Police begin probe as gunmen kill 3 in Lagos (Punch)
Three men were on Wednesday killed by unknown gunmen in Gowon Estate, in the Ipaja area of Lagos State.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday.
Hundeyin said the incident happened at about 11.35 pm on Wednesday. Read more
2 injured in multiple accidents on Lagos-Abeokuta expressway (Vanguard)
Two persons escaped death by whiskers when a truck rammed into three vehicles at Ijako Market on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway.
Mrs Temitope Oseni, the Owode-Ijako Unit Commander of Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE) in Ogun, confirmed the accident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sango-Ota on Friday.
Oseni said that the accident, involving seven people and four vehicles, occurred inbound Sango-Ota, Lagos-Abeokuta expressway on Thursday at about 8.35 a.m. Read more
IGP orders round-the-clock security for Easter celebrations (Channels)
Ahead of the 2023 Easter celebrations, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered in-depth security checks and patrols of all public spaces and essential government assets.
The IGP also assured Nigerians of the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all citizens and visitors to the country during the period.
Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying “Particularly, all State Commissioners of Police (CPs) and their supervising Zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) have been ordered to ensure efficient deployment of police personnel, and operational assets to areas of likely security threats within their respective areas of responsibility (AoRs). Read more
Diya proved there’s life after public service – Osinbajo (Punch)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday, in Lagos, described the former Chief of General Staff, the late Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya (retd.), as a forthright and honest leader who served his country and its people well.
He noted that the life of the former CGS under the Abacha military regime revealed that one could serve one’s nation long after leaving public service.
“He showed us that you can live and serve your nation and serve well even after office, serve again and work hard even in private life,” Osinbajo said during a condolence visit to the family of the late elder stateman in Ikeja, the Lagos State capital. Read more
Anambra empowers indigenous beggar allegedly deported from Asaba (ThisDay)
Anambra State Government has empowered a 32 years old woman, Ogochukwu Nwabude, who was engaging in alms begging in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, before she was deported.
It was gathered that Nwabude, a mother of one, was alleged to have been deported back to Anambra for constituting nuisance in the Delta State capital, Asaba.
The woman who was at the Anambra State Women and Social Welfare Ministry was empowered by the Commissioner, Hon. Ify Obinabo and cautioned to desist from alms begging. Read more
Senate presidency: Shehu Sani endorses Kalu (Sun)
Shehu Sani, a former Senator who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th Senate, has endorsed the Senate Presidency bid of the Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu.
Sani has also canvassed for the zoning of the position to the South East geopolitical zone of the country.
Insisting on equity and justice as harbingers of unity in any country, he said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should consider that above any primordial sentiments in the interest of the nation. Read more
Appoint more women, APC woman leader tells Govs-elect (Nation)
The North Central Women Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Princess Zahrah Mustapha Audu, has appealed to Governors-elect from her zone to appoint more women into their cabinets.
This, she said, would help make up for the poor representation of women in elective positions in the just-concluded general elections.
Her appeal which was contained in a statement by her media office in Abuja argued that this gesture will go a long way toward gender inclusivity in governance. Read more
Abuja School converts health centre built by Senator to classrooms (ThisDay)
The management of the Government Secondary School Jedda in the Kuje Area Council, Abuja, has converted the primary health centre (PHC) built by the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Phillip Aduda, to classrooms.
The management blamed the development on the acute shortage of classrooms for students of the school.
The Principal of the School, Mr. Mohammed Tanko, gave the explanation yesterday when the facilitator of the PHC, Senator Aduda, inspected the project and others within the Kuje and Gwagwalada Area Councils. Read more
Jennifer Hudson recreates her Easter dress look from when she was 7 years old (People)
Jennifer Hudson is celebrating her younger — stylish! — self.
On Friday’s spring-celebration episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show, the EGOT winner took a stroll down memory lane by recreating the Easter Sunday outfit she wore during her childhood, complete with tights and white lace gloves.
“This is a remake that I recreated from when I was 7 years old,” Hudson, 41, told the audience before a photo of an adorable little Hudson in a strikingly similar white dress appeared on the screen behind her.
“That’s baby J.Hud right there, y’all,” the Respect actress said. Read more
Jeremy Renner interview with Diane Sawyer gives ABC Thursday ratings boost (Deadline)
Jeremy Renner‘s interview with Diane Sawyer gave ABC a bit of a ratings boost on Thursday night.
Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview – A Story of Terror, Survival and Triumph aired at 10 p.m. ET/PT, averaging 3.49M live + same day total viewers. According to ABC, that’s the broadcaster’s best Thursday performance in six months, since the premiere of the Hilary Swank drama Alaska Daily.
Alaska Daily managed about 3.58M viewers for its October 6 premiere. The season, which ended on March 30, averaged about 2.8M viewers. Compared to last week, the Jeremy Renner special drew about 800,000 more viewers. Read more
Original Luigi actor John Leguizamo refuses to watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie (NME)
John Leguizamo has doubled down on his criticism of The Super Mario Bros. Movie due to its lack of diversity.
The actor, who played Luigi in the 1993 live-action film Super Mario Bros. opposite Bob Hoskins, told TMZ he won’t watch the animated reboot because the film “messed up” by not including Latin actors in the voice cast.
“They could’ve included a Latin character,” Leguizamo said. “I was groundbreaking, and they stopped the groundbreaking. They messed up the inclusion, they disincluded.” Read more
Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars files lawsuit against band, says he was gaslit and pushed out of group (NBC)
Mick Mars, Motley Crue’s guitarist of 41 years, has filed legal papers bringing deep divisions between him and the other three members of the band out into the open.
The suit only demands that the group hand over relevant documents about their businesses in advance of arbitration. But the wealth of details in Mars’ filing offers a look at the apparent tension between him and the others, in what he says has been a pattern of “gaslighting” in an attempt to kick him out of the group.
The paperwork was filed in Los Angeles County’s Superior Court Thursday filed through Mars’ attorney, Edwin F. McPherson, and says the band has deliberately withheld information about the various Motley Crue businesses that he has a 25% ownership share in. Mars says the band has demanded he sign a severance agreement that would divest him of those and other future interests, in return for a 5% stake in the group’s 2023 tour, which is going on without him. Read more
2 Israeli settlers killed in occupied West Bank shooting (AlJazeera)
Two people were killed after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in the occupied West Bank as tensions between Israel and the Palestinians intensified.
The attack targeted a car on Friday near the illegal Israeli settlement of Hamra in the West Bank’s northern Jericho governorate.
“A shooting attack was carried out on a vehicle at the Hamra Junction. IDF [Israeli army] soldiers are searching the area,” Israel’s military said. Read more
South Africa snake on plane: Deadly cobra in cockpit forces emergency landing (BBC)
It felt like just another flight for South African pilot Rudolph Erasmus, until he noticed an extra passenger on his plane at 11,000ft in the air.
However, it wasn’t a human, but a cobra slithering under his seat.
“To be truly honest, it’s as if my brain did not register what was going on,” he told the BBC.
“It was a moment of […] awe,” he added, saying he initially thought the cold feeling on his back was his water bottle. Read more
China sanctions Reagan library and others over Taiwanese president’s U.S. trip (NBC)
China retaliated for the United States House speaker’s meeting with the Taiwanese president by announcing sanctions on Friday against the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and other organizations, adding to strains over the self-ruled island democracy Beijing claims as part of its territory.
Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy held talks on Wednesday with President Tsai Ing-wen at the Reagan library in Simi Valley, California, in defiance of Chinese warnings. McCarthy joined a growing series of foreign legislators who have met Tsai in a show of support for Taiwan in the face of Chinese intimidation.
U.S.-Chinese relations have sunk to their lowest level in decades due to disputes over the status of Taiwan, which split with China in 1949 after a civil war, as well as security, technology and Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong and Muslim ethnic minorities. Read more
Falcons beat Haiti 2-1 to sustain winning mentality (ThisDay)
Two goals, one in each half, steered nine-time African champions Nigeria past Haiti’s senior women national team in an international friendly in Antalya, Turkey yesterday.
Returnee markswoman, Asisat Oshoala, had already seen her simple tap-in disallowed in the 22nd minute, and fellow Spain-based forward Rasheedat Ajibade has seen her shot miss by the whiskers, before Esther Okoronkwo caught the Haitian defence completely off-guard with a free-kick from the right that slipped past the goalkeeper in the 40th minute.
Haiti, who are also heading to the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia and New Zealand this summer, came back from the dressing room looking to take the fight to the Super Falcons, but goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, Tosin Demehin and captain Onome Ebi warded off their incursions. Read more
Rivers set to return home after CAF stadium reinspection (Punch)
Nigeria’s CAF Confederation Cup representatives Rivers United stand a chance of playing the first leg of their quarter-final clash against Tanzanian side Young Africans at home April 23.
This comes after the Confederation of Africa Football inspected their home ground in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The Nigerian champions were banished to Uyo for their continental campaign by the Confederation of Africa Football, after the Nigeria Football Federation reportedly responded late to a stadium inspection directive. Read more
Christian Eriksen back in contention for Manchester United but Luke Shaw misses Everton game (RTE)
Manchester United will be able to call upon Christian Eriksen for the first time in two months when Everton visit Old Trafford but Luke Shaw is unavailable owing to injury.
Erik ten Hag initially feared Eriksen would be out for the rest of the season when he was scythed down by Reading striker Andy Carroll in United’s 3-1 FA Cup win over the Royals at the end of January.
Ten Hag reiterated his unhappiness with the challenge that left Eriksen nursing an ankle injury but the Dane is ahead of schedule in his recovery and will be involved in United’s squad on Saturday afternoon. Read more
Man City’s Erling Haaland ‘‘ready’’ to make return from injury – Pep Guardiola (ESPN)
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland could feature in Saturday’s Premier League game at Southampton after recovering from a groin injury, coach Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
Haaland missed out on Norway’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Spain and Georgia last month, as well as City’s 4-1 win over Liverpool last Saturday.
Speaking in his Friday news conference, Guardiola told reporters: “He trained the last two days, really good. He will be ready.” Read more
Tiger Woods cites ‘constant’ pain as he faces possible Masters cut (UPI)
Tiger Woods told reporters that he was in “constant” pain during his first round at the 2023 Masters and that he was “sore” after his 2-over-par 74. Woods would need to play better Friday to avoid the cut.
Woods’ first round score was tied for 52nd on Thursday in Augusta, Ga. The players inside the Top 50 scores and ties after Friday’s second round will advance to the third round Saturday at Augusta National Golf Club.
“I feel like I drove it good,” Woods said. “I just didn’t do the job I needed to do to get the ball close.” Read more
Nets finally converting David Duke Jr.’s contract to a standard deal (NYPost)
The Brooklyn Nets are finally giving David Duke Jr. a well-deserved standard contract, league sources told the Post.
After spending his rookie campaign and almost all of his second season as a two-way, Duke Jr. is being converted to a standard deal.
The move was expected to be made official on Friday.
The Nets did the same thing late last season in converting two-way rookie Kessler Edwards to a standard deal. Read more