Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:
1. Former President of the Senate, David Mark, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to change strategy in its approach in tackling the high level of insecurity in the country. He stated this in a goodwill message by his Special Adviser on Media, Paul Mumeh on Sunday in Kano to commemorate this year’s Easter celebration.
2. .Troops of the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army have carried out significant operations across the Niger Delta region between 14 and 20 April 2025, resulting in the dismantling of 16 artisanal refineries, the arrest of 23 suspected oil thieves and other criminal elements, as well as the recovery of arms and ammunition. Additionally, over 62,000 litres of stolen crude oil and more than 5,000 litres of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil, AGO, were recovered. In a statement released on Sunday evening, Lieutenant Colonel Danjuma Jonah Danjuma, acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for the division, noted that the operations yielded notable successes across the South-South region.
3. Former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said the North is crying under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. Making the remark in a viral video, the former presidential aide, said nobody can become Nigeria’s president without Northern support.
4. The authorities of Etsako West Local Government Area have banned the movement of motorcycles, popularly known as okada, within the locality between the hours of 8 pm and 6 am. A statement by the secretary to the Etsako West Local Government, Hon. Zikanene Momodu Oyakhamoh, dated 17 April 2025, stated that the acting chairman of the council, Hon. Valentine Okwilague, noted that the restriction is intended to curb criminal activities and improve the general security architecture of the area.
5. A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Niger State, Jonathan Vatsa, has alleged that the level of violence being witnessed in Plateau and Benue states has political undertones and is being sponsored to discredit the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections. Vatsa, who made this statement in Minna, claimed that the same tactics were used against the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration in 2014, which ultimately led to its downfall.
6. Pastor Tunde Bakare, Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, on Sunday charged President Bola Tinubu to stop “playing God”. In his state of the nation address at his church in Lagos, Bakare suggested that Tinubu should adopt a more humble approach to governance.
7. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has announced the interception of a shipment of cocaine concealed in 20 sets of religious books going to Saudi Arabia. This was made known in a statement by Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja.
8. Activist lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu’s government is systematically silencing Vice President Kashim Shettima. In a statement he issued on Sunday, the constitutional lawyer berated the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum for endorsing Tinubu for a second term.
9. Nigerian chess master and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has officially broken the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon, surpassing the previous record of 61 hours, 3 minutes and 34 seconds. Onakoya, alongside his chess partner Shawn Martinez, crossed the 62-hour mark in the early hours of Sunday, April 20, at Times Square in New York City. The duo, however, are not stopping there — they are now pushing toward a 70-hour milestone, which is expected to conclude later today.
10. Seven passengers travelling from Abuja to Kwara State were abducted on Saturday along Obbo-Ayegunle road in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State. Three children of the abducted victims were, however, later released by the unidentified kidnappers, according to reports reaching DAILY POST in Ilorin on Sunday.
