Easter: Lagos NSCDC deploys 2,250 officers to protect critical assets, infrastructure (Guardian)
The Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has deployed 2,250 officers and men to strategic locations across the state in commemoration of this year’s Good Friday and Easter celebration.
The Federal Government, through the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has declared today, Friday, April 18, and Monday, April 21, 2025, as public holidays to mark the celebration.
The State Commandant of NSCDC, Lagos State Command, Mr Adedotun Keshinro, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to protecting all critical national assets and infrastructure in the state across all sectors of the nation’s economy. Read more
PDP ‘not ready’ for 2027 elections, lacks formidable structure – Wike (Punch)
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has publicly stated that the Peoples Democratic Party is not adequately prepared for the 2027 elections.
He stated that the PDP does not have a formidable structure to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
The minister disclosed this during a live media parley in Abuja on Friday. Read more
Borno: Soldiers, civilians killed in Boko Haram attack (Sun)
Two soldiers and an unspecified number of civilians have been shot dead by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in the newly resettled Yamtake community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.
The attack occurred late Thursday night.
It was learnt that the two soldiers were killed when the assailants launched an attack on the Yamtake military formation, and authorities sent a reinforcement team from Gwoza. Read more
Easter message: Nigeria will overcome its challenges like Christ conquered death – Tinubu (Vanguard)
President Bola Tinubu has called on Nigerians not to lose hope as a result of the prevailing security challenges, assuring that just as Christ triumphed over death, the country too shall triumph over every challenge it’s facing.
The President also stated that the present moment may be cloudy, it will usher in a glorious day.
This was contained in his Easter message to Christians in Nigeria and the the global Christian community in commemoration of Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, which is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Read more
Guber poll: APC’s Ukachukwu vows to run Anambra like business (Tribune)
Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the November 8, 2025 in Anambra, has vowed to run the state like a business if elected into office.
In an exclusive interview with Arise TV, Ukachukwu emphasized the need for a business-like approach to governance, citing his experience as a successful businessman.
“If you don’t run the government like a business, you will fail,” Ukachukwu stated, adding, “Anambra State needs to be run as a business because you are running the collective wealth of the people.” Read more
Nigeria’s credit access rising due to strengthened infrastructure – Bureau chairman (Channels)
Chairman of the Credit Bureau Association of Nigeria, Mr. Tunde Popoola, has praised recent improvements in Nigeria’s credit infrastructure, noting that the country has made significant progress in expanding access to credit over the past three years.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Business Morning on Friday, Popoola said Nigeria’s credit system has evolved positively since the establishment of credit bureaus in 2009, and recent developments have made the sector more accessible and reliable for both lenders and borrowers.
“Nigeria has done well in the last two to three years. We’ve had significant improvement in access to credit,” he said. “The credit infrastructure was weak before the introduction of the credit bureau in 2009.” Read more
Kaduna has expanded access to tertiary education — Uba Sani (DailyTrust)
Governor Uba Sani says his administration has improved access to tertiary education in Kaduna State by reducing tuition fees of state-owned tertiary institutions by 50%.
Speaking through his Principal Private Secretary, Professor Bello Ayuba, at the inauguration of the Kaduna State University (KASU) chapter of the Kaduna State Students Union and a public lecture, the Governor stated that the tuition cut has enabled more students from low-income backgrounds to pursue university degrees with greater ease.
Governor Uba Sani expressed gratitude to the students for honouring him with the Sword of Honour Award and acknowledged their recognition of his administration’s developmental strides. Read more
Michael B. Jordan worked with real-life twins to create his dual performance in ‘Sinners’ (People)
Michael B. Jordan got tips from real-life twins before delivering two of his “finest performances” yet in Sinners, says director Ryan Coogler.
Coogler and Jordan have continued a creative collaboration since making 2013’s Fruitvale Station, teaming up again on Sinners, their fifth movie together. In the vampire thriller, Jordan has dual roles as Smoke and Stack, twins in 1930s Mississippi.
Writer-director Coogler, 38, tells PEOPLE he hired his filmmaker friends Noah and Logan Miller as twin consultants to get insight on what makes that particular sibling bond unique. Read more
Photojournalist Fatima Hassona killed in Gaza day after documentary selected for Cannes (Euronews)
The Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassona, killed along with ten family members in an Israeli air strike on her home in northern Gaza, is the star of a documentary due to be screened at the Cannes film festival next month.
Fatima Hassona, a Palestinian photojournalist who’s stars in a documentary selected to be screened at Cannes next month, has reportedly been killed in an Israeli air strike on her home in northern Gaza.
A graduate of the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, Fatima was not just a photographer, she was a visual witness to a reality that is getting harsher by the day. Hours before she was killed, she posted a photo of the sunset from her balcony, writing: “This is the first sunset in a long time.” Read more
Drake claims he was defamed at the Grammys and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show (CNN)
Drake claims he was defamed by Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show, and at the Grammy Awards, where over 100 million combined television viewers heard Lamar’s notorious diss track “Not Like Us,” according to court filings.
The Canadian rapper levied the new allegations Wednesday in an expanded federal defamation lawsuit against his own record label, Universal Music Group. Drake originally filed the lawsuit in connection with the track in January.
“These prestigious and high-exposure events introduced new listeners” to the allegedly defamatory song, Drake’s lawyers wrote in the latest filing. “Not only did streams of the Recording increase significantly following these two mega-cultural events, but threats against Drake and his family did as well.” Read more
Jessica Chastain takes aim at Blue Origin’s controversial space flight: ‘Utter defeat of American feminism’ (PageSix)
Jessica Chastain is the latest star to call out the all-female crew of Blue Origin’s New Shepard — which included Katy Perry, Lauren Sánchez and Gayle King — that took off for outer space earlier this week.
The “Martian” star, 48, shared on X Thursday an opinion piece written in the Guardian titled, “The Blue Origin flight showcased the utter defeat of American feminism.”
Chastain did not pen the article herself. However, her sharing it with her nearly one million followers on the social media platform seemingly showed she approved of the message. Read more
Syrians have more freedom after Assad, but could they soon lose it? (BBC)
On the morning of 8 December 2024, I waited anxiously at the Lebanese border, hoping to get into Syria as soon as the crossing opened, not knowing what to expect.
Bashar al-Assad, the president of 24 years, was gone. Opposition fighters had advanced towards Damascus, taking major cities including Aleppo. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing: Syria was free.
Like many Syrians, I’d only ever known the country under the rule of Assad and his father Hafez, who had been in power from 1971 until 2000. Life under the Assads had meant more than 50 years of disappearances, incarceration – and the civil war that began in 2011 had claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Read more
Luigi Mangione hit with federal charges, putting death penalty on the table (Newsweek)
Luigi Mangione was indicted Thursday on a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a key step that allows prosecutors to pursue the death penalty. The indictment, returned by a grand jury in Manhattan federal court, also includes two counts of stalking and a firearms charge.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed earlier this month that she had directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty, aligning with President Donald Trump’s renewed push to reinstate federal executions—marking the first such case since his return to office in January.
In response to Bondi, lawyers representing Mangione are now pressing a New York judge to compel the attorney general to formally certify she has read a local court rule governing public comments by prosecutors. Read more
2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations: Bameyi, Jephta, lead 22 others to Egypt (Guardian)
Flying Eagles Head Coach, Aliyu Zubairu, has chosen first-choice goalkeeper Ifeanyi Harcourt, defender and captain Daniel Bameyi, midfielder Sulaiman Alabi Jojo, and forward Kparobo Arierhi in his 24-man squad for this year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations, which is taking place in Egypt.
The tournament gets underway in 10 days.
Defenders Adamu Maigari and Emmanuel Chukwu (based in Germany), midfielders Caleb Ochedikwu (based in Croatia) and Simon Cletus, and forwards Clinton Jephta, Divine Oliseh and Precious Benjamin (based in Germany) are also in the team. Read more
Chaos as Portable, Speed Darlington trade words during weigh-in (Punch)
Controversial singer Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, and his rival, Darlington Okoye, aka Speed Darlington, engaged in fierce verbal exchanges and promised a brutal showdown at the ‘Chaos In The Ring’ boxing event scheduled for Friday (today) at the Balmoral Convention Centre in Lagos.
All other boxers had their weigh-ins without much drama, except some taunts and shoves until the celebrities’ turns came. The two musicians engaged in a mini-tussle during their weigh-ins and had to be separated by bouncers, after which Portable showed off his boxing skills with some shadow boxing.
“You better say you’re not fighting again. I just came out of prison, I’m a former prisoner, and they’ve cut my hair. It’s all the bad side of my life that they cut away. I have already won this fight,” Portable taunted his opponent. Read more
Aston Martin issue Adrian Newey update amid tough F1 2025 start (PlanetF1)
Aston Martin has suffered a challenging start to the F1 2025 campaign, but does have one of Formula 1’s greatest designers under its roof.
That being said, team principal Andy Cowell explained that the complete focus of Adrian Newey remains on the F1 2026 regulations to come, rather than a temptation to call on his services to lift their current challenger.
A team that was regularly climbing onto the podium in 2023, Aston Martin has not made the top three since, with Lance Stroll’s P6 at the F1 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix their best result across the four rounds of the campaign so far. Read more
Thomas equals course record to lead RBC Heritage (BBC)
Justin Thomas equalled the course record to take a three-shot lead after the opening round at the RBC Heritage.
Thomas made 11 birdies in a 10-under-par 61 at Harbour Town Golf Links in South Carolina.
The 31-year-old American, who is seeking his first victory since winning his second major at the 2022 US PGA Championship, leads compatriots Russell Henley and world number one Scottie Scheffler. Read more
Ayesha Curry and daughter Riley, 12, cheer on Steph as he and Warriors narrowly snag NBA Playoff Spot (People)
Tuesday was a big night for Stephen Curry — and his girls were there to cheer him on!
The point guard proved he’s earned his GOAT reputation when he helped secure the Golden State Warriors’ victory against the Memphis Grizzlies with a three-pointer in the last seconds of the Play-In Tournament game on Tuesday, April 15, according to ESPN.After he helped secure San Francisco’s 121-116 win, his wife, Ayesha Curry, and their eldest daughter, 12-year-old Riley, were seen smiling in the stands, according to video shared by NBC Sports Bay Area & CA. Read more