Entertainment

‘Astounding’ Roman statues unearthed at Norman church ruins on route of HS2

Statues of a Roman man, woman and child have been uncovered by archaeologists at an abandoned medieval church on the route of the HS2 high-speed railway.

The discovery was “utterly astounding”, according to Rachel Wood, the lead archaeologist at the site in Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire. “They’re really rare finds in the UK,” she said.

“The statues are exceptionally well preserved, and you really get an impression of the people they depict – literally looking into the faces of the past is a unique experience.”

A hexagonal glass Roman jug was also uncovered. Despite being in the ground for what is thought to be more than 1,000 years, large pieces were intact. The only known comparable item is a vessel on display in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The statues were unearthed at the ruins of a Norman church, where a team of archaeologists has been working for the past six months.

Saint Mary’s church was built in 1080, and renovated in the 13th, 14th and 17th centuries. It was abandoned in 1880, and demolished in 1966 after being declared dangerous. Its ruins became overgrown with vegetation.

In May, archaeologists and engineers began removing the remaining structure of the church and excavating the burial ground that was in use for 900 years, with the last recorded interment in 1908.

Experts believe the location was used as a Roman mausoleum before the Norman church was built. About 3,000 bodies have been removed and will be reburied at a new site.

Wood said the discovery of the statues and jug “leads us to wonder what else might be buried beneath England’s medieval village churches. This has truly been a once in a lifetime site and we are all looking forward to hearing what more the specialists can tell us about these incredible statues and the history of the site before the construction of the Norman church.”

They have been sent to a laboratory for specialist cleaning and analysis.

More than 1,000 archaeologists have worked at more than 60 sites along the HS2 route between London and the West Midlands over the past three years.

At Saint James’s Garden near Euston station in central London, more than 50,000 skeletons were exhumed from a burial ground. In Birmingham, more than 6,500 skeletons were uncovered from an 18th-century cemetery.

Archaeologists began work on the 150-mile route in 2018.

Mike Court, the lead archaeologist at HS2, said the Roman statues found at Stoke Mandeville were “just some of the incredible artefacts uncovered between London and the West Midlands”.

He added: “HS2’s unprecedented archaeology programme has given us new insights into Britain’s history, providing evidence of where and how our ancestors lived.”

Entertainment

AMVCA 2025: Full winners list

The 11th Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards spotlighted some of the most outstanding talents in African film.

Seven Doors and Lisabi: The Uprising led the night, with Femi Adebayo and Chioma Chukwuka winning Best Lead Actor and Actress respectively, while Adedimeji Lateef and Adebimpe Oyebade Adedimeji’s Lisabi clinched Best Indigenous Language Film.

Full Winners List
Best Movie:
Freedom Way — Blessing Uzzi

Best Indigenous Language (West Africa):
Lisabi: The Uprising — Adedimeji Lateef and Adebimpe Oyebade Adedimeji

Best Lead Actor:
Seven Doors — Femi Adebayo

Best Lead Actress:
Seven Doors — Chioma Chukwuka

Best Supporting Actor:
Inside Life — Gabriel Afolayan

Best Supporting Actress:
Farmer’s Bride — Mercy Aigbe

Best Cinematography:
The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos — Leo Purman

Best Sound Design:
Suspicion — Michael Botha and Olaosebikan Okonrende

Best Editing:
Inkabi — Tongai Furusa

Best Score/Music:
Seven Doors — Tolu Obanro

Best Art Direction:
Lisabi: The Uprising — Solihull Badu Noutical and Ayanmo Yakub

Best Make-Up:
Lisabi: The Uprising — Hakeem Onilogbo

Best Writer (Movie):
Freedom Way — Blessing Uzzi

Best Costume Design:
Christmas in Lagos — Adedamola Adeyemi

Best Writing (TV Series):
Untying Kantai — Abel Mutua Musyoka

Best Documentary:
Dundun — Ifeoluwa Fatogun and Ebi Atawodi

Best Series (Scripted):
Inside Life — Clarence Peters

Best Director:
The Man Died — Awam Amkpa

Trailblazer Award:
Kayode Kasum

Industry Merit Awards:
Sani Mu’azu and Nkem Owoh

The ceremony balanced celebration of emerging creatives with recognition of Nollywood legends, marking another defining year in African cinema.

Entertainment

Comedian AY Makun confirms EFCC invitation

One Nigeria’s top comedians, Ayo ‘AY’ Makun, has confirmed he was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, earlier this week for the public spraying of local and foreign currencies.

AY took to Instagram to share the videos of the incident that led to his invitation.

He then urged Nigerians to respect the Naira and also foreign currencies by giving money responsibly at events.

“I am grateful to God for His mercy and guidance. On Monday, I was invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) regarding an incident involving the public spraying of both local and foreign currencies — an act that has been classified as an offense related to the abuse of the Naira,” AY wrote.

“I want to sincerely thank the EFCC and all authorities involved for their understanding and for granting me pardon based on confirmation that the money being sprayed is not linked to the proceeds of crime or any form of illicit funds.

He added: “To my friends, family, and the general public: We all know that spraying money at public events is a practice common in Nigerian celebrations, especially during weddings, funerals, and parties. It is generally considered a cultural tradition rather than a criminal act. But let me attach some slides to this post on the DOS AND DON’T.

“It is important to understand that mutilating or abusing the Naira — whether by spraying, tearing, defacing, or mishandling—is not just a cultural practice but also a violation of Nigerian law. Such acts undermine the integrity of our national currency and can have serious legal consequences.”

Entertainment

‘VeryDarkMan will soon be charged to court’ – EFCC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday confirmed that social critic, Martins Ortse aka VeryDarkMan, will soon be charged to court.

EFCC spokesman, Dele Oyewale said VDM as he is popularly called was arrested due to multiple petitions against him.

Speaking to BBC News Pidgin, Oyewale said VeryDarkMan was taken into custody following complaints from several petitioners on the allegation of cyberstalking.

He said, “We arrested him to respond to a series of allegations raised against him by some petitioners.

“We will release him when he meets the bail conditions and we will take the case to court as soon as possible. We are law-abiding.”

When asked if the case was connected to Guaranty Trust Bank, Oyewale noted that the petitions were from different individuals and the agency owed them a duty of protection.

VDM was arrested on Friday, by the EFCC over an undisclosed offense.

Before his arrest, the social critic had announced his visit to one of the GTBank branches in Abuja, to complain about an alleged deduction from his mother’s account.

Following his arrest, the activist was said to have been manhandled by operatives of the anti-graft agency.