NSCDC busts syndicates in Lagos, seizes 60,000 liters of PMS (Guardian)
The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Lagos Command has smashed a Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) syndicate at Baruwa town, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The command also arrested two members of the syndicate and detained a 60,000-litre truck laden with the commodity after overpowering the syndicate which attacked the NSCDC officials.
The NSCDC Lagos Commandant, Mr Paul Ayeni, addressing newsmen at the site of the bunkering said the command received the distress call at about 1:00 am on Saturday.
According to the Lagos NSCDC boss, the men of the command immediately swung into action to ensure the perpetrators do not go scot free and that the country’s critical infrastructure is protected. Read more
Kidnappers demand N5m ransom for man abducted at Iwo Road, Ibadan (Tribune)
Unknown persons who abducted a man, Abiodun Obafaye, on Tuesday, in Ibadan, Oyo State, have made contact with the victim’s family members, demanding a ransom of N5 million.
Saturday Tribune gathered that the victim was abducted under the bridge at Iwo Road by unidentified men at about 4.30 p.m while he was coming from a bank where he went to withdraw money for his Point of Sale (PoS) business.
He was said to have been driven off in a commercial vehicle. Read more
Man turns church premises to kidnappers’ den (Sun)
For two years, residents of Agbarho community in Ughelli North area of Delta State had been thanking God for the life of a member of the community who they all saw as a hugely successful businessman.
The man, Victor Dominic Ovo, owns an exotic building in the community. And he was generous enough to donate a part of the building to a pastor, who has been using the space as a fellowship centre.
But there was something the pastor and other members of the community did not know. The well-built bungalow believed to be the residential apartment of this ‘successful businessman’ was nothing but a hideout where several kidnap victims were kept.
Members of the church and indeed, the community got the shock of their lives recently when detectives attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), who had arrested Victor Dominic Ovo at a different location, stormed the compound. Read more
OPC attacks Dambazau for likening group to Boko Haram (DailyTrust)
The O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC) has replied the former Chief of Army Staff and Ex-Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdurahman Dambazau, saying he was “suffering from acute dementia and gradually losing touch with the realities of the moment.”
The group spoke in reaction to the statement credited to Dambazau likening OPC as well as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to Boko Haram.
“We see parallels between BH, a religious extreme group and the IPOB and OPC, both ethnic extremist groups. All the three groups operate on the platform of extremism,” Dambazau had said while delivering a lecture to participants of course 5, 2021, Army War College Nigeria. Read more
Thugs disrupt PDP North West congress in Kaduna (Tribune)
Thugs on Saturday disrupted the North West congress of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) held at the Kaduna International Trade fair complex.
Findings gathered that the major cause of the mayhem was about who emerges as the Zonal vice chairman of the party in the zone.
The PDP North West is comprising of seven states of Kano Katsina, Kaduna, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.
According to findings, there are two top contenders, Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo from Kano State and Muhammad Jamo Yusuf also from Kano State. Read more
Restructuring will stop agitation for Oduduwa Republic –Olubadan, Olugbon (Sun)
Prominent Yoruba monarchs have said the agitation for Oduduwa nation can be halted if the federal government addresses the call for restructuring.
Two first class monarchs, Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, and the Olugbon of Orile Igbon, Oba Francis Alao, who is the Deputy Chairman of Oyo State Council of Obas spoke with Saturday Sun on Friday.
They traditional rulers appraised the issues that led to agitation for Oduduwa Republic and returned verdict that the agitators have a genuine cause, based on the insecurity pervading Nigeria, nepotism, marginalization and situation, whereby some sections of the country have been positioned to be superior to other sections.
Though they warned that if the insecurity, marginalization and other forms of disputes continue, a breakup of the country might be inevitable, they did not, however, support the breakup of the country. Instead, they advocated restructuring of the nation such that true federalism would be practiced in Nigeria. Read more
Zulum restates faith in one indivisible Nigeria (Guardian)
Gov. Babangana Zulum of Borno says Nigeria will continue to be united in spite of its many challenges.
Zulum said this on Saturday in Ibadan during a courtesy visit to his Oyo State counterpart, Gov. Sheyi Makinde.
The governor appealed to those fomenting trouble in parts of the country to desist forthwith and allow peace to reign, adding that nobody could predict what would happen in times of crises.
He called on the political class to take deliberate steps to preserve the land, protect the environment and ensure the peace and stability of the country. Read more
There was no massacre in Benue – Defence HQ (Tribune)
The Defence Headquarters, (DHQ), on Friday, refuted media reports on the alleged killing and destruction of houses and other property by the military in Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State where 11 Military Personnel were allegedly murdered on Thursday by armed bandits.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu The DHQ declared that there was no massacre in Konshisha and the stories making the rounds were fabricated by bandits and their sponsors to smear the military after murdering troops in cold blood.
According to the statement: “The Defence Headquarters wishes to state that soldiers deployed to Konshisha displayed commendable restraints by adhering to the rules of engagement in the face of unprovoked attacks and therefore deserve accolades.” Read more
APC, PDP disagree over card reader failure in Delta bye-election (Sun)
A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, Goodness Agbi on Saturday accused the People Democratic Party (PDP) of deliberately manipulating the smart card reader during the bye-election to fill the vacant seat at the state House of Assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the bye-election as a result of the death of the former representing Isoko North Constituency and Majority Leader of the House, Tim Owhefere of the PDP.
Agbi said the initial mal-functioning of the card readers in some pulling units was the handwork of the ruling party in the state, alleging that the cards “were deliberately made not to work to give the PDP leverage to thumbprint ballot papers.” Read more
Curious story of the man who tried to mail himself to Wales from Australia after getting homesick (Metro)
A pensioner from Cardiff is looking for two Irishmen who helped him escape Australia by mailing him off in a wooden crate. Brian Robson was 19 years old when he decided to go ahead with the ‘stupid’ plan to get home to Wales in 1965. After 11 months Down Under, he was feeling desperately homesick, but the £40 a month he made working for Victorian Railways wasn’t nearly enough to cover a £700 plane ticket. But after being talked into it for about a week, two Irish friends and colleagues, known to Brian only as Paul and John, helped pack him into a box ‘the size of a mini-fridge’. Read more
Prince Philip: World leaders and royals send heartfelt sympathy (BBC)
Monarchs, heads of state and prime ministers across the world, past and present, have sent heartfelt tributes following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99.
Europe’s royal households and Commonwealth leaders alike praised his exceptional public service.
Joe Biden described the duke as a “heck of a guy”, and all living former US presidents also sent tributes.
Pope Francis paid tribute to his “devotion to his marriage and family”. Read more
Plane makes emergency landing as woman gives birth midway through flight (Metro)
A woman gave birth on a plane with the help of a medical student who happened to be on board. Kultumah Mohammed, 27, was on a flight from N’Djamena, in Canada, to Cairo, in Egypt, when she realised her baby was coming. The Egypt Air flight tried to make an emergency landing in Aswan, about 500 miles south of Cairo, but the baby boy was born before the plane landed, while it was still flying over Sudan. Luckily, medical student Laila Mohamed Abou Bakr was also on the flight and she helped deliver the newborn with the assistance of flight attendants on the plane. Read more
Johns Hopkins: Nearly 134.7m global COVID cases (VOA)
There are nearly 134.7 million worldwide COVID-19 cases, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported early Saturday. The U.S. has more cases than anywhere else, with 31 million infections, followed by Brazil, with 13.3 million, and India, with 13.2 million cases.
India has recorded its highest daily spike in COVID cases for a fifth straight day. On Saturday, the health ministry reported 145,384 new cases in the previous 24-hour period.
Britain’s emergency doctors are reporting that their departments are seeing an influx of patients who say they have headaches and are worried about the AstraZeneca vaccines they have received, following reports that the vaccine could be responsible for very rare, possibly fatal, brain blood clots. Read more
Malcolm-Jamal Warner on ‘The Resident’ Season 4, ‘Cosby Show’ legacy (NYPost)
“The Resident” co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner almost had a much shorter stint on the hit Fox medical drama.
“When I auditioned for [my character] AJ, it was just for the last three episodes of Season 1. And then here we are filming the end of Season 4. So it’s been a pretty good journey,” Warner, 50, told The Post.
“The Resident” returns for its Season 4 spring premiere Tuesday (April 13) at 8 p.m. The series follows the lives and jobs of staffers at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, including chief resident Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry, “Gilmore Girls,”); nurse practitioner, and Conrad’s wife, Nic Nevin (Emily VanCamp); second-year resident internist Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal); surgical resident Mina Okafor (Shaunette Renée Wilson); and AJ “The Raptor” Austin (Warner), a brilliant, sometimes volatile cardiothoracic surgeon who’s dating Mina. Read more
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is every inch a superhero as he shows off epic results amid Black Adam filming (Metro)
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has officially begun filming for DC’s Black Adam – and he looks every bit the superhero, or anti-hero, we were hoping for. Excitedly announcing the first day of filming, which he described as ‘history in the making,’ the 48-year-old also showed off the results of his gruelling exercise regime and diet. Posting a snap of the clapperboard, he penned on Instagram: ‘History in the making, extremely excited and what a humbling moment to share with you. Read more
Prince Philip: What are the plans for his funeral? (BBC)
Funeral preparations are under way for Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, who died on Friday aged 99.
Details will be announced in the coming days, but it is expected to be a ceremonial event rather than a large state affair usually associated with the death of a monarch.
What will happen next?
The UK government has announced that union jacks and national flags will fly at half-mast on all government buildings until 08:00 BST on the day following the funeral. Union jacks on royal buildings, where the Queen is not in residence, will also fly at half-mast. Read more
20th NSF: Ojeli, Okon-George lay down the gauntlet as 400m finalists emerge (Guardian)
Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ojeli and Patience Okon-George emerged as the athletes to beat after their front running performances in the men and women’s 400m semi-finals concluded Saturday morning on Day 2 of the athletics event of the 20th National Sports Festival at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin.
Ojeli, competing for Lagos state became the second Nigerian athlete to break 46 seconds this year as he effortlessly won the first of the three semi-final heats. He ran 45.99s to place first ahead of Okezie Chidi of Delta state (46.32s) who took the second automatic slot.
Nathaniel Samson crossed the line in 46.72s to win the second semi-final ahead of the pre-race favourite, Sikiru Adeyemi (46.82s) of Oyo state.
In the third semi-final, Johnson Nnamani of Enugu state came in first (47.36s) ahead of Afam Ogbuagu of Anambra state (47.85s). Bayelsa state’s Olanrewaju Eriolowa (48.09s) and Imo’s Destiny Majemite (48.20s) complete the eight-man list for Sunday’s final. Read more
Edo 2020: Lagos dominates badminton (Nation)
Lagos has retained its status as the best badminton playing state after emerging the overall winner of the event at the 20th National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020.
Despite the addition of team events to this year’s festival, Lagos claimed the highest number of gold to beat Delta and Edo in the event.
It was Anuoluwapo Opeyori and Godwin Olofua that spearheaded Lagos’ dominance in the men’s team, singles and doubles events that fetched the state the three gold and one silver medals.
Opeyori claimed gold in the singles after beating Olofua in the final while the duo paired to win the doubles event. Read more
Kenyans, Ethiopians win 2021 Lagos Marathon (DailyTrust)
Two Kenyans, Emmanuel Naibei and Meseret Dinke, have emerged as the winners of the 2021 edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon in the men and women categories.
Istifanus Peter Mahan was the first Nigerian to cross the finish line at this year’s race thus winning the N1m prize money in that category.
Buhari appoints Asabe Bashir as new Director-General of NCWD
Amina Ibrahim: Kano’s female tricyclist changing narratives
Now in its sixth edition, this is the fourth time a Kenyan is emerging as winner of the Men’s category of the 42km Access Bank Lagos City Marathon.
Nabei on Saturday returned a time of 2hrs 15 mins 01 sec (official) to claim the top $30,000 prize. Read more
Tyson Fury finally confirms ‘big offers’ to fight Anthony Joshua (Metro)
Tyson Fury has finally confirmed that talks to fight heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua are advancing and says there are ‘big, big offers’ on the table from a host of sites around the world. The two British boxers are set to go head-to-head twice in 2021, though Fury has been very coy on progress over an agreement and barely a month ago suggested ‘chicken’ Joshua did not really want the fight. But now a deal looks virtually inevitable with both camps to sit down and decide on a venue in the coming days, while Fury could not resist taunting ‘dosser’ AJ one more time. Read more
10-man Leeds beat leaders Man City in stoppage time (BBC)
Stuart Dallas scored an injury-time winner as 10-man Leeds United beat runaway leaders Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.
Dallas gave the visitors a surprise lead three minutes before the break with a low shot that went in off the inside of a post.
However, the dismissal of skipper Liam Cooper for a tackle on Gabriel Jesus before the opening period was over appeared to have given the visitors an impossible task.
City predictably dominated the second period but were made to wait until the 76th minute for their equaliser, when Ferran Torres drove home his first Premier League goal since December. Read more
Frank Lampard reveals ‘flattering’ offers to return to management since Chelsea sacking (Metro) Frank Lampard has revealed a number of job offers have been made since he left Chelsea, ones he described as ‘flattering and very nice’ but he is still waiting for the right opportunity to arise. The 42-year-old was dismissed from his role at Stamford Bridge in January and has been linked with a number of jobs since then, including Bournemouth, Celtic and the England Under-21 position. Lampard has not given details of which clubs, or countries, have approached him, but he has confirm. Read more
