Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike has announced a two-day temporary lifting of the total lockdown on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Government Areas from Tuesday May 12 2020 to Wednesday May 13, 2020.

The governor made the announcement via a statewide broadcast on Sunday night.

His announcement reads ;

“Consequently, we have given due consideration to the propositions on the way forward by well-meaning citizens of the State, and after a cautious review of the situation, decided to implement a partial relaxation of the lockdown measures, to enable residents to have some fresh air and replenish their foodstuffs and medicines.

To this end, I hereby announce the temporary lifting of the total lockdown on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Governments Areas for two days only, with effect from Tuesday 12th May 2020.

All shops, supermarkets, and malls can open to the public for Tuesday and Wednesday, 12 and 13 May 2020. Similarly, all hospitals and banks can also open and provide full services to the public.

While oil and gas companies are required to submit the list of their staff on essential duties to Government, note that there is no ban on the lifting of petroleum products from depots and other receptacles. The total lockdown on Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt Local Government Areas will be reinstated on Thursday 14th May 2020 and remain until further notice.”

“Compulsory wearing of face mask or scarfs in vehicles and public places; Closure of all land, sea and air borders and entry routes into the State; and Closure of all open markets, including slaughters, hotels, guest houses, cinemas, bars and restaurants; and Ban on gathering, including public burials, weddings, and religious gathering of more than 50 persons. Once again, thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

“Please note that our enemy is invisible. Stay at home, maintain social distancing, wash your hands regularly and stay safe” 

A Night club and a hotel in Lagos State have been shut down for violating new guidelines issued by the government to operators of hotels, clubs, and other entertainment outfits in the State.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mr. Solomon Bonu while speaking on the closure of Maggi Hotel, and Tambari Theatre Art (Night Club) both in Seme axis of Badagry, said that the facilities were shut down for violating and contravening the order of the State government.

“Apart from the fact that these facilities open for normal operations in defiance to the government’s directive, it was also discovered that there is a high level of immorality going on in these places. The Night Club has become home for strippers, drug barons and all sorts of mischief”, he said.

He added ;

“We’ll bring the full weight of the law on these erring operators and ensure that they show total compliance level before they can regain access to these facilities. This, the government believes, will send a signal to others who are still operating illegally in different parts of the State”.

A United States citizen said to have been invited to Nigeria by a young man she met on the Internet, has died of suspected Coronavirus complications in Delta State, SaharaReporters has learnt.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that the American, whose identity could not be ascertained at the time of this report, was said to have died on Sunday morning after she manifested some symptoms of the virus and was rushed to a private hospital at Osubi, Orerokpe under Okpe Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking with our correspondent, a security official attached to a police station in the local government, disclosed that the young man and the white lady had been lodged at a hotel in Osubi town since her arrival in Nigeria on March 3, 2020.

The official said, “The young man and the American white lady lodged in a hotel in Osubi where they spent some weeks. The white lady fell sick and she began to manifest some symptoms of COVID-19, especially severe coughing. At this stage, her lover rushed her to a private clinic in Osubi but she gave up the ghost this morning.

“Immediately she died at the hospital, her Nigerian lover carried her corpse in a Venza car to the Orerokpe Police Division and he was arrested by the police. While still at the station, a doctor was brought and took samples from the corpse for test.”

The situation, our correspondent reliably gathered, had created tension in the council area.

When contacted over the issue, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onowakpoyeya, confirmed the incident, explaining that the white lady’s corpse was brought to Orerokpe Police Station by her lover, who revealed to the police that the deceased had severe cough for about a week until she died on Sunday morning.

According to Onowakpoyeya, the blood sample of the woman, that of her lover and others, who may have had contact with her, have been taken for test.

In the latest update of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, 248 new cases have been reported as of Sunday evening, May 10th by the National Centre for Disease Control.

In a new update on their Twitter page, the NCDC reports that there’s new cases in Lagos, Jigawa, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, FCT, Edo, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kwara, Kebbi, Gombe, Taraba, Ogun, Ekiti, Osun, and Bayelsa

Their tweet reads;

248 new cases of #COVID19;

81-Lagos
35-Jigawa
26-Borno
26-Kano
20-Bauchi
13-FCT
12-Edo
10-Sokoto
7-Zamfara
4-Kwara
4-Kebbi
2-Gombe
2-Taraba
2-Ogun
2-Ekiti
1-Osun
1-Bayelsa

4399 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria
Discharged: 778
Deaths: 143

A breakdown of cases by state;

The police in Lagos state have arrested four persons for allegedly killing a househelp in the Bariga area of the state.

A statement released by Bala Elkana, spokesperson of the state police command, says men of the Bariga Police station received a tipoff on May 9 that one Shade Moke, 41, conspired with three others on February 29 and allegedly killed her 16-year-old househelp, Halimat Sodiq, over an allegation of stealing.

The victim is said to be a house help to Shade Moke. She was accused of stealing N2000 from her madam which she denied. The madam invited the remaining three suspects who tortured the girl to death. They buried her secretly at Atan cemetery Lagos, so as to conceal the murder. The four suspects were arrested but they denied the allegations.

They however, admitted slapping the girl for denying that she stole the money. They claimed that the girl went into convulsion after drinking water and that they took her to three different hospitals before she eventually died. That the girl was buried by her parents not the suspects. The parents were also contacted for their statement” Bala’s statement read.

The police spokesperson said the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Hakeem Odumosu psc, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department Yaba for discreet investigation and diligent prosecution.

The suspects will soon be charged to Court.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo had opined that imposing another lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country would be counter-productive.

Recall the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu,hinted that a second lockdown could be on the horizon due to the rate at which residents have consistently flouted the social-distancing guidelines issued prior to easing the initial one-month lockdown on May 4.

Keyamo, in his personal opinion, opposed that idea, he wrote ;

”My personal view is that another total lockdown would be counterproductive. Before defeating the virus, we must learn to live with it all around us & practice the skills of avoiding it like a landmine. Practice makes perfect. We cannot perfect those skills by locking ourselves up”

A man who reportedly slept with his teenage daughter has opened up on why he committed the heinous act.

38-year old Patrick Ayesan, has confessed in Court that he slept with his 18-year-old daughter anytime he wanted to gain sexual satisfaction and eventually got her pregnant.

Patrick Ayesan, a resident of Iguobasuwa in Okosa area, Ovia South-West of Edo State was arrested for having carnal knowledge of his daughter and impregnating her.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment while his daughter is currently with the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.