OLU OF WARRI, IKENWOLI GODFREY EMIKO IS DEAD...

The monarch allegedly died of COVID19 complications on Monday, barely a week after his fifth coronation anniversary.

He was said to have met with the late Major General John Irefin, who died earlier this month from COVID-19 complications too.

Though none of the palace chiefs was willing to confirm or deny it, there was palpable apprehension in the palace vicinity on Monday while some people were also in a sombre mood.

A source who confirmed the news, saying the monarch died on Monday morning from the coronavirus. Another source said many palace workers besieged the adjoining shops selling strong alcoholic drinks to buy from them as they believed it would cure them of COVID-19 should they have contracted it from the monarch.

“Olu of Warri is dead but the palace chiefs are trying to keep the information hidden from the public till they are sure the time is right,” the source added.

The late monarch, who was born on March 19, 1955, ascended the throne on December 12, 2015.

BREAKING: FOOTBALL LEGEND DIEGO MARADONA DEAD AT AGE 60 FOLLOWING HEART ATTACK...

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has passed away at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack. 

The Gimnasia coach had been hospitalised at the start of November, days after celebrating the landmark birthday, after complaining of low spirits and fatigue. 

Tests at the La Plata clinic revealed a blood clot on the brain, which doctors later revealed was operated on successfully. 

Maradona was subsequently released from hospital as an outpatient to continue his convalescence, which he carried out in his dwelling in a private neighbourhood near Tigre, northern Buenos Aires. 

But on Wednesday morning he suffered cardiac arrest, and paramedics at the scene failed to revive him. 

The Argentine national team's official Twitter account confirmed the new on Wednesday, paying tribute to one of the nation's favourite footballing sons. 

"You will be eternal in every heart of the football world," the message stated as it bade farewell to the superstar.

Argentina Football Association president Claudio Tapia also expressed his "deep grief" after learning the news.

Maradona began his professional career with Argentinos Juniors at the age of 16 and went on to be considered one of the greatest players ever to step onto a football field. 

The diminutive left-footed forward went on to represent Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys as a player, and the likes of Racing Club, Dorados, Gimnasia and the Argentina national team later as a coach. 

It was with the Albiceleste, though, that his name was immortalised. 

Diego was instrumental in taking Argentina to their second World Cup triumph in 1986, captaining the team that prevailed over West Germany in the final under the stewardship of Carlos Bilardo. 

He scored five goals over the course of the tournament to finish second behind England's Gary Lineker in the top scorer rankings, with the pair meeting in a quarter-final match which has entered the annals as perhaps the most iconic, and certainly most controversial, in the World Cup's 90-year history. 

The Argentina No. 10 scored twice to take down England in a 2-1 victory, the first scored with his infamous 'Hand of God' and the second after dribbling around several opponents in what would soon be dubbed the 'Goal of the Century'. 

Maradona also helped his nation reach a second consecutive World Cup final four years later, only to fall to West Germany. 

HOSPITAL DETAINS NURSING MOTHER FOR 7 MONTHS OVER N95,000 DEBT...

A hospital named Mojol Hospital in Church Street, Shasha area of Lagos State has detained a nursing mother, Blessing Bassey and her baby for seven months for owing N95,000 hospital bill.

It was learnt that the hospital management ordered nurses and doctors to ensure that Blessing and her daughter did not leave the hospital premises and the 27-years-old mother and child has been sleeping on the floor since then

Blessing, who bemoaned her fate, said efforts by her husband to raise the money had been abortive.

The Cross River State indigene explained that her husband, a mechanic, tried to do menial jobs to raise the funds, but failed.

While recalling how she got to the hospital, Blessing said she was unconscious on March 6, 2020, when she was rushed to a medical facility where she was initially  registered.

She said, “I was seven months’ pregnant that time. I collapsed and was rushed to the hospital I registered with, but they did not have equipment for a caesarean section, so I was referred to Mojol Hospital. I was rushed to the hospital that same night and a CS was performed to save my life and the baby.

“Some days after the CS was done, I was told that our bill was N300,000; we paid N100,000 out of it.

“After paying, the owner of the hospital said the bill was N350,000. One of our neighbours came to beg her to reduce the money, and she reduced it to N250,000.

“We were able to pay a total of N155,000 and begged her to allow me to go and work so we could pay the balance by instalments, but she refused. I have been in the hospital since then.

“I had not spent one month on the hospital bed after the CS when I was told to move to the floor. I had to spread my wrapper on the floor so that my baby and I could sleep and that’s where we have been sleeping for the past seven months.

“I don’t have any money on me. I begged people that come to visit other patients for money to feed myself and the baby.”

The Administrative Officer of the hospital, Salami Akindayo, said  that similar patients released with the hope of getting paid by instalments defaulted.

He said, “She was rushed to our hospital on emergency and we tried to save her life before even asking for money. After the delivery was done, she was unconscious for five days before eventually coming round. And when she was given the bill, the MD had to reduce it so that they could pay.

“We have released patients who promised to pay, but they never did. So, we decided that any patient that didn’t pay the hospital bill won’t be discharged. The hospital has written letters to some organisations to ask if they could assist her; we’re still waiting for their response. I have presented her matter to the Ohaneze group and they promised to get back to us.”

A rights activist, Esther Ogwu, who condemned the action of the hospital, stated that money was being contributed for Blessing’s release.

“What the hospital should have done was make her sign an undertaking to pay the balance,” she added.

NICOLE YOUNG TO DIVORCE DR. DRE AFTER 24 YEARS OF MARRIAGE....

Dr. Dre and his wife Nicole Young have split after 24 years of marriage. It was confirms Young filed for divorce on Monday, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their separation. She is seeking spousal support.

The couple, who made their last public appearance together at the Tom Ford fashion show in February, wed in May 1996 and share two children together: son Truice, 23, and 19-year-old daughter Truly.

Dre, born Andre Romelle Young, is also dad to four kids — daughters Tyra Young and La Tanya Danielle Young as well as sons Marcel and Curtis — from previous relationships. (Son Andre Young Jr. died at age 20 in 2008.)

The mother of two was previously married to NBA player Sedale Threatt.

Dre, 55, and Nicole do not have a prenuptial agreement, according to TMZ.

In 2019, Forbes estimated the music mogul's net worth at $800 million, putting him at No. 2 on the year's list of the world's wealthiest hip-hop artists. In December of that year, Dre topped the earnings of the decade with $950 million, thanks mostly to his Beats Electronics empire.

Before he wed Young in 1996, Dre amassed his fortunes as a founding member found fame of the rap group N.W.A. before releasing his solo debut studio album The Chronic in 1992 under Death Row Records, which he co-owned, before he founded his own label, Aftermath Entertainment, and signed Eminem and 50 Cent.

After they wed, in the 2000s, Dre focused on producing for other artists, including 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, The Game and Kendrick Lamar.

RIVAL CULT MEMBERS CLASH OVER PROTECTION MONEY IN DELTA STATE...

A suspected cult member was killed while some others were injured after clashes between cultists in Sapele, Delta State.

The dead man, identified as Tega, was reportedly chased from the New Road area of the town down to Irato road before he was killed near Richard Continental Hotel, Sapele.

The clash by cultists reportedly began last week in the town as two rival cult groups, Baggar and Aiye confraternity, engaged in a supremacy battle.

Sources said the clash began when a leader of one of the cult groups demanded money, known as “protection money,” from a rival cult member.

It was gathered that when the rival cult member refused to pay, he was beaten up and this angered members of his cult group who went on reprisals.

It was gathered that on Tuesday night, the suspected cultists operated freely in the Vitaform area of Amukpe, where gunshots rent the air till the wee hours of Wednesday. Some of the suspected cultists, on Wednesday night, came to Oriaki Road and pursued a man down the street to Christmas Road junction where several persons were injured.

Although the Commissioner of Police, Delta State command, Mr Muhammed Inuwa, could not be reached to confirm the incident, stains from Tega’s blood were seen on the spot where he was killed.

Breaking: PRESIDENT BUHARI'S CHIEF OF STAFF IS DEAD...

The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, is dead. Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Femi Adesina, confirmed this in a press statement.

He said, “The Presidency regrets to announce the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari.

“The deceased had tested positive to the ravaging COVID-19, and had been receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020.

“Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.”

NIGERIA ACTRESS FUNKE AKINDELE ARRESTED OVER HOUSE PARTY DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN.

The Police Command in Lagos State has arrested Funke Akindele for hosting a party in contravention of the lockdown order in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said the actress had been taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba.

It was learnt that policemen arrived in Amen Estate off Lekki-Epe Expressway in about three patrol vehicles.

Akindele, popularly known as Jenifa, who is married to singer, Abdulrasheed Bello aka JJC Skillz, held a party in his honour on Saturday. Also at the party was Singer, Azeez Fashola aka Naira Marley, also graced the party, which had over 20 others in attendance.

Thousands of Nigerians on social media called for the arrest Akindele, popularly called ‘Jenifa’.

Akindele, who is said to be an ambassador for the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Dettol, has appeared in adverts calling on Nigerians to observe social distancing and hygiene.

She later apologised over the incident, saying most of those who attended the party were colleagues, who were living temporarily within the estate and could not return to their home states because of the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lagos Infection Diseases Regulations 2020 (the Regulations) prescribes a jail term of one month or N100,000 fine or both for persons found guilty of hosting gatherings or flouting the lockdown order.

It reads in part, “Where there is a violation of a close-down or stay at home order, security Agencies shall have power to arrest without warrant and may detain any person who violates the closedown or stay at home order for at least forty-eight (48) hours.

“Where the arrested person is found guilty, the person is liable to a fine of one Hundred Thousand Nara fine (N100,000.00) or one (1) month imprisonment or three (3) months Community service.”

LAGOS ASSEMBLY REINSTATE PENSILE LAWMAKERS...

The Lagos State House of Assembly has reinstated lawmakers who were earlier suspended indefinitely for alleged gross misconduct.

The affected lawmakers are Lanre Oshun (Mainland Constituency), Raheem Olawale (Ibeju-Lekki).

The Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, announced their reinstatement during plenary on Thursday.


Details later...

PRESIDENT TRUMP CLAIMS DEMOCRATS AND THE MEDIA WANT TO KEEP BUSINESSES SHUT TO HURT HIS REELECTION, NOT PROTECT FROM THE CORONAVIRUS...

President Donald Trump again used his daily White House briefing on the coronavirus to rail against the press and Democrats, arguing Wednesday that they oppose his idea to potentially reopen businesses within weeks because they want the economy to fail and hurt his reelection prospects.

In recent days, Trump has said he wants businesses in large parts of the country to reopen by Easter, defying public health experts who say people need to continue isolating and social distancing for several months.

When CBS News reporter Paula Reid asked Wednesday if the president's Easter timeline was linked to his political interests, Trump lashed out.

“The media would like to see me do poorly in the election,” he said. “I think there are certain people who would like it not to open so quickly. There are certain people who would like the economy to do poorly because that would be very good as far as defeating me at the polls. I don't know if that's so, but I think there are people in your profession that would like that to happen. I think it's very clear.”

He continued, telling Reid, “I think it's very clear that there are people in your profession that write fake news. You do. She does. There are people in your profession that write fake news. They would love to see me, for whatever reason — because we've done one hell of a job. Nobody's done the job that we've done. And it's lucky that you have this group here right here for this problem, or you wouldn't even have a country left. Okay?”

The president made a similar argument on Twitter earlier on Wednesday.

The plan, Trump has said, would be to lock down hot spots like New York where there are a high number of cases and let businesses in other parts of the country reopen in the coming weeks.

But experts say the entire country does need to remain closed and people need to remain home for more than just a few more weeks. Vincent Racaniello, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University, told BuzzFeed News on Monday that there isn’t enough testing being done in the US to know how many people have been infected. This makes any plan to keep infection hot spots locked down impossible.

“If you just lock down those who have clinical symptoms, it's not going to do a damn thing,” Racaniello said. “For god’s sake, do people really not have any patience in this country? It was finite in China. It will be finite here.”

Additionally, according to estimates from the New York Times, many states could hit peak cases in May, several weeks after Easter.

VICTOR MOSES GETS PERMISSION TO RETURN TO ENGLAND AMIDST COVID-19 PANDEMIC...

Former Nigeria international Victor Moses has been given permission to return to England amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

The online edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported that the Chelsea-owned winger was given the go-ahead to travel to England on Tuesday to be with his family following the end of the self-isolation taken after Juventus defender Daniele Rugani tested positive for the virus.

With a view to the resumption of the Italian Serie A, Moses will follow a training regime delivered to him by Inter’s fitness coaches before he left Milan.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner was recovering from a thigh problem before the league was postponed.

Moses has appeared in seven matches for Inter Milan since his loan move in January, logging 359 minutes.

ISIS TELLS ITS TERRORISTS NOT TO TRAVEL TO EUROPE FOR JIHAD BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS...

After years of urging its terrorists to attack major European cities, ISIS is now telling them to steer clear due to the coronavirus.

Any sick jihadists already in Europe, however, should stay there — presumably to sicken infidels, according to a ‘sharia’ directive printed in the group’s al-Naba newsletter, the Sunday Times of London reported.

The “healthy should not enter the land of the epidemic and the afflicted should not exit from it,” the newsletter advised.

The newsletter instructs jihadists that the “plague” is a “torment sent by God on whomsoever He wills.”

Iraq, where most of the surviving fragments of the group remain, had 110 reported coronavirus cases on Sunday morning, ten of them fatal, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the contagion.

BOARDING SCHOOL CHILDREN, REVEREND SISTER, OTHERS PERISHED IN ABULE-ADO EXPLOSION....

A catholic boarding school was among the buildings destroyed in the explosion that rocked Abule-Ado area of Lagos State with six children and reverend sister killed in the school building. Also reported among the dead was a couple and their three children who were driving in their vehicle to church service.

The total number of caualties is yet to be ascertained as the fire is still raging on. But 17 dead bodies have been recovered on site while 25 people were being treated for injuries.

The Director General/CEO LASEMA, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyimtolu, who confirmed the number of casualties, said the cause of the explosion is yet to be ascertained.

We sympathise with the families that lost their loved ones to the inferno and wish the injured quick recovery. We appeal for calm and urge residents to shun fake news. Operation is still in progress. Updates will continue through the course of operation while investigations remain on going" stated Oke-Osanyintolu.

Over 50 buildings in the area including Festac Town communities were affected by the unfortunate incident. 

DEPOSED EMIR SANUSI BANISHED FROM KANO STATE...

The deposed Emir Muhammad Sanusi II has been banished from Kano state to an undisclosed destination.

The embattled Emir was driven out of the palace around 5:36 pm in a black jeep with an unidentified number. Heavy security personnel in a large number of the vehicle took the emir out of the palace.

HISTORICAL COMPARISON OF THE 14TH CENTURY PLAQUE OR THE BLACK DEATH WITH COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS....Is China Trying To Wipe Out The World?

A striking overlap exists between the path of today's viral spread and the path of the Black Death in the 1300s.

Nearly 750 years ago, Marco Polo famously undertook several voyages from Venice across the Mediterranean Sea, overland through Persia and Central Asia to the court of the great Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Yuan dynasty, which presided over perhaps the largest empire in world history. The Mongols nurtured the Silk Roads of commerce that spanned the medieval world from China to Italy—until the Black Death spread along them in the same direction, wiping out nearly half the world’s population.

It is, of course, far too soon to make such dire predictions about Covid-19. But a striking overlap exists between the path of today's viral spread and the path that emerged in the 1300s. These parallels tell us something crucial about the present state of geopolitics. Trade routes and infrastructure expand imperial influence; interruptions along them heighten awareness of our vulnerabilities. If we’re smart, we respond by creating sensible frictions to avoid being dominated by a single hegemon.

The 14th-century plague is said to have originated in China's Hubei Province, with bacteria contracted from marmots. Hebei Province bore the brunt of China’s plague fatalities, with 5 million of its residents perishing in the 1330s. Making its way westward via Silk Road merchants and caravans, the plague took several years to reach Persia, where it killed the Khan overlord Abu Said as well as half the population. In 1347, it entered Europe via Italy’s port of Genoa.

Now compare that to what we’re seeing today with Covid-19. This time around, the source of illness may have been pangolins or bats instead of marmots. It started in Wuhan, which just happens to be Hubei's capital. The coronavirus reached Iran in a couple of weeks, and so far has infected hundreds of people, even the country’s deputy health minister. Next to Iran, the next worst outbreak is in Italy, with more than 300 cases and rising quickly—and likely spreading through Europe exactly as the plague did centuries ago.

It is, perhaps no coincidence that, in the past two decades, China has been the origin of SARS, the swine flu, and now the Covid-19 coronavirus. Nor should we be surprised that Iran and Italy have emerged, once more, as waypoints for pandemic spread. What do Iran and Italy have in common today? They are two major anchors of China’s Belt and Road Initiative—also known as the 21st century’s new Silk Roads.

The head of the World Health Organization says the world is not ready for another pandemic. Many public health systems are ill-equipped and unable to impose the quarantine procedures and hygienic practices needed to curb the spread of the disease. Yet we are learning quickly, and survival is highly probable still. Singapore went from being the country with the most infections outside of China to discharging almost all infected patients from its hospitals. Its residents are still on alert, but life has returned to normal. Other societies can learn from Singapore, and adopt the discipline needed to avoid mass disruption. Unlike seven centuries ago, we have sophisticated medical treatments and technologies that make quarantines more feasible.

Even as the world continues with the essential crisis management of coronavirus, the geopolitical and economic consequences are coming into sharper focus. Firms will accelerate shifting supply chains out of China, limiting their exposure to only what they make for the Chinese market. Japanese carmakers have been doing this for over a decade, with Toyota relocating production to Thailand and Indonesia. Samsung has done the same for its smartphones, now making most of them in Vietnam. The new mantra is: Make where you sell. Don’t get too close, or depend too much, on China.

The same lesson applies to diplomacy. Rather than viewing China on a linear path to Eurasian dominance, China’s own neighbors are coming out of its shadow. Japan is gaining national confidence; India is on a military buying spree and just hosted US President Donald Trump to reaffirm the countries' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific maritime region. These nations—as well as Europe—are helping weaker Asian states stand up to China in defending their islands, avoiding its debt traps, and finding alternatives to Huawei 5G telecom systems.

Though the Chinese were once Mongol victims, modern-day China is often likened to the expansionist Mongol empire. Just as the plague decimated the Mongol khanates and splintered its grip on Eurasia, so too will the coronavirus encourage China’s vassal states to look for other partners in the geopolitical marketplace. Asia has not been dominated by a single power since the Mongols, and their place in history looks to be intact. Building more pathways of connectivity may initially appear to create more avenues for pathogens to spread, but it also allows us to circumvent trouble spots if and when they arise.

More connectivity ultimately means more resilience. For the new Silk Road to survive, it will need many paths, not one.

So this goes to my question. Is China trying to wipe out the world again?

Breaking News: FORMER EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK HAS DIED

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who was removed from power by the military in 2011 has died in Cairo at the age of 91.

Mubarak spent three decades in office before a popular uprising swept Egypt. He was found guilty of complicity in the killing of protesters during the revolution. That conviction was overturned and was freed in March 2017.

His death was confirmed by Egyptian state news on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the Al-Watan website reported that he died at a military hospital.

Mubarak underwent surgery in late January and was photographed with his grandson as he recovered.

FIRE GUTS OBASANJO'S HOUSE IN ABEOKUTA....

Fire reportedly broke out on Wednesday night wreaking havoc on the building situated at the Ita-Eko area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Witnesses say the fire was caused by a power surge while a source told our correspondent that a spark that went off after power supply was restored to the building was the cause of the fire.

Residents trooped out to assist the domestic workers in the house to put out the fire.

The extent of damage to the building has not been confirmed as cameras were not allowed in and around the vicinity.

However, there are reports that the fire only razed a store and not the main building in the former president’s compound.