Lockdown: 39 strippers, clubbers, 581 others arrested in Lagos (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command says it has arrested and charged 620 persons, including 39 strippers and revellers at a nightclub, for violating the lockdown directive to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease in the state.
According to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, some of the violators were arrested and jailed for organising a party, others were apprehended while travelling to other states.
He stated that seven inter-state commercial buses were impounded and 95 travellers and their drivers, were arrested and charged for defying the government’s lockdown directives, adding that 211 other violators were also apprehended in different parts of the state.
Elkana said, “On Tuesday, April 21, 2020, around 8pm, acting on information, operatives from the Denton Police Station arrested 95 inter-state travellers at the Bhojson area, Ebute Meta, in seven commercial buses with number plates LG 91 BGT, travelling from Lagos to Benue; BDA 690 XA, Lagos to Abuja; BGA 86 EA, Lagos to Abuja; LSD 459 XA, Lagos to Benue; LRN 105 YR, Lagos to Ilorin; LSD 81 XX, Lagos to Ilorin; and BWR 975 PN, Lagos to Abuja. Read more
COVID-19: Lagos govt impounds 20 vehicles for violation of lockdown order (Tribune)
Worried by non-compliance with the lockdown order by motorists in the state especially interstate commercial transport activities, Lagos State government at the weekend scaled up its enforcement, with about 20 vehicles and 15 motorbikes impounded for violating the order.
Operators were found not to possess movement permit as a result of which the affected vehicles and motorbikes popularly called okadas were impounded and taken to the LASTMA yard, and would not be released until after the lockdown.
The Enforcement team led by the Special Adviser (SA) to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Transportation, Hon. Toyin Fayinka, and comprising operatives of the State Task Force, LASTMA, Officers of the Nigeria Police Force and Officers of the Ministry of Transportation, enforced the order on Ikorodu Road, Ojota, Jibowu, Ebute-Metta, Otto and Iddo corridor, among other places. Read more
Nigeria records 91 new coronavirus cases, total now (Guardian)
Nigeria’s coronavirus cases increased to 1273 on Sunday with a single-day discovery of 91 new cases confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Lagos has the highest number of confirmed cases on Sunday night with 43 cases. While the spread of the virus intensifies in Sokoto State, with the state recording eight new cases.
Taraba State recorded six new cases, while Kaduna and Gombe recorded five new cases each. Read more
Police arrest Ogun father, son for killing herdsman (Punch)
A 45-year-old man, Kolese Womiloju, and his 25-year-old son, Taiwo, have been arrested by men of the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly killing a 32-year-old herdsman, Abubakar Usman.
The suspects, who live in Gbagba Elewure village, Odeda Local Government Area of the state, reportedly killed Abubakar for allowing his cows to graze around their farmlands.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday. Read more
Obiano lifts ban on movement, Church services (Guardian)
Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano at the weekend lifted the ban on free movement and Church service across the state while criminalising breaches of the border closure.
Obiano, who spoke in a statewide broadcast, also ordered shop dealing in foodstuff and medical supplies to reopen, adding that he would meet with market leaders today on the mode of reopening 63 markets in the state.
He announced cash reward and honour for four doctors, two nurses and a cleaner who successfully treated the first index case, noting that 36 sampled contact cases tested negative, even as a result of one case was being awaited. Read more
Lockdown: FCT mobile courts convict two pastors, three Imams, 68 others (Nation)
A mobile court sitting at the Eagle Square in Abuja on Sunday convicted five clerics – three Imams and two pastors – for breaching the government’s lockdown order to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
They were convicted by Presiding Magistrate Idayat Akonni to one month imprisonment.
Akonni gave them an option of a fine of N5,000 in addition to a supervised community service for one day.
The convicts are: Imam Abdullahi Mohammed of Gwarinpa Estate; Imam Suleiman Idris of Mobi Close, Area 11, Garki and Deputy Imam Useni Umar of the same addresses. Read more
Coronavirus: Nigeria desperately looking for test kits, says NCDC (punch)
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, on Sunday said Nigeria needed to stock more of the RNA extraction kits to cater for the expansion of its COVID-19 testing capacity.
Writing on his twitter handle, @Chikwe_I, Ihekweazu, he gave specification of the test kits Nigeria was looking for and preferred manufacturers.
He said, “We’re desperately looking for more RNA (ribonucleic Acid) extraction kits as we expand #COVID19 testing. Product: Total viral RNA extraction kits (preferably spin column and with a lysis buffer). Manufacturers: Qiagen, ThermoFischer, SeeGene, Inqaba, LifeRiver etc.”
The centre earlier said it had added two more laboratories to the existing 13 laboratories established in the country, but Ihekweazu’s tweet raised the fear that Nigeria might lack enough kits to test suspected cases for COVID-19. Read more
Kano COVID-19 centre remains shut as strange deaths continue (Guardian)
Residents of Kano have continued to live in anxiety about the strange ailment killing many people, including prominent indigenes, in the city almost on a daily basis.
By the weekend, the strange disease had killed a professor of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano, Murtala Balarabe Maikaba; Prof. Ibrahim Ayagi, owner of Hassan Gwarzo School; former Grand Khadi of Kano, Alhaji Dahiru Rabiu; and former Editor of Triumph, Mal Musa Tijjani.
Those who died in less than 48 hours were Alhaji Adamu Isyaku Dal, former Executive Secretary of SUBEB; Dr. Nasiru Maikano Bichi, Secretary, Student Affairs, Northwest University, Kano; and Prof. Aliyu Umar Dikko of Physiology Department, Bayero University, Kano, among others. Read more
Infected Nigerians will be treated in China –FG (Punch)
The Federal Government has said that Nigerians infected by the coronavirus would not be evacuated to the country, adding that they would receive treatment in their country of residence.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the positive cases could not wait till they were repatriated home before starting treatment, noting that this would be dangerous to their host community.
The MFA spokesman, Mr Ferdinand Nwonye, said this on Friday in response to questions from our correspondent in Abuja on the planned evacuation of over 2,000 Nigerians abroad, some of whom have tested positive for COVID-19. Read more
Kenya’s schools to remain closed for one more month (BBC)
Schools in Kenya are to remain closed for another month as part of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus, the country’s health ministry has tweeted.
The East African nation has had a partial lockdown in place for several weeks, with travel in and out of major cities banned.
Schools were closed in mid-March and had been due to reopen on 4 May.
During the shutdown, the education ministry has been providing school programmes via radio and TV broadcasts. Read more
US shuns WHO over COVID-19 health technologies, others (Guardian)
The United States (US) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are still at loggerheads as the U.S. has shunned global health leaders, private sector partners and other stakeholders at the unveiling of Access To COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator.
The ACT is a global collaboration to accelerate development, production and equitable access to new COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.
US President, Donald Trump, was absent as European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, French President, Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, among other world leaders participated in a video conference to announce the plan. Read more
Trump faces scrutiny over West Point address plans (BBC)
US President Donald Trump’s plans to deliver a graduation speech at the West Point military academy in New York are being questioned.
Mr Trump is due to speak on 13 June at the academy, located about 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City.
New York state is the epicentre of the US coronavirus outbreak.
The academy has said “the size and scope of the graduation ceremony will be determined by safety considerations” for all attendees.
Cadets have been attending classes virtually since they left campus for spring break on 6 March. Read more
New York clinical trial testing heartburn medication as coronavirus treatment (NYPoat)
A clinical trial is underway at major New York hospitals to test the efficacy of heartburn medication, in combination with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, on coronavirus patients, The Post has learned.
More than 150 people so far are taking part in the study, which began earlier this month and is being conducted by the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the research arm of Northwell Health, according to a spokesman for the hospital system.
Researchers are trying to find out whether famotidine — the active compound in the over-the-counter heartburn drug Pepcid — acts as an inhibitor of COVID-19, similar to the way certain drugs block the replication of HIV/AIDS. Read more
Coronavirus: Chile to introduce controversial certificate (BBC)
Chile’s government has said it will go ahead with a controversial plan to issue certificates to people who have recovered from Covid-19.
The documents would be given to people to allow them to return to work, Deputy Health Minister Paula Daza said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said there is “no evidence” that people who contract coronavirus are immune from being infected again.
The body said “immunity” certificates could help the virus spread. Read more
Boris Johnson arrives back at Downing Street ahead of his return to work (Metro)
Boris Johnson has returned to Downing Street ready to start working again tomorrow. His official car was pictured as it left Chequers today, the country residence where the PM has been recuperating from coronavirus near Ellesborough, north-west of London. A Downing Street source said he was now back at Number 10. He is due to chair the morning meeting of the Government’s coronavirus ‘war cabinet’ tomorrow. It comes after he had to spend several days in intensive care battling the virus which has swept the world. Read more
Coronavirus: Captain Tom Moore gets Royal Mail birthday postmark (BBC)
The 99-year-old war veteran who has raised £29m for the NHS by walking laps of his garden has been honoured with a special postmark.
Royal Mail will stamp all letters with the message to celebrate Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday on Thursday.
All stamped post up until Friday will be marked with: “Happy 100th Birthday Captain Thomas Moore NHS fundraising hero 30th April 2020.”
Royal Mail said it was “honoured” to issue the postmark. Read more
Adelakun explains why Rohr ignores NPFL players (Guardian)
Super Eagles Chief Scout, Tunde Adelakun, has revealed that the Nigeria Professional Football League players (NPFL) are not considered when the senior national team coaches invite players to camp because there is no means to assess their performance regularly online.
He said as one of the Super Eagles assistant coaches, it was difficult for him to monitor players in Nigerian league from his base in the United Kingdom because the games do not have visuals online that his team could critically study before recommending players to Rohr.
He noted that his job, which also includes sourcing for credible talented footballers of Nigerian heritage around the world, has yielded fruits in the past four years he has been working with Rohr. Read more
FIFA clears air on COVID-19 money (Punch)
World football body FIFA says the operational costs entitlement for member associations for 2019 would be used to pay its members, as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic.
The statement clears the air against widespread belief that FIFA actually donated a fresh $500,000 to each member association, outside the yearly operational costs due to them.
FIFA announced on its website on Friday that it would release operational funding due to member associations for the years 2019 and 2020.
The move means that a total of around $150m will be distributed among the 211 national football governing bodies around the world. Read more
Serie A: Teams set to return to individual training on 4 May (BBC)
Serie A sides will be allowed to return to individual training on 4 May and team training on 18 May after the Italian prime minister announced the first steps in lifting the country’s coronavirus lockdown.
There are hopes Serie A fixtures could resume between 27 May and 2 June – with an end date for the season of early August.
However, there was no formal announcement on the possibility of when Serie A might resume, even behind closed doors.
Parks will also reopen in the country, which has Europe’s highest official death toll. Read more
Salihamidzic ‘optimistic’ of Neuer contract extension (Guardian)
Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic says he is “optimistic” about extending club captain Manuel Neuer’s contract, adding in an interview with Sunday’s Die Welt that discrepancies had been “clarified internally”.
“So I hope we’ll be able to extend Manuel’s contract,” Salihamidzic said, with the Bayern goalkeeper’s current deal expiring in June 2021. Read more
Moise Kean: Everton ‘appalled’ at ‘lockdown breach’ incident (BBC)
Everton said they were “appalled” after images emerged appearing to show striker Moise Kean at a house party.
The Daily Star Sunday reported that Italian Kean, 20, filmed himself at the party in his apartment.
Everton said they were “appalled to learn of an incident in which a first-team player ignored government guidance and club policy in relation to the coronavirus crisis”. Read more
Players salaries: NFF, NANPF working on payment, says Babangida (Punch)
President of the National Association of Nigeria Professional Footballers, Tijani Babangida, has expressed optimism over the well-being of the Nigeria Professional Football League players, saying NANPF was working to ensure that clubs paid their players’ salaries.
The coronavirus has seen all sporting activities in the world halted, with a massive effects on clubs’ finances, forcing owners to slash players’ salaries in the European leagues, which has led to concerns over the fate of the NPFL payers.
However, former Super Eagles winger Babangida, in a chat with Sports Yarn Class on Sunday, assured that they would ensure players’ salaries were taken care of. Read more
Paul Ince sends warning to Manchester United over £70m move for Jack Grealish (Metro)
Paul Ince believes Jack Grealish would ‘fit in with any team in the top five’ but has urged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to strongly consider his options before spending big on the Aston Villa star in order to get the balance right in Manchester United’s midfield. Grealish was having an outstanding campaign as captain of struggling Villa when the coronavirus crisis brought English football to a halt and United are reportedly plotting a bid for the 24-year-old midfielder. Though Grealish appeared to put the switch in jeopardy last month after he was caught ignoring the UK government’s lockdown measures to attend a party in Birmingham, the Red Devils have decided to press ahead with their £70million move. Read more