Two die, 10 injured in traffic accident on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Guardian)
Two persons were confirmed dead while 10 others sustained injuries in an accident involving a Mazda bus at Danliti Ayetoro area on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Spokesperson, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta on Monday. Akinbiyi explained that the accident occurred around 11am, saying that it was caused by excessive speeding which led to loss of control. Read more
I’m not sleeping on duty, Buhari replies Yola bishop (Punch)
The Presidency disagreed on Monday that President Muhammadu Buhari was “sleeping on duty as the Commander-in-Chief”, a description the Catholic Bishop of Yola Diocese, Rt Rev Fr Stephen Mamza, gave of Buhari on Sunday. The cleric had during an Easter homily he delivered in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, criticised the Buhari administration for allegedly failing to halt insecurity in the country, especially escalating kidnappings, banditry and other violent crimes. Speaking on the latest killings in Zamfara, Benue, Adamawa, Taraba and Southern Kaduna, the bishop said, “We are really in a dilemma. We (Nigerians) are feeling that we don’t have protection. Read more
Buhari administration presented only 11 bills in 4 years, says Saraki (Guardian)
Nigerian Senate President Bukola Saraki Monday revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari presented only eleven bills to the National Assembly since May 2015 when he was sworn in. The eleven bills are apart from the statutory budgets related bills. “In the four years of the Buhari administration, it has only forwarded 11 bills to the Senate,” Yusuph Olaniyonu Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Senate President said in a statement. Read more
We’ll uncover those who cheated to get admission, JAMB says, launches 10-year probe of UTME (Punch)
Heads are set to roll across the country as the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has launched a probe into the credentials of applicants dating back to 2009. This implies that persons who cheated the system to pass the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination to get into school and may have even graduated and participated in the National Youth Service Corps will be arrested and their certificates withdrawn. The Head, Media and Information of JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, said this during an interview with The PUNCH on Monday. Benjamin said the probe had begun and it would be completed in record time as JAMB has acquired software which would be able to identify fake biometric data. Read more
Tinubu defends his role in Assembly leadership battle (Nation)
Former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu on Sunday explained his position on the race for the leadership of the Ninth National Assembly. According to the All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart, all he has done in respect of the impending election of presiding officers of the National Assembly is to support the party’s and the President’s position. “No ulterior motives in so doing,” a statement from the frontline politician’s Media Office said. His media aide, Tunde Rahman, signed the statement. The APC stalwart stressed that he is focused on supporting the President Buhari-led administration in achieving the shared vision of a flourishing economy and a prosperous people. Read more
Someone registered 64 times to ghost-write UTME for 64 candidates —JAMB (Punch)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board says it has caught someone it described as a “notorious cheat” who had registered for the UTME 64 times, with the intention of writing the examination for 64 candidates. The Board added that overall, no fewer than 100 examination cheats have so far been arrested by security operatives across the country during the just concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination. The examination body lamented that multiple registrations inflate annual registration for the UTME exercise by up to 30 per cent. Read more
Police arrest five suspects for gang clash at Aguda (Nation)
Some of the policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five suspects in connection with the gang-clash that occurred at Aguda near Surulere between Sunday and Monday. The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Bala Elkana, said in a press statement on Monday that the suspects were arrested after a distress call was placed to the police. “On April 22, at about 9.30a.m., the Aguda Police Station received a distress call that a group of youths from Ijesha and Aguda areas had engaged themselves in a free-for-all at the boundary between Ijesha and Aguda. Read more
10 dead, 30 children hurt as Nigerian policeman rams car into crowd (Guardian)
Ten people were killed and more than 30 injured when a policeman rammed his car into a group of children during an Easter procession in northeast Nigeria, before being killed himself by the angry crowd, witnesses and police sources told AFP Monday. The deadly incident happened late Sunday when the off-duty policeman ploughed his car into a procession celebrating Easter in Gombe, state police spokeswoman Mary Mallum said. “Ten people were killed, including the policeman and a paramilitary member who was with him,” Mallum said. Read more
We don’t have IDPs Camps in Bauchi- says Bauchi govt. (Nation)
The Bauchi State Government has debunked report saying Internally Displaced Persons are feeding on onion leafs to survive in one of the IDP camps in the state. The refutal was issued on the heels of the report published by an online medium in Bauchi on the 21st April, 2019 publication captioned: “Hunger compels children in Bauchi IDP camp feed on onion leaves. The online medium had reported that there was intense hunger as a result of inadequacy of food items in an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in the outskirts of Bauchi, which has forced adolescent children to feed on onion leaves for survival. Read more
IG orders probe into Gombe Easter Day killings (Punch)
The Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered a speedy and comprehensive investigation into the Easter Day incident in Gombe State in which 11 people died. Eleven persons were reportedly killed, including an NSCDC official who allegedly drove a vehicle that rammed into a procession celebrating Easter on Sunday, April 21, along the Gombe-Biu road. A statement by the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, a Deputy Commissioner of Police on Monday in Abuja, said 30 other persons who were seriously injured are currently receiving treatment. Read more
Police after ritualists who killed 60-year- old hunchback (Nation)
Police detectives from Ondo state Police command are on the trail of suspected ritualists who killed 60- year- old woman with hunchback, Mrs. Rukayat Abodunde. Sources said Abodunde was seized by gunmen who invaded her home in Ayetoro Street in Ondo town. It was learnt that police were also hunting for the son of the abducted woman said to have colluded with the ritualists for the crime. The fish seller was reportedly kidnapped by two gunmen who pretended to have come to buy fish from her around 10pm of the fateful day. Read more
Algeria’s wealthiest man, four others arrested for corruption (Punch)
Algerian police on Monday arrested the country’s wealthiest man hours after detaining four other business tycoons from a powerful family with links to ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, state television reported. The five are being investigated for corruption and include Issad Rebrab, the CEO of Algeria’s biggest privately-owned conglomerate Cevital, according to the state broadcaster. Forbes magazine lists Rebrab as Algeria’s richest man and the sixth-wealthiest in Africa, with a net worth of $3.38 billion in 2019. Read more
Sri Lanka faces bomb warnings scrutiny (BBC)
Scrutiny fell on rifts in Sri Lanka’s leadership on Monday after it emerged that authorities were warned about the group accused in Sunday’s bombings. Attacks on churches and hotels killed 290 people and wounded nearly 500. Security agencies had been watching the National Thowheed Jamath jihadist group, reports said, and had notified police about a possible attack. But the prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, and the cabinet were not informed, ministers said. Read more
Iran oil: US to end sanctions exemptions for major importers (BBC)
US President Donald Trump has decided to end exemptions from sanctions for countries still buying oil from Iran. The White House said waivers for China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey would expire in May, after which they could face US sanctions themselves. This decision is intended to bring Iran’s oil exports to zero, denying the government its main source of revenue. Iran insisted the sanctions were illegal and that it had attached “no value or credibility” to the waivers. Mr Trump reinstated the sanctions last year after abandoning a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. Read more
US judge refuses to free WikiLeaks leaker Manning (Guardian)
A US judge kept Chelsea Manning locked up Monday for refusing to testify in the secret grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks, despite its founder Julian Assange having already been charged in the case. A panel of judges rejected Manning’s appeal against her March 8 jailing for contempt after she refused to give testimony in the case, on the grounds that she believes the grand jury system is unfair and used to persecute activists. Manning “failed to properly address the issue of grand jury abuse” and other issues she raised in her appeal, the judges said in a statement. Read more
Mother of missing boy, 5, is now refusing to help police try to find him (Metro)
The mother of a five-year-old boy who has been missing for almost a week is refusing to help police try and find him. JoAnn Cunningham has not said anything further to officers since she initially reported Andrew ‘AJ’ Freund had vanished between last Wednesday night and Thursday morning. Police hunting for the boy say there is no indication he was abducted. And sniffer dogs only picked up AJ’s scent at his home in Crystal Lake, Illinois, meaning he did not leave the property on foot. Read more
25 dead after bus falls into ravine in Bolivia (Guardian)
A bus fell 200 meters into a ravine, leaving 25 people dead after a collision involving two trucks, Bolivian police said on Monday. The bus was attempting to overtake a truck on Sunday night when it crashed head-on into another to the north of La Paz, police chief Yuri Calderon said. “That’s why the vehicle lost control and went over the cliff (falling) 200 meters” said Calderon, who initially gave a death toll of 17. Highway patrol chief Fernando Rojas, cited by Fides news agency, revised that number soon afterward. Read more
Philippines earthquake: Eight deaths reported on Luzon (BBC)
At least eight people have been killed after a powerful earthquake struck the main Philippines island of Luzon, officials say. The magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit at 17:11 local time (09:11 GMT) on Monday, the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reports. An airport was seriously damaged and at least two buildings were destroyed. Authorities fear dozens of people remain trapped underneath a collapsed building in the province of Pampanga. Read more
Body of man found in water close to BBC’s Manchester offices (Metro)
The body of a man has been pulled from the water close to the BBC’s HQ in Manchester. The discovery was made at around midday at Salford Quays on Monday, and police are currently trying to identify who the man is. Detectives said they are not treating the death as suspicious. Pictures from the scene showed a number of emergency vehicles attending. Forensic work is currently underway to try to determine a cause of death. Read more
Australian father and son lifesavers drown in tourist rescue bid (BBC)
A father and son who were volunteer lifesavers have drowned while trying to rescue a tourist swept out to sea off the Australian state of Victoria. The boat carrying Ross Powell, 71, and his son Andrew, 32, overturned as they tried to reach the man near limestone stacks known as the Twelve Apostles. The 30-year-old tourist was winched to safety by a rescue helicopter along with a third lifesaver from the boat. Australian PM Scott Morrison paid tribute to the Powells. Read more
Nicolas Cage’s estranged wife demanding spousal support after four-day marriage (Metro)
Nicolas Cage’s estranged wife of four days is demanding spousal support from the star, despite their very short marriage, according to reports. The 55-year-old actor and make-up artist Erika Koike tied the knot in a surprise Las Vegas wedding on 23 March – the same day they obtained their marriage license. But, just four days later, Cage decided he wanted out and filed for annulment papers. The Con Air star – who previously said he was ‘too drunk’ to realise what he was doing – and his then-girlfriend exchanged vows in Las Vegas. Read more
Samsung Galaxy Fold: Broken screens delay launch (BBC)
Samsung has postponed the release of its folding smartphone, days after several early reviewers said the screens on their devices had broken. The company said it had delayed the launch of the Galaxy Fold to “fully evaluate the feedback and run further internal tests”. In April, several early reviewers found the display on the Galaxy Fold broke after just a few days. Samsung has not said when the £1,800 device will go on sale. A new launch date will be announced in the “coming weeks”. Read more
Prince’s ‘deeply personal’ memoir The Beautiful Ones to be released later this year (Metro)
Prince’s ‘deeply personal’ memoir The Beautiful Ones is due to be released later this year following his death in 2016. The book, which was announced before the Purple Rain singer’s death three years ago, will feature his unfinished manuscript alongside rare photos, scrapbooks and lyrics. New Yorker writer Dan Pipenbring, who Prince – full name Prince Rogers Nelson – chose to collaborate with him, will also write an introduction to the memoir. Read more
Chelsea into top four after frustrating draw with Burnley (BBC)
Chelsea moved above Arsenal into fourth position in the Premier League as they were held by Burnley in a thrilling game at Stamford Bridge. With rivals Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United all losing over the weekend, Chelsea will be frustrated that they could not take full advantage – a win would have taken them into third, two points ahead of Spurs. All the goals were scored in the opening 24 minutes with Jeff Hendrick giving Burnley an eighth-minute lead before N’Golo Kante equalised after wonderful skill by Eden Hazard. Read more
‘Anti-football’ – Gianfranco Zola and David Luiz slam Burnley tactics after Chelsea draw (Metro)
Chelsea assistant manager Gianfranco Zola and defender David Luiz slammed Burnley’s tactics after the Premier League draw at Stamford Bridge on Monday. The Blues failed to overtake Tottenham in the Premier League table after being held to a 2-2 draw by Burnley, who are now virtually safe from relegation. N’Golo Kante cancelled out Jeff Hendrick’s early opener in west London, before Gonzalo Higuain put Chelsea in front with a superb strike. Read more
Atalanta win at Napoli to revive Champions League hopes (Guardian)
Atalanta thrust their way back into the race for places with a late fight back to win 2-1 away to Napoli in Serie A on Monday. The visitors survived a barrage and then struck late to make the most of the slips by the two Milan clubs who both drew on Saturday. The victory lifts Atalanta onto 56 points, level with AC Milan who occupy the fourth and final Champions League places. The home loss at a less than full Stadio San Paolo followed Napoli’s tame submission to Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the Europa League last Thursday. Read more