Black Good Friday in Rivers as gunmen attack, kill cop (Vanguard)
The Good Friday in Port Harcourt turned sore as gunmen invaded part of the oil-rich city and killed a policeman.
It was gathered that the unidentified gunmen had stormed the Marine Base area of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of the state and attacked a police checking point.
It was also learned that the furious bandits gunned down the cop in the process before fleeing. Read more
Man tortured to death for stealing N2,000 watermelons in Bauchi (Punch)
Four people have been arrested for allegedly torturing a suspected watermelon thief to death in Bauchi, the Police has said.
Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Command, Ahmed Wakil, disclosed this in a media statement made available to journalists in the State.
He said that the deceased was caught after allegedly stealing seven watermelons valued at N2,000 from a summer farm in Dallaji Village, Tudin Wada Ward in Warji Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
Wakil, a Superintendent of Police said: “On the 29th March 2023 at about 10.00am, one Ado Sanya, male (40) of Dallaji village Tudun Wada Ward, Warji LGA, reported at Warji Divisional Police Headquarters that on the same date at about 1.20am, one Ibrahim Hashimu, male, criminally trespass into the farmland of one Mohammed Garba, male, of the same address and stole some watermelons. Read more
Easter: Emulate Jesus Christ’s virtues — Sanwo-Olu urges residents (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged residents, particularly Christians to emulate Jesus Christ’s virtues of humility, perseverance and compassion, which made Him die on the cross for the atonement of our sins and reconcile us with God.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, in his Easter Message, issued on Friday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile rejoiced with Nigerians, particularly Christian faithful and residents of the State as they celebrate and urged all to continue to live in peace, love and harmony with believers in other faiths, noting that good neighbourliness, selflessness, patience, and love were among the several lessons taught and exemplified by our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Governor also implored Nigerians, particularly, Christians to use the occasion to seek the face of God for continuous peace in Lagos State and Nigeria, especially as the country begins the transition from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to the President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Read more
Gunmen kill at least 46 people in attack on rural village in Nigeria (Guardian)
Forty-six bodies have been found after gunmen attacked a rural village in northern-central Nigeria, local government officials said.
The attack happened on Wednesday in the Umogidi community in Benue State, where tit-for-tat clashes are common between nomadic herders and settled farmers competing for land and resources.
“The 46 casualties were from the bodies of victims found and retrieved. Many people are still missing, so number of those killed may be higher,” Paul Hemba, a security adviser to the Benue State governor, said on Friday. Read more
Court remands man for raping minor in Lagos (Punch)
A 21-year-old man, Onyeka Ubaka, was on Thursday, remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre by an Ikeja Magistrate’s court sitting at the Ogba Area of Lagos State, for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a teenager, Favour Togbe, in the Ilasamaja part of Lagos State.
Magistrate E. Kubenje made the order after the defendant who is facing one-charge bordering on rape preferred against him by the police was arraigned.
The police prosecutor, DSP K. Ajayi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence in March, 2023. Read more
Enugu APC expels ex-governor Chime, others (Nation)
All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State has announced the expulsion of a former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime.
Also expelled is the Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, former Enugu House of Assembly Speaker Eugene Odo, an aide to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Flavour Eze, Mr. Joe Mmamel and Mr. Maduka Arum.
Similarly, the party suspended former Senate President Ken Nnamani and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama. Read more
PDP, Adebutu drag INEC, APC, Gov. Abiodun before tribunal (Guardian)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun and its governorship candidate at the March 18 election, Mr Ladi Adebutu filed a petition against the outcome of the election on Friday in Abeokuta.
Announcing the result of the election on March 19, INEC declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gov. Dapo Abiodun as winner having polled 276,298 votes against Adebutu’s 262,383 votes.
In the petition filed on Friday, the PDP and Adebutu listed INEC, APC and Gov. Abiodun as the first, second and third respondents, respectively. Read more
Taraba LG Chair where youths beat chief resigns over killing (DailyTrust)
The Chairman of Ussa LGA of Taraba State, Abershi Musa, has resigned his position over the failure of the Taraba State Government to stop the killing of people in the local government by suspected herdsmen.
Musa specifically accused Governor Darius Ishaku of failure to take action on the killing of people in Ussa LGA.
Musa’s resignation was contained in a letter dated March 5, 2023, which he addressed to Gov Ishaku.
He told journalists that he resigned from office because he could not continue to see his people being killed on a daily basis without any action taken by Governor Ishaku who was the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of the state. Read more
Whitney Houston returns to Billboard’s Gospel Chart after more than a quarter century away (Forbes)
It’s been over a decade since Whitney Houston passed away suddenly and tragically, leaving behind a legacy of iconic music. Since then, her work has continued to perform on a handful of Billboard charts, but for the most part, the focus has been on her biggest hits.Now, with the release of a new compilation, the late superstar returns to one Billboard list after a very lengthy absence.
Houston’s new posthumous collection, I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston, was released a little over a week ago and has already made waves on the charts. The religious set narrowly misses on conquering the Top Gospel Albums ranking, opening at No. 2. It comes in behind only Kanye West’s Donda, which remains largely untouchable, even though it’s been present on the list for years at this point.
I Go to the Rock: The Gospel Music of Whitney Houston is only the singer’s second title to place on the Top Gospel Albums tally. Her only other charting entity is the soundtrack that accompanied her film The Preacher’s Wife. That project debuted on the ranking in 1996–a whopping 27 years ago–and peaked at No. 1. Read more
The truth about why Jay-Z doesn’t like being filmed (HipHopHero)
Jay-Z is widely regarded as one of the best rappers of all time. The Brooklyn lyricist (real name Shawn Carter) has been a dominant force in the industry since the late 1990s. With his exceptional ability to adapt, the 4:44 hitmaker managed to stay relevant and exciting in the music business for over two decades and, as such, is a highly respected figure.
Aside from his music, Carter remained a high-profile figure due to his various business ventures and compelling relationship with Beyoncé, who is considered by many to be one of the greatest entertainers alive. However, although he has been blessed with fame and droves of intrigued fans, Jay-Z isn’t necessarily too fond of being in the public eye and especially doesn’t like being on camera.
Jay-Z has been around for much longer than most people think, and although his heyday is considered the late ’90s and early 2000s, Carter was rapping long before the turn of the millennium. Read more
Randy Johnson’s photography on display at Cooperstown art gallery during baseball season (USAToday)
Randy Johnson’s Hall of Fame plaque for his baseball career is a permanent fixture in Cooperstown, New York. The next big exhibit in tribute to Johnson’s work is temporary, but still a testament to his passion.
And it’s just up the road from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
An exhibit of the former star pitcher’s photography is on display at the Fenimore Art Museum. The exhibit is centered around Johnson’s trips to East Africa, Kenya and Rwanda, where he captured images of people and unique wildlife.
The exhibit, entitled “Randy Johnson: Storytelling with Photographs,” features 30 large prints and runs April 1 through Sept. 17. It is the former Arizona Diamondbacks ace’s first-ever solo exhibition. Read more
Israel launches airstrikes in Lebanon and Gaza Strip after biggest rocket salvo since 2006 (Guardian)
Israeli jets hit sites in Lebanon and Gaza early on Friday, in retaliation for rocket attacks it blamed on the Islamist group Hamas, as tensions following police raids on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem this week threatened to spiral out of control.
Two explosions were heard in Gaza late on Thursday. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted but Israel said its jets hit targets including tunnels and weapons manufacturing sites of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the blockaded southern coastal strip.
“Israel’s response, tonight and later, will exact a significant price from our enemies,” prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said following a security cabinet meeting to discuss what the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) described as the biggest rocket salvo since the 2006 war into northern Israel. Most of the 34 projectiles were intercepted, but there were two minor injuries and a fire. Read more
Daisy Ridley returning as Rey in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Steven Knight ‘‘Star Wars’’ movie (Deadline)
Daisy Ridley is to reprise her role as Rey in the upcoming Star Wars movie directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, while Dave Filoni and James Mangold will helm other films in the franchise.
The news was revealed at the Star Wars Celebration in London this morning, which saw a guest appearance from Ridley. Her movie from Obaid-Chinoy, penned by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, will be set after the events of her previous movie in the franchise, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, and as she builds a new Jedi Order. Damon Lindelof and Justin Britt-Gibson were previously attached. Scroll down for footage of her Star Wars Celebration appearance.
Meanwhile, Dave Filoni and James Mangold will helm the other two new movies in the franchise, one of which will be centered on the dawn of the Jedi and the other on the New Republic. Read more
The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey lands next lead movie role (DigitalSpy)
The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey has been cast as the lead in a new period drama titled ‘‘Monstrous Beauty.’’
Written and directed by Romola Garai, whose acting credits include Atonement and Suffragette, production is due to commence in September with Dominic West (The Crown), Fiona Shaw (Andor) and Ruth Negga (Agents of SHIELD) also onboard as key characters.
Ramsey is set to play the aspiring playwright of King Charles II’s court, Barbara Field, whose rare condition renders her whole body hairy (via Deadline). Read more
Tennessee statehouse expels Democrats for gun control protest (BBC)
The Tennessee state house has expelled two Democratic politicians who led a gun control protest that halted legislative proceedings last week.
In a rare move, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted 72-25 to expel Justin Jones and 69-26 to remove Justin Pearson.
But an expulsion vote failed against a third Democratic lawmaker, Gloria Johnson, who joined the demonstration. Read more
Olarinoye appointed to Athletes Commission (Sun)
Nigerian weightlifter, Adenike Olarinoye, has been appointed as member of the Athlete’s Commission of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA).
A statement from Tony Nezianya, Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) on Thursday said the appointment was approved at an ANOCA forum held in Algiers, Algeria.
Nezianya also quoted NOC Secretary-General, Tunde Poopola, in a congratulatory message that Olarinoye’s exploit in weightlifting earned her the international appointment. Read more
NUGA to present 100 athletes at China 2023 World Universities Games (Guardian)
NUGA’s Acting Secretary General, Chidiebere Ezeani, who spoke in Abuja, yesterday, said the Games present an opportunity for Nigerian students to showcase talents on a global stage and bring glory to the nation.
The World University Games, also known as the Universiade, is a multi-sport event that is held every two years, bringing together student-athletes from around the world to compete for honours in a variety of sports.
The 2023 event is expected to attract over 10,000 participants from 170 countries. Read more
Edo drums support for Insurance against Kwara (Punch)
The Edo State Government has called on fans to come out in their numbers as Bendel Insurance take on Kwara United on Saturday at the Sam Ogbemudia Stadium in the ongoing Nigerian Premier Football League.
Insurance are currently four points clear at the top of the table after 12 matches and remain the only team yet to taste defeat this season after 12 matches.
Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, in a statement on Thursday, called on residents of Benin City to support their club at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium. Read more
Bayern hope Mane can find himself at familiar foe Freiburg (France24)
Fresh from knocking Bayern Munich out of the German Cup, Freiburg will hope to again spoil the party against the same opponents on Saturday, this time at home.
Bayern lacked firepower in Freiburg’s 2-1 win at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, with their goal coming from centre-back Dayot Upamecano.
Star summer arrival Sadio Mane’s drought in front of goal continues to frustrate the German champions. Read more
FIFA freezes fund for Indonesia’s football association after U-20 World Cup furore (MalayMail)
Development funds allocated for Indonesia’s football association are being frozen by FIFA after the country was stripped as hosts of this year’s Under-20 World Cup, football’s governing body said yesterday.
FIFA barred the Southeast Asian nation from staging the May 20-June 11 event after the country’s football association (PSSI) in the predominantly Muslim country said it had cancelled the draw because the governor of Bali refused to host Israel’s team.
Last month protesters marched in the capital Jakarta waving Indonesian and Palestinian flags, demanding that Israel should not be allowed to participate. Read more
Masters 2023: Rory McIlroy makes slow start as Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland & Brooks Koepka lead (BBC)
Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka shot superb seven-under-par 65s to lead the Masters after day one as Rory McIlroy made another slow start.
The 33-year-old Northern Irishman holed five birdies but they were cancelled out as he carded a level-par 72.
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is well placed after a four-under 68, while Tiger Woods limped to a 74. Read more