Sanwo-Olu gives residents 14-day to claim bodies in mortuaries (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, implored owners of bodies in the state mortuaries to pick them for burial in line with the protocol established in the management of COVID-19 or risk mass burial by the government. He urged them to maintain social distancing, wear nose masks during the burial while attendance must not be more than 20.
The governor also said the wearing of nosemasks in any public gathering and by those on essential services in the state is now compulsory.
Speaking at his COVID-19 Update at the State House, Sanwo-Olu urged private sector and well meaning Lagosians to patronise local fashion designers for the production of nose masks for their staff and residents. Read more
How hypertensive, diabetic patients brought coronavirus to Lagos hospitals – Medical directors (Punch)
Some private hospitals, which shut down operations after some of their staff members became exposed to coronavirus patients, have given details of how carriers of the deadly virus came to their facilities.
Findings by SUNDAY PUNCH revealed that the affected hospitals had suspended operations to decontaminate their facilities and adhere to other guidelines stipulated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control for exposed hospitals.
However, there have been unconfirmed reports that the facilities were shut by the NCDC and the Lagos State Government. Read more
Stepdad, mum killed boy for ritual in Ogun – Police (Punch)
The police in Ogun State have arrested a woman, Adetutu Apalaya, for allegedly conniving with her husband, Lajuwon Ogunleye, a herbalist, and his friend, Fatai Sefiu, to murder her seven-year-old boy, Pelumi Apalaya.
Without showing any sign of sickness, Pelumi who lived with the couple in Abigi area of Ogun State, had reportedly slumped and died on the spot.
His sudden death was said to have aroused suspicion of some neighbours who trailed the couple and Sefiu to a bush where the corpse of the boy was reportedly buried mysteriously. Read more
Nigeria records 87 new coronavirus cases, total now 1182 (Guardian)
Nigeria on Saturday recorded 87 new cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
With the new cases, Nigeria now has a total of 1,182 confirmed cases across the country.
According to the NCDC, 33 of the new cases were recorded in Lagos, 18 in Borno, 12 in Osun, nine in Katsina, four each in Kano and Ekiti, three each in Edo and Bauchi and one in Imo. Read more
2 children killed in panic shopping stampede in Taraba (DailyTrust)
Two children died in a crowd stampede at Jalingo main market in Taraba during panic shopping in hours allotted for resident to stock household needs. With the state in lockdown, residents are allowed to go out between 10am and 2pm to stock up on home needs. Thousands of shoppers trooped to the market to buy food items resulting in the stampede as they tried to beat the 2pm deadline. Read more
NYSC denies suspension of members’ allowance for April, May (Guardian)
The management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has denied news release purportedly issued by the Director-General, conveying to members that their monthly stipends for April and May, would be contributed to the fight against COVID-19.
The NYSC advised all corps members to disregard the story in its entirety, as there is no iota of truth in it.
The scheme noted that the story emanated from a fake source, adding that a similar mischievous story had earlier been bandied on the social media in February 2020. Read more
Kidnapped Plateau traditional ruler regains freedom (Punch)
One week after he was kidnapped by gunmen, the traditional ruler in Kanan Local Government Area of Plateau State, Alhaji Shehu Suleiman, has regained his freedom.
Suleiman, who is the Pankwal Boghom, a second class chief in the state was abducted by the gunmen in his palace last Monday .
It was gathered that the octogenarian monarch was released on Saturday by his abductors who abandoned him at a village called Burga in Bauchi State. Read more
Obaseki appoints new Chief of Staff (Guardian)
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has approved the appointment of Osaze Ethan Uzamere as his new Chief of Staff.
In a statement, Secretary to the State Government, Osarodion Ogie Esq., said the appointment takes immediate effect.
This came on the heels of heightened tension in Obaseki’s camp, following reported letter of resignation tendered by the governor’s former Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele.
Obaseki’s aide in charge of media and communication strategy, Crusoe Osagie, had initially denied the governor’s knowledge of the resignation. Read more
Kano loses 12 prominent persons in 10 hours (Punch)
Kano State has continued to witness a rise in unusual deaths as over 12 persons were confirmed dead on Saturday. The deceased include professors, a newspaper editor and other professionals.
They were buried at different cemeteries within and outside the metropolis.
Within the past eight days of lockdown in the state, no fewer than 20 persons have died from undisclosed ailments. Read more
‘Kim Jong-un dead’ – multiple sources claim North Korean dictator died Saturday night (Express)
Kim Jong-Un, North Korea’s Supreme Leader is dead – according to multiple sources coming out of North Korea and the Far East, though due to the hyper-secretive nature of the pariah state the exact picture remains unlcear tonight.
It was being reported as fact by media outlets in China and Japan that the 36-year-old dictator was dead. Other sources said he was on his death bed in a vegetative state with no hope of resuscitation after botched heart surgery. Because of the nature of the ultra secret regime in North Korea claims of Kim Jong-un’s death are very difficult to verify before an official state announcement.
But a Hong Kong-backed news channel’s vice director, who claims to be the niece of a Chinese foreign minister, made the announcement. Vice director of HKSTV Hong Kong Satellite Television Shijian Xingzou says that a ‘very solid source’ has told her Kim Jong-un was dead.
Further sources were reporting a Chinese medical team had been sent to North Korean capital Pyongyang.
Hours ago a Japanese weekly called Shukan Gendai claimed the North Korea’s dictator was in a vegetative state after complications from heart surgery. Read more
Girl ‘absolutely hysterical’ after finding 3ft snake lurking in bathroom (Metro)
A family got an unwelcome surprise when they found a 3ft corn snake lurking in their bathroom. The RSPCA was called to collect the reptile, thought to be somebody’s escaped pet, from a home in Grays, Essex on April 16. RSPCA animal collection officer and exotics officer Joe White said the caller’s daughter was ‘absolutely hysterical’ after stumbling across the animal. The snake was ‘a little skinny’ but ‘feisty’ and has been taken to a wildlife centre to recover. Read more
Back from the COVID dead in Ecuador, after hospital mixup (Guardian)
An Ecuadoran woman who was pronounced dead of COVID-19 suddenly woke up in the hospital, to the delight and relief of relatives who had identified someone else’s body like hers and had it cremated.
Alba Maruri, 74, was hospitalized in March in Guayaquil, the Ecuadoran city hardest hit by the pandemic, with fever and trouble breathing.
She lost consciousness for three weeks and was declared dead on March 27, relatives said. Read more
Mission: Impossible 7 release date is pushed back due to coronavirus crisis after filming is halted (Metro)
Fans will have to wait that little bit longer for the release of Mission: Impossible 7, as the movie’s release date has been pushed back due to the coronavirus crisis. The latest Mission: Impossible movie, starring Tom Cruise, has been delayed by several months and will now hit the big screen in the US in November 2012 – four months later that its originally scheduled release of July 2021. Studio Daily reports that Paramount has confirmed the new release date and revealed that the follow-up film Mission: Impossible 8 will also be delayed. Read more
Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging as punishment (Punch)
Saudi Arabia has abolished flogging as a punishment, the supreme court announced, hailing the latest in a series of “human rights advances” made by the king and his powerful son.
Court-ordered floggings in Saudi Arabia — sometimes extending to hundreds of lashes — have long drawn condemnation from human rights groups.
But they say the headline legal reforms overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have brought no let-up in the conservative Islamic kingdom’s crushing of dissent, including through the use of the death penalty. Read more
Apple Magic Keyboard review: the ultimate iPad Pro accessory (Metro)
For the last few iPad generations Apple has been pushing to turn the tablet into more of a productivity device akin to your laptop. Hardware additions like the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio have intertwined with increased functionality in software through iPadOS. But the biggest leap by far has come this year through the addition of the Magic Keyboard peripheral. There has been an insane amount of hype about this thing because many of us are finally wondering if it’s the last piece in the jigsaw puzzle that turns the iPad Pro into a laptop replacement. Let’s find out. Read more
Chris Pratt and wife Katherine Schwarzenegger ‘expecting first child together’ (Metro)
Chris Pratt and his wife Katherine Schwarzenegger are reportedly expecting their first child together.
The pair, who tied the knot last year, are expecting a new addition to the family, according to reports from PEOPLE.
The baby will be Katherine’s first child, and will be a younger sibling to Chris’ 7-year-old son Jack, who he shares with ex-wife Anna Faris.
Chris and Katherine, who met at church, tied the knot in June last year in an intimate wedding ceremony held in Montecito, California. Read more
Arsenal pull plug on Aubameyang contract talks with Inter Milan leading £56m transfer race (Express)
Inter Milan have emerged as frontrunners to sign Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and only need to overcome one obstacle. The Gunners are ready to listen to offers for the £56million star after pulling out of contract talks with him late last week.
And they have decided it could be better to sell the 30-year-old rather than lose him for nothing when his contract runs out in 12 months.
Inter boss Antonio Conte is keen on taking the Gabon international to Italy this summer and Aubameyang is ready to listen to what he has got to say.Read more
Chelsea opt against pay cut, tell players to donate to charity (Guardian)
Chelsea have said they will not impose a pay cut on their first-team squad in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
But the Premier League side added Saturday they had asked players to continue donating to charities during the ongoing pandemic.
It has been reported the west London club have been in talks with their players about a salary reduction of around 10 percent in a bid to reduce costs at a time when football has been suspended because of the virus. Read more,
David Haye would come out of retirement to fight winner of Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury (Metro)
David Haye is not tempted by a return to the ring, but revealed a potential showdown with the winner of a fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury would entice him to put his gloves back on. The former British heavyweight champion called time on his career after his second defeat to Tony Bellew in May, 2018 and feels rejuvinated after taking time away from the sport. Since Haye hung up his gloves, Joshua and Fury have become the dominant forces in the heavyweight division and hold all the belts between them. An all-British unification bout between the pair is being mooted and Haye, 39, admitted he would be tempted to step back into the ring if he was able to fight the winner. Read more
Arsenal players allowed back to training ground (Guardian)
Arsenal’s squad will be allowed back to their training ground from next week, although the club stressed they would still have to maintain British government guidelines designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
The Premier League side’s players will have access to training pitches but on a strict rotational basis that will see them uphold social distancing measures.
“Players will be permitted access to our London Colney training grounds next week,” said a club spokesperson. Read more
Giroud extends Chelsea contract until June 2021 (Guardian)
Chelsea has triggered the option to extend France striker Olivier Giroud’s contract by a year until June 2021, a source said Saturday.
Giroud, 33, signed for Chelsea in winter 2018 from cross-city rivals Arsenal.
The 33-year-old has scored 39 goals in 97 appearances for France, making him his country’s third-highest goalscorer behind Michel Platini (41) and Thierry Henry (51), and the striker will be vying for a spot at next year’s European Championship. Read more
COVID-19: Ajax denied Dutch league shield (Nation)
The Eredivisie has ended the league’s season following an announcement from Prime Minister Mark Rutte that stated that all matches are forbidden until September.
As a result, the current table has been made final, although Ajax will not be awarded the title for finishing first with the Eredivisie not having a designated champion for the first time in the league’s 64-year history.
The decision to finalise the table was made after UEFA asked the Dutch federation to maintain the current standings to decide which teams are awarded spots in European competition. Ajax will head straight to the last round of Champions League qualification despite being level on points with AZ Alkmaar, who will enter in the second round of qualifiers. Read more
I can’t wait for the return of sporting activities globally – Lawal (Guardian)
Former International, Garba Lawal, has expressed regrets over the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said, has brought hardship to sports men and women, with the sporting and economic activities around the world grinding to a halt due to lockdown.
Lawal, who said that the coronavirus pandemic has done a lot of damage to the sporting world, stated that prayer was now needed for God to show mercy on mankind so that everything would return to normalcy soonest.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not only in sports but in every sector. You can see that every place is under lockdown for people to stay safe and remain alive. Nothing is working, no businesses and every activity grounded. Read more