Woman hires hoodlums to kidnap pastor, demands ransom (Punch)
Two suspected kidnappers have been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly abducting one Pastor Mapai Samuel of Zoe Family International Church, Odo-Eran, Abeokuta.
The suspected female kidnapper, Ibikunle Opeyemi, and her male colleague, Kadiri Jamiu, were arrested on Thursday following a distress call received by policemen at the Aregbe divisional headquarters.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement on Thursday, said two other suspects dressed in military camouflage escaped arrest.
He explained that the suspects carried out the operation on Wednesday around 8pm, but the two suspects were arrested on Thursday morning. Read more
Iyabo Ojo reacts to Baba Ijesha’s jail term over sexual assault (Vanguard)
Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo has reacted to the court verdict sentencing her colleague, Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha to 16 years jail term over sexual assault of a minor.
Vanguard reports that an Ikeja Special Offences Court found Baba Ijesha guilty of sexually molesting the foster of daughter of a comedienne, Damilola Adekoya, popularly called Princess.
Barely an hour that Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, on Thursday, delivered that the judgment would run concurrently, Princess reacted on Instagram page writing that “God is not man.”
Iyabo Ojo, who has been at the forefront of the case demanding justice for Princess’ daughter, took to Instagram dedicating the win to abused children and asking them to always speak out against such societal ill. Read more
2 arrested for vandalising rail tracks (DailyTrust)
Two suspects, Idowu Abiodun (24) and David Titus (24), who were arrested for vandalising rail tracks on the Lagos-Abeokuta axis, have confessed supplying stolen rail tracks to scrap dealers at Ido area of the state.
In their confessional statements, the suspects admitted removing iron parts from rail stations and other key public installations.
Titus said, “We remove the rail parts in such a way that will not be noticed by the maintenance team of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
“We sell them to scrap dealers at Ido. The buy per kilogramme. I won’t say it is hunger that pushed us into crime; it is greed.”
The Commissioner of Police, Railway Command, Yetunde Longe, said the suspects were first sighted by villagers at Alagada village in Abeokuta. Read more
Arrested at 17, scavenger cries for help from prison; suffered stroke (Vanguard)
Growing up in the streets of Ibadan, Oyo State, Ibrahim Sarafa didn’t have big dreams like his mates. Raised by a single mother with many other siblings after his father died, Sarafa could only manage to attend a local primary school which he never completed.
His chances of completing primary education and proceeding to secondary school were further dashed when his mother who later remarried into a polygamous home, died, leaving him and his siblings under the care of their stepfather.
At 14, Sarafa broke ranks with his second family, took to the streets and began to fend for himself.
A huge refuse dump in the Sabo area of Ibadan soon became his permanent residence as he joined other homeless children and scavengers to ransack the dumpsite for useful scraps to sell. The proceeds from selling scraps weren’t much but it was enough to keep him from hunger. Read more
2023: NBC warns broadcast stations against misuse of airwaves (Guardian)
As activities toward the 2023 general election gear up, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has urged broadcast stations to ensure that every news or current affairs programme conforms to the provisions of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, adding that they must exhibit necessary professionalism and take responsibility for the content they transmit.
The warning followed the Commission’s observation that different groups were misusing the airwaves to propagate incendiary material in some broadcasting stations in recent times.
A statement signed by the Director General of the Commission, Mallam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, stressed that every broadcasting station is responsible for the content it transmits and shall be held liable for any content in violation of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. Read more
Osun gov election: APC, PDP, others devise new vote-buying strategies (Punch)
In continuation of the illegal practice of vote-buying that has characterised elections in the country, many political parties participating in today’s governorship election in Osun State have devised new strategies to induce voters, findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed.
Our correspondents gathered that in spite of serial denials by the parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have concluded plans to pay between N2,000 and N10,000 per vote. It was also learnt that the parties had since Tuesday distributed the money to the wards and polling units to avoid being stopped by security agencies.
The PDP, it was learnt, planned to give N2,000 to any willing voter in neutral and friendly areas while the amount to be shared to each voter in hostile and very competitive areas could be as much as N5,000.
The “friendly” areas for the PDP are Ede North, Ede South, Oriade, Obokun, Boluwaduro and Orolu Local Government Areas. Read more
2023: Daura farm on my mind, says Buhari (DailyTrust)
President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his farm in Daura, handed to him by his forefathers, is the next thing on his mind after leaving office next year.
The President said this Friday in Daura while speaking to the elected Local Government Council chairmen from Katsina State.
He said his administration had taken various decisions including the closure of land borders for two years for the benefit of farmers who were the driving force of the rural economy, expressing happiness that these had worked well for the nation.
He commended the nation’s farmers for the record production of rice and other food commodities and expressed satisfaction that the agricultural policies of the administration were working to good effect. Read more
Foundation seeks N120m for fertility treatment of indigent couples (Guardian)
Lagos-based non-governmental organisation, Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation (IIF), is soliciting N120m to enable it finance the fertility treatments for 40 couples that do not have the means of fulfilling their dreams of parenthood.
The Foundation Chairman and Founder, Trinity House, Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, made this plea at a press conference to announce the third cycle of the foundation’s Project 40at40 in furtherance of its In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) grant.
Project 40at40 was borne after the death of Mrs. Ibidunni Olajumoke Ituah-Ighodalo, whose birthday wish was to give IVF grants to 40 couples on her 40th birthday.
Ituah-Ighodalo said the foundation, in collaboration with renowned fertility medical partners, had administered IVF treatments to 80 recipients since its inception, adding that 10 babies, including a set of triplets were delivered while others were currently undergoing their gestation period. Read more
Muslim-Muslim ticket: Tinubu ignores critics, submits INEC form (Punch)
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Friday, dashed the hopes of several Nigerians wishing that he would reconsider his stance on the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket by replacing former Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, with a northern Christian, as his running mate.
A source within Tinubu’s camp revealed hours to the deadline of the Independent National Electoral Commission that the APC standard-bearer had shunned all entreaties to drop Shettima.
Tinubu, who is a southern Muslim, had incurred the wrath of the Christian Association of Nigerian, some party members and political stakeholders when he announced Shettima, a northern Muslim, as the ‘special one,’ to be his running mate.
He broke the news to journalists after his closed-door meeting with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at his residence in Daura, Katsina State during the Sallah break. Read more
Ivana Trump died of blunt force injuries from accidentally falling down stairs (Metro)
Ivana Trump, former President Donald Trump’s first wife, died of blunt force injuries to her torso from falling down stairs, a medical examiner has ruled.
The cause of Ivana’s death was ‘blunt impact trauma’ and the manner of her death was an ‘accident’, a spokeswoman for New York City’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner announced on Friday afternoon.
‘Having released this determination, OCME will not comment further on the investigation,’ the spokeswoman said a day after Ivana’s death.
Toxicology reports and details around what happened before the fall have not been revealed. Read more
Biden raises Khashoggi murder with Saudi prince (BBC)
US President Joe Biden says he raised the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Mr Biden is in Saudi Arabia to rebuild relations, having previously promised to make the country a “pariah” over its human rights record.
He said he had made it clear the killing in 2018 was “vitally important to me and the United States”.
But he also said the two countries reached agreements on other issues.
Mr Biden’s visit has been criticised as validating the Saudi government following the murder of the US-based Saudi dissident journalist Khashoggi in October 2018 at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. Read more
Megan Fox jokes she doesn’t exercise with photo of her six-pack abs (PageSix)
She’s got jokes!
Incredibly fit Megan Fox took to Instagram Friday to post a photo of her rocking the neon green two-piece she wore to fiancé Machine Gun Kelly’s latest show.
Despite the fact that the actress’ six-pack abs and perfectly toned arms were on full display in the shot, Fox facetiously captioned the image, “I don’t exercise. If God had wanted me to bend over, he would have put diamonds on the floor.”
In the comments section, Kelly dropped three diamond emojis, likely hoping his equally sexual twin flame would bend over to pick them up.
The words were first spoken by late comedian Joan Rivers, whose long career was packed with self-deprecating jabs. Read more
Ukraine rockets ‘significantly’ reducing Russian attack potential (AlJazeera)
Ukrainian rocket attacks have destroyed more than 30 Russian military logistics centres in recent weeks and significantly reduced Russia’s attacking potential, Ukraine’s defence ministry spokesperson said.
The official, Oleksandr Motuzianyk, on Friday singled out the role played by US-produced HIMARS rocket systems, one of several types of long-range weapons supplied by the West to help Ukraine fight back against Russia.
“In the last weeks, over 30 of the enemy’s military logistical facilities have been destroyed, as a result of which the attacking potential of Russian forces has been significantly reduced,” Motuzianyk said on national television.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, has captured a chunk of territory in southern Ukraine and used its artillery supremacy in the east to make gradual territorial gains, eventually capturing the Luhansk region. Read more
UK to get fourth Covid jab roll-out as new cases rise dramatically again (Metro)
Everyone over the age of 50 will be offered a Covid-19 booster and flu jab this autumn, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced.
This is a change from previous guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which recommended that those older than 65 be offered the vaccinations.
It comes after the committee considered the spread of the BA.4 and BA.5 variants, as well as the benefits of combining the booster rollout with the flu vaccine rollout.
Experts hope expanding the offer will provide necessary protection to those at higher risk of severe illness and keep greater numbers of people out of hospital. Read more
Black man was shot 46 times by US police – autopsy (BBC)
A 25-year-old black man killed by Ohio police last month had 46 gunshot wounds or graze injuries on his body, an autopsy report has found.
The medical examiner said it was impossible to know which bullet killed Jayland Walker, or how many shots were fired in total.
The report comes two days after hundreds mourned his death in the city of Akron, which remains on edge.
Officials have announced a curfew on Friday night amid near-daily protests.
According to the medical examiner, Walker sustained serious injuries to his heart, lungs and arteries in the 27 June shooting in the city of Akron. Read more
Ricky Martin denies shocking claims of incestuous relationship with nephew (PageSix)
Ricky Martin is denying a family member’s shocking allegations that he was in an incestuous relationship with his nephew for seven months.
The “Livin’ La Vida Loca” singer’s lawyer, Marty Singer, told Deadline in a statement Friday that Martin never had “any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with his nephew.”
The statement continued, “Unfortunately, the person who made this claim is struggling with deep mental health challenges. Ricky Martin has, of course, never been — and would never be — involved in any kind of sexual or romantic relationship with his nephew. The idea is not only untrue, it is disgusting.
“We all hope that this man gets the help he so urgently needs. But, most of all, we look forward to this awful case being dismissed as soon as a judge gets to look at the facts.” Read more
Kalidou Koulibaly sends farewell message to Napoli fans ahead of Chelsea transfer (Metro)
Kalidou Koulibaly has sent an emotional farewell message to Napoli fans ahead of confirmation of his impending move to Chelsea.
The Senegal international has carved out a reputation as one of world football’s most dominant central defenders during his six years with the Serie A club.
Koulibably has regularly been linked with a move to the Premier League in recent years with Liverpool, Manchester United and his soon-to-be new club coveting him in the past.
Now 31 years old, Koulibaly feels the time is now ideal to test himself in England where he will immediately become a key part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans given the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen earlier this summer. Read more
Ronaldo rejects huge £275m offer in Saudi Arabia (Guardian)
Manchester United have agreed a £63.5m deal with Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong, but there is still no guarantee the move will go ahead.
Senior club figures have travelled to Barcelona to try to push through a deal for the Netherlands midfielder, 25.
They now know what they have to pay for manager Erik ten Hag’s key target, with the agreed deal equating to a bigger up-front payment and £8.5m in add-ons.
However, the player’s dispute with Barcelona is threatening the move.
The contractual disagreement centres on deferred payments that were included in the playmaker’s new four-year deal that only became active on 1 July. Read more
Relegation battles down-to-the- wire as 2022 NPFL season ends (DailyTrust)
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the 2022 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season will come to an intriguing end on Sunday, July 17 with week 38 matches scheduled to be played across the country.
While Rivers United are set to be crowned champions at the end of their match against Gombe United at the Yakubu Gowon stadium in Port-Harcourt, the duo of Remo Stars and Kwara United will be up against Niger Tornadoes and Heartland as they make the final push for the available CAF Confederation Cup ticket.
Interestingly, only one point separates third placed Remo Stars and Kwara United in the race for the continent. While Remo have 59 points from 37 matches, Kwara United have 58 points from the same number of matches.
As a matter of fact, after the trio of Rangers, Enyimba and Akwa United fell out of the race for the CAF Confederation Cup ticket, it became a straight fight between Remo Stars and Kwara United. Read more
I don’t blame Kante and Loftus-Cheek – Tuchel (BBC)
Manager Thomas Tuchel “doesn’t blame” N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek for missing Chelsea’s United States tour because of their vaccination status.
Tuchel says the duo, who were unable to travel to the US as they are not fully vaccinated, will be ready for the new season despite missing the trip.
“We don’t blame people and don’t put the finger on them,” said Tuchel.
The midfielders will miss a week of pre-season training with the squad in Los Angeles and three friendlies.
The Blues face Mexico’s Club America in Las Vegas on 17 July, Charlotte FC at their Bank of America Stadium on 21 July and Arsenal in Orlando on 23 July. Read more
Lisandro Martinez boards private jet to Manchester ahead of signing £120,000-a-week deal (Metro)
Lisandro Martinez has touched down in the UK ahead of his move to Manchester United, with the Ajax star set to sign a five-year deal worth £120,000-a-week.
After long and protracted negotiations, the Eredivisie champions finally accepted a £46million offer from United on Thursday.
While the deal is still not quite official, Martinez has been given permission to fly to Manchester to undergo a medical and pen to paper on his new contract.
On Friday evening, he was pictured at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport along with a horde of luggage getting ready to board a private jet bound for the UK. Read more
Nimrod tasks coaches on volleyball development at grassroots (Guardian)
Sponsor of Nimrod6Nineteen Talent Hunt, Musa Nimrod, has charged volleyball coaches across the country to meaningfully engage youths in their various communities and spread the news of the sport in schools.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of the event at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium (ABS), Kaduna State, Nimrod, who is also president, Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF), revealed that in the past, the country had players like Tony Oghuma, Thomas Aroko, Dennis Eleri, Emmanuel Jatto and many others, adding, however, that since the legends retired, their positions have remained vacant.
He advised coaches to visit schools in various locations to identify and recruit six feet-plus players to volleyball.
“I am using this medium to call on volleyball coaches in the country to engage our youths through volleyball. You will discover these days that most children are not interested in sporting activities and the only way to bring their minds back is by going to schools and identifying new talents. Read more
Andy Murray beaten by Alexander Bublik in Hall of Fame Open quarter-finals (BBC)
Andy Murray’s grass-court season ended with defeat by Alexander Bublik in the Hall of Fame Open quarter-finals.
The Briton lost 7-5 6-4 to the Kazakh in what was their fourth meeting of the season.
Murray overturned an early break in the second set but Bublik won four of the final five games to secure victory.
World number 52 Murray is set to appear at the Citi Open later in July as part of his preparations for the US Open starting at the end of August.
In the first set, Murray threw his racquet into the net after a double fault and then a fine backhand winner by Bublik gave the Kazakh world number 42 a crucial break. Read more
