The Delta State Police Command, yesterday said it has arrested 18 persons in connection with Wednesday’s protest by women in Sapele who took to the streets to protest the two weeks extension of the lockdown imposed in the state by the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the state.
This is just as the State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, took a swipe at the state government’s description of the protest as “politically motivated”, adding that the position of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP led state government is an “embarrassing attempt to divert attention from the State Government ineptitude in bringing about things that benefits Deltans.”
Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, Sylvester Imonina in a statement yesterday, explained that in as much as the APC throws its weight behind the state government on the lockdown to check the spread of the pandemic in the state, the party is embarrassed by the spontaneous comments by the state government through the Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu who described the protest as politically motivated.
The party in the statement said: “APC, Delta sees that embarrassing statement from the Commissioner for Information as an attempt to divert attention from the State Government’s ineptitude in bringing about things that benefits Deltans.
The Kaduna State government has converted the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp located along the Abuja- Kaduna highway into a quarantine centre.
The state deputy governor, Hadiza Balarabe, confirmed this during an inspection visit to the facility on Thursday along with members of the COVID-19 Task Force in Kaduna.
She explained that the facility would be used to quarantine travellers coming into the state during the lockdown, as part of measures to contain the further spread of coronavirus.
Balarabe warned unauthorised persons coming into Kaduna during the lockdown to better turn back or get ready to be quarantined at the NYSC camp for 14 days to ascertain their COVID-19 status.
She disclosed that similar quarantine facilities have been set up at all the 17 entry points into the state, with a view to curtailing the influx of travellers and reducing the chances of inter-state transmission of coronavirus.
The deputy governor reacted to the allegation of some security operatives collecting bribes from unauthorised motorists and granting them entry into Kaduna.
She said the complaints were being investigated by the relevant authorities with a view to putting a stop to such misconduct.
Kano State Grand Khadi, Tijjani Yusuf Yakasai has on Thursday set free, not fewer than fifty-nine inmates with minor offences and delayed trial in order to decongest the Nigerian Correctional Service to curtail the spread of the raging Coronavirus pandemic.
The inmates including a female were freed from the Kurmawa and Goron Dutse Custodial Centers in the state.
The Grand Khadi ordered the release of the inmates through a committee he set up under the Chairmanship of Upper Sharia Court Judge, Kofar Kudu, Alkali Ibrahim Sarki Yola.
Yola who presided over the sitting at the Dogon Dutse facility said the act was to secure the release of inmates with delayed trial and minor cases.
According to him, “we were ordered by the Grand Khadi to create time to visit the facilities from time to time to decongest the facility. That we should look out for those with minor offences and delayed trial, grant bail to those who deserve to be granted bail and also set free those who deserve to be set free.
“And based on this, we have today freed 32 inmates including a female.
“On Wednesday, we visited Kurmawa centre where we freed 27 inmates.
“The Grand Khadi’s action was based on his leadership style and to follow suit and footstep of President Muhammadu Buhari who recently pardoned some inmates.
“The intention was to reduce congestion in the prisons in order to curtail the spread of the deadly disease of Coronavirus.
“However, while we set the inmates free, we have also preached to them to go out there and turn a new leaf and not to return to the previous lifestyle. We warned that we will not take it lightly with anyone of them who is brought back for any offence,” Yola however said.
Earlier, the Public Relations Officer, DSC Musbau Lawal expressed gratitude with the gesture aimed at decongesting the facilities, saying it is timely with the scourge of Coronavirus.
Britain will extend its coronavirus lockdown for “at least” another three weeks, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday, as hundreds across the country continue to die daily from the outbreak.
“The government has decided that the current measures must remain in place for at least the next three weeks,” said Raab — who is standing in for prime minister Boris Johnson who is recovering from the virus.
National Coordinator, Presidential Taskforce Force on COVID-19, Dr Sani Aliyu, says people are being smuggled out of Lagos State in trucks.
Speaking at a briefing of the task force in Abuja yesterday, he said inter-state travels were worsening the community transmission of coronavirus.
“We’ve noticed that community spread is now being traced to people travelling across state borders. We need to try and restrict our movements in order to stop the spread of this Coronavirus infection. This is particularly pertinent with regards to the news of people being smuggled in trucks out of Lagos.
“I’d like to highlight the need for donors to safeguard lives and basic health protocols during the distribution of palliatives within local communities. It’s important they maintain health and safety,” he said.He described the rise of aggressive behaviour and non-conformity to physical distancing as unacceptable and a major risk to communities.
“It is serious public safety concern,” Aliyu emphasised.
He advised Nigerians to take the lockdown directive serious, noting the fight to beat back to pandemic in the country depends largely on how much the public respect the guidelines issued by the PTF.
He urged donors of palliative materials to observe basic health and safety protocols, and to rather work through local authorities to make processes orderly and less hazardous.
He said, “I enjoin donors to work closely with local authorities and to ensure that the mass gathering restrictions and the physical distancing guidance that we have given is abided by.”
He also reminded donors, who already had planned to support the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, of the need to work through the PTF, ensure that items and resources being donated are relevant to needs and also to ensure that goods being donated are not below standards.
He urged state governments to adhere to the acquisition of standard supplies, especially on the procurement of protective gears for the frontline healthcare workers in their states.
He said the PTF would soon come out with standard guidelines, which would derive from global and World Health Organisation standards, for the equipment and protective gears expected to be provided to tackle the virus in the country.
Aliyu asked survivors to be bold and come out to tell their stories, at their own discretion, saying this would help reduce the rising public stigma and discrimination against victims and survival which he identified as a major concern in the fight against the disease.
Meanwhile, NCDC Director-General, Chikwe Ihekweazue, while featuring on a Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, yesterday, said COVID-19 would reach almost every state.
He said: “We’re responding to something, at the moment, across 22 states. But it’ll grow to almost every state in Nigeria. There’s no reason it won’t. It’s a respiratory virus.
“So, what we’re trying to achieve right now, in the short term, is not to stop transmission because we know that will be very difficult to do. No country in the world has achieved that.”.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says the number of Nigerians willing to return from abroad is so high that they cannot be accommodated in the available isolation centres in the country.
He said this in Abuja yesterday at a briefing of the Presidential Taskforce Force on COVID-19.
“We’ve received all the numbers from our various embassies around the world and we’re collating them. Then we’ve now selected two airlines that would be responsible to fetch them. The numbers are high and the places where we can isolate them are not enough for those numbers.
“So, we would’ve to do it in a staggered fashion and together with the NEMA and the Ministry of Health, we would’ve to come to an agreement to be bringing (them) back according to the numbers of beds and so forth that are available. We’ve now identified and we can go on with process. We are almost ready to go,” Onyeama said.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, urged Nigerians to report any perceived illegal entry into the country through the nation’s borders, to the Nigeria Immigration Service.
He also urged the states sharing borders with other countries like Lagos, Sokoto, Cross Rivers, Zamfara, Taraba, Kebbi, Niger and others to ensure that the boarders were closely monitored so as not to allow any aliens into the country at this period to stem the spread of the COVID-19 in the country.
A meeting yesterday by top federal government’s top officials, principal officers of the House of Representatives and stakeholders in the power sector resolved to set up a joint committee to work out modalities for the proposed two-month free power supply to Nigerians aimed at cushioning the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, according to a statement by his spokesman, Lanre Lasisi, said the committee would identify Nigerians that would benefit from the free power supply using the number of households connected to the national grid “which will give a way forward for regular power supply to Nigerians after the COVID-19 crisis.”
“The objective is very simple: we’re asking people to stay at home for several days or weeks. So, we need to make their stay at home comfortable. We need to help the poorest of the poorest at this time in Nigeria,” Gbajabiamila said
The Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, said the executive would give support and “technical advice towards the realization of this objective. We are ready whenever our input is needed.”
Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kyari, said the proposal “is workable if the issue of who is to carry the burden of cost and margins in the supply value chain is settled and agreed on by all the parties.”
Also present at the meeting were the chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission , James Momoh; Managing Director, Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, Marilyn Amobi; representatives of distribution companies; the Leader of the House, Alhassan Ado Doguwa; House Chief Whip, Mohammed Monguno; House Deputy Leader, Peter Akpatason; House Deputy Chief Whip, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu; Chairman, House Committee on Power, Magaji Da’u Aliyu; among others.
Brazil’s Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said Thursday he’d been sacked by President Jair Bolsonaro, after weeks of clashes between the two over the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Mandetta made the announcement on Twitter following a meeting with Bolsonaro at the presidential palace in the capital Brasilia.
Their relationship had deteriorated since the start of the virus crisis.
Mandetta promoted isolation as a tool to contain the spread of the virus, the threat of which Bolsonaro repeatedly claimed was overblown.
The announcement had been expected for several days given the number of clashes between the pair and their seemingly incompatible outlooks.
Soon after the announcement, people in several towns banged pots and pans to protest the minister’s sacking.
Oncologist Nelson Teich is the favorite to replace Mandetta, according to several Brazilian media.
Teich, another proponent of isolation, was in the running to be named health minister when Bolsonaro first assumed office, before the former army captain opted for Mandetta.
Brazil, the largest country in South America with a population of 210 million, has recorded close to 2,000 deaths and more than 30,000 coronavirus cases.
Fourteen people were killed Thursday in a fire at a camp housing tens of thousands displaced by terrorists’ violence in northeast Nigerian, security and rescue sources told AFP.
The blaze broke out mid-morning in a camp holding some 70,000 people in the town of Gamboru, close to the border with Cameroon, the head of a government-backed militia told AFP.
“We recovered 14 burnt bodies from the gutted shelters and another 15 who sustained varying degrees of burns from the fire,” militia leader Umar Kachalla said.
More than 200 shelters were destroyed, rendering 1,250 people homeless, said a rescue official, who asked not to be named.
“The fire killed 14 people, six from the same family, and left 15 with injuries, seven of them critically,” said the official.
The secrets you people are allegedly keeping is out. Pretty Mike has kuku finally split it. One would have thought this should be portrayed in a movie, but Pretty Mike is saying no, and has let the cat out of the bag. Toor!
Pretty Mike has accused most Lekki wives of having a side guy, while also chastising their husbands of constantly keeping a sidechic.
Pretty Mike says, unknown to many, 70 percent of Lekki wives, just like their husbands also run out of the home for a quickie -- well in their case, mostly 'f-ngering' at a supermart and they even KEEP sideguys.
He said the lockdown has made him reflect about life, and advised couples to retrace their steps. Below is what the popular Lagos socialite and club owner wrote.
''I know we are all at home and we are not much busy at this moment ...this is why I think this is the best time to break my silence ..... its suppose to be the time for sober reflection ...this pandemic and the situation in our nation has given us the time to reflect and think on our actions ..... but instead it has produced a lot of horny sexually starved people ....if you ask majority of Nigerians,what are you doing after this social distancing is over ?... you will hear sex sex sex ...but still stores are selling out on Postinor 2 ...so who are the ones using them if everyone is so horny ...side chicks are still receiving alert even with self isolation “mind you there are levels to this Sidechicks game” ... that your husband that said he was going quickly to pick up something from lekki phase 1...it’s blow job he went to collect, Let’s face the fact, Sidechicks have automatically become part of our homes and culture🙆🏾♂️...he thinks he is smart when madam rushes to ebeano supermarket to go pick up water, Oga would quickly FaceTime his side chick ...but you see these women ehn they are the smartest ..that ebeano in chevron she went to in ur own car, they are busy fingering her in Carpark at the back back 🙊 and she would come back home and give Oga a kiss ... 70% of lekki wives are on drugs and have one side guy somewhere. “especially since most of dem have all accept there husbands bad habits of keeping one or two Sidechicks”..... Dear husbands that her gym instructor she is always running off to for an hour has a special place in between her legs🙈.....I mean I don’t judge anybody for anything they do ,I myself , am not a saint ...but I think this is a time for sobriety ....to think and reflect on the decisions that led us into this position We are in our nation...... it’s time to talk to ourselves and to God and pray that this all comes to an end and for those whose life are lost....Repent !! ..haven’t we had enough fun........ N.B....Magodo Estate is the Capital of sugar mummies in Lagos 🙊🙈, if I start blog for this Lagos “It will be a total Catastrophe 🙈🤣 #StayHomeAndStaySafe''
Prince Harry says he has been "rolling on floor in hysterics" as he enjoys family time with Meghan Markle and Archie during the coronavirus lockdown.
He opened up about the Sussex family's time in isolation during a video call from his new Californian home.
Harry admitted that he almost felt guilty about how much "family time" he was having with his 11-month-old son during the pandemic, saying "you've got to celebrate these moments" before you're called away with work.
He gave the insight while chatting to two families who are supported by the WellChild charity, which helps seriously ill children across the UK.
He spoke with them from his new LA home for about half an hour over the long Easter weekend, wearing a casual blue shirt and sitting in front of a cream wall and a dark wood cupboard.
He said: "There’s a hell of a lot of positives that are happening at the same time and being able to have family time — so much family time — that you almost think, ‘Do I feel guilty for having so much family time?'
"You’ve got to celebrate those moments where you are just on the floor rolling around in hysterics.
"Inevitably, half an hour later, maybe a day later, there’s going to be something that you have to deal with and there’s no way you can run away from it."
But he did admit that it's not all easy, adding jokingly: "I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is for you guys, having one kid at 11 months old is enough."
During the chat, Harry called on the Government to give families like these the recognition they deserve as some struggle to get su
Police in Ebonyi State have arrested a 75 years old woman for alleged severe flogging and pouring of hot pepper into the eye and private part of her 11 years old house help.
The woman who gave her name as Comfort Obi was dragged to Ekumenyi Police station Abakaliki by her neighbour who could no longer tolerate the level of abuse being meted out to the child.
The body of the child was lacerated as a result of repeated flogging.
The 11 year old girl whose first name is Chidinma said her auntie took her from her father’s house in Ohaji Egbema Imo State twelve months ago and brought her to the house of Madam Comfort Obi at number sixty five Gunning Road Abakaliki.
Investigations reveal that Chidinma came to live with the suspect following the death of her mother and challenging eye impairment by her father who also fends for her four siblings.
The 11 years old girl told this Reporter that her Madam usually invites touts to flog her whenever she commits offence and poured pepper into her private part because she was hungry and took her biscuit and juice.
A Neighbour who reported the matter to the police, Mr Osita Ezechukwu alleged that the suspect had been cautioned repeatedly to desist from torturing the girl noting that apart from flogging, the elderly woman also subjected the girl to hard labour.
The woman said though she regretted her actions, she sought the permission of the girl’s auntie before she poured pepper into her private part.
Police Spokesman in Ebonyi State, Loveth Odah confirmed the incident.
She said the suspect has been placed on bail while the child has been treated in the hospital and reunited with her family members.
She added that the suspect will be arraigned after the fight against COVID-19.
The party of South Korean President Moon Jae-in has won a decisive victory in parliamentary elections, with voters backing the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
South Korea was among the first countries to hold a national vote since the pandemic began.
Strict safety and social distancing measures were in place for the vote.
With nearly all votes counted, Mr Moon's Democratic Party won 163 seats in the 300-seat National Assembly.
The party's sister group, the Platform Party, was forecast to win a further 17 seats, giving the government a total of 180 seats.
Among the winning candidates for United Future was high-profile North Korean defector Thae Yong-ho. Mr Thae, a former senior diplomat at North Korea's embassy in London, won a seat for the Gangnam district in Seoul.
Smugglers hid cocaine worth more than £1m in a consignment of protective face masks, Border Force officials said.
Officers found the 14kg haul in a Polish-registered van as it attempted to enter the UK through the Channel Tunnel.
The driver, a 34-year-old Polish national, has been arrested.
Ian Hanson, Border Force regional director, said it was "despicable" to think drug smugglers would try to exploit the coronavirus situation.
Darren Herbert, from the National Crime Agency (NCA) Dover branch, said: "This seizure is further evidence of the way criminal networks are attempting to exploit the coronavirus outbreak to their own ends, covering this load of drugs with what would seem like vital protective equipment."
Border Force said the van was stopped at the Channel Tunnel terminal at Coquelles, France, on Tuesday.
Officers who searched the van found 15 wrapped packages of the Class A drug.
The contents of some of the packages were tested and proved positive for cocaine.
Border Force said the investigation had been passed to the NCA.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recorded three new cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
After 52 days of not recording a case in the country, WHO confirmed a new case last Friday and 3 fresh cases on Thursday, April 16.
Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, disclosed this in a statement issued from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva and posted on its website.
“Three new cases have been confirmed – two people who died in the community and one person who was in contact with one of them.
“The source of their infection is still under investigation.
“Additional cases will likely be identified. Flare-ups are expected at the tail-end of Ebola outbreaks.
“Our teams in Beni are experienced in responding to new cases and acted quickly to engage with affected communities, investigate alerts, identify and vaccinate contacts, decontaminate affected homes and health facilities, and send samples for sequencing,’’ he said.
Ghebreyesus said the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had met and advised him.
He said their view on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC was that “it continued to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and I have accepted that advice.
“Tremendous progress has been made containing this outbreak in very difficult circumstances.
“Up until Friday, 54 days had passed without a confirmed case being reported, and 40 days had passed since the last person known to have Ebola tested negative and was discharged from treatment.
“The Committee noted that armed groups are active in the area where these cases were identified, a lack of funding is constraining the response and the COVID-19 pandemic is adding more challenges to an already complex operation.
“We have to anticipate and be prepared for additional small outbreaks.
“We need the full force of all partners to bring these outbreaks under control and to meet the needs of the people affected,’’ Ghebreyesus said.
