regularly accuses Venezuela of harboring Colombian rebels on its territory.
“It is a cowardly attack, where you can see bullet holes in the presidential aircraft,” Duque said in a statement.
Duque said he was flying with the defense and interior ministers and the governor of Norte de Santander province, which borders Venezuela, when the helicopter was attacked.
Photos released by the president’s office showed the tail and main blade had been hit. Read more
German knife attack: Three dead and five wounded in Würzburg (BBC)
A man wielding a knife in the German city of Würzburg has killed three people and injured several others, according to local authorities.
Videos on social media showed the man armed with a large knife being confronted and subdued by passers-by.
The suspect, a Somali man aged 24, was shot in the thigh before being arrested.
Police said he had been violent and mentally unstable and had recently received psychiatric treatment. Read more
Windows 11 is here: Everything you need to know (CNN)
Windows is getting a glow up.
Microsoft on Thursday officially announced its latest PC operating system update, called Windows 11. It includes visual improvements, Microsoft Teams integration for people working from home and a new Microsoft store, among other changes — although a glitchy livestream of the event made it tricky for some viewers to catch all of the announcements.
“The team obsessed over every pixel,” Microsoft (MSFT) Chief Product Officer Panos Panay said during the event. “All of these details coming together, the transitions, the user interface, how it all flows together, is meant to bring you an incredible sense of calm.”
Some of the updates unveiled Thursday were released in a leak earlier this month.
Here are some of the big takeaways from the Windows 11 event.
New "snap layouts" will make it easier for Windows users to navigate between multiple open apps at once. Read more
Valérie Bacot: Freedom for abused French woman who killed husband (BBC)
Valérie Bacot, whose lifetime of abuse at the hands of her husband shocked France, has been found guilty of his murder but told she can leave the court a free woman.
She was given four years’ jail, with three suspended, but released because of the year she had already served.
Bacot earlier collapsed in court when prosecutors called for her to be convicted but given clemency and freed.
She admitted killing her husband in March 2016 with his own gun. Read more
India’s Modi meets Kashmir leaders two years after revoking state’s autonomy (RFI)
India’s prime minister met with top politicians from Kashmir some two years after his government stripped the region of its special privileges and detained local politicians and others amid a communications blackout.
Thursday’s closed-door talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Kashmiri leaders for over three hours signaled the re-start of a political process in the region where armed Islamist militancy has ebbed since 2019.
“Our priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy in Jammu and Kashmir,” Modi said in a tweet.
Ravindra Raina, who leads the prime minister’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Kashmir, said Modi also promised to work for the development in the region. Read more
Last chance for Nigerian men’s relay teams (Guardian)
After some failed attempts, the Nigerian male 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams have another opportunity to redeem their image tomorrow in the battle for Tokyo Olympics tickets.
On two occasions in Lagos, the Nigerian male relay teams fumbled, while their female counterparts were celebrated. The quartet of Blessing Okagbare, Grace Nwokocha, Favour Ofili and Rosemary Chukwuma picked the 4x100m ticket during the AFN/Olympics Trials at YABA TECH last Sunday, while the quartet of Patience Okon-George, Nse Imaobong, Favour Ofili and Knowledge Omovoh joined the Tokyo Olympics train on Thursday at the Teslim Balogun Stadium after they stormed to a Season’s Best of 3:26.83s at the Lagos Open Athletics Championship.
With three days to go before the qualifying window for the Olympics closes on June 29, Nigerian male relay teams, as well as 4×400 Mixed Relay have another golden chance tomorrow at the Making of Champions (MoC) Invitational holding at YABA TECH.
According the Chief Executive Officer of MoC, Bombo Akani, tomorrow’s event sponsored by Paga is aimed at providing last chance for Nigerian and African athletes seeking Olympic qualification in both their Individual Events and the Relays to do so. Read more
Nico Ali Walsh: Muhammad Ali’s grandson signs pro deal with Bob Arum (BBC)
The grandson of boxing icon Muhammad Ali will make his professional debut on 14 August and says he is “honoured” to continue his grandfather’s “legacy”.
Nico Ali Walsh has signed with American promoter Bob Arum, who promoted 27 of his grandfather’s fights.
The 20-year-old will mix the start of his professional journey with a final year of study for a business degree.
“I am honoured to continue the fighting legacy that my grandfather started,” said Ali Walsh.
“It is a responsibility I don’t take lightly.” Read more
Tour de France cycle race to start from western city of Brest (RFI)
The three-week Tour starts on Saturday, with little hope of a home victory. The opening four stages in Brittany will be followed by an individual time trial and then the shortest and longest of 21 stages as the race crosses the Loire valley with its celebrated chateaux. The 3,414 km event will end in Paris on 18 July.
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar with Team UAE Emirates is the man to beat.
The defending champion won last year’s edition, overhauling long-time leader and fellow Slovenian Primoz Roglic on the 20th stage time-trial, producing the sporting upset of the year.
Twelve months on, Pogacar arrives at the start-line in Brest with two major victories already notched up this year . . . the one day Liege-Bastogne-Liege, and Italy’s coast-to-coast Tirreno-Adriatico. Read more
Anthony Joshua v Oleksandr Usyk set for 25 September, says Eddie Hearn (BBC)
Anthony Joshua’s world heavyweight title defence against Oleksandr Usyk will take place on 25 September, promoter Eddie Hearn has said.
Joshua, 31, will risk his IBF, WBA and WBO belts against the Ukrainian, who is his mandatory challenger.
Usyk has not challenged for a title at heavyweight but has held all four belts a division lower at cruiserweight.
Hearn revealed the date on Instagram. He has previously touted London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a venue. Read more
Joseph’s football dream ‘Locked Up’ in IDP Camp (Guardian)
Heading to the Home for the Needy Foundation Camp in Uhogua, Edo State, South-south Nigeria, a gigantic signboard with the inscription- International Center For Christian Mission, welcomes you into the community. Unlike the case with some other Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in some parts of Nigeria, the Home in Uhogua is in exclusive environment surrounded by green vegetation and mountains.
Without traffic bottleneck, the journey from the state capital, Benin City, through Siluko road, down to Ego market, takes about 30 minutes drive.
The IDP Camp, Uhogua, managed by the Home for the Needy Foundation, was initially for vulnerable children and orphans. It has been in place since 2007, but the insurgency of Boko Haram in North East Nigeria forced some other people to join them. Read more
Montreal Canadiens fans riot and flip over cop car following win to reach Stanley Cup Finals (RT)
Montreal Canadiens fans took part in the bizarre ritual that sees hockey lovers destroy their city after a big win, and were filmed smashing a police car in what was described as ‘not a good look’ for the Francophone metropolis.
Thanks to a 3-2 win in overtime over the Las Vegas Golden Knights, the Canadiens – known as the Habs – clinched the Western Conference Championship 4-2 in Game Six and will now play their first Stanley Cup final series in 28 years.
Celebrations spread from the Bell Center to the streets of Montreal and went on well into the night.Thousands of fans set off fireworks, fought and even attacked police officers with 15 arrested and two cops injured. Read more