Super Falcons striker, Asisat Oshoala, netted the only goal for Barcelona, as they lost 2-1 to Manchester City in the second leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.
The Spanish qualified for the semi-final however, as they had won 3-0 in the first leg.
Oshoala was making her seventh appearance in the European competition.
She started the encounter along with Caroline Graham Hansen and Mariona Caldentey in the attack for Lluis Cortes’ team.
City opened scoring through Janine Beckie in the 20th minute.
After the restart, Caldentey brilliantly set up Oshoala, who made no mistake to fire past Lucy Bronze and Robuck in the 59th minute.
Samantha Mewis converted from the penalty spot for secure victory for City on the day.
A Nigerian Air Force Alpha-Jet has reportedly gone missing during a battle with Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State.
Daily Post gathered that the fighter jet went missing on Wednesday evening.
There has been tension in the state amidst fear that the fighting jet might have been captured by the insurgents in the North East.
This was confirmed in a release by the NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet.
The release states that the details about the whereabouts of the jet were still sketchy.
“A NAF Alpha-Jet has lost contact with radar in Borno State, while on interdiction mission in support of ground troops.
“Details of the whereabouts of the aircraft or likely cause of contact loss are still sketchy but will be relayed to the general public as soon as they become clear. Meanwhile, search and rescue efforts are ongoing”, he added.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 129 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 162,891.
The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Wednesday.
“On the 31st of March 2021, 129 new confirmed cases and 1 death was recorded in Nigeria.
“Till date, 162,891 cases have been confirmed, 151,648 cases have been discharged and 2,057 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The 129 new cases are reported from 13 states- Lagos (46), Ondo (19), Nasarawa (14), Kaduna (11), Borno (9), Bauchi (8), Akwa Ibom (5), FCT (5), Jigawa (4), Plateau (3), Bayelsa (2), Osun (2) and Rivers (1),” the NCDC said.
Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has described the state as the most peaceful, not only in the north but in the entire country despite the spate of insecurity bedevilling Nigeria as many people have currently relocated to the state as a result.
This was just as Ganduje explained that the state is a commercial-friendly state that attracts investors from different parts of the world thereby giving job opportunity to the populace.
Speaking on behalf of Governor Ganduje, the Special Adviser to the governor on Rural Development, Dr Ibrahim Gaya on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of Domino Pizza in Kano, assured the company that they will not regret coming to Kano.
He said: “No one will entertain any fear coming to do business in Kano because of the friendly nature of the people who don’t discriminate.”
Ganduje further explained that the state is a commercial-friendly state that attracts investors from different parts of the world thereby giving job opportunity to the populace.
“Governor Abdullahi Ganduje sends his goodwill message to you and assures you that you are most welcome to Kano State.”
He also assures that Kano State is the most secured state in the entire country, not just the north. In the meantime, many people have relocated to Kano. This is as a result of the support the state is enjoying from the traditional leaders as well as the security operatives in the state.
Peru will enter a total lockdown starting today through Easter Sunday to try curb the spread of the pandemic, the Peruvian government announced Wednesday.
The total lockdown includes a 24-hour curfew, ban on the use of private vehicles, and only one person per household is allowed to leave home for essential shopping, according to a statement from the Peruvian Council of Ministers.
Domestic flights and inter-city public transport will also stop, the statement read.
The announcement comes as Peru is experiencing a resurgence in Covid-19 cases just days ahead of the first round of presidential elections, scheduled for April 11.
Peru has reported at least 1,533,121 Covid-19 cases and at least 51,635 Covid-related deaths.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has started a hunger strike in prison to protest officials’ failure to provide proper treatment for his back and leg pains.
In a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram, Navalny complained about prison authorities’ refusal to give him the right medicines and to allow his doctor to visit him behind bars.
He also protested the hourly checks a guard makes on him at night, saying they amount to sleep deprivation torture.
Navalny said in his statement that he had no choice but to protest with a hunger strike because his physical condition has worsened. He said his back pains have spread to his right leg and he feels numbness in his left leg.
“What else could I do?” he wrote. “I have declared a hunger strike demanding that they allow a visit by an invited doctor in compliance with the law. So I'm lying here, hungry, but still with two legs.”
The 44-year-old Navalny, who is President Vladimir Putin’s most outspoken opponent, was arrested in January upon his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Russian authorities have rejected the accusation.
Last month, Navalny was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for violating the terms of his probation during his convalescence in Germany. The sentence stems from a 2014 embezzlement conviction that Navalny has rejected as fabricated -- and which the European Сourt of Human Rights has ruled to be unlawful.
Navalny was moved this month from a Moscow jail to a penal colony in Pokrov in the Vladimir region, 85 kilometers (53 miles) east of the Russian capital. The facility called IK-2 stands out among Russian penitentiaries for its particularly strict inmate routines, which include standing at attention for hours.
Navalny's Instagram also had a picture of a letter to the prison chief, dated Wednesday, in which he declared the hunger strike.
“Every convict has the right to invite a specialist for a check and consultation,” he wrote. “So I demand to let a doctor see me and declare a hunger strike until it happens.”
Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said last week that Navalny had undergone medical check-ups and described his condition as “stable and satisfactory.”
But Navalny complained that authorities only gave him basic painkiller pills and ointment for his back and legs while refusing to accept medications prescribed earlier by his doctor or to share the diagnosis from his examination.
In a note earlier this month, Navalny described his prison as a “friendly concentration camp.” He said he hadn’t seen “even a hint at violence” there but lived under controls that he compared to George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four.”
Navalny, whom prison authorities had earlier marked as a flight risk, said he was subject to particularly close oversight, including a guard waking him up every hour at night and filming him to demonstrate he is in the required place.
“Instead of medical assistance, I'm subjected to sleep deprivation torture, being woken up eight times every night,” he said in Wednesday's statement.
During a video call with Putin on Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the need for Russia to protect Navalny's health and to respect his rights in compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights, according to Macron’s office.
The Kremlin said in its readout of the call that Putin offered an “objective explanation” in response to questions Merkel and Macron asked about Navalny.
Beyoncé and daughter Blue Ivy Carter headed out for some quality mother and daughter time this week.
The nine-year-old and her former Destiny's Child hitmaker mum were snapped stepping out for a bite to eat at upmarket eatery Nobu in Malibu, California on Tuesday.
And during the outing, fashion-forward Blue showcased a new hairdo for the lunch date by switching her usually braided tresses in favour of a sleek and straight style.
Jay-Z and music icon Beyoncé's mini-me flaunted her transformation whilst being snapped hopping into a car with her mum after they dined.
The pair could be seen sporting dark sunglasses and cloth face masks over their mouths and noses as they exited the venue.
Continuing their matching ensembles, the duo also shrugged denim jackets over their shoulders as they got into an SUV vehicle alongside their bodyguard.
Blue has already kicked 2021 off in a spectacular fashion as she made music history by being one of the youngest people to ever bag a prestigious Grammy Award.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Wednesday said he would not travel out of the country for medical check-up for any reason.
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari travelled out of the country to London on Tuesday for medical check up.
Wike, in a statement issued by Kelvin Ebiri, his media aide, when members of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria paid him a visit, in Port Harcourt, said the health care system in Nigeria required very serious attention.
He said it was unfortunate where the nation had been in terms of healthcare system.
Wike stated that he did not not want to comment on people who are traveling for medical check.
According to him, he had not travelled for the past two years, saying that “if we have all these things here, why do we have to travel?
“We have all it takes to provide it. Why will I go out to do my check (overseas) when I have all the facilities in Government House? I don’t need it.”
The governor said that everything that was required for him to undergo any test is in Port Harcourt and that the resources are available.
“Why can’t we provide it for our people?” He asked
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP M.A Adamu, on Wednesday commissioned the new Nigeria Police Radio, 99.1FM, Abuja.
The Nigeria Police Radio, which is one of the legacy projects of the Force within the past 2 years will help bring the police closer to the people and bolster partnership and good working relationship between the police and the people.
In his keynote address, the IGP noted that the radio station will provide community-based radio broadcast services. It will serve as a veritable avenue for the Nigeria Police to engage, enlighten and inform the public on policing activities and other security-related matters.
Furthermore, he noted that the radio station will air programs targeted at involving the citizens in the security of their localities especially on ways to spot and report crimes and other necessary steps to take in the event of a crime or security emergency.
IGP Adamu thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the unrelenting commitment of the Federal Government to the security and safety of Nigerians and the support for the Police in the enhancement of its operational capacity.
Ned Nwoko, billionaire husband of Nollywood actress Regina Daniels, has explained why he has more than one wife and prefers to marry young women.
In an interview with BBC Igbo, the billionaire politician explained the economical reason behind his choice of polygamy.
According to him, the average northerner has at least two wives, which he argued helps the society by preventing the women from being promiscuous.
According to him: “The average Northerner marrying two, three, four women, they are helping the society because it is the economic downturn that has affected so many women who you see doing prostitution and all that.
“But the fallacy of it all is that Christianity does not allow that in the South and yet, the average Southern man has 10 girlfriends.”
He also said the polygamist nature of northerners has helped to increase their population and made them the majority.
Nwoko also complained about how enlightenment has encouraged monogamy even though it is not our culture.
He said: “I love my culture as I know it, not as they are trying to dilute it. Igbo culture is wonderful and should be promoted the way it has always been.
“But even looking at that, look at your population in Nigeria and what I will call economy of marriage, as an Igbo man with one wife, four children, a Northerner has four wives with five children each, in the next 10 years, 20 years, imagine the population of the Northerners.”
No fewer than 18 persons, including a Methodist Church priest, were fatally shot by rampaging gunmen suspected to be herdsmen in four villages in Ebonyi State.
The incident which occurred late Monday only came to public knowledge on Tuesday.
Peoples Gazette learnt that the gunmen stormed the communities and started shooting sporadically in different directions. The communities attacked were Egedegede, Obegu, and Amuzu communities in Ishielu Council Area of the state, leading to a high number of casualties.
Goods and properties were also set ablaze.
A survivor told the Guardian that the incident occurred late Monday and has caused serious panic in the communities.
Some passers-by from Anambra State, en route Nkalagu-Obeagu, Eha-Amufu-Ikem, and Ubolafor road were also killed, the news outlet reported.
Some gory images shared on social media showed some victims gruesomely murdered on the roads and in vehicles.
The state police spokesperson, Loveth Odah however says only six persons were murdered.
Ghanaian referee, Charles Bulu, collapsed while officiating the African Cup of Nations qualifier between Ivory Coast and Ethiopia on Tuesday in Abidjan.
The referee collapsed in the 80th minute of the encounter forcing the game to be called off with the home side leading 3-1.
The game descended into chaos on Tuesday as footage showed Bulu being helped by players having seemingly felt unwell.
Bulu is seen in the video being slowly walked by the players towards medical staff before closing his eyes and falling to the ground.
The ref received medical attention on the pitch before being stretchered off, and taken to a local hospital for examination and proper treatment.
Bulu was called in to officiate the match after the referee who was originally assigned to manage the game tested positive for COVID-19.
However, the fourth official who took Bulu’s place was unable to take charge for the remainder of the match because he is Ivorian – and could have been accused of bias towards the hosts.
Following the 0-0 draw played out by Madagascar and Niger Republic in the group’s other game, both Ivory Coast and Ethiopia qualified for the finals next January.
Ofcom has imposed a financial penalty of £125,000 on Loveworld Limited after a programme broadcast on its religious service Loveworld Television Network featured inaccurate and potentially harmful claims about the Coronavirus without providing adequate protection for viewers.
This was the second time in a year that the broadcaster breached our rules on accuracy in news, and harm in its coverage of the Coronavirus. Ofcom considered these breaches to be serious, repeated and reckless, warranting the imposition of a statutory sanction beyond the direction to broadcast a statement of our findings that Ofcom issued in its Decision published 15 January 2021.
Ofcom’s investigation found that the 29-hour programme, Global Day of Prayer, included statements claiming that the pandemic is a “planned” event created by the “deep state” for nefarious purposes, and that the vaccine is a “sinister” means of administering “nanochips” to control and harm people.
Some statements claimed that “fraudulent” testing had been carried out to deceive the public about the existence of the virus and the scale of the pandemic. Others linked the cause of Covid-19 to the roll out of 5G technology.
Ofcom stresses that legitimate debate about the official response to the Coronavirus pandemic is fundamental to holding public authorities to account during a global health crisis - particularly when public freedoms are curtailed and complex policy decisions are being taken.
However, the inaccurate and potentially harmful claims made during this programme were unsupported by any factual evidence and went entirely without challenge.”
Ofcom was particularly concerned that this breach followed previous, similar breaches in 2020 during the investigation of which, Loveworld Limited gave Ofcom a number of assurances as to how it would improve its compliance procedures.
A photographer has captured the moment a mother broke down in tears has her only daughter tied the knot.
It shows the moment the mother and daughter were crying profusely at her wedding which held in Maiduguri, Borno State.
An Instagram page, BigHwedding shared the photos and spoke about the admirable bond they share.
"Aisha & her mom have a very admirable bond.More than family, they are friends.
The moment I found out that Aisha was an only child and the beautiful relationship she shares with her mother, I wanted to photograph the wedding with the hope that we’d be able to capture the raw emotions between them," the photographer wrote.
"It was truly fulfilling and wholesome being able to capture those pure moments as seen in these images. A popular saying goes “a mother’s love is the greatest love.” - I couldn’t agree more", the handle stated.
A mum has issued a desperate appeal to find her missing teenage son who hasn’t been seen for nine days by pleading: “Please come home. We love you and miss you very much.”
Richard Okorogheye, 19, vanished after telling his mum he was "struggling to cope" with lockdown and had been shielding due to a sickle cell disease.
The teen said he was going out on March 22 and was last seen walking in Kensington, West London, at around 8.40pm.
Cops have today released new CCTV images from the evening of his disappearance in a desperate bid to find him.
A host of celebrities including Peter Andre, Aisling Bea and Laura Whitmore have also shared appeals to track him down.
His mum Evidence Joel has issued a new appeal for information to find her son - with police saying they are "increasingly concerned".
She said today: “Richard we love you and miss you very much, please can you come home. We aren’t angry at you. We just want to know that you’re okay.
"PLEASE COME HOME"
“For anyone reading this, we are desperately missing our son. If you know anything or know where he might be, please come forward and speak to the police.”
Ms Joel previously told Sky News: “All he said to me was 'mummy, I'm going to see my friend'.
“I trusted him, I had no doubt or no reason to ask him further questions.
"It's my baby, it's my treasure. He's my oxygen, he's my crown. He's everything to me, he's the reason why I live, the reason I exist.
"Right now I'm empty, there is nothing to look forward to. He's taken my breath away from me."
Popular actor, producer, and director, Charles Inojie has built and donated a borehole to the Ohordua community in Edo state, where he hails from.
Inojie, who as a little boy would walk three kilometers to the Utor river situated at the border end of a neighbouring community to fetch water twice in the morning before going to school is grateful to the Almighty for using him to change the narrative in his village after many years of leaving the village.
Through the Charles Inojie Foundation, in partnership with the Latter-Day Saints Charity, a befitting borehole has been built in the community where the actor grew up.
“Needless to say that this project is for the entire community. I pray they own it, protect it and guard it jealously so that the intended benefits can be fully derived,” the actor said.
One of the sons of Kaduna state governor, Bashir El-Rufai has taken to his Twitter handle to gush over his wife, Nwakaego.
He said he is glad he married someone who is a lot smarter than he is. According to him, she is the greatest thing that has happened in his life.
He wrote;
''My wife is the greatest thing that has happened in my life. Everyday I'm glad I married somebody a lot smarter than I am, upon all my big head. Men may not say it enough, but our women optimize our focus & many times they never get the positive outcomes of the focus provided.''
Fashion stylist, Toyin Lawani, has fired back at critics of her raunchy nun outfit.
The fashionista sparked outrage over her controversial dress for the premiere of ‘Prophetess‘, a movie by Niyi Akinmolayan.
Many critics who took to social media, described the outfit as an insult to Christianity while some others carpeted her for promoting immortality.
In several photos shared on her Instagram page, Lawani could be seen clad in an all-white attire with a sign of the cross inscribed on it.
Although she was partly unclad as her thighs could be visibly seen while she also accompanied the photos with religious-inclined captions.
Reacting in a lengthy Instagram post, the entrepreneur described her critics as “hypocrites”.
Lawani further stated she won’t apologise over her raunchy nun outfit.
“This message is to tell you all that you no get sense not an explanation. Honestly Nigerians have refused to be liberated when it comes to fashion and depicting themes.
“When will you get it into your empty skulls that costumes can carry crucifix and doesn’t mean its a sign of disrespect?
“People dress like sexy nuns all day, for all sorts of events and halloween… yet, you’re all on my page crying and wailing like I killed someone in your family just because I’m Nigerian but if It’s Kim or your RiRi or Beyoncé now, you will be hearing ‘awwn, so hot, my role model.
“Bloody hypocrites but behind closed door you’re all disgusting and doing nasty shit. Even you pastors who come on here to preach, na una f**k your ushers and church members pass…most of you are so way back.”
Lawani noted many Nigerians have been “blindfolded” by religious inclinations and lack of exposure that they can’t recognise works of art.
“Your lack of exposure is really disturbing you lots, you don’t even know what art is when you see it. I learnt fashion internationally, break fashion boundaries and I’m a risk taker.
“You will never be able to understand me cause I will always stay true to what I love and will never do anything to please anyone but myself,”
“If you are expecting that apology you are preaching on my page from me you will be waiting till eternity, take your frustrations to the blogs, but when you come to my page, I will give you your size.
“By now I felt your brains should have told you that I’m not your basic fellow Nigerian and I do not follow the rules of your society.
“I make my own rules, doesn’t mean any of you are holier than I am or better human beings than me.
“All the parasites infesting Nigeria and spoiling the youths currently, you haven’t done anything about that it’s my outfit that’s your headache yet you promote those nasty acts daily.”
Auditors could not trace the addresses of contractors that received about N1.7bn from the Muazu Babangida Aliyu government in Niger in 2014.
The startling disclosure was made today by a witness in the money laundering trial of Babangida Aliyu and two others, Tanko Beji and Umar Muhammad Nasko
The witness, Muhammad Ndawuye Nmadu, auditor general of the state from 2007 to 2020, who was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Faruk Abdullah, told the Court that his responsibility as auditor general was to audit the account of the State.
“We have the responsibility to visit all Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including Courts, House of Assembly to ascertain the true nature of expenditure of the state.
“At the end of the year, we submit the report to the State House of Assembly.”
The witness said that in the course of auditing the accounts of the State for the year 2014, they discovered that about N1.7billion which was received by the Ministry of Environment in the State was split and paid to three contractors.
“2014 was not initially exceptional; the normal audit was conducted except that during the audit, the sum of N1.7billion was received by the Ministry of Environment and the same amount was split and paid to three contractors”, he said.
The witness further revealed that the documentation for the contracts were incomplete especially with the absence of Certificate of No Objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement.
“We also sent someone to the addresses of the contractors, (someone here means a member of the audit team that visited the area) and we could not locate the addresses of the contractors”.
According to the PW1, the 2014 report which is in a booklet form, covers the report of the Auditor-General and the Account of Niger State for the year ended.
Prosecution counsel, Faruk Abdullah sought to tender the report of the Auditor-General on the accounts of Niger State government for the year ended December 31, 2014.
While counsel to Aliyu and his co-accused objected, their objection was overruled by the trial judge.
The Court accepted the document in evidence, marked as Exhibit ‘A’.
Furthermore, the PW1 also told the court that the audit team observed that payment vouchers were not checked by Internal Audit.
He said payments were made without budgetary provisions.
Justice Mikail Aliyu adjourned the matter at the instance of Aliyu till April 19 and 20, 2021 for cross-examination of PW1.
Aliyu, Nasko and Beji are being prosecuted on amended seven-count charge of money laundering and criminal breach of trust to the tune of about N2billion before Justice Aliyu of the Niger State High Court.
