Lagos man in court for impregnating step-daughter (Punch)
An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, on Thursday, heard how a father, Adewunmi Ajayi, allegedly had unlawful sexual intercourse with his underage step-daughter.
An Investigating Police Officer, Aderinto Foluke, stated this while she gave evidence before Justice Abiola Soladoye.
The IPO with AP No. 287997 attached to the Human Rights Unit of the Nigeria Police testified in the ongoing trial of a couple, Adewunmi, who is married to the survivor’s mother, Mrs Idowu. Read more
New terror group operating in Kwara Forest – Locals (DailyTrust)
A new terror group has surfaced in Kaiama and Baruten local government areas of Kwara State, terrorising residents, Weekend Trust has learnt.
The group, identified as Mahmuda, according to locals, has been attacking communities around the Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP).
Some of the affected communities, it was gathered last night, include some villages in Yashikira district of Baruten and Kemaanji, Wajibe and Nuku, among others in Kaiama. Read more
Insecurity: Bleak, black Easter in Benue, Plateau (Sun)
For residents of Plateau and Benue States, these are not the best of times. Recent attacks on communities in the two states, allegedly by armed herders, have left scores dead, thousands displaced and property destroyed.
And as Nigerians prepare for this weekend’s Easter celebrations, residents of some of the communities affected by the attacks in the two states insist that celebrating Easter is not one of their priorities for now, as they continue to mourn their loved ones slain by the attackers.
Just as it happened on Christmas Eve in 2023, residents of Plateau State are once again facing the prospects of a bleak Easter celebration. Read more
Ex-Ekiti guber candidate leads supporters to APC (Tribune)
A former Deputy Governorship candidate on the platform of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples’ Party (ANPP) in Ekiti state, Stephen Abiodun Ojo has defected to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).
Ojo with 3,000 members of the ANPP across the state were received by the Ekiti APC Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe on Thursday in Ilupeju-Ekiti, Oye local government area.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Ojo said the decision to join APC was informed by the landmark achievements and developmental strides of Governor Biodun Oyebanji. Read more
Police rescue 6 kidnap victims in Zamfara (Channels)
Police authorities in Zamfara State have rescued six kidnapped victims in the North-Western state.
Spokesman of the Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.
Abubakar, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the rescue followed the Command’s efforts to restore peace and security in the state. Read more
University of Ibadan raises concern over student egg donation trend (Vanguard)
The authorities of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, in Oyo State, have raised concerns about the growing trend of the organised recruitment and participation of female students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria as egg donors for in vitro fertilisation (IVF) procedures.
In an internal memorandum titled “Health Advisory on Egg Donation”, the Director of Health Services of the institution, Dr Aderonke B. Ajayi , warned that while egg donation offers a beacon of hope for couples struggling with infertility, exploiting it as a reliable source of income or a casual means of income had potential health and safety implications, including concerns about future fertility.
In the advisory dated April 15, 2025, Ajayi regretted the increasing trend, noting that it raises ethical and health concerns that warrant careful consideration by students, parents, educational institutions, and regulatory bodies. Read more
5 feared dead in Abuja accident (Nation)
No fewer than five persons died in another terrible accident on Karu Bridge, inward Karu Site, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Friday.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident was caused by a truck laden with cement which failed to brake while descending the Kugbo hill.
The Nation gathered that the truck, after crushing several vehicles and their occupants, attempted to escape but was intercepted around Karu Roundabout by commercial motorcyclists. Read more
ISWAP terrorists blow up Yobe bridge in fresh attack (Leadership)
Terrorists suspected to belong to the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) have bombed a bridge linking Ngurbuwa to Gonori township in Gujba local government area of Yobe State.
Intelligence sources confirmed to security and counter-terrorism expert, Zagazola Makama, that the attack occurred at approximately 10:30 pm on Thursday with terrorists using an explosive device to destroy the remaining part of the bridge.
This act of terrorism, according to credible information, has disrupted movement between the two communities. Read more
Lana Del Rey releases second single from new album, “Bluebird’’ (UPI)
Lana Del Rey released another song from her upcoming album The Right Person Will Stay on Friday.
“Bluebird” is about the desire to leave but being unable to do so.
“Little bird, bluebird, fly away, for both of us. For you have wings, and I’ve no means to fly,” she sings.
The song arrives a week after the release of “Henry, Come On,” and a week before she performs at Stagecoach, a three-day festival in Indio, California. Read more
219 rescued from human trafficking and cybercrime ring in Ghana (AfricaNews)
In a sweeping operation led by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), 219 people—primarily foreign nationals—have been rescued from a suspected human trafficking and cybercrime ring operating in Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra.
The victims, mostly young individuals from across West Africa, were lured into Ghana with false promises of well-paying jobs and a better life. Instead, they were held against their will under harsh and exploitative conditions.
At a press briefing, EOCO’s Acting Executive Director, Abdul Bashiru, revealed that many of the victims had been confined for extended periods, with some enduring over a year in captivity. “A Nigerian victim disclosed that he was fed only once a day and had no freedom to leave the premises,” Bashiru said. Read more
Olly Murs ‘‘egg-cited’’ to announce he and wife expecting second child (Standard)
Singer Olly Murs has said he is “egg-cited” to announce he is expecting a second child with his wife Amelia Tank.
The former X-Factor finalist, who has a daughter named Madison with Tank who was born in April last year, posted the announcement on Instagram on Good Friday.
In the post, the 40-year-old said: “We’re so egg-cited to share this, another baby Murs on the way.” Read more
Matt Berninger shares new single ‘‘Breaking Into Acting’’ with Hand Habits (FarOut)
The National’s Matt Berninger has continued to tease his forthcoming solo album with new single ‘Breaking Into Acting’, which also features Hand Habits.
The quaint new single, which finds Berninger delicately duetting with Meg Duffy, who performs under the name of Hand Habits, is the second release from his new album, Get Sunk. The album will arrive on May 30th through Book/Concord Records.
On ‘Breaking Into Acting’, Berninger and Duffy sing in harmony: “Your mouth is always full of blood packets, You’re breaking into acting, I completely understand.” Read more
Ryan Gosling to star in new standalone “Star Wars” movie (CBS)
After his scene-stealing performance in Barbie, actor Ryan Gosling is entering a galaxy far, far away.
LucasFilm announced Friday the next installment of the “Star Wars” franchise, “Star Wars: Starfighter” with Gosling will hit theaters in May 2027. Shawn Levy will direct the film.
Appearing on stage before a lightsaber-waving crowd at Makuhari Messe center outside Tokyo, Japan, on Friday, Gosling shared a photo of his childhood bedsheets, plastered with illustrations from the space epic created by George Lucas.
Haley Joel Osment hurls Jewish slurs at cops, almost loses pants in arrest video (NYPost)
Haley Joel Osment called a police officer an antisemitic slur and a “Nazi” when he was arrested for public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance at a California ski resort earlier this month, as seen in bodycam footage obtained by The Post on Thursday.
The Sixth Sense star, 37, appeared belligerent and unable to keep his pants up as he struggled with police at Mammoth Mountain in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on Apr. 8.
Osment’s ski pants were strangely unbuttoned, causing them to slide down his waistline as he was being handcuffed and placed under arrest. Read more
Patrick Adiarte Dead: M*A*S*H Actor was 82 (Deadline)
Actor Patrick Adiarte, best known for his role in season one of revered 1970s comedy M*A*S*H, has died aged 82.
The Daily Mail newspaper reports that Adiarte’s niece confirmed the news that the actor had died of pneumonia at a Los Angeles hospital.
Adiarte had a successful career on stage and screen, and was most familiar for his role of Ho-Jon on the first season of M*A*S*H, which he played between 1972 and 1973. The role had been played on the big screen by Kim Atwood. Read more
Man United set to offload Garnacho, Antony for Osimhen transfer (Nation)
Manchester United could reportedly be set to sell both Alejandro Garnacho and Antony to Atletico Madrid during the 2025 summer transfer window.
Ruben Amorim has admitted that his side will need to offload several players before they can afford to sign reinforcements this summer, and Garnacho and Antony are among the stars tipped to depart Old Trafford on a permanent deal ahead of the new campaign.
If Man United are able to sell Garnacho and Antony for a combined fee of €100m, it could help them land top target Victor Osimhen. Read more
Leeds United, Burnley win to close in on Premier League promotion (ESPN)
Leeds United and Burnley both took a massive step towards a return to the Premier League with narrow victories on Friday as the Championship season reaches an enthralling climax.
Burnley briefly topped the standings after a 2-1 victory over Watford before Leeds returned to the summit thanks to a 1-0 win at Oxford United.
With three games left, both teams could wrap up automatic promotion on Monday. Read more
Gasly tops first Saudi practice as Norris claims encouraging second (SkySports)
Pierre Gasly sprung a surprise by topping the timesheet for Alpine from McLaren’s Lando Norris in first practice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Gasly went out on track on fresh soft tyres slightly later than most of the field and took advantage of the cooling – and improving – track conditions to edge world championship leader Norris by seven thousandths of a second.
Having admitted following a disappointing display in Bahrain last weekend that McLaren’s 2025 car has forced him to move away from his preferred driving style, Norris could take encouragement from beating his team-mate Oscar Piastri by almost a tenth of a second. Read more
White House offered reassurances on visas for Los Angeles Olympics, USOPC says (JapanToday)
The USOPC has received “significant reassurances” from the White House on visas for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, Chair Gene Sykes said on Thursday, weeks after an internal memo showed the Trump administration was weighing sweeping travel restrictions.
The memo last month listed 41 countries that could be subject to partial or full visa suspensions, potentially complicating the effort to host the Games, with thousands of athletes, coaches, personnel and tourists expected to travel.
Leadership from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee said that they met with legislators and members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration last week to discuss a wide range of issues around U.S. sport. Read more
Justin Thomas makes 2 late birdies to restore lead at Hilton Head (CP24)
Justin Thomas made a pair of birdies on the crusty, breezy back nine at Harbour Town to salvage a 2-under 69 for a two-shot lead Friday at the RBC Heritage, his first 36-hole lead in more than four years.
Thomas is winless since the 2022 PGA Championship and is weary of the topic. He also knows there’s a long way to go on a course that demands precision while allowing a low score.
Si Woo Kim had one of those low scores, a blistering start that had him at 8-under through 12 holes until he settled for a 64. He was two shots behind, along with Russell Henley (68). Read more
Hendri Cedeno stops Idalberto Umara after 6 rounds to remain undefeated (BoxingScene)
Junior welterweight Hendri Cedeno of Reading, Pennsylvania, stopped Idalberto Umara of Miami in the sixth-round of their fight on Friday night’s card from Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The bout was stopped before the seventh round, when Umara didn’t leave his corner.
Cedeno, 26, pressed forward to start the fight. The Cuban Umara moved often as the fight had a few feel-out rounds to begin with neither taking control. By the third, Cedeno, originally from the Dominican Republic, began to weaponize his pace, not allowing Umara to take breaks with his feet in the ring. Umara landed a right hand that rocked Cedeno as he landed cleanly, but Umara kept coming forward. Cedeno reclaimed the momentum in rounds four and five by pressing the action. Read more