Good Day! Below is a Summary of News Stories Across Nigeria and Abroad:
1. The federal government said last night that the only viable way to evacuate Nigerians out of war-torn Sudan was by road. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffery Onyema, disclosed this in an interview. Recall that Nigerians based in Sudan, including over 5,500 students, have been calling on the government to evacuate them out of the Horn of Africa country since the crisis broke out in the country two weeks ago. The also government asked Nigerian students in Sudan to disregard plans by the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, to evacuate them to Ethiopia and advised them to stay indoors and not go to the borders. In a statement yesterday, H.Y Garko, for Charge D’ Affairs, Embassy of Nigeria in Khartoum, advised the students to stay calm, adding that plans were underway to evacuate them. VANGUARD
2. A communal clash broke out in the 3rd Avenue area of Gwarinpa, within the city centre of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in the early hours of Monday. This is as videos making the rounds on social media show that several persons have been injured. Our correspondent gathered that the clash is reportedly between some Gbagyi and Hausa tricyclists. PUNCH
3. Air Peace Airline has expressed willingness to evacuate 4,000 trapped Nigerians stranded in war-torn Sudan away from the country. The chairman of Air Peace, Allen Onyema, who said the Nigerian students and others urgently needed help, disclosed that if the stranded Nigerians could be moved to a neigbouring country, the airline would fly there and evacuate them since Sudan’s airspace is closed from civil aviation flights. Onyema said he was compelled to help because Nigeria cannot afford to lose her citizens in that country, adding that it would be his own commitment to making sure that the stranded Nigerians in the war-torn country were safe. LEADERSHIP
4. Barring any last-minute changes, the President-elect, Mr Bola Tinubu is expected to return to the country on Monday (today) after a 34-day absence from Nigeria. Tinubu had March 21 travelled out of the country, in what his campaign council said was meant for him to rest and plan ahead of his inauguration on May 29. A statement by the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council in March noted that Tinubu travelled to France to rest and plan his transition programme after an exhaustive campaign and election season. The planned arrival of the former Lagos State governor was confirmed on Monday by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga. CHANNEL
5. Nigerian singer, Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, aka Ayra Starr, has responded to critics of her fashion sense. Report has it that the “Bloody Samaritan” crooner has come under heavy criticism on social media for her scanty dressing. But in a recent interview IN London, Ayra Starr said her critics don’t have the right to advise her. According to her, only her pastor, mother and Jesus can advise her on what to wear. DAILY POST
6. The traditional ruler of Aghara, Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Chief David Obadofin, has reportedly died in the custody of his abductors, 12 days after he was kidnapped. A family source stated that the monarch died last Thursday as a result of torture from his abductors. Our correspondent gathered that the abductors of the monarch had agreed to collect the sum of N2m for his release and one other lady, identified as Temidayo Elewa when the hoodlums noticed that Pa Obadofin was becoming too weak. DAILY TRUST
7. The death toll in Equatorial Guinea from an outbreak of Marburg virus, a cousin of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, has risen to 12, the health ministry said on Monday. The figures are a provisional toll based on lab-confirmed tests as of April 21, it said in an update, adding that 116 people were currently being monitored as contact risks. The first known deaths were documented on January 7 in the eastern province of Kie-Ntem before the outbreak spread to Bata, the West African nation’s economic capital. The latest known fatality occurred on April 11, the ministry said. CHANNELS
8. Football legend, Austin Okocha, says he is confident that clubs will pay around €150m to secure his services in today’s transfer market. Okocha joined Fenerbahçe from Eintracht Frankfurt in 1996 in a deal believed tobe around £1m after the German outfits were relegated from topflight football. The Nigerian dazzled during his two years with the Turkish club and an impressive performance at the 1998 FIFA World Cup was enough to convince French giants, Paris Saint Germain, to pay an African transfer record fee of £14m to lure the player to France. In an interview with hurriyet, Okocha believed he would have cost around €150m going by the current transfer market. PUNCH
9. Nollywood actress Destiny Etiko has refuted claims on some news outlets that she is a virgin. Etiko, on her Instagram page, expressed dismay that a better title could not be rumoured about her. Reports had been rife on Sunday that the actress revealed that she is a virgin at 33. The now-false information startled social media users, stirring diverse reactions. She said, “Since yesterday, I have not rested with the news calling her out as a virgin. I did not grant any interview, revealing that I am a virgin. I cannot remember granting any interview saying I am a virgin. They did not give me any better title, like soon to be a billionaire. VANGUARD
10. Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, is the latest to comment on the possible return of Lionel Messi to Barcelona. Ancelotti said he likes Messi as a player, adding that it would not be an issue for him should the Argentina World Cup winner return to Barcelona this summer. Messi, who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain, has been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona this summer transfer window. The 35-year-old is yet to sign a new deal with PSG, as his contract will expire at the end of the season. DAILY POST
PROCYON NEWS
