Okey Wali, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association who was abducted by armed men dressed in military uniform at Obiri-Kwere area of the East-West Road in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State fortnight Monday, has been freed after spending two weeks in captivity.

NBA chairman, Port Harcourt Branch, Viktor Benibo, confirmed the release of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Speaking to Punch, Benibo said;

“He is in his house. He was released in the early hours of today.”

The two-year-old daughter of NFL star Shaquil Barrett has tragically passed away after drowning in a swimming pool.

Arrayah, the youngest of Barrett’s four children died on Sunday, April, 30, following the accident in the pool at her father’s home in Tampa, Florida.

Officers arrived on the scene at 9:30am local time (2:30pm UK time) after receiving a call that a child had fallen into a pool.

The toddler was then transported to a local hospital and despite the best efforts from medical staff to save her life, was unfortunately pronounced dead shortly after.

The Tampa Police Department said an investigation is ongoing and according to a statement they released:

“It is not believed to be suspicious in nature at this time, but a purely accidental and tragic incident.”

Barrett plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who said in a statement: “Today’s tragic news is heartbreaking for all members of the Buccaneers family.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Shaq, Jordanna and the entire Barrett family during this unimaginably difficult time.

“While no words can provide true comfort at a time such as this, we offer our support and love as they begin to process this very profound loss of their beloved Arrayah.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed that the country’s intelligence forces have killed the leader of ISIS in Syria as he vowed to continue the country’s fight against terrorism.

In a broadcast on Sunday April 30, Erdogan said Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization had been tracking a man known as Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini Al-Qurshi “for a long time.”

“This person was neutralized in the operation carried out by MIT (Turkish National Intelligence Organization) yesterday in Syria,” he said.

“From now on, we will continue our fight without discrimination against terrorist organizations.”

He added that Turkey’s fight against terrorism contributes to Europe’s security, claiming that Europe “is not aware of this or does not want to be aware of it.”

Al-Qurshi was named ISIS leader after the death of his predecessor, Abu al-Hasan al-Hashmi al-Qurayshi, who was killed last October by the Free Syrian Army in Syria.

Little was known about Al-Qurshi, but at the time of his appointment, ISIS described him as an “old fighter.”

Erdogan’s announcement came after a recent absence from the public eye due to illness.

Media reports had speculated that his health was deteriorating just two weeks before a crucial election.

The speculation followed a televised interview on Tuesday, which was interrupted after Erdogan left his chair in the middle of a question, before returning to explain he had a “serious stomach flu.”

Following Tuesday’s incident, Erdogan was advised by his doctors to rest at home and canceled a number of public events.

On Thursday, the Turkish government rejected news reports about his health as “baseless claims.”

He appeared on video link the same day for the inauguration of the Akkuya nuclear power plant.

Erdogan made his return to public stage for the first time in three days on Saturday, at an aviation festival in Istanbul, where he rallied his supporters as he seeks to extend his 20-year stint in power.

BBC chairman Richard Sharp has resigned over his role involving a $1 million given to former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Investigation into the loan deal found Mr Sharp, a former Goldman Sachs banker and major donor to Mr Johnson’s Conservative Party, culpable of failing to disclose his involvement in arranging the money for the former British prime minister.

Mr Sharp, in a video statement just before the report was released, said his failure to inform the authorities about the loan was “inadvertent and not material” and that he chose to step down from the BBC board to “prioritize the interests of the BBC.”

According to The New York Times, Mr Sharp had promised the ex-prime minister to arrange a meeting between a wealthy Canadian businessman and Mr Johnson’s distant cousin, Sam Blyth, and a senior government official, who could help facilitate the loan.

Mr Blyth offered to serve as guarantor so that Mr Johnson, who was experiencing financial constraints following his recent divorce and a new family, could secure $996,000.

The controversy put the BBC in a bad spotlight over the ability of Mr Sharp to maintain impartial journalism, especially in the UK.Mr Sharp apologised for his “oversight” and the distraction the loan deal had caused the BBC.

The federal government says about 1,519 stranded Nigerians in Sudan are expected to leave Khartoum via hired buses to Port Sudan and other designated border points for their onward evacuation to Nigeria.

This development followed the extension of another 72-hour ceasefire agreement between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

Port Sudan is a port on the Red Sea in the eastern part of the country.

The permanent secretary of the federal ministry of humanitarian affairs, Sani Gwarzo, confirmed this while briefing journalists on the situation on Sunday in Abuja.

Mr Gwarzo, the chairman of the government’s evacuation situation room, explained that the stranded students are expected to leave on April 30.

He said the government had already secured 31 buses in addition to the reserve buses kept in case of unforeseen circumstances.

“We have given the bus company our word that under no circumstances shall they leave anybody on the ground, even if it is one more person that is remaining, let them activate our reserve list and bring out the new buses,” the government official explained.

He added;

“And I spoke to the student leader and the embassy in this regard, so we are expecting each bus will carry 49 persons, and if you calculate this number times 31 buses, it will give you the number of persons to be evacuated today.”

The government also clarified the controversy over the $1.2 million used for the hired evacuation buses from Khartoum to the designated border points.

“Do you know how much it takes to hire a bus from Khartoum to the border? It is $30,000 per bus, and you times it by 40 buses, that is where $1.2 million comes from. So, we transfer the first tranche of the money approved by the federal government, which is $400,000, to them as a deposit; if you take our $400,000, what does it come to you is 1/3 of the total sum,” explained Mr Gwarzo.

He further stated;

“So, they gave us 13 buses times $30,000 it will give us 390,000 dollars believing that will continue with the evacuation, but they stopped giving us buses that our money has expired.

But, they kept the remaining $10,000 and told us that our money had finished until we completed the remaining balance because we were meant to understand in Sudan, there is nothing like you deposit money until an assignment is done before you complete the remaining balance.”

The official revealed that the government “started transferring the remaining balance” in tranches.

“Believe me; you don’t transfer money to Sudan directly. You have to get somebody who knows the company who will transfer and give them cash, then go into an agreement,” added Mr Gwarzo.

“And the transport company threatened that they would not move on with the evacuation process, and whoever thinks that $1.2 million will be enough to move people from Khartoum to the border and airlift them to Nigeria is being economical with the truth.”

Mr Gwarzo further explained that the federal government had to agree with the transport company to ensure due process was followed to transfer the funds.

“We signed an MoU with them, and at every stage, we report this to DSS and NFIU so that they can monitor the movement of the money.

And the company, too, should know that in Nigeria, if you transfer money from a government account, it does not go direct because it has a dashboard that it can be seen,” stated the official.

He revealed that the ministry had to alert the SSS and NFIU before “we send this money, though in the process the money got delayed by the central bank system, and this is what they call swift electronic cash transfer system, it got delayed.”

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion has overlooked Nigeria as the possible first African country to host a fight event over lack of infrastructure with Senegal emerging as the frontrunner to stage what would be a historical event.

Despite being Africa’s most populous country and the best ideal market for such a landmark event, Nigeria lacks a standard venue to host a UFC fight event which is arguably the biggest MMA show in the world as the company is working towards hosting an event on the continent soon.

Aside from that, big-name fighters in the promotion including two-time and current UFC Middleweight champions and former Welterweight champion Karamu Usman are Nigerians which ultimately made Nigeria a perfect destination for such an event.

But unavailability of necessary infrastructure needed to successfully host a UFC event, especially relatively sized arenas, seems to have thrown Nigeria off the pole position to host the promotion’s first fight in Africa.

Africa is the only continent yet to host a UFC fight event. But UFC’s chief operating officer, Lawrence Epstein is saying a UFC event in Africa “has been on other radar” with Dakar Arena in Senegal being tipped as the most likely venue to host the continent’s first UFC fight.

“A UFC event in Africa has been on our radar for many years – The first thing we look for is an arena that suits our size requirements. We like those arenas that are within the 12,000 to 20,000 range (of seats),” Lawrence Epstein told BBC Sport Africa.

He continued;

“Africa certainly has some smaller arenas – there is nothing wrong with that but we like to pack arenas, to create a tremendous amount of energy and, of course, the more tickets you have to sell the better.”

“That’s why Dakar is leading because they have one of the larger arenas in sub-Saharan Africa and a lot of events have already gone there with success. Senegal is top of the list based upon the information that our team has put together.”

The Arena was opened in August 2018 at the country’s capital city of Dakar and boasts a capacity of 15,000 – it’s home to the Senegal Basketball team.

It also has famously hosted the 2019 Women’s Afrobasket and regular season conferences in the Basketball Africa League (BAL) in 2022 and 2023.

“The next step is to get our entire operation team down to do a site survey, evaluate the arena and all the infrastructure we need to put on an event,” said Mr Epstein.

Messrs Karamu and Adesanya alongside Francis Ngannou who was the UFC heavyweight champion before he mutually parted ways with the promotion, had for some time now, been urging the company to stage an event in Africa.

They have also started making plans on infrastructure and necessary logistics needed to successfully stage a fight event in Africa.

The federal government has explained that the sum of 1.2 million dollars allegedly spent in hiring buses for the evacuation of Nigerian students in Sudan was due to the dire need of the war situation.

This is contained in a statement signed by the spokesperson of the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Mrs Rhoda Iliya.

It was also signed by officials of the ministry of foreign affairs Ambassador Janet Olisa and Dr Sani Gwarzo of Humanitarian affairs ministry in Abuja on Saturday.

“The outcry over the negotiated sum of 1.2 million dollars for the buses hired for the exercise, is uncalled for.

“The amount in question was negotiated in a condition of war and where there are competing demands for same bus services by other countries also trying to evacuate their citizens.

“The general public is hereby advised to discountenance the unverified information being circulated on the social media as some of them are either due to ignorance or sheer mischief,” it said.

The statement also appealed for cooperation and understanding of all Nigerians in the ongoing efforts to ensure all Nigerians stranded in Sudan are returned home safely.

“The first batch of 13 buses conveying six hundred and thirty seven (637) evacuees had arrived the identified safe borders at Aswan, Egypt.

“The evacuees are undergoing necessary documentation and clearance before admission into the Egyptian territory for their eventual evacuation to Nigeria in the coming hours by the Nigerian Air Force and Air Peace airline, who have been on standby for the operations.

“However, the movement of the second batch of 29 buses will commence on April 29 and the evacuees are advised to be at the designated locations with only one luggage.”

It advised Nigerian students awaiting evacuation from Khartoum to cooperate with embassy officials for proper documentation while embarking on the buses to the designated locations.

“This will go a long way in speeding up the process and avoiding unnecessary delays with documentation and clearance upon arrival at Aswan, Egypt.”

The government expressed commitment towards successful evacuation of all Nigerians stranded in Sudan before the expiration of the extended 72 hours ceasefire agreement.

“We want to use this opportunity to extend our appreciation to friendly countries who have in one way or the other assisted in bringing succour to Nigerians fleeing the war in Sudan.

“Particularly, Nigeria acknowledges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for graciously assisting with the evacuation of eight Nigerians from Sudan to safety in its territory, from where they would be airlifted back to Nigeria,” the statement added.

Dutch judges have ordered a man suspected of fathering more than 550 children through sperm donations to stop donating, in the latest fertility scandal to shock the Netherlands.

The man, identified in Dutch media only as “Jonathan M.”, 41, was dragged to court by a foundation protecting the rights of donor children and the mother of one of the children allegedly fathered from his sperm.

Dutch clinical guidelines say a donor should not father more than 25 children in 12 families, but judges said the man had helped produce between 550 and 600 children since he started as a sperm donor in 2007.

The court, therefore, “prohibits the defendant from donating his semen to new prospective parents after the issuing of this judgement”, judge Thera Hesselink said on Friday.

Jonathan M. may also not contact any prospective parents “with the wish that he was willing to donate semen, advertise his services to prospective parents or join any organisation that establishes contact between prospective parents,” Hesselink said in a written judgement.

Should he continue with his donations, he would face a 100,000-euro ($110,000) fine for every transgression, as well as additional fines, the judge ordered.

Jerry Springer, an American journalist, politician and era-defining television host has died aged 79, the deceased’s friend and the family’s spokesperson Jene Galvin who described him as “irreplaceable” confirmed to BBC News on Thursday.

“Jerry’s ability to connect with people was at the heart of his success in everything he tried whether that was politics, broadcasting or just joking with people on the street who wanted a photo or a word,” said Ms Galvin in a statement.

They said Mr Springer, who is best known for his raucous TV talk shows, died peacefully at his Chicago home on Thursday – this came a few months after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

“He’s irreplaceable and his loss hurts immensely, but memories of his intellect, heart and humour will live on,” the statement added.

Mr Springer began his career as a political campaign adviser to former American senator Robert Francis Kennedy but would soon move to practising law following the assassination of the lawmaker in 1968.

In 1970, he ran for Congress against Donald Clancy but failed to unseat the Republican.

He is also well-known for his time on Television as journalist and host including popular shows such as Jerry Springer talk show, talent show competition America’s Got Talent and reality court show Judge Jerry.

After Ten days of fighting in Sudan, the United States said warring factions had brokered a three-day ceasefire which would be effected on Tuesday, April 25.

U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said in a statement:

“To support a durable end to the fighting, the United States will coordinate with regional and international partners and Sudanese civilian stakeholders to assist in creating a committee to oversee the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of a permanent cessation of hostilities and humanitarian arrangements in Sudan”.

Blinken added that the U.S. will work with Sudanese parties “toward the shared goal of a return to civilian government in Sudan.”

This comes as Nigeria said it would evacuate over 2,000 of its citizens from Sudan On Tuesday.

Director of Special Duties, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Onimode Bandele, in a Channels Television interview, confirmed that Nigerians trapped in Sudan would be evacuated on April 25.

The fighting between factions, the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces has claimed hundreds in Sudan.

The Sudanese army, led by Abdelfattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohamed “Hemedti” Hamdan Dagalo, are at war.

A 27-year-old woman has been arrested by detectives in Kitengela, Kajiado county of Kenya after allegedly stabbing her two-year-old daughter to death and later feeding on her remains.

Olivia Naseren reportedly killed her child, Glory Njeri, after she parted ways with the minor’s father.

A police report revealed that the woman cut her baby into pieces before feeding on the intestines and kidney.

This occurred after she became violent and started breaking household items shortly after locking herself in the house while playing with the baby.

The noise attracted her neighbours who watched in disbelief as she descended on her daughter with a knife more than 100 times, as they could not access the room to rescue the innocent soul.

Police and the locals managed to break into the house and found the woman unconscious. The police report read;

“Juvenile aged two years old was sliced by the mother into pieces, and she later fed on her intestines the suspect was found at the scene unconscious and escorted to the Kitengela Sub-county Hospital for treatment.

“Neighbours were attracted by noise from her house and they rushed into her room where they found she had locked herself inside alongside the minor. She began by breaking her TV set before she picked her baby whom she stabbed more than 100 times as neighbours watched in disbelief. She later dismembered her body and began eating the deceased body parts.”

The woman was rushed to Kitengela Sub-county Hospital for treatment pending further action.

The report added;

“Upon arrival at the hospital she was treated and forced to vomit the alleged body parts which are now part of the evidence in the case.”