Woman dies in Lagos church during childbirth, prophetess arrested (Punch)
A prophetess, Evelyn Owoleke, has been arrested in connection with the death of one Seun Olorunto during childbirth at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Bayo Ajao Street, in the Aboru area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Olorunto was to be delivered of her baby in the church but allegedly bled to death.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said in a statement on Sunday that Olorunto was found in a pool of her own blood when detectives visited the church, adding that the corpse had been deposited in a mortuary and the baby taken to hospital.
Elkana stated, “On May 4, 2020, around 7.50pm, one Olaloye Jolayemi of Ologundudu Street, Aboru, reported at the Oke-Odo Police Station that on May 4, 2020, around 10am, one Seun Olorunto, 39, died after she was delivered of a baby boy by one Prophetess Evelyn Owoleke at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church on Bayo Ajao Street, Aboru. Read more
Imminent building collapse: LASEMA seals off building, evacuates residents in Lagos Island (Vanguard)
Barely 48 hours after a similar incident occurred, men of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, on Sunday, prevented what could have resulted in a building collapse of a three-storey building when they evacuated an unspecified number of residents from a defective building in Lagos Island.
Recall that LASEMA had earlier on Friday, evacuated and relocated residents of number 7, Sule Close, Apapa Iganmu, Local Council Development Council, LCDA, following intelligence report of a suspected defective three-storey building.
Director General of LASEMA, Dr. Femi Oke-Osayintolu, on Sunday, confirmed the sealing of another visibly defective building, located at number 17, Obadina Street, Lagos Island (Dosunmu House). Read more
Police arrest 16 suspected cult members in Lagos (Guardian)
The Police Command in Lagos have arrested 10 suspected cult members in the state.
The suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Special Strike Force on Social Miscreants at Ogunmuyiwa St, Itire based on credible information about their activities.
Bala Elkana, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, made the disclosure in a statement, on Sunday in Lagos.
According to him, the operatives got an intelligence report on April 8, 2020 at about 2000 hours, that the suspected cultists were operating in the Itire area. Read more
LASG shuts hotel, club for contravening COVID-19 guidelines (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has shut a hotel and a club in the Badagry West Local Council Development Area for alleged contravention of the new guidelines issued by the government to operators of hotels, clubs and other entertainment outfits in the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr Solomon Bonu, in a statement on Sunday, said the affected facilities, Maggi Hotel and Tambari Theatre Art (night club) opened for business in defiance to government’s directives.
“It was also discovered that there was a high level of immorality going on in those places. The night club had become home for strippers, drug barons and all sorts of mischief,” Bonu added. Read more
Teenager disappears from Lagos orphanage (Nation)
The police in Lagos have commenced investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a teenager Daniel Michael from an orphanage home in Ikotun.
Michael, 15, was said to have gone missing on April 30 at the Finger of God Orphanage Home, Governor’s Road, Ikotun.
His sudden disappearance was said to have been noticed around 7am on April 30 but was reported at Ikotun Division on May 4 by one Ernest Madu, after all efforts to look for him failed. Read more
Sanwo-Olu pays tribute to late Justice Oluwa (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed heartfelt condolence to the family of the late Justice Isiaka Oluwa, who passed away at the age of 102 years.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement on Sunday, described Justice Oluwa as Godly, disciplined, courageous and loyal in his stewardship to the judiciary.
He said that the contributions of the Justice, prior to his retirement from the Bench in 1983, would always be recognised and acknowledged by members of the judiciary, especially the State High Court, which he served for many meritorious years. Read more
Passer-by burnt to death in Ogun tanker fire (Punch)
An unidentified female passer-by was on Saturday burnt to death in a petroleum product tanker fire in the Lotto area of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The crash involved three vehicles – a truck, a petrol-laden tanker and a passenger bus.
The Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the crash on Sunday.
Akinbiyi explained that the accident occurred around 8.03pm. Read more
Outrage over Wike’s demolition of multi-million naira hotels (Nation)
Condemnation on Sunday greeted the demolition of two hotels by the Rivers State government in Port Harcourt for allegedly flouting the lockdown rules.
Activisist, lawyers and opinion leaders in the state faulted the action, which Governor Nyesom Wike personally supervised as “unfair.”
Wike had vowed to pull down hotels found to be rendering services and buildings whose shops opened for business during the lockdown. Read more
We have enough forex, CBN tells investors (DailyTrust)
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has told investors not to panic, saying the CBN has enough foreign exchange to meet repatriation. He also assured them of the security of their investments in the country despite dwindling revenue from the sale of crude oil globally. A statement yesterday from the CBN quoted Emefiele as saying that “investors interested in repatriating their funds from the country were guaranteed to get their money, notwithstanding the drop in the revenue from crude oil.” He said the CBN had put in place policies to ensure an orderly exit for those that might be interested in doing so. Read more
Colombian airline Avianca files for bankruptcy in US court (BBC)
Colombia’s national airline, Avianca, has filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court.
The carrier is the second-largest in Latin America, but its passenger operations have been grounded since March because of coronavirus.
It said the pandemic had cut more than 80% of its income, and it was struggling with high fixed costs.
If it fails to come out of bankruptcy, Avianca will be the first major airline to go under amid the pandemic.
In a statement, the firm said it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a court in New York. Read more
Colorado restaurant opens on Mother’s Day despite coronavirus restrictions (NYPost)
A Colorado restaurant defied the state’s coronavirus restrictions on Mother’s Day by opening up its dining room to dozens of maskless diners.
Customers at Cookies & Creme in Castle Rock — some of whom waited two hours to be seated — were also packed together closer than the recommended six feet distance, according to a video shot by Nick Puckett of Colorado Community Media.
The owner of the restaurant, April Arelleno, welcomed the crowd and thanked her supporters in a video statement to news station CBS4. Read more
Pence’s office denies he’s self-isolating over Covid-19 fears (RT)
Spokesperson for Vice President Mike Pence has refuted media reports the official was planning to enter self-quarantine after one of his aids tested positive for the coronavirus.
“Vice President Pence will continue to follow the advice of the White House Medical Unit & is not in quarantine. Additionally, VP Pence has tested negative every single day & plans to be at the White House tomorrow,” Pence spokesperson Devin O’Malley said Sunday, shortly after Bloomberg reported that he would be staying away from public duties after one of his advisers tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday
Pence has announced several times that he has tested negative for the coronavirus, and the latest report says he again got a negative result on Sunday. Read more
Angelina Jolie says her mum’s life ‘changed’ due to her dad’s affair (Metro)
Angelina Jolie has shared some heartbreaking truths about her family life, recalling how her father Jon Voight’s affair ‘changed’ her mother’s life. The Maleficent actress has penned an honest piece for The New York Times in honour of Mother’s Day in the US on 10 May. Sadly, Angelina’s mother Marcheline Bertrand died in 2007 at the age of 56 following a battle with ovarian cancer.
Angelina, now 44, writes. ‘When I look back to that time, I can see how much her death changed me. It was not sudden, but so much shifted inside. Losing a mother’s love and warm, soft embrace is like having someone rip away a protective blanket.’ Read more
Migrant lives at risk as rescues on Mediterranean sea come to halt (VOA)
UN agencies are warning migrants and refugees crossing the central Mediterranean Sea risk losing their lives if European nations continue to prevent search and rescue vessels from saving those in distress.
The UN human rights office expresses alarm at recent reports of rescue boats failing to assist migrants in trouble on the central Mediterranean Sea, considered to be one of the deadliest migration routes in the world.
The agency deplores the coordinated pushback of migrant boats by nations and by hard-nosed policies by some European countries intent on preventing private humanitarian search and rescue vessels from supporting migrants in distress. Read more
Covid-19: UK’s Johnson announces phased easing of lockdown (France24)
Britain will begin easing some coronavirus lockdown measures this week, but most will stay in place until at least June 1, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, as he unveiled cautious plans to lift restrictions imposed seven weeks ago.
“This is not the time simply to end the lockdown this week,” he said in a televised address but added that some primary school children could return and shops re-open from June 1.
Johnson said some public places could re-open from July 1 but warned air passengers travelling to Britain faced quarantine measures. Read more
COVID-19: Nwakali allays fear over stint with Huesca (Nation)
Erstwhile Golden Eaglets’ captain Kelechi Nwakali said his career with Portuguese side Huesca is still on track despite some outrageous claims as he enthused about what lies ahead on football return following the Coronavirus pandemic.
Nwakali who joined Spanish Segunda Division side SD Huesca on a three-year deal from FC Porto B as a loanee from Arsenal last , has been heavily criticised for lack of consistency.
But the Golden Ball winner at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile said he has started enjoying a new lease of life in Spain.
“Most of things people write about me are not even true,” the 21-year-old Nwakali told NationSport. Read more
Rivers United eying NPFL title despite coronavirus setback (DailyTrust)
Despite the setback caused by the suspension of the Nigeria Professional Football League due to the coronavirus pandemic, second placed Rivers United are still confident of lifting the league title. The General Manager of the club Okey Kpalukwu has said with the unflinching support from their front-of-shirt sponsor, Eunisell, they would achieve their ambition. He said the Port Harcourt-based club is in the running to win the league title this season and they have put every measure in place to keep their players on their toes despite an enforced break by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more
Project Restart: Premier League facing decisive week over season resumption (BBC)
The Premier League is set for a decisive few days in establishing whether it is possible to resume and complete the current season.
Club officials will meet on Monday to continue talks on Project Restart.
Prime minister Boris Johnson did not mention professional sport in unveiling plans to reopen society on Sunday.
The government is expected to announce on Monday that some elite athletes can start an initial phase of restricted group training later this week. Read more
Ighalo not worth £20m – Neville (Punch)
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has advised the club against spending £20m on striker, Odion Ighalo.
The ex-Super Eagles striker, who is on loan from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua, has been in good form since moving to England in the January transfer window.
He has scored four goals for United in eight appearances in all competitions.
This form has seen United considering him for a permanent deal after the expiration of his loan in June. Read more
German football chief insists league will restart as planned despite entire team entering self-isolation after coronavirus tests (RT)
Plans for the top two tiers of German football to return next weekend remain in place says the league’s CEO, despite the entire squad of Bundesliga 2 club Dynamo Dresden being quarantined for the next two weeks.
Dresden’s playing staff was sent home and told to remain in self-isolation after two members of the squad tested positive for coronavirus, meaning that the club are not in a position to play their fixture against Hannover on May 17 and against Furth a week after that. Read more
Evander Holyfield challenges Mike Tyson to trilogy fight (Metro)
Evander Holyfield insists he is ready to come out of retirement and fight fellow heavyweight legend Mike Tyson for a third time. Iron Mike teased his possible return last month after he posted a clip on Instagram which hinted he still boasts some of the ferocious punching power and lightning fast hand speed which made him one of the most feared boxers in the history of the sport. Tyson, now 53, subsequently revealed he intends to fight four round exhibition bouts in a bid to raise money for charity and has been linked with a string of opponents including the likes of Shannon Briggs and All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams. Read more