Taxi driver hit, speed off with LASTMA official hanging on car bonnet (Nation)
An official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Seriki Adeyinka has narrated how a taxi driver hit her and drove off on high speed while she hung on the bonnet of his car in Ikorodu area of Lagos State. Adeyinka, who spoke to The Nation said the incident happened around 6:35 pm on Thursday, noting that she was on the car’s bonnet from Igbogbo garage on Ikorodu road to Oluwanishola filling station on Baiyeku road. She said she resumed to her duty post at Igbogbo garage at 2pm on Thursday before the incident happened around 6:35pm. Read more
Police arrest fuel thief who packs stolen petrol in sacks (Guardian)
Lagos State police command Saturday said its operatives have arrested a member of a fuel stealing gang who specialised in siphoning petroleum products in sacks. Spokesman of the command Bala Elkana said the Command’s anticrime monitoring unit arrested the fuel thief last Thursday when it suspected that the vehicle in which the stolen petrol was being transported looked suspicious. The vehicle, a Fiat bus had two contrasting colours: painted in Lagos commercial colour at the front while the rest was painted in blue. Read more
No bodyguards for priests against kidnappers — Catholic bishops (Punch)
The Catholic Diocese of Enugu has said the church is not considering hiring bodyguards to follow its priest despite being victims of kidnappers in recent times. The Director of Communication of the diocese, Rev. Father Ben Achi, said this in an interview with SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday. The Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Ekiti, Most Rev Felix Ajakaye and the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Osogbo, Most Rev. John Oyejola, in separate interviews with our correspondent ruled out the possibility of hiring bodyguards for priests including bishops. Read more
We’re disappointed by Supreme Court’s judgment, says Gana’s team (Nation)
The Prof Jerry Gana Presidential Campaign Team on Sunday said it was disappointed by the Supreme Court’s judgment that declared a former governor of Cross River State, Donal Duke, the authentic presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party. While Duke emerged the candidate of the party, a lower court nullified his nomination and declared a former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana, as the candidate. Not satisfied with the judgement, Duke approached the Court of Appeal which upturned the lower court’s judgement and declared him the candidate. Read more
Troops neutralise a Boko Haram commander, 15 others on Lake Chad island (Guardian)
The Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), has neutralised a Boko Haram commander, Malloum Moussa and 15 of his foot soldiers during a clearance operation on Lake Chad Island. According to a statement by Col. Timothy Antigha, the spokesman of the task force on Sunday, troops destroyed five gun trucks belonging to the terrorists in the operation. He said the troops also arrested a woman whose relationship with the terrorists is yet to be determined. Antigha said intelligence revealed that Moussa who had one eye was a high ranking Boko Haram commander who has jurisdiction in the entire Southern island, including Daban Masara, Kirta Wulgo and Koleram. Read more
Allah knows there was no primary in Zamfara APC —Marafa (Punch)
Senator representing Zamfara Central at the Senate, Kabiru Marafa, says that Allah, the angels and the entire world know that, in reality, no party primary took place in the Zamfara State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress at the time the party claimed they held one. He says Governor Abdul’azeez Yari therefore “offended God” for insisting that APC conducted party primaries in the state. Marafa, who fielded questions from State House Correspondents on political developments in Zamfara State, faulted the governor for initiating legal action over the matter and asked God to forgive him (Yari) for misleading the people of the state on the issue. Read more
Lead poisoning: 150 affected children still undergoing treatment in Zamfara (Nation)
The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an International Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) says no fewer than 150 children affected with lead poisoning in Zamfara are still undergoing treatment. Dr. Simba Tirima, Deputy Head of Mission, MSF in Nigeria, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja. In 2010, an unprecedented outbreak of lead poisoning was discovered in Zamfara, in which no fewer than 400 children died. Eight years since the outbreak of the lead poisoning, MSF said that no fewer than 150 children are still being treated. Read more
Nigeria ranked sixth most miserable country in the world (Punch)
An economist from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, US, Steve Hanke, has ranked Nigeria as the sixth most miserable country in the world. The ranking is titled, Hanke’s Annual Misery Index 2018: The World’s Saddest (And Happiest) Countries. Writing in the Forbes magazine of March 28, the economist notes that Misery Index is calculated using economic indices such as unemployment, inflation and the rates banks charge on loans. “In the sphere of economics, misery tends to flow from high inflation, steep borrowing costs and unemployment,” Hanke warns. Read more
Xenophobic attacks spark South African response (BBC)
South Africa’s foreign minister has called an urgent meeting with ambassadors following attacks against foreigners in Durban. Early on Monday morning three people died amid protests targeting shops, many of which are foreign-owned. Around 50 people sought shelter at a police station when a group of unemployed South Africans forced them out of their homes in the night. Foreigners are targeted by people who accuse them of taking jobs from locals. About 100 people attacked small food shops on Sunday night and into Monday morning, looting and burning the buildings. Read more
Pope in Morocco warns Catholics off converting others (Guardian)
Pope Francis on Sunday warned Catholics in Morocco against trying to convert others to boost their small numbers, during a rare visit by a pontiff to the North African country. Speaking in Rabat’s cathedral on his second day in the Moroccan capital, Francis insisted trying to convert people to one’s own belief “always leads to an impasse”. “Please, no proselytism!” he told an audience of around 400, who greeted the pope’s arrival by ululateng and applauding, while hundreds more gathered outside the cathedral. Read more
Ukraine election: Comedian is front-runner in first round (BBC)
The people of Ukraine are voting in the first round of presidential elections. Current leader Petro Poroshenko, 53, is seeking re-election but the surprise front-runner is 41-year-old comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Both, along with former PM Yulia Tymoshenko, 58, have expressed largely pro-EU views during the campaign. None of the pro-Russian candidates are seen as serious contenders. Areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists are boycotting the poll. Read more
Two killed in fight at ballot box in east Turkey (Guardian)
An election observer and another man were killed in a fight at a school-based polling station in eastern Turkey Sunday as voting got underway in Turkey’s local elections, the local governor’s office said. “Two of our citizens lost their lives as a result of a dispute… at the ballot box around 10.00 am (0700 GMT)” in the Puturge district of Malatya, it said on its website. Security forces arrested four suspects in connection with the deaths, the governor’s office added. Read more
ISIS bride Shamima Begum loses third baby (Punch)
ISIS bride Shamima Begum’s husband has said she is “alone and heartbroken” after losing all three of her children. Islamic Sate fighter Yago Riedijk, 27, who is being held in a Kurdish-run detention centre in northern Syria, married Ms Begum when she was 15 after she ran away from her home in Bethnal Green, east London to join ISIS four years ago. As reported by the Evening Standard quoting The Times, Riedijk, who is from the Netherlands, said the couple are living a “nightmare” after the death of their third child – a baby son who was born in a Syrian refugee camp in February. The baby was less than three weeks old when he died. Read more
North Korea says Madrid embassy raid was ‘grave terror attack’ (BBC)
North Korea has described a break-in at its embassy in Spain last month as a “grave terrorist attack”. In its first official comment, the government demanded an investigation and said it was closely watching rumours that the FBI had played a role. On Wednesday a group committed to ousting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the Cheollima Civil Defense, said it carried out the raid. The group took computers and data and said it gave its evidence to the FBI. At least two international arrest warrants have been issued for the main suspects. Read more
Chelsea come from behind to beat Cardiff (BBC)
Chelsea staged a remarkable late revival to snatch a controversial victory at relegation-threatened Cardiff City and ease the intensifying pressure on boss Maurizio Sarri. Ponderous and painfully slow, Chelsea controlled possession but did little with it as they were comfortably shackled by a disciplined Cardiff side during a goalless first half. The hosts took the lead less than a minute into the second period thanks to Victor Camarasa’s delicate curling volley, prompting cries of “we want Sarri out” from Chelsea’s travelling fans. Read more
Solskjaer is a breath of fresh air for United, says Jones (Guardian)
Phil Jones has saluted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a “breath of fresh air” after Manchester United made a winning start to the manager’s permanent reign. Solskjaer was handed a three-year contract last week after a successful spell as interim boss since December. The former United striker’s astute leadership has revived a club in turmoil during his predecessor Jose Mourinho’s reign. Read more
Paul Pogba: Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane likes Man Utd midfielder ‘a lot’ (BBC)
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane says he likes Manchester United’s Paul Pogba “a lot” and that the midfielder “knows how to do everything on the pitch”. Pogba, 26, has been linked with the Spanish giants and described Real as “a dream club for every player” while on international duty with France. “I know him personally,” said former France captain Zidane before Real’s La Liga match against Huesca on Sunday. “He brings so much and there are few players who bring as much as he does.” Read more