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  • Correctional Service denies reports of bomb blast in Charles Okah’s cell at Maiduguri prison

    The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has dismissed claims of a bomb explosion at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Maiduguri, describing the reports as “false and misleading.”

    In a statement issued on Monday, April 21, 2025, and signed by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Deputy Controller of Corrections Umar Abubakar, the NCoS assured Nigerians that there had been no security breach at the Maiduguri facility or at any other custodial centre nationwide.

    “The attention of the Nigerian Correctional Service has been drawn to an online report of a purported bomb explosion in Maiduguri Custodial Centre. This report is not true and is highly misleading,” the statement read. “The situation at the custodial centre remains calm and stable. Inmates are continuing their rehabilitation programmes without disruption. The fake report should be disregarded.”

    Read Also: Tension in Osun as NNPP calls for Adeleke’s removal, PDP defends Gov’s record

    The NCoS issued the rebuttal following widespread online claims that an explosion had occurred around 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 20, in the solitary confinement cell of Charles Okah, a high-profile inmate.

    Supposed eyewitness accounts from within the prison had alleged that an object, believed to be an explosive device, was thrown into Okah’s cell through the window bars, triggering smoke and fire. Okah was reportedly heard coughing and calling for help.

    Further reports suggested that strict prison procedures, particularly the rules governing solitary confinement, may have delayed immediate rescue efforts due to the time required for authorization to open a cell at night.

    Charles Okah has been in solitary confinement since March 16, 2025. He is currently serving a life sentence for his involvement in the October 1, 2010, bombing near Eagle Square in Abuja and a separate attack in Warri, Delta State, in March 2010.

    The timing of the alleged incident coincides with Okah’s recent open letter to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in which he accused officials of systemic corruption within the Maiduguri correctional system.

    While the correctional authorities continue to maintain that the centre is secure and stable, independent verification of the explosion has not yet been made. The public has been urged to remain calm and disregard what the NCoS has described as “unfounded and sensationalist reports.”

    Source: Ripples Nigeria

  • Antonio Conte ‘obsessed’ with signing Manchester United star attacker


    Image Credits: GETTY IMAGES

    Manchester United’s season has been nothing short of disastrous, with the club spending the majority of the campaign stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

    With Champions League qualification looking increasingly unlikely, United are braced for a difficult summer.

    Both in terms of rebuilding the squad and complying with financial restrictions.

    That likely means sales will be required, especially if the club misses out on the £100m Champions League revenue.

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    One player who could be sacrificed is Alejandro Garnacho.

    The Argentine winger was heavily linked with a January exit.

    Both Napoli and Chelsea explored the possibility of a deal.

    While nothing materialised at the time, interest in Garnacho has not gone away.

    Napoli were especially keen to land Garnacho in the winter window.

    However, the attacker’s high wage demands reportedly forced the Italian club to step back from negotiations.

    Antonio Conte remains firm on bringing Alejandro Garnacho to Italy

    However, the Italian side now under Antonio Conte, appear ready to return for him this summer.

    According to Calciomercato’s Daniele Longo, Conte is ‘obsessed’ with the idea of bringing Garnacho to Naples.

    Conte is reportedly unsatisfied with Napoli’s current attacking options as the club seek a replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

    Conte sees Garnacho as the ideal fit.

    While other names like Igor Paixao and Riccardo Orsolini are on Napoli’s shortlist, Longo claims Conte’s ‘obsession’ has reached a point where he is pushing hard for Garnacho to arrive in Naples this summer.

    The feeling around Napoli is that securing Garnacho’s signature could go a long way to solving their post-Kvaratskhelia rebuild.

    Conte seems determined to make it happen.

    The summer window will be a huge one for United fans, who will continue to see the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Garnacho linked with exits.

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    Source: Centred Devils

  • Underhand Dealings Claims In Oil Blocks Licensing Bid Round, False, Malicious—NUPRC

    The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has faulted reports in a section of the
    media (Not THE WHISTLER)that claimed some underhand dealings in the allocation of oil blocks during the 2024 oil licensing bid round.

    The Commission said the publication appears to be the work of a notorious blackmailer, and a malicious attack intended to generate unnecessary controversy, as there have been no such deals with any individual, group or institution.

    In a statement signed by Mr Bashiru Indabawa, Chairman 2024 Bid Round Committee, NUPRC, it dismissed the reports stating that the bid rounds were done in line with global best practices.

    The NUPRC recently undertook the initiation and conclusion of the 2024 Oil Bid Round.

    The process was characterised by a comprehensive and rigorous framework designed to ensure transparency and stakeholder engagement.

    Among the key components of this meticulous process were public hearings held at various stages, where all relevant industry stakeholders were encouraged to participate and voice their perspectives.

    These hearings facilitated a collaborative atmosphere, allowing for input from regulatory agencies and all parties operating in, and oversighting industry operations.

    Their involvement, according to the NUPRC, was not limited to the final stages of the bid round but played an integral role from the very outset, contributing to the development of regulations and guiding the bid process.

    It added that this level of engagement and procedural rigour underscores a commitment to fostering a fair and competitive bidding environment in the Nigerian oil sector.

    The statement added, “The selection process for the 2024 oil bid round was a comprehensive and inclusive event, involving a diverse array of stakeholders such as the International Oil Companies (IOCs), various local and international firms, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), relevant government agencies, civil society organisations, and both national and international media representatives.

    “This process was conducted in a manner that upheld the principles of competitiveness, openness and transparency, as mandated by section 73 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

    “The licensing round conducted by NUPRC under Engr Komolafe was the first in nearly 70 years of Nigeria’s upstream petroleum industry history to leverage digital technology, devoid of any human interference, in a manner adjudged to be in line with global best practices.

    “The outcome was televised live and attended by all the aforementioned stakeholders. There was no room for any manipulation to warrant any underhand dealings whatsoever, as insinuated mischievously in the publication.

    “Therefore, any allegations or insinuations regarding underhand dealings or bribery lack merit and are entirely unfounded, serving only to mislead.

    “These claims are not rooted in truth, and disregard the rigorous standards upheld throughout the selection process.

    “The article is nothing more than a fabricated narrative aimed at defaming the leadership of the Commission. Its reliance on anonymous sources undermines the credibility of the claims made, raising serious doubts about the journalistic integrity of the piece.”

    The Commission stated that the meticulous processes and regulatory frameworks established by the NUPRC during the 2024 Oil Bid Round demonstrate a commitment to transparency and fairness in the industry.

    ” Allegations of misconduct, particularly those lacking substantive evidence, distract from the real advancements being made in the oil sector and contribute to a culture of misinformation.

    “It is essential for media outlets to uphold rigorous standards of accuracy, especially when discussing matters of significant public interest and economic importance.

    “The baseless claims made in the aforementioned article serve only to mislead and create unnecessary controversy, detracting from the progress being achieved within the framework of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.

    “Regardless of the mischievous motives of those behind the smear campaigns, the NUPRC leadership is unwavering in its firm commitment to the implementation of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold reform initiatives in the Nigerian oil and gas sector for optimisation of federation revenue in the overall national interest,” it added.

    Ends

    Underhand Dealings Claims In Oil Blocks Licensing Bid Round, False, Malicious—NUPRC is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

    Source: The Whistler

  • Former adviser to David Cameron announces run for California governor

    A former key adviser to David Cameron has announced he is running for governor of California in 2026.

    In a video announcement posted to X, Steve Hilton highlighted his past growing up in London and working in 10 Downing Street. The businessman, author and media personality criticised the leaders who have long held power in the famously Democrat-voting “blue state”.

    “This is not just any other state. California means to America what America means to the world”, Hilton said. “Let’s make California the land of opportunity again. Great jobs, great homes, great kids.”

    “There’s only one way to do that”, he added. “We’ve got to end the one-party rule that got us into this mess. It’s time to end the years of Democrat failure.”

    Hilton, author of Califailure, said in his campaign launch video that he was inspired to work with former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher after leaving university (New College, Oxford).

    He went on to serve as director of strategy for David Cameron, and was seen as a driving force behind the former Conservative leader’s bid to modernise his party. 

    Hilton, famous for padding around Downing Street in bare feet, was satirised by the BBC comedy The Thick of It as the herbal-tea drinking publicist Stewart Pearson.

    ***Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.***

    Hilton is the second prominent Republican to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race. No member of the GOP (Grand Old Party) has won the governor’s race since Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006.

    Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Hilton said that California “really reminds me of Britain in the 1970s.”

    He said: “The UK was called the ‘sick man of Europe’. There’s no other way of looking at California today than the ‘sick man of America’.”

    Gavin Newsom, the incumbent governor, is termed out of the race. Media reporting in the United States suggests Kamala Harris, the former vice president, is among the Democrats considering running to replace Newsom.

    Hilton and his wife moved to California in 2012, while she worked for Google and he taught at Stanford University. He hosted “The Next Revolution”, a weekly show on Fox News from 2017 to 2023, and is the founder and former CEO of Crowdpac, a tech startup.

    Hilton is an ardent supporter of president Donald Trump and called for an investigation into the 2020 presidential election when Trump lost to Joe Biden.

    Hilton has already been endorsed by former presidential candidate and current Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

    “Steve Hilton represents American excellence. He’s a great entrepreneur & communicator, and he’ll be a dominant Governor of California”, Ramaswamy posted to X on Monday afternoon. “I’ve known him for years [and] enjoyed welcoming him to Ohio for our launch in Feb. He has my full endorsement.”

    Hilton responded: “An incredible honor to be endorsed for California governor by my friend  [Vivek Ramaswamy] who will be a fantastic governor of Ohio! We both believe so deeply in the strength and energy of our people, and this great nation. Winners not whiners!!”

    Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on Bluesky here.

    Politics.co.uk is the UK’s leading digital-only political website. Subscribe to our daily newsletter for all the latest news and analysis.

    Source: Politics

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  • Hailey Bieber reveals she’s dealing with two ovarian cysts as she shows off bloated tummy

    Hailey Bieber has revealed that she has been diagnosed with two ovarian cysts after giving birth to her and husband singer,  Justin Bieber’s son Jack Blues Bieber in 2024. 
     

    On April 21, 2025, the 28-year-old model posted on her Instagram Stories showing off her stomach and sharing the health update. 

    “Currently have 2 ovarian cysts,” she wrote. “If you deal with ovarian cysts i’m right there with ya!” 
     

    Hailey Bieber reveals she

    This isn’t the first time Hailey has dealt with a cyst. In 2022, the Rhode skincare founder posted on Instagram that she had an ovarian cyst “the size of an apple,” sharing a photo of herself with her shirt pulled up that revealed her stomach. 

    “I don’t have endometriosis or PCOS [polycystic ovary syndrome] but I have gotten an ovarian cyst a few times and it’s never fun,” she wrote at the time.

     

    Hailey Bieber reveals she

    Source: Linda Ikeji

  • BREAKING: Bandits Impose N60million Levy On Several Zamfara Communities For Aiding Nigerian Military Operations

     Dare-devil bandits have imposed a staggering N60 million levy on no fewer than t12 communities in Zamfara State, accusing residents of aiding recent military operations that disrupted their strongholds.

     

    The affected communities include Koloma, Dan Hayin Zargado, Zargado, Dan Godabe, Sabuwar Tunga, Makini, Bubaka, Yelwa, Bahwada, Koda, Manya, and Kabusu.

     Locals fear that refusal to comply may lead to violent reprisals, including mass abductions, arson, and killings.

     

    A security reporter, Bakatsine, disclosed the development on his verified X handle on Tuesday, warning that the situation could escalate if an immediate government action is not taken.

     

    Former councillor of Dankurmi Ward, Hon. Iliyasu Salisu Dankurmi, also confirmed the levy in an interview with BBC Hausa.

     

     He explained that the demand followed recent military raids in the area believed to have inflicted heavy losses on the armed groups.

     

    “”The Nigerian Army had recently raided the area, and the bandits are now demanding N60million as compensation. They have threatened to make life unbearable if we don’t pay,” Dankurmi said.

     

    He further revealed that eight residents of the Zargado community had already been kidnapped, and their release had been tied to payment of the ransom.

     

    Many residents say they are trapped between the threat of bandits attacks and a lack of adequate protection from the authorities.

     

     Community leaders are urgently calling on federal and state governments, as well as security agencies, to intervene before the situation spirals further out of control.

     

    So far, there has been no official statement from the Nigerian Army nor the Zamfara State government regarding the levy or recent military operations in the region.

     

    The crisis in Zamfara is part of a broader pattern of insecurity plaguing Nigeria’s Northwest, where rural communities have faced years of terror from well-armed gangs engaging in kidnapping, extortion, and deadly raids.

     

     

     

    SaharaReporters reported days ago how the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) described the wave of killings in Plateau State, Zamfara and Benue as a “national disgrace and a clear failure of governance.”

    In a press release signed by its National Coordinator, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, the CNG had expressed outrage over the killings of more than 100 people in Plateau in recent weeks, with entire communities razed and thousands displaced.

    “The recent massacre in Plateau State, where over 100 lives were brutally cut short, represents a grotesque failure of governance. 

     

    “These killings are not isolated. They form part of a broader pattern of insecurity spanning Boko Haram terrorism in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and ethno-religious violence in the North-Central,” the statement read.

     

    The group had accused the Nigerian government of inaction and demanded urgent, decisive steps to stop the bloodshed. It called for the immediate deployment of reinforced security personnel to flashpoints across Plateau State and other northern regions facing similar threats.

     

    CNG had also condemned President Bola Tinubu’s reported foreign travels during the crisis, likening the President’s actions to “Nero fiddling while Rome is burning.” 

    Source: Sahara Reporters

  • One Piece: Gunko Show off the Regenerative Powers of the God’s Knights

    One Piece manga has returned with chapter 1146 after a short break last week. The previous chapter concluded with Gunko arriving on Colon’s ship. Hence, fans eagerly awaited the showdown between the Straw Hats crew on the ship and the God’s Knights member in One Piece Chapter 1146.

    The Straw Hats Pirates are a Yonko-level crew, so the fandom expected them to withstand Gunko’s arrow devil fruit powers. However, Oda gives an intriguing power-up to Gunko, and possibly all the other God’s Knights, in the latest chapter, making them a force to be reckoned with in the story.

    The latest chapter opens up with Gunko fighting a portion of the Straw Hat Pirates on Colon’s ship. Though it was a 1 vs 5 situation, Gunko has no trouble dealing with the Straw Hats with her Aro Aro no Mi devil fruit powers. To everyone’s surprise, Usopp stands up against Gunko and uses his Kuro Kabuto to shoot her down. His shot completely destroys Gunko’s upper body, and even Usopp gets scared that he went overboard.

    Much to everyone’s disbelief, Gunko is revealed to possess a regeneration ability similar to the Five Elders in One Piece. Gunko swiftly restores her destroyed body parts, which is something no one saw coming. Now that Gunko has received a regeneration powerup from Oda, fans question whether the rest of the God’s Knights members also possess the same ability.

    Earlier, it was stated that Gunko possesses a mark that allows her to summon her friends using the ‘Abyss.’ So, we would have to wait for some time to see if the people with the mark are the only ones who have the regeneration ability.

    In the Egghead arc, Saint Saturn‘s use of regeneration powers in the battle made the fans worried about the strength of the final antagonists of One Piece. With Gunko repeating history again, this piece of evidence against makes us wonder if she is related to Imu. Because the Gorosei certainly received their demonic powers from their supreme leader.

    Things are not heading the way we anticipate, as Gunko didn’t recognize Brook and is so fixated on ruining lives in the giants’ homeland. So will Gunko redeem herself by the end of the Elbaf arc? Let us know in the comments below.

    Ajith Kumar

    An entertainment writer with a passion for analyzing and sharing insights on movies, shows, and anime.


    Source: Beebom

  • ‘We’ve now taken Rivers structures out of Wike’s control’ —PDP claims

    The Acting Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Robinson Nname-Ewor, has boasted that the party has successfully seized control of state structures which were hitherto under the control of former Governor and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

    Nname-Ewor who made the claims during an interview on Arise TV on Monday night, said Wike’s long years of influence and control over the PDP in the state are now a thing of the past as the party has now taken total control.

    Describing the former governor’s imposing influence on the party structures and control as “years of political hostage-taking,” Nname-Ewor said the party has been able to put an end to those years.

    “Before now, Wike held the party hostage at the state level. The national said don’t conduct congresses; he went ahead to conduct them. But today, we have gone beyond that,” Nname-Ewor said.

    “The party today at the state level is no longer in his hands. Therefore, there is nothing they can do as far as the party is concerned in Rivers.”

    Nname-Ewor who also spoke on the political crisis between suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Wike, said the situation was escalated when Fubara decided to be a man of his own by resisting the continued political control by the former governor.

    “Wike believes loyalty should be absolute. But the resources he used to support candidates, including Fubara and state lawmakers, were not his — they were Rivers State resources. So the first loyalty should be to the people.

    “Once Rivers people realised Fubara was no longer Wike’s puppet, they owned him. And that’s what changed everything.

    “The crisis you see in Rivers and in the PDP is not because the party is broken. It is because one man, the FCT Minister, is determined to destroy it. Remove him, and you won’t see a single crisis — neither in Rivers nor nationally,” he stated.

    The PDP chieftain also accused Wike of working against the party from within while aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that Wike’s influence has become more destructive than beneficial.

    “To us in Rivers, Wike is no longer a member of the PDP. He is only here to destroy the PDP and the opposition. And unfortunately, he is being aided by the presidency.

    “Wike today exists in the PDP because he’s on a mission to destroy the opposition in the country, not just in Rivers State.

    “And the president is helping him. The president is funding Wike to destroy the opposition. That is the irony of it.

    “How do you advise a party you’re no longer part of? How do you advise people you’re busy attacking? Wike has openly pledged to support the APC in 2027. His role now is not one of leadership but sabotage.

    “This is a new beginning for the PDP in Rivers. We are taking back our party, and we will protect it,” Nname-Ewor insisted.

    Source: Ripples Nigeria