By Suleiman Shehu

A tanker laden with petrol on Thursday fell and caught fire claiming two lives and burning four vehicles at Iwo road area of Ibadan around 3:00 p.m.

An eye witness, AbdulAzeez Hammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the tanker which fell and spilled its content, razed no fewer than four vehicles.

Hammed said he saw a man in one of the affected vehicles removing his child from the back of his wife when they saw the fire approaching their vehicle.

The witness said the husband and the child escaped while the fire caught the wife in the car and burnt her to death.

Confirming the incident, SP Olugbenga Fadeyi, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), told NAN that two people lost their lives in the incident.

Fadeyi said four vehicles and two motorcycles were also burnt.

Source: NAN

Russian Prime Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday said Russia has banned exports of oil and petroleum products to Ukraine, as well as certain Ukrainian imports.

Relations between the former Soviet neighbours have been at an all-time low since Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea region in retaliation for Kiev ousting its Kremlin-backed president.

Medvedev cast the new sanctions, which include bans on importing certain metals, consumer goods and equipment from Ukraine, as counter-measures for Ukrainian sanctions against Russia.

We are forced to protect our interests and strike back, Medvedev said at a meeting of the cabinet of ministers, Russian state news agency, TASS reported.

Those Ukrainian imports that are now banned had amounted to about $250 million in 2018, Medvedev added.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the new 30,000 minimum wage bill into law.

Buhari signed the new bill into law at the State House in Abuja, saying it was a testimony that his administration is committed to the welfare of Nigerians.

He said: I would like to express gratitude to everyone who contributed to this very important task, and reiterate our commitment to the welfare of all Nigerians.

He challenged Nigerian workers to justify the signing into law of the new minimum wage by showing more commitments to their work.

He also enjoined the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to show more understanding of the current socio-economic situations in country.

He said: I expect them (workers) to be more committed to their work at whichever level.

I will like the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to look at the economic situation of the country, the population, the poor infrastructure that we are trying to fix in terms of roads, rail and power.

So, I wish Nigerian workers the best of luck.

The National Assembly passed the National Minimum Wage Bill, approving N30,000 minimum monthly wage for Federal and State workers.

The proposed new National Minimum Wage was presented to the National Council of State on Jan. 22 after which it was sent to the National Assembly.

The Federal Executive Council meeting also deliberated and approved the minimum wage after which it was transmitted to the National Assembly and subsequently passed by both chambers of the legislative arm.

Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters(Senate) told State House correspondents that the Senate had on March 19, approved N30, 000 as the new national minimum wage with an appeal to the Federal Government to expedite action on assent and implementation.

This makes it compulsory for all employers of labour in Nigeria to pay their workers the sum of N30,000 and this excludes persons who are employing less than 25 workers; persons who work in a ship which sail out of jurisdiction; persons who are in other kinds of regulated employments are excepted by the Act.

It also gives the workers the right if you are compelled by any circumstance to accept salary that is less than 30,000 for you to sue your employers to recover the balance.

It authorises the minister of labour and any person nominated by the minister of labour or any person designated by the minister of labour in any ministry, department or agency to on your behalf take action in your name against such employer to recover the balance of wages.

It also ensures and mandates the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission and the minister of labour to be the chief and principal enforcers of the provisions of this law; and this law applies to all agencies and persons and bodies throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The effective date is April 18, 2019 as Mr President has assented to; it has been assented to and it takes effect today except such other provision as are contained in the Act.

Enang said that the enforcement and the right to start the implementation of the provisions commenced immediately including such steps that would to be taken gradually under the provisions of the Act.

He urged Nigerian workers to celebrate President Buhari and support his administration and policies.

The senior special assistant said that the administration would come out and march together with Nigerian workers and Workers Day.

Mr President will celebrate Workers Day and this government will celebrate.This is Mr President action showing the love he has for Nigerian workers, he said.

Source: NAN

Eight Nigerians, all men, have been sentenced to death in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates(UAE) for a string of robberies at money exchanges and cash machines(ATMs) across the emirate in December 2016.

The ninth Nigerian, found guilty for possession of stolen money was sentenced to six months imprisonment.

He will be deported after serving his prison term.

The Gulf News reported that the Nigerian denied the charge against him and said that one of the accuseds brothers asked him to transfer Dh60,000 to an account in Nigeria.

All the convicted Nigerians were not identified by both the Gulf News and Khaleej Times, all local newspapers, which reported the trial.

A total of 20 suspects were initially held for attacking security guards in four violent attacks at ATMs and money exchanges across Sharjah in late 2016. Out of 20 suspects, nine were convicted.

Some of the accused confessed to their crimes while others denied the charges levelled against them.

The verdict was handed down by Judge Majid Al Muhairi of Sharjah Criminal Court on Wednesday.

The eight-member gang attacked security trucks and entered establishments by force and threatened and assaulted staff and members of the public with bladed weapons in a spate of robberies, three of which were carried out on the same day on December 18, 2016.

The gang who were all in the UAE on visit visas were said to be highly organised and plotted a string of orchestrated attacks to ambush security trucks that were transporting money boxes to and from ATMs, and at least one money exchange in Sharjah.

The first robbery took place at a Dubai Commercial Bank ATM on King Abdul Aziz Street where Dh340,000 was stolen, then two days later they attacked an ATM in Al Safeer Mall in Al Nahda fleeing with Dh700,000, and an ATM in Muweilah where they stole Dh710,000. A fourth attack at a money exchange office near National Paints was foiled by police.

The gang of 20 was arrested in record time but police confirmed that only a portion of the stolen money almost Dh1.8 million had been recovered, as the gang members had divided the money among themselves and transferred it to their home country.

Suspects were taken into custody in cooperation with police in Dubai, Ajman and Fujairah.

The gang committed the heists at the busiest times of day when streets were crowded, which added to the confusion and enabled them to escape, said police.

In each robbery the assailants struck quickly before police could arrive, the attackers however could not evade security cameras and police were able to recognise the suspects through surveillance footage captured at the exchange house in the mall.

Video footage showed the suspects attacking security guards, making off with cash, and in one of the robberies slashing the hands of a security guard with a knife before running away with money boxes.

Police believe the suspects had monitored and tracked the security trucks used to transport money for a period of time before launching the attacks took place.

A prosecutor told Gulf News on Thursday that as per the law, a group of people who threaten the life of others while committing robbery are subject to the death sentence, however an appeal is expected to be launched and the sentences could get downgraded to life imprisonment.

The trial appeared unconnected with the arrest of five Nigerians in March this year, who robbed a Bureau de Change operator of Dh2.3 million (N225.4 million) in Sharjai, Dubai.

The suspects were identified as Chimuanya Emmanuel Ozoh, Benjamin Nwachukwu Ajah, Kingsley Ikenna Ngoka, Tochukwu Leonard Alisi and Chile Micah Ndunagu.

The five Nigerians reportedly barged into the BDC on March 20 and smashed the glass barrier between the customers and the staff, stole the money in multiple currencies and fled.

Two employees at the exchange were injured as they resisted the robbers. One of them managed to notify the police. The Sharjah Police coordinated with forces from Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Ajman to nab the suspects from four emirates within 48 hours after the robbery was committed.

A top police official said the suspects came to the UAE on visit visas on March 18.

*Reported by Gulf News

Source: NAN

Thousands of protesters massed outside Sudans army complex in Khartoum on Friday, piling pressure on the countrys new military rulers to swiftly transfer power to a civilian administration, witnesses said.

The army on April 11 ousted Sudans longtime leader Omar al-Bashir after months-long protest movement.

A military council which took power has so far resisted calls from protesters to quickly bring in a civilian administration.

On Thursday, exactly four months since protests started, roads leading to the sit-in area were packed with crowds flocking to the army headquarters.

Activists mobilised demonstrators through social media to keep up the pressure for replacing the military council, now led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

Power to civilians, power to civilians, protesters chanted through Thursday night.

I wont leave until Burhan transfers power to a civilian government, said Wali Aldeen, who has camped outside the complex since the day Bashir was ousted.

Activists have called for large crowds to gather after the weekly Muslim prayers, as on previous Fridays.

Protests first broke out on December 19 in response to the tripling of bread prices, swiftly turning into nationwide rallies against Bashirs three-decade rule.

After his ouster, protesters demonstrated against General Awad Ibn Ouf who took over as the first head of the military council, insisting he was a close aide of Bashir and a top regime figure.

Ibn Ouf stepped down in less than 24 hours and was replaced by Burhan, who so far has appeased protesters by lifting a night-time curfew and vowing to uproot the Bashir regime.

Source: NAN

A female journalist, Lyra McKee was shot dead during riots in Northern Ireland in what police Friday were treating as a terrorist incident following the latest upsurge in violence to shake the troubled region.

Lyra McKee was murdered during orchestrated violence in Creggan last night, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said in a statement.

McKee, 29 years old, had earlier posted an image that appeared to be from the riots in the Creggan housing estate in the city of Londonderry, also known as Derry, accompanied by the words Derry tonight. Absolute madness.

Images of the unrest posted on social media showed a car and van ablaze and hooded individuals throwing petrol bombs and fireworks at police vehicles.

A single gunman fired shots in a residential area of the city and as a result wounded Ms McKee, said Hamilton, adding that police believed the gunman was a violent dissident republican.

We are treating this as a terrorist incident and we have launched a murder enquiry, he added.

Journalist Matthew Hughes earlier identified the dead woman as one of his friends.

I just received the heartbreaking news that my friend @LyraMcKee was murdered tonight in a terrorist incident in Derry, he wrote on Twitter.

McKee had written for The Atlantic magazine and Buzzfeed News and was named by Forbes Magazine in 2016 as one of their 30 under 30 oustanding figures in media, according to her literary agent Janklow

Some butchers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have called on the FCT Minister Mohammed Bello to intervene over lack of basic amenities in abattoirs across the territory.

The butchers, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kuje, Deidei and Dutse on Thursday decried the poor attention given to abattoirs in the territory.

NAN visits to some of the abattoirs indicates that the butchers operate without water, electricity and good roads as they were seen washing roasted meats in streams.

Alhaji Bala Ismaila, the Head of Butchers of Kuje Abattoir, told NAN that lack of water and the deplorable state of the road to the abattoir had been of serious concern to the butchers.

He said the dilapidated state of the slaughterhouse and the difficulties of conveying meat to the market had been a threat to meat business in the area.

Ismaila said that butchers had resorted to slaughtering of cows in open spaces because of lack of water and the deplorable state of the slaughterhouse.

We have been trying to discourage meat consumers from coming to the abattoir because most of them will be discouraged from patronising us after seeing our operating environment.

Presently, we are slaughtering cows in an open environment instead of using the slaughterhouse because there is no water in the abattoir for over four years.

The most unhygienic part of it is that we have been using stream water to wash roasted meat as you can see the environment, people defecate and throw it inside the stream but we have no option.

We are appealing to the relevant authorities, especially the FCT Minister and the Chairman of Kuje Area Council to come to the aid of the butchers in the interest of meat consumers, he said.

Mr Salisu Ahmed, a butcher in Kuje Abattoir, said that the slaughterhouse was built over 25 years ago by Alhaji Jibrin Wowo-led administration of the council.

Ahmed said that Mr Danladi Zhin-led administration sunk borehole and connected water to the slaughter house over six years ago.

The borehole was vandalised shortly after its inauguration and since then, we have been operating without good source of water despite efforts to get the attention of the Area Council.

Successive administrations of the council since 2012 have not shown interest in providing basic amenities in the abattoir and yet we pay N500 as revenue to the Area Council for each cow slaughtered.

So there is no reason why the Area Council should not provide the needed amenities in the abattoir, he said.

At the Deidei abattoir, butchers lamented the deplorable state of market and the road linking the abattoir.

Malam Sada Muhammad, Head of Butcher of the Deidei Abattoir, said that members and traders in the market suffered losses due to lack of water, electricity and bad road.

Muhammad said that traders and butchers suffer more during the raining season because of the difficulties in gaining entrance into the market.

He said except urgent steps are taken to rehabilitate the road and provide basic amenities in the abattoir, the suffering of the butchers and meat consumers would continue.

He, therefore, appealed to the authorities of FCT and Abuja Municipal Area Council to come to the aid of butchers and meat consumers in the area.

Malam Shehu Abubakar, the Chairman of Deidei Market Association, said that the challenge of providing basic amenities in markets and abattoirs was not peculiar to Deidei market.

He said that most markets and abattoirs in the FCT were facing similar problems but appealed to relevant authorities to find lasting solution to them.

This is my 42 years in meat business. I have been to some markets and abattoirs and I can tell you that they all have similar problems.

The problem all over is the problem of water to clean slabs after slaughtering and this has been a major challenge to butchers because of smell and difficulty in managing the slaughterhouses without water.

Since there is no water in the abattoir, we sometimes go to the river behind to slaughter the cow and use the flowing water to wash the meat.

We know that the water we are using is not very clean but we are using it because there is no option, he said.

Abubakar said an average of 300 cows and 3,000 goats were slaughtered daily and for the pay revenue of N2,000 and N200 per cow and goat.

He said that part of the N2,000 revenue was given to AMAC, another part to police for security while the remaining part was used to take care of members.

We are appealing to the FCT Administration to come to our aid in the interest of the butchers and meat consumers.

Our major challenge now is the state of the road linking the abattoir because the culvert on the road is in a deplorable state and can cut off anytime.

Our appeal is for the relevant authorities to fix the road to ensure easy movement of goods and services, he said.

Malam Yisa Hassan, a butcher in Duste Cattle Market, said the market currently being used by the butchers was not legally allocated to them.

He called on the Bwari Area Council to provide a permanent market for the butchers.

Earlier, Mr Sani Mohammed, Head of Environment, Health and Sanitation Department, Kuje Area Council, said a committee had been set up to look into the challenges of butchers in the council.

Source: NAN

U.S. Special Counsel Robert Muellers 448-page report released on Thursday detailed more than just Oval Office arguments and Trump Tower meetings.

It also revealed that Trumps staff and associates frequently ignored the president disregarding his orders and hoping he just wouldnt ask again.

Trump called White House Chief Counsel Don McGahn twice and told him to tell Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that Mueller should be removed.

Call Rod, tell Rod that Mueller has conflicts and cant be the Special Counsel, McGahn recalled Trump telling him.

But McGahn didnt do it.

To end the conversation with the President, McGahn left the President with the impression that McGahn would call Rosenstein, Mueller wrote in his report. McGahn recalled that he had already said no to the Presidents request and he was worn down, so he just wanted to get off the phone.

Trump frequently attempted to use staff and associates to deliver messages. But frequently, his attempts to send messages via a third party were ignored.

On June 19, 2017, Trump met in the Oval Office with his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. Trump told Lewandowski to deliver a message to then Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he wanted the Mueller investigation limited to just potential interference in future elections.

Lewandowski told Trump he would handle it, but instead he asked White House official Rick Dearborn to deliver the message.

(Dearborn) recalled later telling Lewandowski that he had handled the situation, but he did not actually follow through with delivering the message to Sessions, Mueller wrote.

On Feb. 14, 2017, Trump had lunch with then-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. During the lunch, the president asked Christie if he could deliver a message to then-FBI Director James Comey.

Trump wanted Christie to tell Comey that the president really like(s) him. Tell him hes part of the team, the governor later told Mueller.

A month later, Trump fired Comey.

Christie had no intention of complying with the presidents request that he contact Comey, Mueller wrote. He thought the presidents request was nonsensical and Christie did not want to put Comey in the position of having to receive such a phone call. Christie thought it would have been uncomfortable to pass on that message.

Long before Sessions resigned, Trump began searching for a new attorney general.

In July 2017, Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand came to Trumps attention and he asked his then White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter to contact Brand to see if she was interested in becoming attorney general.

Later, the president asked Porter a few times in passing whether he had spoken to Brand, but Porter did not reach out to her because he was uncomfortable with the task, Mueller wrote.

Porter ignored the president because he was concerned the inquiry was an attempt by Trump to fire Mueller, the special counsels office surmised.

Porter did not contact Brand because he was sensitive to the implications of that action and did not want to be involved in a chain of events associated with an effort to end the investigation or fire the Special Counsel, the report said.

Source: NAN

By Lizzy Okoji

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expanded its Africa Bureau by adding three Regional offices to handle issues across the region for effective response.

Mrs Liz Ahua, UNHCRs Regional Representative to West Africa, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

Ahua explained that previously, the UNHCR had just one Africa Bureau based in Geneva but with the enormous issues facing the region, just a Bureau was not sufficient to respond swiftly.

She said that African Bureau coverered 38 countries but decision had been taken to split it to three Bureaus with three Bureau Directors and the regional offices remained.

Presently, UNHCR is going through a reform process to make us more agile, more responsive, especially when we have emergency situations.

This is because in the past, UNHCR was known as an organisation that was extremely rapid, extremely flexible but overtime that rapidity has slowed down so we have engaged in a process of our decentralisation and regionalisation.

With the expectations that it will yield more nimble and compact structure that responds more quickly to emergencies and will also be closer to the people than Geneva is.

The African Bureau is one bureau in addition to other regions.

One will be based in Dakar covering West Africa and Central Africa which comprises of 18 countries.

Another one will be in Pretoria covering the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and all the southern African countries.

The third Bureau will be based in Nairobi and that will be covering East Africa and the horn of Africa, Ahua said.

Ahua said also explained the peculiarities of issues that were faced in the different sub regions.

She said that the West Africa and East Africa sub-regions were faced with more issues of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Refugees and Statelessness situations.

The regional representative said that the southern Africa region on the other hand had more of asylum seekers and people in migration like situations and less of refugees and IDPs.

Ahua said that the South Africa region was dealing more with migration issues.

She said that regardless of the migration status, UNHCR remained committed to ensuring the protection of Persons of Concerns and providing durable solutions.

Ahua said that the UNHCR was working closely with other partners like the International Organistaion for Migration (IOM) to address the migration challenges as it fell under their respective purviews.

She said that finding solutions for forcefully displaced persons remained the main priority of UNHCR.

She said that between 2018 and this year, the UNHCR evacuated and transferred about 3,000 Persons of Concern and settled 1,306 persons.

Recently there were refugees and migrants caught in the Libyan situation, some of whom have been trafficked, smuggled, gone through the desert and found out they cannot cross over to Europe.

They come into the UNHCR center and they have been evacuated to Niger.

There, we have settled 1,306 last year and this year, but the number of people who have been transferred are in the region of 3,000.

We are not saying that once you move out of Libya to Niger, you will be evacuated or resettled, there are still criteria that we look out for, Ahua said.

Source: NAN

The Honourable Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Barr. Solomon Dalung and the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), have intervened in the leadership crisis rocking the youth body.

Recall the the council had been submerged in a leadership crisis which snowballed into the

Consequently, Barr. Dalung, on Thursday, summoned the BoT with a view to finding lasting solutions to the lingering crisis.

The meeting which was attended by top management officials of the Ministry and the BoT, also arrived at far-reaching decisions concerning NYCN.

Addressing newsmen shortly after the meeting held behind closed doors, Chairman of the BoT, Amb. (Dr.) Dickson Akoh, said the Board and the Ministry had decided to wade into the leadership crisis rocking the Council, with a resolve to addressing issues surrounding the crisis.

Akoh agreed with the Honourable Minister that, there was a need to reposition the Council for the benefit of young people.

To this end, a National Management Meeting involving all stakeholders is to be convened to address the challenges facing the Council.

Akoh said the Minister had also mandated that the Board of Trustees will now oversee truly, as prescribed by the constitution, the affairs of the Council, to avoid people that are not qualified or outsiders coming to hijack the affairs of the Council.

The BoT Chairman frowned at divisive nature of the Council at the moment, which was caused by the partisanship of some of the executive members.

He stressed that the Council remained apolitical and emphasised that it should not be aligned to any political party.

On the infiltration by outsiders, the BoT Chairman advised youths interested in the Council to go through due process and avoid impersonation.

We have the powers to file criminal complaint against anybody impersonating the youth Council in any capacity.

If you want to be a member of the Youth Council, go and join any of the affiliate members, follow the constitutional process to get to whatever leadership position you want to get to, if you meet the age requirement and other conditions specified in the Constitution, Akoh said.

The National Management Meeting, involving the Ministry, BoT, Advisory Council, NEC and other stakeholders of NYCN, according to Akoh, would take place soonest, to look into the suspension of Mr. Shagari and other salient matters.

Source: NAN

By Temitope Ponle

Ghana has solicited the support of ECOWAS to host the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) in its capital, Accra, when the agreement comes into force.

Mrs Shirley Botchwey, Ghanaian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, made the request at the ongoing ECOWAS Parliament Delocalised Joint Committee Meeting in Accra, Ghana.

AfCFTA is a planned free trade area, outlined in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement among 49 of the 55 African Union nations.

The 18th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2012, adopted a decision to establish a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) by 2017.

The CFTA will bring together 54 African countries with a combined population of more than one billion people and a combined gross domestic product of more than $3.4 trillion dollars.

The first countries to ratify the agreement were Kenya and Ghana, while Gambia was signed ratified the agreement on April 2, making it the most recent country to do so.

This makes it the 22country to meet the threshold for the free trade area to formally exist.

The trade agreement is, reportedly, set to become operational a month after the required number of endorsements are deposited with the AU and Nigeria, Benin and Eritrea are yet to ratify the agreement.

The agreement also seeks to create the largest trade zone in the world, increase trade among African countries by 52 per cent and remove tariffs on 90 per cent of goods.

If the agreement comes into force, the secretariat will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of the agreement and shall be an autonomous body within the AU system and the Council of Ministers responsible for trade will decide on the location of the headquarters, structure, role and responsibilities.

Ghanaian foreign minister, however, argued that Ghana deserved to host the AfCTA secretariat because the country had committed so much to the unity of Africa since its independence.

Our Government has decided to and has, indeed, formally expressed its interest to have Ghana host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), here in Accra.

We are of the firm belief that Ghanas history and credentials on Pan-Africanism, and her continuous commitment to the ideals and values of the African Union will make her to qualify as a worthy Member State of the African Union to host the Secretariat.

I wish, therefore, to seize this opportunity to request all of you to use your good offices to support Ghanas candidature in your respective capitals, Botchwey said.

She recalled the important roles the country the country had played in the establishment of the defunct Organisation of African Union adding that the country did not play host to any AU organ.

Botchwey also reinforced the countrys commitment to the African Integration Agenda.

I trust that we can count on your full support and the support of your countries for the success of our bid, she said.

Source: NAN

Tiger Woods has described his 15th major and fifth Augusta National Masters trophy as his biggest win ever.

It was an epic comeback for the 43 year-old American, who was once bogged down by career-threatening injury, to win the 83rd Masters on Sunday, with an unprecedented back-nine rally.

Ending an 11-year major drought, the 43-year-old American superstar who underwent spinal fusion surgery in 2017 due to chronic back pain seized his first major title since the 2008 US Open.

Its overwhelming just because of what has transpired, Woods said. I could barely walk. Couldnt sleep. Couldnt walk. Couldnt do anything.

To have the opportunity to come back, its one of the biggest wins Ive ever had for sure.

Winning a fifth Masters title, and his first since 2005, cemented a fairytale comeback to the pinnacle of golf for Woods, whose career imploded after a 2009 sex scandal and nagging knee and back injuries.

Its overwhelming just because of what has transpired, Wood said. I was just lucky to be playing again.

With fans chanting his name, an emotional Woods walked off the 18th green and hugged his mother Kultida, daughter Sam and son Charlie just as he had embraced his late father Earl there after his first major victory at the 1997 Masters.

It has come full circle, Woods said. This tournament has meant so much to me and to have everyone here means so much to me and my family.

Now to be the champion 22 years between wins is a long time its unreal for me to experience this. I just couldnt be more happy, more excited. Im just kind of at a loss for words.

Racing to finish before an oncoming thunderstorm, players created their own electric atmosphere, spectators roaring repeatedly for sensational shotmaking on one of golfs iconic stages.

Woods fired a final-round two-under par 70 to finish on 13-under 275 for a one-shot victory to capture a $2.07 million (1.82 million euros) top prize and the green jacket symbolizing Masters supremacy.

We couldnt be happier, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley told Woods. Youve made history once again at Augusta National.

An all-American trio of three-time major winner Brooks Koepka, world number two Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele shared second on 276.

I dont know if there are words Im sure hes ecstatic about it, Koepka said. To have the injuries and come back and do what he has done, it has been tremendous to watch.

It was the fifth Masters title for Woods, his first since 2005, and it moved him three shy of the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus.

A big well done from me to Tiger, Nicklaus told telecaster CBS. Im so happy for him and for the game of golf this is so fantastic.

Source: NAN

At the fifth anniversary of the abduction of Chibok Schoolgirls by Boko Haram, parents have fervently appealed to insurgents to release the remaining girls.

Some of the parents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Maiduguri narrated the ordeals of their daughters who were abducted in their Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok in Borno state April 14, 2014.

A rally to mark the anniversary was organized by a non-governmental Organisation, Alamin Foundation for Peace and Development .

At least 270 of the schoolgirls were abducted.

Some of the girls escaped, including, Amina Ali.

Another set of 21 girls were freed in October 2016, while one girl was also rescued in November same year by the military.

Similarly, 82 girls were freed following negotiations with government in May 2017, while one more girl was rescued in January 2018.

Recheal Daniel, a mother of one of the abducted girls, Rose Daniel, appealed to the Boko Haram factional leader, Abubakar Shekau, to release her daughter.

Daniel lamented that the incident had subjected her to pain and agony, adding that her husband was also killed by the insurgents.

She said that since then, she had been shouldering the up-bringing of six children left behind by her husband.

Ayuba Alamson, a guardian to some of the abducted girls, said six of his niece and sisters were abducted at the school on the fateful day.

Alamson said that three of the girls had been freed while the remaining were still with the insurgents.
He lamented that about 18 affected parents had died due to health complications associated with trauma they experienced as a result of the abduction of their daughters.

Alamson urged the Federal Government, United Nations (UN) and development organisations not to relent in their effort at ensuring the release of the girls from captivity.

I also pray for the freedom Leah Sharibu, the only girl held back by Boko Haram insurgents after they released over 112 girls abducted at Government Girls Secondary School in Dapchi, Yobe.

Musa Maina, another resident of Chibok, appealed for the release of his wife, Zahra Musa, and daughter, Hadiza Musa, from captivity.

Maina recounted that he fled Chibok to Konduga after the April 14 school abduction incident, only to ended up in another abduction trap set by the insurgents..

Two people came to my house with guns in an attempt to kill me. I and my second wife managed to escape but they took away my first wife and her daughter, he said.

On her part, Mrs Hamsatu Allamin, the Director of Alamin Foundation for Peace and Development, said thousands of women and children were being held hostage by the insurgents..

Allamin disclosed that the organization had embarked on comprehensive campaign to create awareness on abduction of women by the insurgents in the northeast.

She called for concrete measures to secure the release of the Chibok School girls and other persons being held by the insurgents throughout the country. (NAN)

Source: NAN

In a fierce encounter at the weekend with Boko Haram terrorists, troops of Sector 1 Operation LAFIYA DOLE, along with the Cameroon Defence Force, killed no fewer than 27 of the terrorists.

Chadian forces also killed 63 of the terrorists in a fight near Lake Chad also at the weekend, making a total of 90 terrorists terminated in two encounters.

Although there was no casualty recorded on the side of the Nigerian-Cameroon forces, in the shootout on 13 April in the Northern part of Wulgo, Tumbuma, Chikun Gudu and Bukar Maryam villages of Borno State, Chad lost seven men.

Many weapons and trucks were recovered from the rebels, according to Colonel Sagir Musa, acting director of army public relations.

Among the items recovered were five AK47 rifles, one automatic revolver, three machine guns, one G3 rifle, one M21 rifle, five Rocket Propelled Gun Tubes, Bombs, assorted rounds of ammunitions.

Also recovered were five Gun Trucks, several Motor Cycles, one Land Cruiser Buffalo, one Nissan GT and one Land Cruiser, which was destroyed.

Coordinated military operation is ongoing especially in the fringes of Gombaru Ngala and surrounding areas to deal with the fleeing bandits running out from Multi National Joint Task Force (Op YANCIN TAFKI ) onslaught on their hideouts, Sagir Musa said.

As the Nigerian-Cameroonian forces recorded successes against the terrorists, the terrorists inflicted some harm of their own in Chad.

Although 63 of them were killed by Chadian troops, they killed seven Chadian soldiers in an attack at Azem Bermendoa Agouna, a Chadian military spokesman said on Monday.

The terrorists injured 15 others when they attacked an army position in Kaiga Kindjiria, in western Chad, on Sunday, according to Agouna.

Source: NAN

Arsenal moved into the Premier League top four, but had to work hard to see off 10-man Watford 1-0, thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyangs fortunate early opener on Monday.

Aubameyang profited from an error by Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster as he blasted an attempted clearance in off the Gabon international.

Watford captain Troy Deeney was then shown a straight red card after just 11 minutes, but the Gunners failed to make the most of their man advantage and were fortunate as the hosts twice hit the woodwork.

However, Unai Emerys men held out for a first clean sheet away from home in the Premier League this season to move ahead of Chelsea on goal difference into fourth.

Arsenal also edge to within a point of north London rivals Tottenham and two clear of Manchester United in the four-way battle for the two remaining Champions League places behind Liverpool and Manchester City.

FA Cup finalists Watford were already shorn of the man who helped book their place at Wembley against Manchester City next month as Gerard Deulofeu missed out through injury and Javi Gracias side did themselves little favours early on.

First, Foster dallied as Aubameyang closed in to concede a comical opener.

And within seconds, Deeney was punished for an elbow into the face of Lucas Torreira.

Arsenal now have just three days to prepare for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final away to Napoli and should have ensured an easier finish.

Said Aubameyang after the match: It feels good tonight because we knew away its difficult for us, but today the team did great and tonight we are really happy. We knew it would be a tough game and I think everybody knows the top four is our target and this game is really important to stay in the competition for the top four and today we did a great job.

Javi Gracia, Watford manager said his team deserved credit for piling pressure on Arsenal, despite being down to 10 men for over 80 minutes.

We did a lot of things to try to win, a big effort. We played for a long time with 10 players and we deserve the recognition. We didnt get any points but it was a good performance after a difficult game with 10 men. Im very proud of my players, Gracia said.

Source: NAN

Cristiano Ronaldo played his part to send Juventus to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, but his efforts were just not enough as Ajax triumphed in Turin 2-1 and won 3-2 aggregate.

Ronaldo had opened scoring for Juventus in the 28 minute with a header inside the box, but six minutes after, Donny van de Beek, in a move disputed as an offside, scored for the visitors to level the game.

Then in the 67th minute, Matthijs de Ligt headed home the winner after a corner kick taken by Lasse Schoene. The goal made Juventus hopes to qualify more daunting as they needed two goals to level up and win.

Cristiano Ronaldo was bidding for his sixth Champions League title, but it was not to be as
the young Dutch side eliminated his team, the way they eliminated three-time defending champions Real Madrid en route to the quarters with a memorable 4-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Its an incredible evening for Ajax and its players and also for Dutch football, said coach Erik ten Hag.

Once again we eliminated the favourites.

We said before we were not the favourites but with our philosophy we can go further, weve again surpassed our limits.

Juventus had been looking to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the third time in the past five seasons.

But Ronaldo, who scored an away goal last week with a diving header in Amsterdam, was Juves only weapon against the impressive Dutch side.

The 34-year-old was signed for 100 million euros ($117 million) last summer from Real Madrid in a bid to win the European trophy for the first time since 1996, when they beat Ajax in the final.

Ajax deserved to qualify, said Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri.

We could have done better, but Ajax arent coming out of nowhere, they were Europa League finalists two years ago and scored five goals against Real.

Its not our worst elimination. We had big expectations, but the Champions League is a strange competition. You have to arrive in peak condition.

In the last month we have been struggling with several injuries. Even tonight we were missing important players.

Source: NAN

Lionel Messi pounced on two Manchester United mistakes to score twice and end their hopes of another Camp Nou comeback as Barcelona breezed into the Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday.

After an excellent start, United were undone twice in four minutes by Messi, who first nicked the ball off the careless Ashley Young and then watched as a weak shot from distance squirmed underneath David de Gea.

Philippe Coutinho, in perhaps his best performance of the season, added a third with a curling effort into the top corner and by the end, an outclassed United might have been relieved the score was not more traumatic than 3-0, 4-0 on aggregate.

A dizzying opening spell, in which Marcus Rashford had hit the crossbar, was long-forgotten, even if it could offer Barcelonas next opponents some encouragement.

Liverpool, who take a 2-0 lead to Porto on Wednesday, are the most likely obstacle between Barca and their first Champions League final since they last won this tournament in 2015. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane might feel encouraged.

Instead, Uniteds pair of early errors made this another night about Messi and ensured any faint hopes of repeating the comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, or even the famous 1999 rescue act against Bayern Munich, on this same pitch, were dashed.

Messi now has his 109th and 110th Champions League goals and, potentially, three extra matches to reduce the gap on Cristiano Ronaldos 126, after Juventus were dumped out by Ajax. Barcelonas fans celebrated that too.

Uniteds coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had urged his strikers to be more lethal here but it felt ominous that even before kick-off, Rashford, Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez had hit 42 goals this season, while Messi on his own had 43.

Around an hour before kick-off, Alex Ferguson was on the side of the pitch, shaking hands with Ryan Giggs and sharing words with Solskjaer, the scorer of that goal against Munich here 20 years ago.

They could have hardly have asked for a better start. United were brilliant for eight minutes and could have been ahead within 30 seconds as Rashford raced onto a curving Paul Pogba pass and toed away a shot, which Marc-Andre ter Stegen bravely left to graze his own crossbar.

Barca were flustered, so much so the crowd even cheered with relief when Arthur Melo played his teams first convincing pass.

Then, Barcelona had their own eight-minute flurry as United almost conceded a penalty, ruled out after Fred took the ball before bringing down Ivan Rakitic, and then did concede, twice, to Messi.

Both could have been avoided, even if Youngs turn on the edge of his own box was punished in devastating fashion. Young lunged in to atone for his mistake but Messi skipped away from him, poked it through Freds legs and then whipped the ball past into the corner.

Source: NAN

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri announced on Tuesday he would be staying on as coach with the Italian giants next season despite another Champions League disappointment.

Cristiano Ronaldos side crashed out of the championship to Dutch side Ajax after a 2-1 loss on the night in Turin and 3-2 aggregate defeat.

I met the (club) president (Andrea Agnelli) a couple of days ago and told him that I will stay at Juventus. Well sit down with the club and think about the future, Allegri told a press conference.

If I didnt have the motivation I would have told him so straight away, but this is not the case.

I think that during these past five years weve worked well, the players have progressed, said Allegri, 51, who arrived in Turin at the beginning of the 2014-2015 season.

Winning five Scudetto is not easy, reaching two Champions League finals, is not easy.

Allegri has won ten titles with Juventus since arriving in the 2014-2015 season, with the team just one point away from a fifth consecutive Serie A title under his guidance.

Juventus continues to grow on and off the pitch and there is the awareness of having a great coach with us, with whom we will meet in June to take forward the technical project, Agnelli confirmed.

For our part, we are aware of having been in the Champions League quarter-finals for five or six years and are proud to continue along this path.

Juventus have won two Champions League titles in 1985 and 1996 but have finished runners-up five times since, including under Allegri in 2015 and 2017.

Source: NAN

By Alexandra Oladipo

Justice C.N Orji of an FCT High Court in Apo has fixed May 2, for hearing in a N500 Million damages suit filed by Social Exchange Market (SEM), International limited against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Orji, adjourned the case untill May 2, due to non-service of court process on the Attorney General of the Federation.

She ordered the EFCC to serve the Attorney General with its motion on notice.

The EFCC in October 2018, sealed the office of the SEM located in Utako, Abuja and went seized some vital documents based on allegations that it runs a ponzi scheme, which contradicts the Laws of Nigeria.

The company aggrieved by the actions of the anti-graft agency filed a suit in the FCT High Court praying for an order to restrain the commission from disrupting its business.

SEM also prayed the court to award N500 million in damages against the commission.

SEM is a charitable organisation being managed by a certain Donald Olorunkeyede .

Earlier, Mr Moses Efushe, Counsel to SEM had objected to the application for adjournment by the EFCC counsel and asked the court to foreclose the third respondent for lack of diligence.

Source: NAN

By Ikenna Osuoha

Initiative for Leadership Development and Change (ILDC), an NGO, on Tuesday urged Sen. Ali Ndume and other senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to accept the supremacy of the party.

President of the NGO, Chief Ugochukwu Nnam, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that the political decisions of the party should override those of individual members.

Nnam said that allegiance and obedience to party decisions were critical to viable democracy in the country.

Ali Ndume and others, who wish to aspire to leadership positions in the red chamber ought to drop the idea in accordance with loyalty to party supremacy.

None of them got elected as individual candidate, but on APC platform. Therefore, they must abide by the partys decision, Nnam said.

According to him, there is need for a cordial relationship between the legislature and the executive for economic stability.

He also advised PDP and other political parties represented in the senate to support APC for a progressive Nigeria.

Also speaking, the Deputy National Coordinator of the group, Mr Onyekachi Ebere-Njoku, advised all the political parties represented in the senate to close ranks for a greater Nigeria.

Ebere-Njoku said that it was time all senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria irrespective of party affiliation contributed their quota toward rebuilding the Nigerian ship.

He, therefore, urged them to support the ruling APC to move the country forward.

Source: NAN