Navy has detained my vessel for four years – Shipowner (Punch)
A shipowner, Captain Dada Olaniyi Olabinjo, has said that despite meeting the bail conditions, his vessel, MT Adeline Jombo, has been detained by the Nigerian Navy since 2018.
Olabinjo, who spoke in an exclusive chat with our correspondent in Lagos, explained that he was arrested alongside his $1m vessel in 2018 when the vessel was accused of bunkering.
He said, “Well my vessel was arrested together with myself in 2018 and the court has granted bail to the ship. However, up till now, it has not been released. By the time they release the vessel, there will be nothing inside it again.”
Olabinjo said he was detained for 15 months alongside his vessel but was later released, yet his vessel was still confiscated even after meeting bail conditions. Read more
Army arrests 12 suspected impostors in Lagos, Ogun (Guardian)
Military Police personnel in 81 Division of the Nigerian Army have arrested 12 suspected impostors dressed in military camouflage uniform and portraying the Army in bad light during its ‘Operation Checkmate’ within Lagos and Ogun states.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division Nigerian Army (NA), Major General Umar Thama Musa, who disclosed this during a press briefing, dispelled the unfounded narrative that all acts committed by persons dressed in military uniform are always military personnel.
He noted that people displaying military banners and accoutrement such as belts and stickers on vehicles and driving commercial vehicles in military uniform as well as driving civilian vehicles painted in Army colour are most often not personnel of the Army.
He said in an effort to curtail this ugly trend, the Division has heightened the activities of Operation Checkmate to ensure regular arrest of impostors and offenders within the Division’s area of responsibility. Read more
Lagos motorcyclist bags life sentence for raping passenger (Punch)
A Lagos State High Court sitting at Ikeja on Wednesday sentenced a 33-year-old motorcyclist, Michael Ahmed, to life imprisonment for raping his 21-year-old passenger on an estate.
The victim was raped by the defendant on her way from church.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the defence counsel, Mr Ramon Bashir, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy, noting that the defendant had no prior criminal record. Read more
Lagos presents death benefits to deceased workers’ dependants (Nation)
Lagos State has given insurance death benefits to dependents of its deceased workers.
About 277 cheques were presented to beneficiaries, the highest figure being N10.3 million and the lowest N500,000.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Sewanu Hundogan said the presentation was in accordance with the pension law, which ‘mandates the insurance of workers and a demonstration of the love and commitment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to the welfare of workers.’
Hundogan noted that the state attaches importance to welfare packages for its workers, and this informed the arrangement with Group Life, Group Personal Accident, Motor Property, Liability and Marine. Read more
LandWey reveals 8 year-masterplan for $142m Wellness & Lifestyle City, Isimi Lagos (ThisDay)
The Masterplan for Nigeria’s first Wellness & Lifestyle city, Isimi Lagos, developed by LandWey Investment, a frontline real estate investment company, was unveiled at the Isimi 2030 Symposium in Lagos, recently.
The symposium, held at the LandWey Headquarters, featured the signing of the infrastructural partnership between LandWey and Zenith Construction Ltd. This signified the commencement of the $142m massive infrastructural project that will turn 305 acres of land and a string of sites on the North side of the Lekki Lagoon into a Wellness & Lifestyle City.
Isimi, meaning rest or peace of mind in the Yoruba, best captures the experience that the city hopes to represent. With plans for green and ecological friendly energy sources, restriction to the use of only electric cars & bicycles for mobility, and farm shops stocked with food items locally produced for consumption within the city, Isimi Lagos is positioned to be the ultimate tranquil natural escape providing an alternative eco-friendly lifestyle to the norm.
Speaking at the Symposium, Olawale Ayilara, Group CEO Oxygen Holdings, parent company of Landwey Investment mentions “The first leg of Infrastructural developments has been signed off with the key contractor and constructions are set to begin closely. Presently, we have about 250 citizens vested interest in the potentials of the Isimi Lagos project and we are more than excited to kick-start. We are hopeful that this initial phase of the project will enable us commence allocations for reserved slots before the second quarter of 2022” Read more
‘NDLEA secures 677 convictions, arrests 3,359 offenders, seizes 65,915.891kg of illicit drugs in Q1’ (Guardian)
No fewer than 677 traffickers have been convicted and sentenced to various jail terms in 2022, while a total of 3,359 arrests were made by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and 65,915.891 kilogrammes of assorted drugs seized between January and March this year.
Spokesperson for the agency, Femi Babafemi , who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said the feat was a testimony to NDLEA’s intensified war against illicit drug trafficking and abuse across Nigeria.
He said about 2,223 drug users were also counselled through its brief interventions and rehabilitated in NDLEA’s facilities across the country in the first quarter of the year.
According to Babafemi, the figures represent a fair balance between the agency’s drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction activities.
He said: “Lagos has the highest figure of drug seizures with 22,192.62 kilogrammes of illicit substances recovered from parts of the state, followed by the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA,) Command, Ikeja, also in Lagos, with 8,979.869kg of drugs seized between January and March, while Kano and Kaduna led the pack in the arrest of offenders with 194 arrests each within the same period. Read more
1,000 Ibadan residents benefit from free basic healthcare (Tribune)
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), A and A Medical Health Care Supply Aid, in collaboration with Spring of Salvation Church, has provided reading and prescription glasses, medical tests and treatment for different ailments to over 1,000 individuals in Ibadan as part of measures to improve universal health for all.
Founder of A and A Medical Health Care Supply Aid, Mrs Abiola Akinremi, stated that the two-day free medical outreach was to ensure individuals could access basic healthcare, including health education on staying healthy.
Akinremi, a registered nurse, said: “We believe everyone deserves basic healthcare. It is a basic necessity of life. That is why the medical outreach is organised to help people that cannot afford to seek care from health professionals.
“We have a lot of prescription and reading glasses; we know that it is expensive and not many people can afford it. For instance, it is important that children have glasses to see better what is written on the board and perform in school. Read more
2023: INEC will count votes not prayer points, Enugu bishop tells Nigerians (Vanguard)
INEC will count votes and not prayer points in 2023, the Anglican Bishop of Nike Diocese, in Enugu State, Most Rev. Christian Onyia, reminded eligible voters on Wednesday.
Addressing a pre-Synod media briefing, Onyia admonished eligible voters yet to obtain Permanent Voter Cards to do so, speedily as the 2023 general elections draw near.
He stressed that it was only the card that would enable voters to exercise their franchise and elect leaders of their choice in 2023.
Onyia also spoke about the growth of the Church in Enugu State and noted that one of the challenges was the assessment of priests by bishops. Read more
South Africa floods kill more than 250 (BBC)
The death toll in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal has reached more than 300, after devastating floods wreaked havoc in the area.
Local authorities are calling for a state of disaster to be declared, after some areas saw months worth of rain fall in one day.
Officials have called it “one of the worst weather storms in the history of our country”.
Mudslides have trapped people under buildings, with more floods expected.
There are reports that the rescue effort is being hampered by poor visibility as a helicopter continues to bring people back to safety. Read more
“Game of Thrones” actor Joseph Gatt arrested for alleged ‘sexually explicit communication with a minor’ (People)
Actor Joseph Gatt is under investigation for alleged inappropriate communication with a minor, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Tuesday.
Gatt, known for his role as Thenn Warg in HBO’s Game of Thrones, was taken into custody around 5 a.m. on April 6 after Los Angeles Police Department officers from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed a warrant at his home, LAPD said in a news release Tuesday.
Police served the warrant after receiving a tip that Gatt “had been engaged in online sexually explicit communication with a minor across state lines,” the release added. He was arrested on a felony warrant for contact with a minor for sexual offense.
The actor was released on the same day of his arrest after posting a $5,000 bail, per the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Inmate Information Center. Read more
We need to move out there and demand to be noticed – Chief Moomen tells Ghana music industry (MyJoy)
Creative Entrepreneur and poet Chief Moomen is encouraging Ghanaian musicians to make a deliberate effort for global recognition.
He threw in his observation and suggestion on April 9, on Joy FM’s Showbiz A-Z, where he joined Kidi, Camidoh and Mr. Drew as guests. The panel discussed the rough and tough terrain in Ghana music, during which Chief Moomen advised musicians.
Chief Moomen asserted that the Ghana music industry has possibly taken a cue from the exemplary path that its Nigerian counterparts have charted.
He congratulated and commended the likes of Kidi and Kuami Eugene on their successful show at the Indigo O2 in the UK, as well as King Promise’s amazing performance in Nigeria recently, stressing that they are proof that we can go global too. Read more
Charlie Puth experienced ‘wake-up call’ after Elton John criticised his music (MusicNews)
Charlie Puth had a serious “wake-up call” after Elton John panned his music.
During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Wednesday, the Attention hitmaker recalled how he drastically changed his mindset after a chance encounter with the British music icon a couple of years ago.
“I felt like my music in 2019… the most important thing you can do, all the songwriters watching this right now, is when you write a song, it’s important to tell the truth, and I wasn’t really doing that in 2019,” he said, possibly referring to his 2018 album Voice Notes. “The person who really kind of awoken my senses was none other than Elton John.”
Charlie went on to recall his conversation with Elton at a restaurant in Los Angeles. Read more
Salma Hayek replaces Thandiwe Newton in Magic Mike’s Last Dance (EW)
Salma Hayek is joining the scantily-clad world of Magic Mike’s Last Dance, the third installment in Channing Tatum’s cinematic ode to male strippers. The Oscar-nominee is replacing Thandiwe Newton, who unfortunately had to drop out for personal reasons.
“Thandiwe Newton has made the difficult decision to step away from the production of Warner Bros. Pictures’ Magic Mike’s Last Dance to deal with family matters,” a Warner Bros. spokesperson said in a statement.
Can you believe it’s been 10 whole years since Magic Mike rode in on his (well, Ginuwine’s) pony? After a sequel, a TV competition show, a Vegas revue, and interestingly enough, a stage musical, Tatum is coming back for one last twerk.
Steven Soderbergh, who helmed the first film, is returning as director, while Reid Carolin, the writer of both Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, has completed the trilogy with his script for Last Dance. Read more
Mario Van Peebles reflects on the legacy of ‘New Jack City’ for American Cinematheque’s 1990s black film series (Variety)
On March 8, 1991, Mario Van Peebles’ feature directorial debut “New Jack City” premiered at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood. On Saturday, a little more than 30 years later, Van Peebles walked the red carpet outside the very same cinema — now renamed the Regency Village Theatre — for a special screening of his classic crime thriller, hosted by the American Cinematheque.
Van Peebles was joined for the special event by “New Jack City” star Vanessa Estelle Williams, plus his children — Mandela and Makaylo, who joined their dad onstage to record his introduction to the movie, as well as Marley and Maya.
As Van Peebles reflected on the full-circle moment, he called out one of the gangster movie’s most famous (and Bible-borrowed) lines, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” and the massive crowd yelled back, “Yes I am.” The call and response is a reference to the iconic scene where (spoiler alert) Harlem drug kingpin Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) and his Cash Money Brothers compatriot Gee Money’s (Allen Payne) rooftop confrontation comes to a tearful end.
The filmmaker also noted that “New Jack City” opened in theaters just four days after TV outlets released the footage of LAPD officers beating motorist Rodney King. Read more
Cuba Gooding Jr admits kissing waitress without consent at New York nightclub (Sky)
The Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr has pleaded guilty to kissing a waitress without consent at a New York nightclub in 2018.
The 54-year-old is accused of violating three different women at various Manhattan night spots in 2018 and 2019, but his guilty plea covers only one of the allegations.
It comes nearly three years after the actor was arrested in the case that was delayed several times as his lawyers sought to get charges reduced or dismissed.
Gooding has now admitted to a judge he “kissed the waitress on her lips” without consent at the LAVO nightclub. Read more
Ex-stars to Eagles: Forget failures, plan for AFCON qualifiers (Punch)
Ex-internationals have urged the Nigerian Football Federation not to dwell on the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup but focus more on preparing the team for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, which kicks off in June, The PUNCH reports.
The Eagles lost the World Cup ticket on the away goals rule after Ghana held the three-time African champions 1-1 in the second leg in Abuja March 29. The first leg in Kumasi four days earlier ended goalless.
Former Eagles goalkeeper, Ike Shorunmu, said the players must rededicate themselves to the team and ensure such setbacks don’t happen again.
“I am confident the Eagles will bounce back, but they must show courage to do that when the AFCON qualifiers start.” Read more
Liverpool’s Klopp wary of Villarreal ‘king of cups’ boss Emery in UCL semi finals (ESPN)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Champions League semi final opponents Villarreal fully deserve their place in the last four and their coach Unai Emery is the “King of the Cups”.
Liverpool drew 3-3 with Benfica in their quarter final second leg on Wednesday to go through to the semis with a 6-4 aggregate scoreline.
The win sets up a meeting with Villarreal, who pulled off a shock victory over Bayern Munich in their quarter final tie.
“I saw the results, the game was very impressive. I only picked up pieces but to beat Juventus and Bayern Munich they deserve to be in the Champions League semi finals,” Klopp said. Read more
Stones praises City performance against ‘hostile’ Atletico as brawl mars tie (France24)
Manchester City defender John Stones praised his team’s “incredible” composure in a fiery goalless draw away to Atletico Madrid as Pep Guardiola’s side set up a blockbuster Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.
Kevin De Bruyne scored the only goal of the tie in the first leg in Manchester and City held on despite a bad-tempered finish to the return leg in the Spanish capital.
Atletico centre-back Felipe was sent off late on for a wild swipe at Phil Foden, an incident that triggered a mass brawl in the corner of the pitch and resulted in more than 12 minutes of stoppage time being played.
“We know that they sometimes try to make things happen like that and we dealt with it really well,” Stones told BT Sport. Read more
Trae Young leads Hawks to blowout play-in game win over Hornets (NYPost)
Trae Young bounced back from a sluggish start to score 24 points and De’Andre Hunter led a third-quarter surge that carried the Atlanta Hawks to a 132-103 rout of the Charlotte Hornets in an Eastern Conference play-in game Wednesday night.
The Hawks, who finished ninth in the East after a surprising run to the conference final a year ago, will travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers on Friday night.
The winner claims the No. 8 seed in the East and will face the top-seeded Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs.
The season is over for the Hornets, who were overwhelmed in the 9-10 play-in game for the second year in a row and haven’t made the playoffs since 2016. Read more
Melbourne to host golf’s prestigious Presidents Cup again in 2028 and 2040 (Guardian)
Melbourne will host the Presidents Cup in 2028 and 2040, bringing many of the world’s best players back to Australia.
The Victorian capital’s famous sandbelt has been confirmed to stage the two biennial clashes between the United States and the International team, but the host courses are yet to be decided.
Royal Melbourne staged all three previous editions of the prestigious event held in Australia, in 1988, 2011 and 2019, but the door may be open for the likes of nearby Kingston Heath and Huntingdale.
Melbourne’s hosting of the 2028 event will be the fourth time the cup has been staged in the city – equalling Gainesville, Virginia, in the United States for most cups contested in a city. Read more
‘I think this is what makes Rafael Nadal so successful’, says ATP star (TennisWorld)
Rafael Nadal suffered a stress fracture to one of his ribs during the Indian Wells Masters. Three weeks have passed since Nadal announced his diagnosis. In announcing his diagnosis, Nadal revealed that he would likely be out for four to six weeks.
“Hello everyone, I wanted to inform you that I am back in Spain and that I have gone directly to see my medical team for tests after the Indian Wells final, that I have played with discomfort,” Nadal tweeted in Spanish the day after the final.
“I have a stress fracture in one of my ribs and I will be out for 4-6 weeks. It is not good news and I did not expect it. I am devastated and sad because after such a good start to the season I have had. Now is a very important moment of the year for me and I had very good feelings and good results.
I have always had that spirit of struggle and improvement and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again I want to thank everyone for his support.” Nadal’s goal is to reappear at the Madrid Masters, which starts on May 1. Read more