My husband’s manhood is not functioning, woman tells court (Nation)
A 54-year-old woman, Blessing Mormah, has approached an Igando Customary Court, asking for the dissolution of her marriage due to her husband’s alleged sexual incompetence.
Mormah, a beautician, asked the court on Tuesday to dissolve her 25-year-old marriage, alleging that she was forced into it.
She said that she was fed up and could not continue with the marriage.
“My father forced me to love him.
“We have five children, two boys and three girls. Read more
Police confirm release of 3 kidnap victims in Lagos (Guardian)
Barely 48 hours after three were kidnapped, the Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the release of two sisters and a man, who were abducted by unknown gunmen in Ayobo Housing Scheme Extension, Oshin in Ayobo-Ipaja, Lagos State, last Friday and Sunday.
Before their release, The Guardian had earlier reported the arrest of a suspect involved in the kidnap. Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Superintendent of Police (SP) Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed to The Guardian that the victims have been reunited with their families on Monday night in Ayobo.
He said: “ The victims have been released and have been reunited with their families on Monday night.” Asked if ransom was paid to secure their release, he said he was not aware if any money was paid for the release.
The gunmen had at about 6:00p.m. on Friday, broke into the residence of one Mr. Rashidi Salami and whisked his two daughters away.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Kehinde who had just returned from church was also kidnapped from his residence, while two of his neighbours, who tried to prevent the gunmen from escaping with the women, were shot dead. Read more
NDLEA forcefully invades homes, shoots 2 at Lagos party (ThisDay)
Following the controversial path of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in forcefully invading homes of persons of interest, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has shot two persons at a night party in Lagos.
Led by one Chima, the officials numbering about 30 were said to have stormed a birthday party venue around 10:30 pm on Friday at Festac Link Bridge canal, where they fired sporadically at the fun seekers.
Those hit by the gunshots, who were simply identified as Ewejo and David, were rushed to the hospital after the operatives allegedly fled the scene.
While Ewejo was hit on his right stomach and left unconscious, David got hit on the leg. Read more
Total assets of 882 microfinance banks hit N1.35t (Guardian)
The total assets of Nigeria’s microfinance banks increased to N1.35tn by the end of September 2021, from N856.3bn recorded in September 2020.
This was contained in a report by the Central Bank of Nigeria on ‘Microfinance Banks’ Account Assets’ quarterly bulletin obtained by our correspondent.
Also, figures obtained from the CBN on ‘List of Licensed Microfinance Banks’ showed that the number of microfinance banks rose from 876 as of June 30, 2021 to 882 as of December 31, 2021.
The CBN had, in October 2018, ordered the MfBs to shore up their capital. Read more
3 siblings declared missing in Abuja have been found (NewTelegraph)
The parents of the three siblings declared missing in Abuja have been reunited with their children.
The three children who were declared missing from a school in Abuja were found two weeks after their disappearance.
The mother of the three children, Joy Ani, had gone to pick them up from their school, Star Heritage Academy, located around the ECWA One area of Kabusa, but they were nowhere to be found.
Their father, Sunday, stated that since the children went missing, he and his wife had been sleeping for less than one hour a day. Read more
10 injured as 2 NURTW factions clash in Ondo (Channels)
No fewer than 10 members of the Ondo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) have been injured during a clash between two factions of the union in Akure, the state capital.
The state government had suspended the union’s activities and subsequently inaugurated a 21-member State Motor Parks Management Committee led by a former state chairman of NURTW, Jacob Adebo.
Some aggrieved members of the union on Monday evening, numbering about 50 stormed the Ado Ekiti park in the state capital in some buses and went on a rampage across other parks in the area.
Armed with dangerous weapons such as cutlasses, bottles, and guns, the hoodlums stormed the popular Oba Adesida Road and other major streets in the city centre, causing panic among residents. Read more
CSOs expel Atioye, Onwubiko, Victor over attack on Emefiele (Independent)
The Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under the aegis of the CSOs Coordinating Center (CCC), have expelled the Convener, Adopt A Goal Initiative, Dare Ariyo-Atoye; Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Onwubiko; and the National Coordinator, Advocate for People’s Rights and Justice, Giwa Victor.
The reason for expelling them, according to the group, was their attack on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The Centre’s Director, Mallam Abubakar Mohammed, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said that they were motivated “to smear Emefiele and expel them from activities of the CSOs Coordinating Center, which is an apex platform for all CSOs involved in public advocacy and ban them from attending any event that the CCC is part of for one year until they apologise for the smear attacks.
According to the statement, Mohammed said we hope they will retrace their steps.”
Mubarak Bala, Kano atheist, bags 24-year jail sentence (DailyTrust)
A Kano state High Court sitting at Audu Bako has sentenced a self-confessed atheist, Mubarak Bala, to 24 years imprisonment for blasphemy.
Bala, who is the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, pleaded guilty to committing blasphemy against Allah (SWT) and Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
He made the headlines in 2020 when was arrested at his residence in Kaduna over blasphemy and incitement.
The convict, Bala, who had been in a correctional facility for almost two years, entered a guilty plea on Tuesday when he was brought before the court on an 18-count charge. Read more
14-year-old Okorocha emerges winner of Nigeria Info’s student’s debate (Leadership)
A 14-year-old student of King’s Way College, Ruth Okorocha, has emerged as the winner of the second edition of Nigeria Info’s “I Beg To Differ” Student Debate Competition.
The debate competition, which began on the 4th of March, 2022, had hundreds of applications from secondary school students between the ages of thirteen to seventeen years.
The final lap of the debate competition, which was aired live on Nigeria Info’s Hard Fact Show, had Ruth defeating Deborah Pamzat, a 15-year-old student of Senior College, Kankon Badagry, after debating on a social-political topic centered around the need for people to be considered indigenes of their spouse’s state of origin.
Commenting on the success of the competition, Serge Noujaim, the Chief Executive Officer of Cool FM, Nigeria Info, and Wazobia FM, congratulated the finalists for their resilience throughout the various stages of the competition. Read more
Ivanka Trump testifies to Capitol riot committee (BBC)
Former White House adviser Ivanka Trump testified for hours on Tuesday to the congressional committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol.
Ms Trump, 40, was asked for her account of her father’s activities as the crisis unfolded.
She was one of several aides said to have tried to convince the president to condemn the violence.
Her appearance comes days after her husband Jared Kushner, also an ex-White House adviser, met investigators.
The questioning lasted up to eight hours, US media reports. Unlike other witnesses called before the committee, Ms Trump never attempted to invoke her right to remain silent, according to the panel’s top chairman. Read more
Robert Downey Jr makes Blackstone publishing deal for first non-fiction book (Deadline)
Robert Downey Jr. has teamed with bestselling environmental author Thomas Kostigen to write Cool Food: Erasing Your Carbon Footprint One Bite at a Time. The book has been acquired by Blackstone Publishing president/CEO Josh Stanton.
The actor/producer and Kostigen plan a book they say will provide a smart, accessible, and game-changing roadmap to making climate-solving food choices. The deal marks the first major non-fiction book from Downey Jr., best known for his iconic turns as Iron-Man and Sherlock Holmes and partnering with wife,Susan Downey in their Team Downey production label. Downey Jr. leaned into nutrition early in his Marvel run to prepare for the rigors of that role. While there has been a preoccupation in Hollywood in cutting down carbon footprints, doing it through a diet seems an innovative wrinkle. Blackstone hasn’t set a pub date.“Our best global food future requires no hand-wringing, fad diets, or radical shame—just a perspective shift to discovering the many solutions in plain sight,” Downey, Jr. said. “With Kostigen in the cockpit, and Blackstone’s formidable ground control, it should be an actionable adventure. Join us.”
Said Kostigen: “As the great Yogi Berra once said, ‘The future ain’t what it used to be.’ Increasingly, we are presented with forecasts of a worsening climate. Cool Food shows how we can change that outlook for the better by making a few different choices at the grocery store, trying something new on the restaurant menu, and by keeping an eye out for foods that store more carbon in the ground rather than polluting the air.” Read more
“Morbius” director responds to the Spider-Man spin-off’s bad reviews (DigitalSpy)
Morbius director Daniel Espinosa has reacted to the scathing reviews for his movie, saying he is “proud” of what he does.
The new Sony Spider-Man Universe film, which stars Jared Leto as the titular living vampire, hasn’t exactly been well-received among critics, and currently sits at just 16% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Asked whether he pays attention to the critical reception, Espinosa appeared to take it on the chin in a chat with Insider.
“When I did my first feature it was a small movie called Babylon Disease. I remember one day going home on the subway and I had a few drinks, so I was a bit drunk,” he recalled. Read more
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3” breaks world record previously held by “The Grinch” (Independent)
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has already broken a world record – despite being still more than a year away from release.
The hotly anticipated superhero sequel, starring Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, and Bradley Cooper, is currently in production.
Director James Gunn gave fans an update on the behind-the-scenes progress of filming, claiming that the high-budget space opera had set a new world record in the field of make-up.
“Just heard from our makeup folks at @LegacyEffects that yesterday #GotGVol3 officially passed the World Record for ‘the most makeup appliances created for a single production’,” he wrote. Read more
Luke Bryan makes Noah Thompson squirm after country cover of Rihanna song on ‘American Idol’
(HuffPost)
Country singer Noah Thompson took a gamble by performing Rihanna’s “Stay” for his “Showstoppers” number on “American Idol” Monday ― and it appeared at first not to pay off.
Judge Luke Bryan praised the “magic quality” in Thompson’s voice, but then went where no contestant likes to be taken.
“Unfortunately, it’s the end of the road,” Bryan told the crestfallen Kentuckian. But he added: “For so many people here tonight, other than yourself.”
Phew. Thompson, a 19-year-old construction worker, realized he made it into the top 24 and said, “Oh my God. This is crazy.” Read more
Trae Tha Truth helps elderly woman who was robbed at gunpoint (HipHopDX)
Trae Tha Truth is a true people’s champ. Houston’s Hometown Hero commands respect not only for his music and legacy, but his positive impact on his community (and beyond) through his activism and philanthropic efforts.
The ABN boss sprang into action once again this week after an elderly woman in Houston was robbed at gunpoint outside her home in broad daylight. The shocking incident was captured on surveillance footage, which shows a masked gunman jumping out of a car and running toward the woman as she arrived home.
The terrified woman drops her handbag, phone and other belongings before the assailant grabs hold of her and searches her pockets. He then swipes her belongings from off the ground and runs back to his car to make a getaway. The robbery took place on the morning of March 26 in the 4300 block of Boynton Drive.
On Monday (April 4), Trae posted the video on his Instagram page, expressing his disappointment at the ugly scene while asking for the woman’s contact information so he can get in touch. Read more
Zelenskyy addresses UN Security Council over civilian deaths in Bucha (DW)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is addressing the UN Security Council over the killings in Bucha. Numerous civilian casualties were left on the street following Russian forces’ withdrawal from the Kyiv suburb.
The UN Security Council is meeting Tuesday and will hear from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as it discusses allegations that Russia deliberately targeted civilians in the town of Bucha outside the capital Kyiv.
The apparent deaths of unarmed civilians left on the streets following the Russian military’s withdrawal from Bucha sparked global outrage and condemnation as the Russian government attempts to deny the widely and independently documented apparent atrocities.
“Yesterday I returned from Bucha,” Zelenskyy said during his address. “There is not a single crime they would commit there.” Read more
Ireland’s Adeleke moves into 200m world class territory (Guardian)
Rashidat Adeleke improved her own Irish 200 metres record to 22.59 seconds at the Texas A&M Dual Meet on Saturday, reports irishtimes.com.
Record-breaking sprees on the track rarely come faster or more impressive than this, Adeleke once again improving her own Irish 200 metres record to 22.59 seconds, bringing her into properly world-class territory.
Still only 19, it was also one of Adeleke’s first outdoor races of the new season, the sophomore year student representing Texas University competing at the Texas A&M Dual Meet on Saturday.
With the perfectly legal +2.0m/s wind, Adeleke finished second behind Laila Owen of Texas A&M, who also ran a new personal best of 22.57 to take the win. For the Dublin sprinter, 22.59 seconds also qualifies her for both the World Championships in Oregon in July and the European Championships in Munich in August. Read more
Sunday Dare redeems pledge to Oyo SWAN
(Independent)
The Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Chief Sunday Dare has redeemed his pledge of cash donation to the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Oyo State Chapter.
Sunday Dare, who promised to give the cash donation to the Oyo chapter of the association while speaking at the final of the Oyo SWAN Cup last December has since been deposited into the Association’s account for accountability.
As hinted by the Chairman of Oyo SWAN, Niyi Alebiosu in December, the money will be distributed as prizes among the champions, runners up and third-placed competitors of the football and table tennis competitions held during the last SWAN Week.
According to him, the prizes will be presented to the beneficiaries at the 2022 Oyo SWAN Ramadan Lecture coming up on the 19th of April 2022 at the NUJ Press Centre. Read more
Everton: Manager Frank Lampard ‘excited’ by challenge of avoiding Premier League relegation
(BBC)
Everton manager Frank Lampard says he is “excited” by the challenge of saving Everton from Premier League relegation.
The Toffees are 17th in the table and three points above the bottom three, with 10 games left to play.
They face 19th-placed Burnley in a key game in the battle for survival at Turf Moor on Wednesday (19:30 BST).
“There are nine games to go after this for us, but it’s a big pressure game. It’s what we’re here for. It’s a big deal,” Lampard said. Read more
Scotland duo Tierney and Patterson doubts for June play-offs (Football365)
Scotland defenders Kieran Tierney and Nathan Patterson have emerged as potential injury doubts for the World Cup play-offs in June.
The two players started both matches of the national team’s recent friendly double-header against Poland and Austria, but their club managers have revealed that they are now facing lay-offs at the end of the domestic season.
Arsenal defender Tierney has a knee injury and Everton right-back Patterson has an ankle issue.
While the exact recovery time-frames of both players are yet to be established, they both appear to be in a race to be fit for the June international window, when Scotland are due to face Ukraine in the play-off semi-final, with Wales awaiting the winners in the final. Read more
Wimbledon organisers holding talks with UK govt on Russian, Belarusian players (StraitsTimes)
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) is holding talks with the British government on the participation of players from Russia and Belarus at this year’s Wimbledon, saying on Tuesday (April 5) that it hopes to announce a decision in mid-May.
Russian and Belarusian players have been allowed to compete on the regular ATP and WTA Tours but not under the name or flag of their countries following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Belarus was a key staging area for the invasion, which Russia says is a “special military operation”. Russia was also banned from defending its Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup team titles.
“We have noted the UK Government’s guidance regarding the attendance of Russian and Belarusian individuals in a neutral capacity at sporting events in the UK,” the AELTC, organisers of the grass-court Grand Slam, said in a statement. Read more
Marko insists Russell ‘hasn’t come close to Hamilton’s level’ despite Saudi GP performance
(Formula1News)
Senior Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko believes that Sir Lewis Hamilton has yet to show the best of himself in 2022, and has said George Russell must improve further to match the seven-time champion.
Mercedes have been a long way off the front-runners thus far in 2022, as they have been caught out by the “porpoising” issues posed by the ground effect aerodynamics under the all-new technical regulations.
A considerable margin ahead of them are Red Bull and Ferrari, who have exchanged blows early on in the season as Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen became embroiled in fascinating on-track battles in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
The Monegasque led team-mate Carlos Sainz home in Sakhir, before the reigning world champion bounced back from his late reliability failure in Sakhir to claim victory in Jeddah a week later. Read more
Matsuyama returns to Masters, enjoying perks of a champion (DailyMail)
The introduction differs slightly from tournament to tournament, though the general theme never changes.
“The defending Masters champion.”
Those words, or some version of them, have been what Hideki Matsuyama has heard on the first tee of whatever tournament he’s played over the last year. And last week at the Valero Texas Open, the words seemed to resonate differently – because that’s when Matsuyama realized that his reign is about to end.
“It was a little sad,” Matsuyama said.
There´s one way to avoid that, of course: He just needs to successfully defend his Masters title, something nobody has done at Augusta National since Tiger Woods in 2002. Matsuyama, the first Japanese man to win a major championship, is hoping a balky neck that has been bothering him for a few weeks is good enough on Thursday to give him a legitimate chance of winning the Masters again. Read more