Police launch manhunt for Lagos driver’s killers (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has launched a manhunt for the fleeing gunmen, who allegedly shot a driver, identified simply as Sunday, to death in the Lawanson area of the state.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the 45-year-old, who had closed for the day, parked his vehicle around Lawanson bus stop and was on his way to buy something when the gunmen suddenly appeared on a motorcycle and shot him in the chest.
Sunday, who fell to the ground after he was shot, died on the spot. His corpse was said to have been left in a pool of his own blood on Aborisade Street, Lawanson.
Other yet-to-be-identified persons were said to have also sustained bullet injuries during the attack that led to the death of the driver. Read more
Lagos PDP warns Sanwo-Olu against plan to shelve council polls (Guardian)
Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has cautioned Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu against a plan to shelve the local council elections in the state or adopt any undemocratic means to foist unelected candidates on the councils when the tenure of the incumbents expires.
In a statement, yesterday, its spokesman, Mr. Taofik Gani, said the party would go to any length, including taking necessary legal action, to ensure that the state government conducts council elections.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu should resist any plan to entrench undemocratic rule in the local councils. The move to entrench undemocratic councils will not only fester anarchy at that level but will also be the albatross of the governor if any attempt to seek re-election in 2023,” the statement said.
MEANWHILE, Spokesman of the APC, Mr. Seye Oladejo, has said that the PDP’s ranting about the local council elections “shows the idleness and needless rabble-rousing of its confused leadership.” Read more
Kano, Lagos must lead peace missionin Nigeria, says Tinubu (ThisDay)
The National leader of All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Kano and Lagos must remain peaceful in Nigeria.
The former Lagos state governor, spoke yesterday at the palace of the emir of Kano on a courtesy call as part of activities marking Tinubu’s birthday and colloquium in Kano.
He insisted that Kano and Lagos, which possess common population densities and hold economic growth, must lead other parts of the country on a peaceful mission.
He declared that both largest cities in the country must continue to promote unity, tolerance and peace among people of divergent background residing in the states, to show good example to other states. Read more
Resident doctors threaten to commence nationwide strike on Thursday (DailyTrust)
The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to proceed on a nationwide strike action from Thursday April 1, if its demands are not met.
In a communique issued at the end of its National Executive Council meeting, President, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, Secretary General, Dr. Jerry Isogun, and Publicity/Social Secretary, Dr. Dotun Osikoya, said the demands include immediate payment of all salaries owed to all house officers, including March salaries (regardless of quota system) before the end of business on the 31st of March.
Others are: “Immediate payment of all salary arrears including March salaries for our members in all Federal (GIFMIS platform) and State Tertiary Health Institutions across the country especially ASUTH, IMSUTH and UNIMEDTH. Read more
Nigerians may bear weapons in churches, mosques –YOWICAN (Punch)
The Christian Association of Nigeria (Youth Wing) has raised fears over the spate of kidnapping in the country, warning that citizens may resort to carrying weapons to churches, mosques, while travelling and wherever they find themselves.
The organisation, therefore, called on the regime of the President, Major General Muhammad’s Buhari (retd.), and security agencies to sit up and act now or never.
The National Chairman of YOWICAN, Belusochukwu Enwere, raised the fears in his speech titled, ‘Kidnapped RCCG members: Nigeria on the march to Golgotha’, delivered at the just-concluded leadership retreat held in Abuja, and obtained by journalists on Sunday.
He was reacting to the kidnapping of a bus filled with Christians from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Kaduna Province 1, who were said to be going for a prayer work in Kafanchan. Read more
Calabar port ships first cocoa export to US in 14 years (Guardian)
Nigeria has shipped 7,000 metric tonnes of cocoa through the Calabar Port in Cross River State to the United States of America (U.S.A.) for the first time in about 14 years.
Starlink Global and Ideal Limited transported the 7,000 tonnes of cocoa through the Ecomarine Terminals in Calabar Port.
Draft limitations had challenged the Calabar Port for over 14 years after its concession, but the Ecomarine Terminals Limited had shipped the maiden export of cocoa beans from the seaport.
Speaking at the load-out ceremony in Calabar, Governor Benedict Ayade said the state was rich in agricultural resources, urging the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) to expedite action on the dredging of Calabar channels in other to aid increase in exports. Read more
Court sentences, fines 80 Ondo sanitation offenders (Punch)
No fewer than 80 persons were arrested for flouting the sanitation law during the monthly environmental sanitation held on Saturday in Ondo State.
The suspects, who were arrested in different parts of Akure, were said to have contravened the restriction order on human and vehicular movement during the exercise.
Shortly after the exercise, the suspects were arraigned before the state magistrates’ court sitting in Akure for the offence.
In his ruling, Magistrate Taiwo Lebi, found the accused persons guilty and sentenced some of them to a week of community service, while others were fined. Read more
Buhari, Lawan, govs, others hail Tinubu at 69 (DailyTrust)
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday led his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its prominent members in congratulating Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on his 69th birthday anniversary.
Buhari, in a statement by his spokesman, Femi Adesina, said Tinubu’s acumen and influence have continued to resonate around the country and beyond.
The president felicitated with Tinubu, whom he described as a “patriot and statesman”, on the 12th colloquium, an intellectual gathering to commemorate his birthday that had over the years turned into a veritable opportunity for discussing topical national issues, and harnessing ideas that would move the nation forward. Read more
Telcos may lose N25b over prolonged SIM ‘lockdown’ (Guardian)
If the court order demanding two months extension of NIN-SIM registration stays, it would have been five months of no SIM registration and activation in the country.
The implications of this are that mobile network operators (MNOs) would have lost about ₦25 billion to the process as a result of inactive SIM cards, which would have increased by 9.6 million, at an average of 3.2 million lines per month, aside from those previously lost.
Checks by The Guardian revealed that between December 2020 (when the Federal Government gave the directive stopping operators from activating both new and old SIM cards that require re-activation) and February, while relying on the statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), about 7.6 million lines had become inactive, which had resulted in the loss of about N10.8 billion, going by the industry Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) of ₦1,420. Read more
Mozambique: Dozens dead after militant assault on Palma (BBC)
Dozens of people are dead following an attack on the town of Palma in northern Mozambique, according to a spokesperson from the country’s defence department.
Seven were killed trying to escape a siege on a hotel, said Omar Saranga.
Hundreds of others, both locals and foreigners, were reportedly rescued.
The area has been under attack by Islamist militants since Wednesday. Witnesses have described hiding out while waiting to be rescued by boat, on a beach strewn with headless bodies. Read more
Michael B Jordan puckers up for passionate kiss with co-star Chante Adams on streets of New York (Metro)
Michael B Jordan got stuck into filming steamy scenes for his next movie which involved sharing a particularly passionate kiss with his co-star Chante Adams. The Black Panther star is currently shooting the upcoming drama A Journal For Jordan, which is being directed by Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington. As filming got underway this weekend, Michael was spotted standing on the streets of New York City with Chante while filming a romantic night time scene. Michael, 34, went for the kill and planted a kiss on Chante, 26, while also resting his hands on her bum. The pair were seen sharing laughs later in the scene before cameras captured them going for a romantic stroll. Read more
England resumes outdoor gatherings as Covid lockdown eases (France24)
England enters the second phase of its lockdown easing on Monday thanks to a successful vaccination drive, but the government is urging vigilance as another wave of coronavirus sweeps Europe.
After schools reopened on March 8, England’s stay-at-home order will be relaxed to enable outdoor gatherings of up to six people, or two households, in what newspapers are dubbing “Happy Monday”.
While elite sports such as Premier League football have continued during the latest lockdown — minus fans — the new rules will allow amateur team sports to resume, along with tennis, golf, basketball and swimming outdoors. Read more
Brisbane lockdown: Australian city to shut down over seven cases (BBC)
The Australian city of Brisbane will enter another snap three-day lockdown to contain a coronavirus outbreak which has grown to seven cases.
The Queensland state capital – home to over two million residents – will begin the lockdown at 17:00 Monday local time (06:00 GMT).
In January, the city also shut down for three days due to a single case.
The city has seen very few locally acquired cases since Australia’s first wave of the virus a year ago. Read more
Megaship blocking Suez Canal ‘moves 100ft’ after six-day rescue mission (Metro)
Two extra tugboats were being drafted in to the Suez Canal on Sunday, as a global trading crisis sparked by a huge container ship becoming wedged rumbled on. The Ever Given has reportedly been shifted by around 100 feet as efforts to open the Egyptian canal ramp up days after the vital waterway was blocked. The Panama-flagged, Japanese-owned cargo ship got stuck in a single-lane stretch of the canal on Tuesday but so far efforts to move it have been unsuccessful – leading to billions of pounds in losses. Read more
Troops fire at funeral as Myanmar mourns deadliest day since coup (France24)
Myanmar security forces opened fire at a funeral on Sunday, witnesses said, as people across the country gathered to mourn 114 people killed the previous day in the worst crackdown on protests since last month’s military coup.
Mourners fled the shooting at a service for 20-year-old student Thae Maung Maung in Bago near the commercial capital Yangon and there were no immediate reports of casualties, three people in the town told Reuters.
“While we are singing the revolution song for him, security forces just arrived and shot at us,” a woman called Aye who was at the service said. “People, including us, run away as they opened fire.”
Another 12 people were recorded dead in incidents elsewhere in Myanmar by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners advocacy group on Sunday, taking its total toll of civilians killed since the Feb. 1 coup to 459. Read more
Louvre museum makes its entire collection available online (France24)
The Louvre museum in Paris said Friday it has put nearly half a million items from its collection online for the public to visit free of charge.
As part of a major revamp of its online presence, the world’s most-visited museum has created a new database of 482,000 items at collections.louvre.fr with more than three-quarters already labelled with information and pictures.
It comes after a year of pandemic-related shutdowns that has seen an explosion in visits to its main website, louvre.fr, which has also been given a major makeover.
“It’s a step that has been in preparation for several years with the aim of serving the general public as well as researchers. Accessibility is at the heart of our mission,” said president-director Jean-Luc Martinez. Read more
Nasarawa United win eight-goal thriller with Abia Warriors (DailyTrust)
Nasarawa United yesterday defeated Abia Warriors 5-3 in the NPFL week 18 match at the Lafia Township stadium just as Kwara United overpowered hosts Katsina United 2-1 to stay top of the table.
Ikenna Offor opened scoring for Nasarawa United in the 12th minute but Fatai Abdullahi equalised for Abia Warriors in the 21st minute before Silas Nwankwo restored the lead for the home side in the 42nd minute.
However, Nasarawa United’s hope of going into the break with the slim advantage was dashed in the 45th minute when Godwin Obaje bundled home the equaliser.
On resumption,Nwankwo got his second of the evening and Nasarawa United’s third in the 47th minute, Chinedu Ohanachom made it four in the 58th minute but Fatai Abdullahi again cut the deficit with his second goal in the 76th minute. Read more
Eagles doubt Iwobi’s COVID-19 positive result (Punch)
Officials of the Super Eagles team have questioned the COVID-19 test results of Alex Iwobi, The PUNCH reports.
The Everton forward missed Saturday’s 1-0 away win against Benin Republic after reportedly testing positive for coronavirus.
The 24-year-old, who was in line for his 39th appearance for the Eagles, was replaced by Galatasaray’s Henry Onyekuru.
A team official who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that the former Arsenal forward will undergo another COVID-19 test today (Monday) ahead of Nigeria’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos on Tuesday. Read more
Fury’s dad casts doubt on Joshua fight (Guardian)
Tyson Fury’s father John has cast doubt over whether his son’s fight with Anthony Joshua will go ahead, reports rte.ie.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, had claimed the pair signed a two-fight deal, but Fury Snr insists it means nothing until a date or venue has been arranged.
He added that the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic means it is not the right time to stage such a showpiece bout.
Fury Snr said on BT Sport: “What have they signed? They’ve signed nothing in my eyes. They’ve got no date, no venue, no nothing. Read more
Bahrain GP battle between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen prelude to classic year (BBC)
The 2021 Formula 1 season started with a race to showcase the sport at its very best.
The Bahrain Grand Prix distilled down to a straight fight between Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, of the sort followers of the sport have been anticipating for years.
It was full of richness and intrigue – a tense and gripping strategic fight between F1’s two top drivers and two greatest teams from which, to emerge triumphant, Hamilton was required to draw upon all his skill and experience.
And the result was decided by both wheel-to-wheel racing and a dash of controversy, when Verstappen was forced to hand back the lead he had just taken because he had gone off the track while doing it. Read more
Didier Deschamps hails Anthony Martial but Manchester United forward suffers injury scare with France (Metro)
Didier Deschamps praised Anthony Martial’s performance in France’s 2-0 win over Kazakhstan but the Manchester United forward suffered an injury scare during the match. Martial was instrumental in the build-up to Ousmane Demebel’s opening goal in France’s World Cup qualifier on Sunday and his turn and pass created the opportunity for the Barcelona winger. But the United forward was forced off in the 59th minute after suffering a knee injury. Read more
Kane inspires England to win over Albania (BBC)
England maintained their winning start to the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign with a comfortable victory over Albania in Tirana.
Albania provided more of a challenge than hapless San Marino in England’s opening 5-0 win at Wembley but once they had survived an early scare when Myrto Uzuni missed a great chance for the side ranked 66th in the world, this was routine for Gareth Southgate’s side.
England captain Harry Kane lifted the mediocrity of an attritional first half on a slow surface when he scored his 33rd goal for his country, a superbly guided diving header from Luke Shaw’s cross seven minutes before the interval.
This set the platform for a more positive second-half display, Mason Mount adding a composed second in the 63rd minute after sustained England pressure saw Phil Foden’s effort turned on to the post by Albania keeper Etrit Berisha and Kane lifting a close-range shot over the top. Read more
Arsenal hero Aaron Ramsey among string of big names up for sale at Juventus this summer (Metro) Former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey is one of a number of big names likely to leave Juventus this summer, along with the like sof Pablo Dybala and Alex Sandro as the Turin giants prepare for a substantial clear out. Ramsey moved from the Emirates to the Juventus Stadium on a free transfer ahead of the 2019-20 season but has struggled for fitness and form during his time in Italy. The Welshman has managed to make 61 appearances for the club, scoring six goals and winning a Serie A title, but the move has not been considered a success. While he was a free transfer, the 30-year-old is on wages of around £400,000-a-week and Juve do not feeling they are getting much of a return on that immense investment. Read more