Man kills neighbour for not allowing him watch movies during lockdown (Punch)
A occupant of Taiwo Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi area of Lagos, Taiwo Eluyemi, dispersed some neighbours who came to his apartment to watch movies on Wednesday in compliance with social distancing rule to curtail the spread of coronavirus.
He never knew the action would cost him his life 24 hours later.
One of the neighbours identified simply as Habeeb, who was upset by Eluyemi’s action reportedly ambushed him along the street on Thursday and hacked him to death.
City Round learnt that Eluyemi was popular in the neighbourhood, a personality that attracted people to his house.
It was gathered that Habeeb, who also resides on Taiwo Street, and his friends stormed Eluyemi’s house on Wednesday to watch movies but he turned them back on the grounds that his apartment was becoming crowded. Read more
Lagos reassures of commitment to end COVID-19 (Guardian)
Lagos State Government has assured residents that it will not rest on its oars until a complete stop is put to the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the state, just as it received 160 Personal Protective Equipment from the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV).
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave this assurance yesterday when members of NIESV Lagos Branch, led by the chairman, Adedotun Bamigbola, visited him at the State House, Marina.
The visit was to demonstrate support for the state government and health workers on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his wife, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, received the PPE donated by the branch to the medical force of the state government. Read more
Lockdown without testing individuals is waste of time’ (Guardian)
The Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Lagos State chapter, Obideyi Olabanji Benedict, while commending state and federal governments’ efforts at containing the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria, however, stressed that locking down the country without testing people makes the approach a “waste of time.”
He stated: “Lagos State is highly appreciated for what they have done, their response have been swift and massive. But if you are locking down and you are not doing any test, you are just wasting our time.
“Our aspiration is that government should make this testing available to every household, so that we can trace positive cases and ensure that they are taken to the isolation centres, where treatment would be given.” Read more
COVID-19: Abuja, Lagos hotels close doors to Nigerians returning from abroad (Punch)
Amid preparations for the evacuation of Nigerians abroad due to the raging coronavirus disease across the world, hotels in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory have refused to make their rooms available for the isolation of the returnees when they eventually arrive in the country.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Friday that finding hotels to quarantine the returnees had been a serious challenge because the hotels believed using their facilities to isolate the returnees could damage their brand.
Over 2,000 Nigerians in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, China and other countries had registered with the Nigerian missions in their country of residence for their evacuation after agreeing to subject themselves to mandatory coronavirus testing and 14-day quarantine on arrival in Abuja or Lagos. Most of the countries where the returnees are coming from have far more cases than Nigeria. Read more
Funeral prayers for multiples as Kano death toll mounts (DailyTrust)
Section of Fagge cemetery, Hajj Camp in Kano Photo: Richard P. Ngbokai While the Kano State government continues to deny the mysterious deaths being recorded within the state capital, residents of the city are living in fear as more and more burials are taken place daily. After Daily Trust reported that over 150 people were buried in three cemeteries within the capital last weekend, the state government denied the report. However, residents are still apprehensive over the unprecedented death rates. Some residents who spoke Daily Trust Saturday said though there was a little respite, Janaza prayers are still being conducted for multiples who are thought to have died from severe malaria and typhoid fever. Read more
Coronavirus: NCDC advises pregnant, breastfeeding women to take precautions (Guardian)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has advised pregnant and breastfeeding women to take routine preventative actions to avoid the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
NCDC Director General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who gave the advice yesterday in Abuja, said the preventive measures were recommended in alignment with the Department of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH).
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Ihekweazu listed the measures to include diligent hand-washing, avoiding close contact with people exhibiting symptoms of infection and covering sneezes and coughs, explaining that it was not currently known if pregnant women were more susceptible to COVID-19 than the general public or whether they were more likely to have serious illness as a result. Read more
Sokoto porous borders threaten battle against COVID-19 (DailyTrust)
Three heavily loaded motorcycles had left a trail of dust on their way as they sped along the vast expanse of land that adjoins the Nigeria/Niger boundary in Illela town of Sokoto, North-West, Nigeria.
“These are people who use illegal routes in and out of Sokoto. It is one of the about 300 porous routes in the Sokoto border town of Illela. People from Illela and environs, as well as those from Konni in Niger Republic, ply this route on a daily basis,’’ Daily Trust Saturday was told. Read more
FG explains why lockdown can’t be relaxed as cases hit 1,095 (Punch)
The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, has explained why the lockdown measure should not be relaxed amid efforts to contain the coronavirus pandemic.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), had on March 29 ordered a lockdown of the Federal Capital Territory, Lagos and Ogun states for 14 days to curb COVID-19 spread. Many states had also followed suit.
But as the number of COVID-19 cases increased, the President on April 13 extended the lockdown for 14 more days. Read more
Coronavirus: Identical twin sisters die within days of each other (Independent)
Identical twin sisters who had worked as nurses at the same hospital died within days of each other after testing positive for coronavirus.
Katy and Emma Davis, 37, both suffered from underlying health conditions and had been unwell for some time before contracting Covid-19.
Tributes were paid to the pair after Katy died at Southampton General Hospital on Tuesday and Emma died early on Friday morning. Read more
The truth about eating eggs (BBC)
As many countries urge populations to stay at home, many of us are paying more attention to our diets and how the food we eat can support our health. To help sort out the fact from the fiction, BBC Future is updating some of our most popular nutrition stories from our archive.
Our colleagues at BBC Good Food are focusing on practical solutions for ingredient swaps, nutritious storecupboard recipes and all aspects of cooking and eating during lockdown.
If there was such a thing as a perfect food, eggs would be a contender. They’re readily available, easy to cook, affordable and packed with protein.
“The egg is meant to be something that has all the right ingredients to grow an organism, so obviously it’s very nutrient dense,” says Christopher Blesso, associate professor of nutritional science at the University of Connecticut in the US. Read more
Pimp jailed for 30 years for raping schoolgirls and forcing women into prostitution (Metro)
A ‘depraved and dangerous’ pimp who subjected eight women and girls to a horrific campaign of physical and sexual violence has been handed a 29-year extended sentence. During a reign of terror spanning two decades, Junior Chester Bryan got some hooked on hard drugs so they would be dependent on him and lived off the earnings of those he forced into prostitution.
Bryan subjected others to brutal rapes – both for his own gratification and to teach them a lesson – and forced one vulnerable teenager to dig her own grave after launching a vicious hammer attack. Read more
UAE president approves law to secure food supplies in emergencies (Guardian)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has passed a new law to ensure that enough food supply in the country at any point in time, including during emergencies. President Sheikh Khalifa approved the Federal Law No. 3 of 2020 to regulate food supply in the country.
The law requires retailers to allow monitoring of their inventories, while merchants, who hoard food supplies or do not adhere to the regulations of the law, will be penalised. All registered merchants, including retailers, have to abide by the law and those who fail to do so risk huge fines and jail terms. Read more
Coronavirus: US death toll passes 50,000 in world’s deadliest outbreak (BBC)
The US virus death toll has surpassed 50,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, in what is the world’s deadliest Covid-19 outbreak.
More than 3,000 deaths came in the last 24 hours, and there are now over 870,000 confirmed cases nationwide.
But the US still has a lower mortality rate than most European nations based on current case counts, as the White House task force has emphasised. Read more
Sicily will pay for half of flight costs in bid to lure holidaymakers back after lockdown (Mirror)
Sicily will offer to pay half the price of holidaymakers’ flights in a bid to boost tourism after the coronavirus crisis.
The Italian island’s regional government is also planning to foot the cost of one in three hotel nights to try and tempt foreign visitors back.
All tickets to museums and archeological sites will also be free under the new scheme, which will cost more than £43m (€50m), The Times reports. Read more
Coronavirus: Belgium unveils plans to lift lockdown (BBC)
Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès has announced a detailed plan to gradually lift the country’s coronavirus restrictions.
Under new rules, all shops will be allowed to open their doors again from 11 May, with schools reopening the following week – albeit with a cap on pupil numbers in each class.
But Ms Wilmès cautioned that “nothing is set in stone”.
More than 44,000 people have tested positive for the virus in Belgium. Read more
Stunning 65-acre Scottish island with its very own loch goes on sale for £250k (Sun)
Isolation couldn’t get more remote than this unspoilt Shetland island – currently on sale for £250k.
Buyers sick of city life can now nab the far-flung island of Linga which lies just off the scenic Vaila Sound in the west of Shetland.
The rural 64-acre private island features its very own two-acre loch and has been uninhabited since 1934 when the Sinclair family kept sheep on the isle’s now ruined crofts.
But while Linga may look like a peaceful spot, the small island has seen its own share of drama in past years. Read more
Man City: Ilkay Gundogan says they have to be ready for season to resume (BBC)
Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan says they “have to be ready” to show they are “top players and a top club” when football resumes.
City have 10 games to play in the Premier League but were 25 points behind leaders Liverpool when the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, they hold a 2-1 lead from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Real Madrid, and had reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Read more
Mike Tyson reveals he is training for surprise boxing return (Metro)
Mike Tyson has revealed that he is training for a return to boxing and plans to take part in four-round exhibition fights for charity. The 53-year-old hasn’t fought in the ring since June 2005 when he was beaten by Kevin McBride in the final fight of his professional career. But the former undisputed world heavyweight champion is now getting back in shape in order to make a surprise return to boxing. Speaking on a live Instagram video with rapper T.I, Tyson revealed he has already begun training with cardio and weights sessions, as well as boxing pad work. Read more
Joshua a good puncher, says Tyson (Punch)
Mike Tyson insisted he does not know who would’ve emerged victorious from a hypothetical fight between himself and Anthony Joshua.
Tyson – one of the most famous men on planet Earth – is a former undisputed heavyweight champion who conquered the entire division by winning all available titles in 1988, when he was just 21.
Joshua – one of the sport’s biggest stars today – is currently reigning as the unified heavyweight champion, having picked up three of the four major belts at the age of 30. Read more
Ed Woodward: Man Utd chief says big-money transfer talk ignores financial reality (BBC)
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward says speculation about transfers for “hundreds of millions of pounds this summer” is ignoring the “realities that face the sport” because of the coronavirus pandemic.
United were linked with a £200m move for Tottenham striker Harry Kane and potentially spending a further £130m on England and Borussia Dortmund wide-man Jadon Sancho.
“Nobody should be under any illusions about the scale of challenge facing everyone in football and it may not be ‘business as usual’ for any clubs, including ourselves, in the transfer market this summer,” Woodward said in his opening address to a United Fans’ Forum on Friday. Read more
Coutinho undergoes ankle surgery (Punch)
Bayern Munich midfielder Philippe Coutinho underwent minor surgery on his right ankle on Friday and will start his rehabilitation programme in about two weeks, the German champions said.
The 27-year-old Brazilian, on loan from FC Barcelona for one season, could be back fit for the remainder of the Bundesliga campaign.
The competition has been suspended since mid-March due to the coronavirus outbreak. Read more
ePremier League Invitational FIFA 20: I only want a Messi shirt, says Raheem Sterling (BBC)
He may have won a host of trophies, scored more than 100 career goals and earned 56 England caps, but Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling will not be satisfied until he adds something else to his collection – a Lionel Messi shirt.
Despite already possessing dazzling array of football shirts, one belonging to the Barcelona star has proven elusive.
“There’s only one that I really want and that’s a Messi shirt,” Sterling said before his latest ePremier League Invitational tournament match against Everton’s Andre Gomes. Read more
Precious prospect: Nigerian forward enters NBA Draft (Guardian)
Nigerian power forward Precious Achiuwa announced Friday he is entering the 2020 NBA Draft, where analysts expect he could be a top-15 selection after a superb US college campaign.
Achiuwa, a 20-year-old freshman at the University of Memphis, averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocked shots and 1.1 steals a game this past season, the nation’s only college newcomer to average a double double.
“I’ve always dreamt of playing in the NBA since I picked up the game,” Achiuwa said in a statement posted on Twitter. Read more
