Police recover charms from suspected cultists arrested in Lagos (Guardian)
The Police Operatives attached to Sagamu Road Division, Ikorodu in Lagos State have arrested, one Rasheed Isiaka, alleged to be terrorising residents of Ikorodu.
According to a statement signed by the State Police Command’s Spokesperson, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the suspect was arrested on April 15 at about 12:10 a.m., at Olowonisaye Street in Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Adejobi said in the statement the the suspect had been alleged to have perpetrated many crimes in Ikorodu area.
The spokesman said that Isiaka had been placed under surveillance due to the intelligence gathered on him before he was evetually arrested.
“Items recovered from him after his arrest include: two locally-made pistols, one laptop, two suspected stolen Bajaj motorcycles, two knives and some assorted charms.” he said. Read more
Strike: Lagos appeals to judiciary staff to resume work (Independent)
Lagos State government has urged the striking members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to resume and open the gates of the courts to litigants.
The appeal was made on Thursday at a meeting the executives of JUSUN in the state held with representatives of the government.
The state government, during the meeting averred that there was no need for the strike as the judiciary is already enjoying full financial autonomy in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, the various court judgment and Executive Order 10.
The meeting was presided by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Kazeem Alogba. Read more
IGR: Lagos tops other states with N418.99bn in 2020 (Guardian)
Lagos State topped other states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in 2020, realising a total of N418.99 billion in the year.
This is indicated in the National Bureau of Statistics’ Published Internally Generated Revenue for State level for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020.
It showed that in spite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the EndSARS mayhem, Lagos State increased its IGR by 5.08 per cent.
The state generated a total of N114 billion in first quarter of 2020; N90.51 billion in second quarter, in N107.84 billion in third quarter, and N106.63 billion in fourth quarter, making a total of N418.99 billion. Read more
Sanwo-Olu facilities with Musiliu Smith at 75 (Independent)
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has congratulated the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Alhaji Musiliu Smith, on his 75th birthday.
Smith, a former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and erstwhile head of the Lagos State Security Council, clocks 75 on Saturday April 17.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, on Friday in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu
described Smith as a worthy ambassador, committed public servant and elder statesman who is worth celebrating.
He said the former Inspector General of Police has lived an exemplary life of hard work, purposefulness and dedication to the service of humanity. Read more
Police arrest woman over alleged poisoning of three-year-old stepson (Punch)
The Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has arrested a 29-year-old woman, Nnenna Egwuagu, for the alleged murder of her three-year-old stepson, Wisdom Egwuagu.
The incident reportedly occurred at Umulumgbe in the Udi Local Government Area of the state on April 9, 2021, when the suspect allegedly gave a poisonous substance to the child which reportedly caused his sudden death.
A statement on Friday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, said the stepmother was arrested by operatives attached to the 9th Mile Police Division following a report to the police by her husband, Justine Egwuagu.
Ndukwe said, “Preliminary investigation shows that the suspect confessed to giving a noxious substance suspected to be an insecticide to the child. She claimed that her action was due to her husband’s inability to take care of her and their daughter; and that she wanted the child to become sick so that her husband could spend money to treat him. The child was confirmed dead in the hospital and his corpse deposited in the mortuary for autopsy. Read more
How rifts over taxes crumbled AMAC’s revenue base, operations, says chairman (Guardian)
Chairman, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Abdullahi Candido, has decried the implications of the lingering conflicts between the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and AMAC on his programmes and activities.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja, Candido stated that the development has made things difficult for his administration to meet obligations to the people. There have been conflicting claims between FCTA and AMAC over the body empowered by law to collect certain taxes, especially tenement rates in the city centre with Candido insisting that the entire city centre, including the very space where FCTA office is located, fall within AMAC’s jurisdiction.
Blaming the power tussle on some vested interests bent on undermining the provision of the law in order to frustrate his administration’s commitment to delivering dividends of democracy, he vowed not to stand aside while development eludes his people. He says he fears that he may not live up to the people’s expectations if he remains indifferent to the issue of tenement rate’s collection. Read more
Kidnappers threatening to kill male, marry off female students –Parents (Punch)
Thirty-six days after gunmen kidnapped 39 students of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation in Mando, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, parents of the remaining students in captivity said on Friday that the kidnappers reached out to them at last.
According to the parents, the kidnappers are threatening to kill all the male students and marry off the females if the parents fail to pay a N500m ransom to secure their release.
Addressing a press conference at the college’s premises on Friday, the secretary of the parents’ association, Mr Friday Sani, called on individuals, non-governmental organisations and others to help raise funds for the students’ release.
Sani said the bandits contacted them individually since the government refused to yield to the kidnappers’ demand. Read more
DSS debunks report of planned attacks on banks in south east (Leadership)
The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied claims by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that it planned to sponsor attacks on banks in the South East region.
On Thursday, the group had levelled the allegation, even as it claimed that the plan was to blame such attacks on the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The group said; “All banks in Biafraland must be wary of DSS because it is possible they are planning to sponsor attacks on banks and turn around as usual to blame it on IPOB and ESN operatives.”
But the Public Relations Officer of the DSS, Dr Peter Afunanya, described the agency as responsible and would continue to work with other sister agencies to maintain law and order and protect lives and property. Read more
PDP demands finance minister’s sacking over alleged N60bn currency printing (Punch)
The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the alleged attempt by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to deny the printing of N60bn by the Central Bank of Nigeria at its behest.
The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the admission by the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, that the apex bank had been printing money at the bidding of government, had vindicated its earlier stand that the Buhari-led APC regime, was allegedly characterised by deceit and falsehood.
The PDP alleged that the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, was allegedly misleading Nigerians by denying the revelations by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.
Obaseki had insisted that the N60bn was printed in March to support federal allocation to states.
The PDP statement partly read, “Obaseki, as a financial expert, who is not known for flippancy, must be commended for his act of patriotism in exposing the dire economic situation our nation has been plunged under the Buhari administration. Read more
De Niro struggling to keep up with wife’s ‘thirst for Stella McCartney’: divorce lawyer (PageSix)
“Aging Bull” Robert De Niro is being worked to death to keep up with his estranged wife’s extravagant lifestyle — including her “thirst for Stella McCartney” and $1 million-plus diamond rings, his lawyer claimed in court Friday.
The elderly acting legend is already a tax delinquent again — with the paychecks from his next two movies to offset his latest multimillion-dollar bill to Uncle Sam, his divorce lawyer claimed.
“Mr. De Niro is 77 years old, and while he loves his craft, he should not be forced to work at this prodigious pace because he has to,” De Niro’s lawyer, Caroline Krauss, told a Manhattan judge during a virtual divorce hearing.
“When does that stop? When does he get the opportunity to not take every project that comes along and not work six-day weeks, 12-hour days so he can keep pace with Ms. Hightower’s thirst for Stella McCartney?” Krauss said, referring to her client’s ex, Grace Hightower, and the celebrity designer. Read more
Israel strikes Gaza after rocket attack (France24)
Israel’s military on Saturday said it had conducted airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip following a rocket attack from the Palestinian enclave, in the second such exchange in as many days.
The strikes hit what the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) described as “terror targets” operated by Gaza’s Islamist ruling party Hamas.
They included a “training facility, an anti-aircraft missile launcher post, a concrete production plant & terror tunnel infrastructure”.
The strikes came hours after militants in the Gaza Strip fired a projectile that hit southern Israel on Friday night. Read more
Helen McCrory remembered by Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe and author JK Rowling (Metro)
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe and author JK Rowling remembered the ‘extraordinary and wonderful’ Helen McCrory following the shock news of her death aged 52. Helen played Narcissa Malfoy in the film franchise, the mother of Harry’s arch-rival Draco Malfoy (Tom Felton) and wife to Lucius (Jason Isaacs). Narcissa was seen as fiercely devoted to her family, even if that meant standing alongside her husband as a Death Eater and making unbreakable curses to keep Draco safe. As hundreds of condolences and tributes pour in to honour Helen, who privately battled cancer, Daniel shared a statement with Metro.co.uk, describing her as one of the ‘coolest’ people he had ever met. Read more
How a podcast helped police find alleged killer of California student gone missing in 1996 (NYPost)
Chris Lambert would like to get back to making music but he can’t seem to stop chasing a ghost that has haunted him for nearly 25 years.
A billboard on the side of the road on California’s Central Coast led him on a detour three years ago from his career as a singer-songwriter and recording engineer. He created a podcast about the 1996 disappearance of college freshman Kristin Smart and it’s taken over his life.
“I can’t step away from it for more than a few days,” Lambert said. “I just get sucked right back in because I want to be resolving things.”
It was an unlikely turn for someone who refers to himself as a shy, “random boy with a beard” and it has produced results he never imagined. Read more
In crisis-hit Lebanon, Hezbollah opens supermarkets for eligible shoppers (France24)
The Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah has launched a chain of supermarkets that are stocked with Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian products at reduced prices that are accessible with a party-issued card. It’s a welcome initiative in a country crippled by a financial crisis and food shortages. But critics say it’s yet another bid by the powerful Shiite movement to win loyalty by providing services in a weak state and oversee a parallel economy.
As the people of Lebanon grapple with a series of acute economic, social and political crises, accompanied by high inflation and food shortages, the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement recently opened several supermarkets in its various strongholds in Beirut, the Bekaa region and the country’s south, in a bid to quell public anger. Food in Lebanon is not just overpriced but often impossible to find.
The supermarket chain – named “Al-Sajjad”, for the imam Ali Al-Sajjad, a figure of Shiite Islam known for his generosity – sells Syrian, Iraqi and Iranian products, a party official told FRANCE 24. Read more
Bollywood grinds to a halt as film industry back in lockdown due to surge in Covid-19 cases in India (Metro)
The Bollywood film industry has ground to a halt as it has been placed into lockdown due to a spike in Covid-19 cases in India. Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of the Maharashtra region of the country, announced on Wednesday (April 14) that all film and TV shooting to be halted until at least May 1. He did not refer to the new restrictions as an official ‘lockdown’, however the measures prevent Indian citizens from being in a public place without a valid reason, while cinemas have closed. This shutdown has affected production on a number of upcoming Bollywood projects, including the forthcoming film Ram Setu. Read more
Russia to expel US diplomats, officials in tit-for-tat move against Washington (France24)
Russia on Friday responded to a barrage of new U.S. sanctions by saying it would expel 10 U.S. diplomats and take other retaliatory moves in a tense showdown with Washington.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Moscow will add eight U.S. officials to its sanctions list and move to shut down those U.S. nongovernment organizations that remain in Russia to end what he described as their meddling in Russia’s politics.
The top Russian diplomat said the Kremlin suggested that U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan follow the example of his Russian counterpart and head home for consultations. Russia will also move to deny the U.S. Embassy the possibility to hire personnel from Russia and third countries as support staff, limit visits by U.S. diplomats serving short-term stints at the embassy, and tighten requirements for U.S. diplomats’ travel in the country. Read more
Rafael Nadal slams ‘disaster’ serve and backhand in Monte-Carlo defeat to Andrey Rublev (Metro)
Rafael Nadal became the latest casualty of a Monte-Carlo Masters full of shocks as he was dumped out by Russia’s Andrey Rublev. “King of Clay” Nadal, an 11-time champion at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, was far from his best in a 6-2 4-6 6-2 defeat to the Russian sixth seed. Despite struggling early on, falling a set-and-a-break down, Nadal did claw his way back into the match but Rublev came roaring back in the decider, blowing the Spaniard away with his brutal power off the forehand wing. While Rublev – who goes on to face Norway’s Casper Ruud in the semi-finals – has been in great form this season, any defeat on clay for Nadal is automatically viewed as a major shock and this is no different. Read more
Leicester players dropped for COVID-19 breach can make amends on pitch – Brendan Rodgers (BBC)
Leicester players James Maddison, Hamza Choudhury and Ayoze Perez can restore their reputations on the pitch after breaching Covid-19 protocols, says boss Brendan Rodgers.
The trio were dropped for the Foxes’ Premier League defeat at West Ham last weekend.
All three are available again for the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton at Wembley on Sunday.
“We always have to look forward and it’s in the past,” said Rodgers. Read more
Kevin Durant’s return reignites Nets in rout of Hornets (NY Post)
Kevin Durant was back in the starting lineup, but it was the bench that helped the Nets turn a big deficit into an even bigger rout of the Hornets.
The Nets overcame some shaky early defense, then stormed back to blow out the Hornets 130-115 before 1,773 at Barclays Center.
Joe Harris poured in a team-high 26 points, while Durant had 25 points and 11 assists and Landry Shamet added 20 points. The Nets took advantage of Charlotte’s tendency to give up catch-and-shoot looks, hitting 55.3 percent overall and going 21-for-41 from 3-point range.
“We did a good job just moving them around, making an extra pass here or there from a good shot to a great shot,” said Joe Harris, who went 6-for-9 from 3. Read more
‘I couldn’t care less what he says’: Jose Mourinho responds to Paul Pogba dig (Metro)
Jose Mourinho insists he ‘couldn’t care less’ what Paul Pogba has to say after the Manchester United midfielder took aim at his former manager. Pogba compared his relationship with current Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to life under Mourinho and expressed his dismay at how his relationship with the Tottenham Hotspur manager. Pogba told Sky Sports: ‘What I have now with Ole is different, he wouldn’t go against the players. He wouldn’t go against the players. ‘Maybe Ole wouldn’t pick them, but it’s not like he puts them on the side like they don’t exist anymore. That’s the difference between Mourinho and Ole. Read more
Kane suffers injury after scoring twice to earn point for Spurs at Everton (BBC)
Harry Kane suffered a late injury after scoring twice to rescue a point for Tottenham against Everton at Goodison Park.
Nine days before the Carabao Cup final and 58 days before England’s European Championship opener, Kane limped off in stoppage time with an apparent ankle problem.
The striker seemed to land awkwardly after jumping for a header when defending a corner late on.
Manager Jose Mourinho said he did not know how serious the injury was.
“That’s also a question I want an answer to as soon as possible but it’s too early,” Mourinho said. Read more
Fallout of Kristaps Porzingis’ injury still hangs over Knicks (NYPost)
The packed crowd at Madison Square Garden is the first thing you notice, of course, because blissful, pre-pandemic scenes always blitz people with memories of the way life used to be. The next thing you see on this Kristaps Porzingis tape is his extreme skill and athleticism as he breaks away from the most athletic player in the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is holding Porzingis’s jersey like a middle-aged weekend warrior would at the local Y. Trey Burke is screening the Bucks’ franchise player at the left elbow, and his 7-foot-3 teammate is freeing himself from the defender above the foul line, preparing to take a pass from Kyle O’Quinn.But when the Bucks’ Jason Terry jumps into the passing lane, the Unicorn does a very Unicorn-ish thing: He stops on a dime like a wide receiver coming out of a break, splits Terry and Antetokounmpo on a hard dive to the basket, and takes Quinn’s bounce pass into the air for a high-flying dunk over the Greek Freak while camera lights flash around them. Read more