Nigerian UFC champion, Kamaru Usman was paid a whopping $1.5million (£1.1m) for his recent victorious fight which saw him retain UFC welterweight title at UFC 261.
The Nigerian Nightmare 33, dropped his American opponent, 36, at 1 minute, 2 seconds of the second round of their fight last Saturday in front of 15,000 fans in Florida.
Kamaru cashed in with £538,000 to show up, a £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus, and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus. It is the biggest payday of his career so far.
Meanwhile, Masvidal was gracious in defeat as he earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money, and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
The Presidency has fired back at Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State after he called out President Buhari over the killing of some people in an IDP camp in the state on April 27.
Governor Ortom who angrily reacted to the killing, accused President Buhari of “just working for Fulanis to take over the whole country.” The Governor also lamented that no fewer than 70 people have been killed in the last two weeks in three local governments in the Benue State.
He said at that time;
“What is happening now, to me, is very clear; Mr President is just working for these Fulanis to take over the whole country.
“His body language is what is being played out. The body language, the action and inaction of Mr. President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this.”
The Presidency which has now released a statement following his criticism, accused him of only seeing the problem of others and not his.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu who maintained that Buhari was saddened by the killings in the country as well as the governor’s accusations, stressed that “no responsible government takes pleasure in such events as the killing of the military and that of innocent citizens taking refuge in an Internally Displaced People’s camp.”
The statement read;
GOVERNOR ORTOM ONLY SEES THE PROBLEMS OF OTHERS, HE DOESN’T SEE HIS OWN
The President expresses his condolences to the families of our dear citizens who lost their loved ones in the recent spate of killings in Benue State.
Furthermore, he states that the rising levels of incidents, especially the killings and violence in various parts of the country call for further collaboration with security agencies to curb its recurrence.
He also states his disappointment and sadness to hear Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State make a litany of accusations against his person and his government following the recent unfortunate incidents in the state.
No responsible government takes pleasure in such events as the killing of the military and that of innocent citizens taking refuge in an Internally Displaced People’s camp. President Buhari is deeply pained by the terrible acts of violence happening not only in Benue State but also in other parts of the country and expects that the law enforcement agencies will go to every possible extent to catch the perpetrators of these heinous acts and bring them to justice.
The lives of fellow citizens should not be desecrated by deploying them in political diatribe which unfortunately appeared to be the intent of the string of emotional attacks and blame laid at the doors of the President for those killings by Governor Ortom. President Buhari took an oath to defend the life and property of every citizen, a duty he takes seriously and is committed to ensuring.
Those citizens regardless of their affiliations, who either incite, sponsor or are proven to be abettors of these atrocities will face the law squarely and be answerable for their crimes against our fellow citizens and nation.
President Buhari continuously stresses that the strength of our country lies in our diversity in faith, culture, and traditions and attempts to sharpen the divide between northern and southern Nigeria, between Muslims and Christians, and between communities that have coexisted for centuries should be frowned upon and resisted. As Nigerians, we accuse colonial rulers of the policy of divide and rule. Today, it is our own leaders who put region against region, religion against religion, ethnic group against ethnic group and community against community.
The future of Benue State and indeed that of the entire country lies in harmony and respect for the law, order, and the constitution. It is the only way to achieve progress and development.
While the President will continue to keep security, police and the armed forces on their toes to be on top of their act in troubled parts of the country, the situation in the states will greatly be helped by everyone working together because that is the foundation on which progress and prosperity can be achieved.
Benue under the Ortom administration ought to cooperate with the Federal Government in the implementation of a number of national strategies programs in addressing underlying issues militating against peace, progress and development. This can still get done when the interest of the people is placed above all other interests. A government voted into office by the people, should treat the people as its masters and not as its servants.
Mary Daniel, the amputee hawker who has recently been accused of not being completely truthful about her condition, has apologized to Nigerians.
The 27-year-old single mother received N25million donations from Nigerians who were moved by claims that she lost her leg in an accident that claimed the life of all passengers, including her parents.
However, it’s been claimed that there was no accident and she was amputated “from birth”, a claim she denies. It was also reported that her father is still alive.
Speaking to SaharaReporters, Mary said she made a mistake by saying her father was dead, but she did so because the man abandoned her.
Mary denied claims that her presence in Oshodi was staged to garner sympathy.
She said she’s been hawking for a while to make ends meet.
She explained that she used to hawk in Onitsha, Anambra state, from where she moved to Asaba in Delta state and then to Lagos.
She also denied claims that she had been receiving strange calls from the people who staged her story as they want their share of her fortune.
She told SaharaReporters that it was her maternal grandmother who had been making the calls to demand for money even after she sent her N200, 000.
As for lying about being in an accident, she claimed there was nothing to lie about as it’s obvious she is an amputee who lost a leg.
She said: “My father abandoned me since I was involved in this accident, there was no one to take care of me, nothing! That was why I said he’s dead. But my mother is truly dead. I had an accident truly; I was not amputated from birth.
“It was my grandmother that called me that she does not have anything, that if I have, I should send it. I said let me give her small money so she can use it to manage herself for now. I wanted to send N100, 000, I sent N200, 000 instead. She called me and asked why I sent her such a meagre amount, that, do I think she doesn’t know what’s going on, that how will people be contributing money for me and all I do is to send N200, 000.
“She said I’d rather send more money or she will expose me and I will go back to selling pure water. I was shocked and asked what sort of thing is this. She’s my maternal grandmother, she is really old.
“My aunties and uncles from my mother’s side are the ones pushing my grandmother into this and if she continues like this, later she will regret it. I have told her to calm down that I will take care of her but she refused. She is busy following her children around, making videos, that’s their business.
“Nigerians should forgive me. People that stay on the streets and in noisy places, they hardly have a settled mind and I said my father is late so Nigerians can help me. I made a big mistake; Nigerians should please forgive me.
“I want to open a supermarket in Lagos. I have always been a pure water hawker. Lagos is not the first place, I started from Onitsha, from there, I sold pure water in Asaba from there I came to Lagos. I don’t beg, even in my condition, I hawk that water so I can survive. That’s the business I have always been doing.
“I really appreciate the Lagos state government, Mr Idris, the hotel man that gave me accommodation, that celebrated my birthday. I also appreciate Princess Aderemi, for all the support and everyone that helped. I promise not to fail Nigerians.”
Also speaking, His Royal Highness, Sani Yakubu Ejima, Onu Igala, leader of the Igala people in Lagos and chairman of all the Kogi Igala traditional rulers in Lagos told the publication that Mary Daniel was not handed over to the police as some reports had claimed.
According to him, the Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Civic Engagement, Aderemi Adebowale, handed Daniel over to a committee, including Irede Foundation and to him so they can assist Daniel in setting up a business.
Hip-hop mogul, Dr. Dre has been ordered to pay half a million dollars to his estranged wife Nicole Young’s divorce lawyers.
Nicole Young, 51, had asked Los Angeles Judge Michael Powell to force her wealthy, soon-to-be-ex husband to pay her $2 million per month in spousal support, plus $5 million for her attorney fees.
During a hearing on Tuesday, April 27, the Superior Court Judge ordered Dre to pay her lawyers $500,000 within 10 days, while a decision on the spousal support issue has been delayed until another hearing on July 8.
In a written ruling, the judge said: “Pending the next hearing dates on this matter, the Court grants only $500,000 in attorney’s fees to petitioner’s (Nicole’s) counsel … Fees are to be paid to petitioner’s counsel, no later than May 7.”
The 56-year-old star, who was recently declared legally single agreed to continue paying for Nicole’s monthly expenses and will also continue to pay the mortgage on the Malibu home the 51-year-old lives in.
However, the producer has insisted he won’t pay for her security costs.
In January, Dre agreed to pay Nicole $2 million in spousal support, which was to cover the period up until April 14.
Nicole had been asking for more than $2 million a month but Dre’s lawyer previously told the court her client has been voluntarily paying all her expenses since they split.
Dre had been paying Nicole $293,000 a month in support.
But she is asking the court to order him to pay her almost $2 million a month, plus the $5 million in fees to her attorneys – Samantha Spector and Lisa Meyer – that the judge ruled on Tuesday.
Nicole and Dre have two children together, Truice and Truly, while Dre has six children by five different women
Manchester United came back from a first half capitulation against Roma to record a massive 6-2 win in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final on Thursday night, April 29.
Edinson Cavani was simply superb during the game as he contributed two goals, two assists and won a penalty for the club which came back from 2-1 down in the first half to win this semi-final first leg tie 6-2.
United were in control of the match from the start, with United starting Pogba Cavani and Rashford as a front three in front of Fernandes, Fred and McTominay.
While Roma paraded Edin Dzeko and Manchester United’s former players Henrikh Mhikytaryan and Chris Smalling
In the first half AS Roma made three substitutions including their goalkeeper due to injury.
Pogba executed a superb turn that left three Roma players in his wake and found Cavani whose touch just inside the area was perfect for Fernandes to lift over the advancing goalkeeper.
Just only four minutes later Pogba undid his good work by handing Roma a penalty after handling the ball while trying to block a cross from Rick Karsdorp.
David De Gea , not too good with penalties, missed Lorenzo Pellegrini’s spot-kick, despite diving the right way.
Pogba then tried to retaliate with a long range shot that Pau Lopez saved, however the Roma goalkeeper dislocated his shoulder so had to be substituted.
Roma then pounced again.
The team took the lead through Edin Dzeko after hitting the ball home from close range after a slick move from the visitors.
The first half ended 2-1.
Then just three minutes after the break, Pogba found Cavani who exchanged passes with Fernandes before finishing superbly with a first time side-footed effort into the top right-hand corner.
Aaron Wan Bissaka’s 64th minute cross shot was spilled by the goalkeeper and Cavani was at the right place to poach it home.
Cavani then caused a penalty after Smalling fouled him near the byline.
Fernandes calmly placed the spot kick away and then on 75 minutes he provided the cross from Luke Shaw’s short corner for Pogba to head home and make it five goals for Manchester United.
United were not done yet.
Mason Greenwood came on to add number six after getting a great ball from Cavani with the outside of his boot to fire home.
United will now travel to Roma next week for the second leg.
National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on Thursday April 29, said he is angered and troubled by terror attacks in different parts of the country.
Tinubu, in series of tweets, lamented that the attacks had caused many to disparage the military and security forces. He pointed out that as Nigerians, we must never surrender to the fearful temptation to blame one another
His tweets read
”Like all decent Nigerians, I am angered and troubled by the terror and cruelty being visited upon the people of Borno, Yobe, Benue, Niger, Imo and other parts of the nation.
These attacks have caused many to disparage our military and security forces. This we must not do. Valiant men and women serve in our security forces, risking their lives to protect us.
We stand with them. Government also must continue to encourage the security forces to do their utmost to subdue this threat. The lives of innocent Nigerians and the future progress of the nation may lie in the balance.
As a people, we must never surrender to the fearful temptation to blame one another. Regardless of region or religion, we must unite against a common foe. Discord will only invite defeat.
The enemy’s attacks seem to focus on our schools, religious institutions and security forces. They seek to extinguish the light of knowledge and hope by shrouding us in the darkness of fear and brutal ordeal.
We must not tremble. They will be vanquished. In the end, tolerance, justice and compassion shall win the day.”
A Japanese woman was arrested on Wednesday, April 28, for allegedly killing her millionaire husband.
Saki Sudo, 25, was charged for the alleged poisoning of 77-year-old Kosuke Nozaki in 2018, three months into their marriage, according to the Japan Times.
Sudo allegedly injected the real estate titan with a poison, according to the article. She reportedly had dinner with Nozaki before his death, and police said she researched the deadly posion found in his system on the internet.
Nozaki had became notorious for publishing the 2016 book, “Don Juan of Kishu: The Man Who Gave ¥3 Billion to 4,000 Beautiful Women”.
His suspicious death had attracted attention for years.
Sudo stood to inherit a portion of his assets, the Japan Times said.
In a 2018 book, Nozaki wrote that he met a woman, believed to be Sudo, when she helped him after he fell down at a Tokyo airport, according to the report.
Sudo reportedly told her family that she was moving from Sapporo to work at her friend’s real estate business, but did not reveal she was married.
Three months into their marriage, Nozaki was found dead.
Saki Sudo, was arrested Wednesday, April 28, for allegedly poisoning Kosuke Nozaki three years ago.
Sudo isn’t the first woman accused of a crime against Nozaki. Back in 2016, Nozaki’s then-girlfriend, who was also in her 20s, was arrested for stealing more than a half million dollars from his home, according to the report.
The Federal Government has declared Monday, May 3 as public holiday to mark this year’s International Workers Day Celebration.
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government in a statement signed by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Shuaib Belgore and released on Thursday April 29.
Aregbesola congratulated Nigerian Workers on witnessing this year’s celebration, and also commended them for their patience, understanding and support in driving the policies and programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in its determination to move the country to the next level of socio-economic development.
Calling for more dedication and patriotism from all Nigerian Workers and the Labour Unions, the Minister stated that the challenges of the moment will soon be over as the government is committed to the security of lives and property of all Nigerians.
The statement read;
“Government is putting all strategies in place to curb the challenges of insecurity in the country. I therefore call on the Labour Force and all patriotic citizens to be fully committed to the task of putting insecurity to a permanent end as much as possible.
“Ogbeni Aregbesola wishes all Nigerian Workers a peaceful May Day Celebration.”
A woman is in prison after offering lap dances to “random citizens,” asking police if they wanted to have sex on the sidewalk, and threatening assault against paramedics.
According to reports Olivia Taylor-Washek, 28, from Florida, was charged in St. Petersburg with disorderly intoxication (disturbance) on Saturday April 24 shortly before 9 p.m.
A disturbance call was made to police authorities after a “highly intoxicated” Taylor-Washek was “stumbling on the sidewalk and attempting to give lap dances random citizens outside of a business,”
After Fire Rescue was called to evaluate her, she threatened “to punch paramedics if they touched her,” According to an arrest report obtained this week by The Smoking Gun.
Police offered to walk her home, but Taylor-Washek “continued to yell profanities” at both authorities and bystanders alike, according to the document.
She proceeded to ask police if they wanted to have sex on the sidewalk and then yelled that the cops “were going to shoot her.”
“At one point she allegedly asked officers ‘if they wanted to “bang” on the sidewalk.”
“Despite asking them if they wanted to ‘bang’, Taylor-Washek is also said to have asked the officers if they were going shoot her.” the arrest report said
Eventually, Taylor-Washek was arrested for disorderly intoxication and released on Sunday on her own recognizance.
According to her Instagram, Taylor-Washek is currently competing with other women to be on the cover of Maxim magazine.
Chelsea football club are reportedly ready to sell academy product Tammy Abraham for £40million as coach Thomas Tuchel looks to fund a hit move for in-form Borussia Dortmund striker, Erling Haaland.
According to a new report by The Telegraph, Haaland is top of Tuchel’s shopping list this summer even though the 20-year-old could cost upwards of £100million after netting 53 goals in just 56 games.
Chelsea, with an already overpaid squad, need to free up the wage budget, to get a deal over the line and could sacrifice Tammy Abraham, 23, for around £40m.
West Ham are known to be keen on the Delta State indigene who snubbed representing Nigeria for England.
Abraham has scored 30 goals in 81 games for the Blues but has fallen way down the pecking order since Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard in January.
It is also believed Chelsea are keen to sell Olivier Giroud who has also struggled for gametime under Tuchel.
Giroud will leave on a free transfer, bringing his three-and-a-half years in west London to an end, except Chelsea give him a new contract.
Abraham and Giroud’s exits will free up around £200,000-a-week in wages which they can use to pay Haaland
Former national secretary of the defunct Action Congress, Dr Usman Bugaje was on Wednesday April 28 allegedly detained for criticizing President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s handling of insecurity in the country.
Daily Trust reported that Bugaje was invited and quizzed at a unit in the Office of the National Security Adviser by the secret police, after appearing on a programme aired by the African Independent Television.
Premium Times reported that Mr Bugaje, the convener of Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP) who in 2016 turned down the Buhari administration’s ambassadorial appointment offer, was interrogated in custody for eight hours. He reportedly left the SSS premises at about 7p.m. after he was granted bail by the secret police on Wednesday.
An associate of the former national secretary of the Action Congress told the publication that the secret service invited him two weeks ago after he featured twice on the AIT programmes in Abuja.
The associate said;
“Dr Bugaje had featured twice on an interview programme of the AIT two weeks ago. After his appearances on the television, he received an invitation from the SSS, asking him to report at its office to provide further clarifications on the comments he made on the programmes.
“Today (Wednesday) at 10a.m, he (Mr Bugaje) reported at the SSS in Abuja and he was detained.”
US Vice President, Kamala Harris and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have made history after they shared the stage during President Joe Biden’s first joint session to Congress.
On Wednesday, April 28, President Joe Biden delivered his first joint address to Congress, with both Harris and Pelosi sitting behind him throughout his speech.
It was the first time two women have led a joint session of Congress in the United States’ nearly 245-year history. In her role as second in command, Harris presides over the Senate, while Pelosi oversees the House of Representatives.
“Madam Speaker, Madam Vice President,” Biden said at the start of his speech. “No president has ever said those words from this podium. No president has ever said those words. And it’s about time.”
Harris, who is also the first Black person and first South Asian person to hold the role, is sitting on the President’s right as he delivers remarks. And Pelosi, who became the first woman in her role in 2007, is on the President’s left.
White House chief of staff Ron Klain noted the historic nature of the dais seating as he previewed the speech last week.
“For the first time in American history, behind the President when he speaks, will be two women: a woman vice president, and woman speaker of the House. Presidents have been addressing Congress since George Washington did it,” Klain said during a conversation with Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, adding, “It wasn’t until 14 years ago that the first time one of those seats was filled by a woman. So it took a long time to get to that milestone. Fourteen years later, for the first time, there’ll be two women behind the President.”
Four patients at a German care centre for the disabled have been killed and a fifth person seriously injured in the eastern city of Potsdam.
A 51-year-old woman, believed to be a member of staff at the Oberlin Clinic in Potsdam, near Berlin, has been arrested ‘under strong suspicion’ of carrying out the attack on Wednesday night, April 28.
Officers who responded to the attack at the clinic around 9pm, said the victims were subjected to “intense, extreme violent attack”, and were found in different rooms of the care home, but did not give any details around the circumstances of the killings.
The woman has been arrested on suspicion of ‘intentional homicide’, officers added, but said the motivation for the attack is not yet known.
Prosecutors said forensic teams are now searching the site for evidence, but that no further details will be released until the families of the victims have been informed.
The attack is thought to have taken place on the top floor of a dormitory building known as Thusnelda-von-Saldern-Haus, reports local newspaper Potsdamer Neueste Nachrichten.
The site called the attack ‘probably the most serious homicide in Potsdam for decades’,
According to the Oberlin Clinic’s website, more than 400 staff work at the site including 80 employed at the Saldern-Haus, though most would not have been there at the time of the attack.
The Clinic specialises in helping those with disabilities, offering live-in care on a campus that includes housing, schools, and workshops.
Operatives of the Oyo State Security Network Agency popularly called Amotekun Corps in collaboration with Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) have arrested six bandits at the Kajola Local Government Area of Oyo state.
A statement released by the commander of the Amotekun in the state, Col. Olayinka, said the operation was carried out while on their joint routine patrol in the early hours of today April 29.
“They tried to escape from the scene but were given hot pursuit by the operatives as they tried to evade arrest. We are still on the trail of others who managed to escape from the scene.”
He gave the names of those arrested as Awali Atine, Ibrahim Abu, Shuaib Balau, Ibrahim Musa, Abdullah Masika and Umar Aliu Masika.
He said all the six suspects are of Fulani extraction and the arrest was carried out along Okeho-Ilua and Okeho-Iseyin Road around 4am on Thursday. Olayinka added that the bandits’ modus operandi is to pretend like herdsmen in the day and violently robbed innocent passengers on the highways at night.
He said they were caught with 183 cows, weapons and a total sum of N268, 470.00. Olayinka added that they have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Authority, Okeho Divisional Headquarters, alongside the 183 cows, weapons, and money found in their possession for further investigation.
Two Nigerian men have been arrested in Suwon, South Korea for allegedly swindling South Korean victims, mostly women, of tens of thousands of dollars in romance scams, local police said Wednesday, April 28.
According to the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency, just south of Seoul, the suspects defrauded four South Koreans, three women and one man of about 120 million won (US$107,900) in total after the two befriended the victims online under fake identities.
One of the suspects falsely introduced himself as a U.S. military surgeon based in Yemen to a South Korean woman he met on a social network service in January.
After a month of friendly online exchanges, the Nigerian man allegedly tricked her into sending him a total of 51 million won for his fake project to ship gold bars to South Korea.
The other Nigerian falsely posed as an employee at the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a female U.S. soldier to trick one woman and a man, police said.
The police said whether they were working together has yet to be confirmed as both of them were denying the charges.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency is currently looking into 57 romance scam cases reported since January including the latest cases.
The police are expanding the probe to see if the cases involve any larger fraud organizations.
Spotify CEO and founder, Daniel Ek on Wednesday April 28, disclosed that he has secured funds to buy Arsenal football club from owner Stan Kroenke.
The Swedish billionaire is determined to launch a bid so that the American billionaire can sell the Premier League club despite the Arsenal owner’s insistence that he has no intention of selling.
Kroenke and his son and director Josh put out a joint statement on Tuesday saying that they remain “100per cent committed to Arsenal” and were not interested in selling a stake in the club after furious backlash from the fans after the club’s failed attempt to form a breakaway Super League with 11 other top European sides.
The statement said: ‘As I started out saying I’ve been a fan for 30 years of this club and I certainly didn’t expect this would happen overnight and I’m prepared that this could be a long journey.
‘All I can do is prepare what I think is a very thoughtful offer, bring it to them and hope they hear me out.
‘I just focus on the club, the fans and I focus on trying to bring the club back to glory and I’m first and foremost a fan. That’s the most important thing for me and I want the club to do better. That’s my primary interest.’
Speaking about his interest in his boyhood club, Swedish billionaire Ek told CNBC: ‘I’ve been an Arsenal fan since I was 8 years old. Arsenal is my team. I live the history, the players, and of course I love the fans.
‘So as I look at that I just see a tremendous opportunity to set a real vision for the club, to bring it back to its glory.
‘I want to establish trust with the fans and engage the fans again. So, I’m very serious. I have secured the funds for it and I want to bring what I think is a very compelling offer to the owners and I hope they hear me out.’
Ek, who is worth around £3.4bn, is ready to make an offer of £1.8bn for the north Londoners. He has also enlisted Arsenal legends, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, and Patrick Vieira to help his bid.
The Lagos State Government has allegedly withheld the donations made to the viral amputee hawker after discovering that she ”lied” about her condition.
Mary Daniel, who claims she sells sachet water in Oshodi, was discovered by kind hearted Nigerians after her story was shared online and she immediately went viral.
The single mother claimed she lost a leg in an accident that killed all passengers, including her parents, when she was a teenager.
She added that life became hard and she dropped out of school to fend for herself by selling on the street.
She said during an interview that she is an orphan with a baby and an aged grandmother to fend for.
Her story touched Nigerians and different people made donations of about 25 Million Naira to her.
This prompted the state government to step in to prevent criminals from taking advantage of her sudden fortune. However, the state government has now discovered inconsistencies in her story, The Nation reports.
It was discovered that her father is alive and that she was amputated from birth, not as a result of an accident.
It was gathered that Mary Daniel started receiving strange calls from those who staged her story with threats to reveal the truth unless she gave them their share of the money.
According to thee report, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu immediately handed her over to officials of the social welfare for investigation in the presence of the police and some Kogi leaders, who attested her father was alive, following revelations her case was staged.
Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu told The Nation the young woman was in the custody of officials of the Social Welfare and not the police as earlier reported.
“The police were there but she was not handed over to us. She was handed over to the Social Welfare. There were irregularities and lies in the account of her life she gave.
“It was discovered that contrary to her claim that her parents died during an accident that left her amputated, her father is very much alive and that she was amputated from birth.
“It was also discovered that her presence in Oshodi was staged. Those working with her played on the intelligence of Nigerians to get donations for her.
“It came to light when the people started threatening her. She promised some N500,000 others different amounts and was planning to return to her home state when the information leaked.
“I had to attach some policemen to her to prevent any attack on her when she went to the bank. We suspected those people might follow her but everything went well as they were not seen.
“Presently, the state government is preventing her from accessing the money.
“The government does not want a situation where it will become a trend for people to cook up stories, manipulate the people to get donations,” Odumosu explained.
A woman hid a loaded gun in her vagina to smuggle it into prison and officers didn’t find it until weeks later.
Amy Wilhite, 39, brought the .22 calibre revolver to Boone County Jail in Missouri, the US, on February 14, fully loaded with five rounds.
Officers carried out a pat and a strip search but failed to find the weapon.
They didn’t track it down until 17 days later, at which point it was wrapped up in plastic among White’s possessions, The Smoking Gun reports.
In a probable cause statement, investigators alleged that Wilhite had “removed the firearm from her body and concealed it within her personal belongings.”
During questioning at the jail, Wilhite admitted possessing the firearm, but claimed “she was only holding it for another female detainee.”
However, fellow inmates in Wilhite’s housing unit “all stated Amy was in possession of the firearm,” an investigator reported.
She later pleaded guilty to “delivery or concealment” of the weapon at a Circuit Court hearing.
Wilhite was ordered to serve a decade in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
She also pleaded guilty to felony drug and weapons counts for which she was originally arrested and told to serve five years on each conviction.
The New York Upper East Side apartment of Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, was raided by the FBI on Wednesday morning, April 28, in connection with the bureau’s ongoing investigation into his dealings in Ukraine.
Guiliani has been under investigation for more than two years in connection with the criminal case against Lev Parnas and three other associates.
Parnas and another Giuliani associate, Igor Fruman, were accused of a straw donor scheme.
Apart from the donor scheme, they also met with Giuliani and introduced him to Ukrainian officials, around the same time with Trump’s first impeachment where he was accused of pressuring Ukranaian president Zelensky to carry out investigations against then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in 2019.
Giuliani, while acting as Trump’s attorney, is accused of orchestrating a pressure campaign on Ukrainian officials to dig up dirt on Joe Biden in 2019.
Trump’s effort to dig up dirt on Biiden sparked the impeachment inquiry.
The FBI believes Giuliani’s efforts in Ukraine may have violated foreign lobbying laws.
The raid as reported by The New York Times, means that the investigation into Giuliani is entering a new phase as prosecutors believe they have a strong case against the former New York Mayor.
Giuliani, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, is entitled to certain attorney-client privilege protections that can only be overcome with significant evidence of a crime, so for the FBI to search his house it seems the bureau have strong leads.
Prosecutors also believe Parnas also invoked Giuliani’s name and his relationship with Giulani to seal the deal with investors in an insurance startup business, that Parnas later scammed.
According to the NY Times report, the feds seized Giuliani’s electronic devices.
“In SDNY, under any administration, you do not get search warrants easily and you definitely do not get it easily when there’s potential attorney-client privilege involved, especially this high profile,” said Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah, who previously served as a federal prosecutor.
“It’s an extremely high burden required to show evidence of a crime in that location and that it’s not connected to legitimate legal work,” she added.
“I would not be surprised if charges and an arrest followed.”
Giuliani is the second personal lawyer for Trump to be raided by the FBI.
The three white men charged with the killing of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery as he jogged through his own Georgia neighborhood in February 2020, have now been charged with federal hate crimes.
George McMichael, 65, his son Travis McMichael, 35, and William “Roddie” Bryan, 51, have all been charged with one count of interference with rights and one count of attempted kidnapping according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The two charges accuse the men of interfering with Arbery’s right to use a public street because he was Black.
As it relates to the kidnapping claims, TMZ reported that federal agents alleged that the 3 men attempted to unlawfully seize and confine Ahmaud by chasing after him in their trucks. Prosecutors claim they did this in an attempt to restrain him, restrict his free movement, corral and detain him against his will while he was running down a public street in Brunswick, GA.
The two McMichaels will also face one count each of using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.
In addtion to the new federal charges, the McMichaels and Bryan still face the state charges of aggravated assault and murder that were brought against them by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation last May.
Ahmaud’s mother, Wanda Cooper told TMZ she’s grateful for the federal charges, especially since this wasn’t even a possible outcome not too long ago in the state of Georgia. This became a reality because of a new law that was passed in the state last year.
Former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has slammed clergyman, Fr Mbaka after he called for the resignation or impeachment of President Buhari.
Mbaka who was one of the staunch supporters of President Buhari during the 2015 elections, recently attacked the President over the wanton killing and destruction of properties across the country. Mbaka said in civilized environments, President Buhari would have resigned for failing in his constitutional duty to provide security for Nigerians. He said the National Assembly members to impeach the President if he fails to resign.
Reacting to Mbaka’s recent comments Reno in a post shared on his IG page, described the clergyman as the ”Author of Confusion”. According to him, Fr Mbaka would rubbish the name of the Catholic church if he is not defrocked.
”Reverend Father Mbaka is an author of confusion. Today, he is calling on General @MuhammaduBuhari to “resign or be impeached”.
In 2015, this same man told Nigerians that God told him Buhari was Nigeria’s saviour.
If the @Catholicchurch does not defrock this man, he will rubbish their name.
Read Scripture. God is very clear. “God is not the author of confusion.”-1 Corinthians 14:33. A man of God should not speak from both sides of the mouth. How could God have told Mbaka that Buhari is the saviour in 2015, and now God is telling him another thing in 2021?
This is the same man who falsely accused then President Jonathan of attempting to assassinate him!”
Former Chelsea, Juventus and Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain’s mum, Nancy Zacarias’ has died after losing a long battle with cancer.
She died aged just 64.
The news came just days after the Higuain, 33, and his brother Federico, 36, made MLS history after both scored in the same game in Inter Miami’s 2-1 win at Philadephia Union.
In a statement on Wednesday, April 28, Inter Miami revealed it was saddened to hear of Nancy Zacarias’ death on Monday as it offered its condolences.
The club wrote: “The Inter Miami CF family is saddened to hear of the passing of Gonzalo and Federico Higuain’s beloved mother Nancy Zacarias.
“Our deepest condolences go out to our players and their entire family during this difficult time.
“We give the Higuains our full support as they cope with their loss.”
Nancy was diagnosed with cancer in 2016 and underwent an operation the same year. The mum-of-four, whose husband Jorge was also a professional footballer, posted a selfie four weeks ago on social media, showing her with obvious hair loss as she prepared lunch at home.
Higuain’s family kept news of his mum’s illness from him because he was playing at the Copa America.
He was only told about the situation after Argentina lost a third successive major final by losing to Chile on penalties.
Higuain later revealed he came close to giving up football, saying:
“I decided immediately that I must stop playing football so that I could look after my mum.
“I suspected something was wrong at home during the Copa America, but it was still a huge shock when I was told the truth.
“I felt guilty, because I played in that final without knowing.
“My whole world came crashing down in that moment. I was not interested in anything else but my mum.
“I told her I was finished with football and if it had been down to me I would have stopped playing.
“Her reply was that when I played football it made her happy. She told me that she would not allow me to give up something I loved.
“She asked me to carry on for her – and I knew I had to grant that wish.”
Man City have one foot in the Champions League final after beating PSG 2-1 in France on Wednesday night, April 28.
City, not seen as favorites ahead of the match, shocked the football world by scoring two goals in the space of seven minutes despite going down early in the first half.
PSG played so well in the first half and a goal from Marquinhos, signalled more was to come from the parisiens but lack of efficiency in front of goal cost PSG who were playing against a City side who played with no recognized striker.
Within just two minutes PSG started their attack as Rodri lost the ball to Kylian Mbappe .
Then Neymar counter attacking, could only manage a harmless shot at Ederson while another Neymar effort was met with a decent save by City’s goalkeeper .
PSG had a corner in the 15th minute and an unmarked Marquinhos hit the absolutely perfect corner from Angel di Maria.
PSG keeper Keylor Navas, delivered an unorthodox save to keep out a hooked effort from Bernardo Silva.
Just before halftime Foden hammered a shot straight at Navas when he should have hit the shot into either corner.
PSG’s clever passing, brilliant movement and touches gave serious work to Man City defenders John Stones and Ruben Dias and the French club hoped that the second half will bring in more goals for them.
City started the second half well and not long after, De Bruyne pulled a goal back with a shock long-range effort which Keylor Navas failed to deal with in time.
City were now charging and believed at 1-1 they had the tactical advantage over their foes.
Foden won a free-kick and although De Bruyne looked certain to be the taker, City tricked PSG and let Mahrez play it.
Kimpembe and Paredes opened up their defence wall and Mahrez’s free-kick squeezed through the pair past a furious Navas.
Minutes later Gueye kicked the ankle of Gundogan and was rightly given straight red card.
City now have two away goals going into next week’s second leg at the Etihad.
Guardiola is now closer than ever to appearing in his first champions league final since 2011.
Juventus striker, Cristiano Ronaldo’s rape accuser is demanding a whooping £56million in damages.
Newly released court documents disclosed the amount Kathryn Mayorga is seeking after accusing the footballer of sexually assaulting her in a Las Vegas hotel room after meeting on a night out in 2009.
The former model wants £18m for “past pain and suffering”, £18m for “future pain and suffering” and £18m in punitive damages.
The 37-year-old’s expenses rack up to £1.4m with legal fees of £1.1m giving a total of £56.5m, which is two years of the Juventus star’s salary.
Ronaldo, 36, vigorously denies Mayorga’s claims of rape.
“I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in,” the Portuguese striker said in 2019.
In 2010 she accepted $375,000 (£270,000) as part of an out-of-court non-disclosure settlement. But three years ago, Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit in Las Vegas saying she had been “mentally incapacitated” when she agreed to it and signed it under duress.
Her legal team has filed a list of more than 60 witnesses they want to testify.
They include British former Big Brother star Jasmine Lennard, 35, who claims she dated the former Manchester United ace 10 years ago.
Also on the list are three police officers who investigated the original complaint, Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes and adviser Andy Quinn.
The Department of State Services has raised an alarm of the Indigenous People of Biafra’s Eastern Security Network acquiring bombs and explosives which they are moving from Lagos to Imo to destabilize the South-East state.
The information was conveyed in a letter with reference number, S.238/5/1538 dated April 26, 2021 and signed by I. Abdullah on behalf of the Imo State DSS Director.
In the letter addressed to the Brigade Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, Owerri, Imo State, the DSS said the explosives are being moved in articulated trucks from Lagos to a hideout in Orlu, Imo State.
It read;
“Intelligence revealed that the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra/Eastern Security Network has acquired bombs and Improvised Explosive Devices with which to further their subversive activities.
“It was reliably gathered that the newly acquired items are currently being conveyed from Lagos to an unconfirmed location in Orlu Local Government Area.
“The items are being concealed in articulated/heavy duty vehicles to beat security checks along the road. It was further revealed that the group intends to deploy the explosives in their planned attacks on security/government installations across the state.”
The Brigade commander was advised by the secret police to ensure that security operatives search all trucks coming into the state.
Reacting to the claim, IPOB’s spokesperson Emma Powerful averred that there’s no truth in the information passed on from a “zoo agent.” He told Punch that anyone or institution is free to say whatever they like about IPOB.
The IPOB Spokesperson said;
“What the DSS is saying is a huge lie. There is no iota of truth in what that Federal Government-sponsored Zoo and Caliphate agent is saying. Now, did you listen to my interview with Channels Televisions, two days ago?
“It’s just like the question the Channels Television guy asked. He asked me, ‘Who is sponsoring IPOB?’ I told him there was no single individual sponsoring IPOB. IPOB is a very gigantic movement.
“There is no truth in that allegation. Where are we moving the arms to and from where? I don’t think it is wise to continue to reply whatever this Zoo people accuse us of.”
Worried by the alarming spate of insecurity in the country, the Catholic Priest and Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Fr Ejike Mbaka, has called for the impeachment of President Buhari.
Speaking at the Adoration Ministry in Enugu recently, the clergyman wondered how the President will maintain grave silence despite the wanton killings across the country.
“Let me tell you; if it is in a civilized country, by now, President Buhari would have resigned with what is happening. Nigerians are crying because there’s no security in the country, the House of Representatives should impeach the president if he doesn’t want to resign.
A good coach cannot watch his players be defeated when he has players sitting down on the bench. It is either Buhari resigns by himself or he will be impeached.
This statement is too mysterious and supernatural, I know many people will begin to fight it, saying did you not pray for Buhari? Did Samuel not anoint Saul? Am I the creator of Buhari? God created him, Nigerians supported him because he did well sometimes. But now, how can people be dying and the chief security officer of the country will be sitting down without making any comment? Gunmen attacking people everywhere.
House of Representatives should impeach the President if he doesn’t want to resign. If the members of these two houses do not want to impeach him and they want to begin to fight Fr. Mbaka, something worse than what they never imagine would happen to the members of the House of Senate and the members of the House of Representatives. Disaster is coming”he said
WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury has vowed to quit in his corner if his fight with Anthony Joshua goes past three rounds.
Tyson Fury and Joshua are still in negotiations for an undisputed title clash in the summer but Fury in an early morning rant in his Last Vegas Hotel room on April 29 said he is so confident of an early victory against Joshua.
Fury promised the fight will not make it into the fourth round, one way or another.
Fury said: “While I’m on a rant, I may as well call out one more person; a big useless dosser, not a real fighting man, hype job, bodybuild, crossfit, big, ugly s***house.
“And that’s Anthony Joshua. AJ, if you’re out there let’s make this fight happen you big dosser, you big s***house, bum dosser.
“I’m going to smash your face in too, and there’s not one thing you can do about it. Prove me wrong sucker, prove me wrong.
“I’m No1, numero uno.”
Fury then added: “Just been thinking, another message for AJ; AJ, if you go past three rounds with me, I’ll quit in the corner.
“Because that’s how confident I am of taking you cold out in the first two, three rounds. Out, like a light switch.”
Joshua, 31, and Fury, 32, are signed to fight each other in a mouth watering multi-million dollar fight this summer but negotiations are not yet complete .
Lawmaker representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Dachung Bagos has revealed when they will call for the President’s resignation following the increased insecurity witnessed across the country.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily after the House of Representatives on inaugurated a 40-man committee to find a solution to the country’s security challenges on Wednesday April 28, Bagos said they will call for the President’s resignation if the summit’s resolutions are not acted upon by the Executive.
The member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and Deputy Chairman, Anti-Corruption committee and member of the National Security and Intelligence committee of the House of Representatives, said;
“If the Executive had implemented 30 percent of the resolution and advice the National Assembly has been giving, I can assure you we couldn’t have reached this level.
“After this summit, if nothing is done – brainstorming, spending resources to bring out solutions – if the Executive does not do anything after some months, then definitely we will call for the resignation of the President.
“We have the power to impeach the President if he can no longer secure the lives and properties of Nigerians.”
A woman has narrated how her husband, who she claims she has caught cheating many times on their matrimonial bed, butchered her because he suspected her of cheating.
Roselyne Victory O’Neill now has one arm after her left arm was amputated following attempts by her husband to stab her on her chest.
Narrating her story on Facebook, She alleged that she caught her husband cheating multiple times during courtship but she forgave him.
They married on November 24, 2018, after both checking their HIV status and submitting negative reports.
However, she claims that into the marriage, she discovered he has tested HIV positive since 2017 yet concealed the information from her.
She said she confronted him about it and he told her he owes her no explanation.
Subsequently, she took herself and their baby boy for HIV test, forgave her husband, and remained in the marriage.
Roselyne, who has a food stand in Cultural Centre Field, Calabar, said her life changed on Dec 27, 2020. She woke early that Sunday and went about her business to fend for herself, as she claims her husband spends his money on women and she’s left to cater for her needs on her own.
Since it was the festive season and most of her workers travelled for the Christmas break, she had a lot of work on her hands.
While selling food to people who returned for the Christmas holiday, she said a customer came in and she recognized him as an old friend from school. They hugged, chatted briefly, then she went about serving her other customers.
Because it was a busy day for business, she sold food till 11pm. She explained that she was too tired and sleepy by the time she was done so she called the driver who usually takes her back home but he wasn’t picking.
Her old classmate, who was still on the field with other revelers, tried to help her order a cab online but she said the cost was too expensive, so she just arranged chairs and decided to sleep at her stand that night.
She explained that this is not unusual during festive seasons and there were others also staying over at the field.
She slept off immediately and woke the next morning to shouts from her husband calling her a “prostitute” and other names.
She said that before she could defend herself, he brought out something she thought was a belt and aimed it at her chest. She blocked with her arm and that’s when she discovered it was not a belt but a knife.
He struck her arm three times before people in the field attempted to stop him.
Angered that he could not stab her on her chest, she said he then started stabbing her leg.
She lost consciousness and was then rushed to the hospital where she underwent 3 surgeries.
Her arm became infected due to the knife used to inflict the injury and had to be amputated.
She revealed that even while she was in the hospital, she discovered her husband was busy seeing other women and wouldn’t provide the full money needed for her treatment.
She says she’s done with the marriage and now calls him her “ex-husband”.
The case is in court.
Read her narration of the incident and see the graphic photos below.
A trans-border trafficker, Emeka Okoro and another drug dealer, Ibrahim Bello have been arrested in Abuja by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, with cocaine weighing 1.1kilogramme, which has a street value of N264million.
Spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, April 28, said Okoro was intercepted with 900grammes of cocaine in a commercial bus along Abuja-Gwagwalada road on Monday 26th April, 2021 based on intelligence, while Bello was nabbed with 200grammes of the illicit drug in Zuba area of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, same day through a controlled delivery operation.
According to the Commander, FCT Command of the Agency, Mohammed Malami Sokoto, Okoro was an intending traveller to Libya through Kano and Agadez in Niger Republic, with wraps of cocaine weighing 900 grammes while the other seizure of 200 grammes was equally made following intelligence on the 26th April, 2021.
“The wraps of cocaine were not to be swallowed as has always been the case, but to be concealed in Jerry cans of palm oil and transported through the border in Kano to Agadez and Libya. The suspect, Emeka Okoro revealed that this has been the trend in the past months” the FCT Commander of NDLEA disclosed.
Meanwhile, the Kogi state Command of the Agency has intercepted and seized 157.5kilogrammes of skunk concealed in false panels in a Peugeot J5 bus with registration number Lagos AGL 641 XW while a 43-year-old suspect, Christian Godwin was arrested.
The Commander, Kogi state Command of the Agency, Adewunmi Alfred, said the suspect and his consignment were intercepted at a patrol point in Lokoja, the state capital. The skunk was sourced from Ikire in Osun state and heading to Masaka in Nasarawa state before our men arrested the suspect, seized the illicit drug and the vehicle used to convey it on Monday 26th April, 2021.
In his reaction, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended officers and men of the FCT and Kogi state Commands of the Agency for their vigilance and commitment to the task of ridding the country of illicit drugs.
“These seizures and arrests in FCT and Kogi point to the fact that well continue to disrupt and dismantle the drug supply networks of these unconscionable elements and deny them the benefit of their illegal trade.” Marwa added.
Operatives of the Lagos zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 18 suspected Internet fraudsters in Lagos State.
The suspects include Ayomide Christian Balogun, Harrison Etshede, Rahim Ibrahim Ajiboye, Nwafor Ebuka, Christian Onyenachi, Egbe Emmanuel Olemuno, Okoye Charles, Moses Isaac Benjamin, and Abubakar Mukthar.
Others are Ayodele Adewusi Khalid, John Folarin Oyindamola, Oshilaja Ayomide Samson, Olayinka Samuel Juwon, Keshinro Ridwan Oluwafemi, Sulaimon Waris Titilope, Samuel Odei Olamilekan, Shen Banjo Olusayo, and Michael Olayinka Ike.
A statement issued by Wilson Uwujaren, Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, said the suspects were arrested during sting operations on both Second Gate Estate, Oke-Iranla, Ajah, Lekki, and Victoria Garden City, VGC, Lagos on April 19 and April 20.
He said they were arrested following verified intelligence on their alleged involvement in computer-related fraud.
Items recovered from the suspects include cars, mobile phones, and laptop computers.
According to EFCC, the suspects would soon be charged.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has said that Nigeria cannot afford to experience another war as everyone will suffer from it.
Speaking at an interactive forum of All Progressives Congress (APC) Anambra governorship aspirants, organized by the state chapter of APC Patriots in Abuja, the Vice President said
“The thing about the kind of conflict in this part of the world, developing countries, is that it is usually a war without end. Everyone who thinks he has some monies stored up somewhere will eventually run out of money.
Everyone who think he can go and hide somewhere, won`t even find a place to hide, at the end, everyone will suffer. Even if you don’t suffer, parents, children, young and old people and relations will suffer. We cannot afford a war in this country, we can`t afford it”.
Speaking further, he said
“I pray that our country will never know conflict, but I know that every conflict is as a result of elite failure to speak up the truth and tell the truth to their communities. At the end of the day, it is the political elite that determine what happens in every society, keeping quite could lead to a more dangerous situation” he said
A man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a jury convicted him of setting a woman’s home and car on fire after she rejected his unwanted advances.
Jerel Jay Wilson, 29, of Union City, Georgia was found guilty of simple battery and first- and second-degree arson in the attacks, which began Sept. 11, 2018, officials said.
According to Cobb prosecutors, Wilson broke into the woman’s apartment, burned her bedroom, followed her and physically attacked her after she spurned his advances.
“In 2018, jealousy and rejection left a path of destruction,” Assistant District Attorney Jared Horowitz, who prosecuted the case, said in a statement.
Authorities said on Sept. 10, Wilson had been texting the woman about her new boyfriend.
“On the morning of the 11th, he texted her a picture of the Twin Towers on fire from the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001,” Horowitz said.
That same day, Wilson broke into the woman’s apartment while she and her roommate were at work and started a fire in her bedroom, the district attorney said. Then, he stole her television, Horowitz said.
The blaze left the woman’s apartment entirely destroyed.
Weeks later, the woman unintentionally dialed Wilson’s number while she was driving a friend to the InTown Suites on Highlands Parkway, Horowitz said. After he received her call, Wilson drove there and attacked the woman, and set her car on fire.
“In both instances, security footage, the defendant’s phone, and a GPS device on his vehicle placed him at the crime scenes at the time of the arsons,” Horowitz said.
“Investigators from the Smyrna Fire Marshal’s Office also found a pawn ticket showing Wilson had pawned the stolen television on the same day it was stolen. The investigation further revealed that after the second fire, Wilson sent the woman a text saying, ‘I apologize.’”
A superior court judge sentenced Wilson over the weekend, citing his “lack of concern and insight for his conduct.” In addition to 20 years behind bars, Wilson will have to serve 10 years on probation and follow a permanent protective order prohibiting him from having any contact with the victim.
Former England international, John Fashanu has advised Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr to shun bringing back retired Odion Ighalo into the national team.
According to John Fashanu, the return of the former Manchester United striker to the Super Eagles team could make younger strikers like Kelechi Iheanacho, Paul Onuachu and Victor Osimhen ‘depressed’.
Ighalo retired after helping the Super Eagles finish third at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where he emerged as the tournament’s top scorer.
Since his retirement, Nigeria has relied on Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and most recently Genk’s Paul Onuachu, a decision that has helped the West African side book their place at the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Rohr revealed recently he was considering bringing back Ighalo who now plays for Saudi Professional League club Al Shabab.
“The answer is simple. The answer is when you look at the age of all the players that you speak about, they are all young, and also we need experience,” Rohr told Elegbete TV.
“And if, for example, Odion Ighalo will play with us – I don’t know if it’s possible for the moment, but perhaps if he’s coming back, I think players like Osimhen and even Kelechi Iheanacho could have a big help in the presence of Ighalo to learn, to progress, to see his professionalism.
“He’s a great professional, a big example for everybody, and he’s also a great goalscorer. We are very young, especially in the attack, and it could be good to have some more experience with us.”
However, Fashanu in a new interview says Rohr should stick to the status quo.
“Experience in football counts but we don’t want to do anything to upset the young boys or make them a little bit depressed,” Fashanu told the Punch.
“The only thing Ighalo has to offer to the national team is his experience, it is not his ability because there are players who are far better than him and we know that.
“If Rohr wants to bring him in because he stabilizes the squad, it is fine. I remember when I was in my 30s and the manager kept bringing me back, it wasn’t because I was a great player but I gave the team confidence. And that might also be the reason why Rohr wants to bring him back but other than that his time is gone.
“Ighalo is in his 30s and in Nigeria we have fantastic prospects that are fighting to get that spot but not all of them can make the squad.
“If you keep playing the older players it is at the detriment of the younger players. It is high time we start seeing 17, 18-year-old geniuses in the national team.
“Where there is no talent the coach may consider bringing him back but there are so many talents and it would be very wrong to bring him back at this stage.”
Liverpool’s accounts for the 2019/20 season have been released, revealing a £46 million loss amid the Covid-19 crisis which has paralyzed world sports.
Last season, Liverpool won their first Premier League title, accumulating 99 points – the second-most in the league’s history.
But funds gained from their win has not been enough to curb the impact of the COVID-19 crisis as most games were played behind closed doors, severely reducing matchday and media revenue.
Liverpool’s media revenue decreased by £59m during the first three months of the pandemic, while their matchday revenue suffered a drop of £13m. Overall, their income decreased by £43m, leading to a pre-tax loss of £46m.
However, the club managed to boost their commercial revenue by £29m as a result of new partnerships deals being signed, renewals with Nivea and Carlsberg, record sales of the club’s Nike kit, and new retail stores in Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand.
It is estimated that the pandemic has cost Liverpool around £120m in revenue.
“Slay”, a new blockbuster movie that was released on Netflix globally on April 26th, 2021 is enjoying rave reviews from fans and doing great numbers on the platform.
In less than 24-hours after its release, “Slay” peaked at the Number 1 position on Netflix Nigeria and South Africa. “Slay” is also currently sitting pretty on the 5th position on Netflix Jamaica
Produced by Elvis Chucks, “Slay” features a star-studded cast of African legends which includes Amanda Dupont, Ramsey Noah, Dawn Thandeka, Enhle Mbali, Fabian Lojede, Lilian Dube, Trevor Gumbi, Tumi Morake, Idris Sultan, Leroy Gopal, Joe Kazadi and Kabomo Vilakazi, the movie Slay tells the story of girls who prey on older, promiscuous men.
The movie further sheds light on tales of girls who want to appear as if they come from a wealthy background when they in fact, are living in poverty. Some say they are merely attractive girls who get given what they want whether they’ve asked for it or not. Or is it simply girls who slay at everything they do. They have the best in everything.
Slay is produced by Diamond Groove Pictures and directed by Adze Ugah whose previous works include Isibaya, Jacob’s Cross, Yizo Yizo, Isithembiso & Mrs Right guy.
Chelsea have a narrow advantage in the Champions League semi-finals after playing out an impressive 1-1 draw with Real Madrid on Tuesday night, April 27.
The match which took place at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, saw Chelsea play with a high-intensity first half, one would have wondered if they were playing at home.
In Chelsea’s line up, Cesar Azpilicueta captained the side from wing-back, with Ben Chilwell on the left flank, and a front three of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner was backed up by a defensive pairing of Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen, ahead of goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Spanish giants, Real Madrid played with a back thre, with key midfielder Toni Kroos returning to their team’s line up. While former Blues players Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard we’re on the team sheet with Hazard coming from the bench later on.
For Chelsea, Mateo Kovacic was the only player unavailable, as injury prevented him from facing his former club, meaning Jorginho and N’Golo Kante continued as the midfield pairing with Thomas Tuchel keeping faith in the same starting line-up that defeated West Ham United on Saturday.
Timo Werner had already forced a good save from former Blues goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois when Pulisic found the net inside the first 15 minutes. After bringing down Antonio Rudiger’s settled pass in the box, the winger showed great composure to dribble past Courtois and send a shot between the two defenders guarding the net.
But Madrid playing at home with their massively experienced head coach Zinedine Zidane equalized after striker Karim Benzema, pulled them level from a corner soon after clipping the outside of the post with an effort from range.
Both teams tussled and toiled in the second half but after the interval both teams couldn’t live up to the hype as it remained goalless in the second half .
Chelsea will now take their slender away goal advantage into next week’s return leg at Stamford Bridge.
A 36-year-old man had his penis and testicles cut off by his niece’s boyfriend after he allegedly tried to rape her, according to reports.
The man, from Olhos D’Agua in Brazil, was drunk when he allegedly attempted to attack his 20-year-old niece who managed to fight off his advances and fled before he then staggered home and went to sleep.
Enraged, the niece’s boyfriend and his cousin did not call the police and took matters into their own hands.
The pair asked him if he could join them in a nearby sugarcane field where they planned to castrate some pigs but the two men attacked him instead, it is reported.
After beating him unconscious, they removed his trousers and cut off his penis and testicles, reports allege.
When the man regained consciousness, he called an ambulance and was taken to Doutor Gil Alves Municipal Hospital in Bocaiuva, where medics managed to stop the bleeding, saving his life.
Surgeons then struggled to reconstruct his urinary tract, so that the man could relieve himself, but they say there is no hope of replacing anything that he lost after it was apparently thrown to the pigs and eaten.
According to police officer Michael Stephan da Silva, the force searched for the missing penis but did not find it and believed it had indeed been eaten by the animals.
Surgeon Felipe Lobo said: “It was like something out of a scene from a Dante novel.
Surgeon
“His penis and scrotum had been severed and his external genitalia was completely missing.
“All we could do was stem the bleeding, give him a blood transfusion and clean the wound.”
The man is now on antibiotics and will be able to leave the hospital in two to four days.
The two suspects have been arrested. It is unclear if the man whose genitals were removed is to be charged with attempted rape.
India’s coronavirus death toll passed 200,000 on Wednesday April 28, with more than 3,000 fatalities reported in just 24 hours, as the World Health Organization warned that a variant of Covid-19 to be contributing to a surge in cases in India has been found in 17 countries.
A total of 201,187 people have now died, 3,293 of them in the past day, according to health ministry data, although experts suspect that the true toll is higher.
India has now reported 18 million infections, an increase of 360,000 in 24 hours, which is a new world record. This month alone the country has added almost six million new cases.
The rapid rises in cases have been blamed on a new virus variant as well as mass political and religious events, which has overwhelmed hospitals with dire shortages of beds, drugs, and oxygen.
The worsening health crisis came as the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that the new Covid-19 variant, identified as B.1.617, had been detected in over 1,200 sequences uploaded to the GISAID open-access database “from at least 17 countries”.
“Most sequences were uploaded from India, the United Kingdom, USA and Singapore,” the WHO said in its weekly epidemiological update on the pandemic on Tuesday.
Michael Collins, the command pilot of the first crewed mission to the moon, has died aged 90 following a “valiant battle” with cancer.
Collins was the command pilot of Apollo 11 in the first crewed mission to the moon with Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin.
His family said in a statement: “We will miss him terrible. Yet we also know how lucky Mike felt to have lived the life he did.
“Please join us fondly in remembering his sharp wit, his quiet sense of purpose, and his wise perspective, gained both from looking back from Earth from the vantage of space.”
“We regret to share that our beloved father and grandfather passed away today, after a valiant battle with cancer.
“He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side.
“We will miss him terribly.
“Please join us in fondly and joyfully remembering his sharp wit, his quiet sense of purpose, and his wise perspective, gained both from looking back at Earth from the vantage of space and gazing across calm waters from the deck of his fishing boat.”
On July 16, 1969, Collins was launched to the Moon in the Apollo 11 mission with commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Edwin Aldrin.
Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon in the lunar module Eagle on July 20 while Collins remained in the command module Columbia, circling the Moon at an altitude of 97–121 km (60–75 miles).
Mr Collins was a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, New York.
He joined the space program in 1963 after transferring to the air force, becoming a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
On July 21 Armstrong and Aldrin rejoined him, and the following day the astronauts left lunar orbit. They splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.
Neil Armstrong died on August 25, 2012, while Buzz Aldrin is 90 and living in Florida.
The Armstrong Air & Space Museum tweeted its condolences saying, “Neil gained another crew member today”.The Armstrong Air & Space Museum is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of #Apollo11 astronaut Michael Collins. We take comfort in knowing that Neil Armstrong now has another crew member and friend in the exploration of this final frontier.”
31 prisoners are on the run after a prison truck transporting them to court was hijacked by heavily armed gunmen in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, South Africa on Wednesday morning, April 28.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, who confirmed the incident said that at around 8am, two police officers were transporting prisoners from the PMB New Prison to the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court when they were blocked off by a double cab bakkie with 5 “heavily armed” gunmen.
“The suspects pointed firearms at the police officers and forced open the rear of the truck. 31 awaiting trial prisoners escaped out of the 45 that were in the truck. A manhunt is under way for the escapees,” Naicker stated.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has blamed the country’s current security challenges on the1975 coup d’état which overthrew Yakubu Gowon and brought Murtala Muhammed to power.
Sharing moments from a town-hall meeting on national security organised by the federal government in an interview on Channels Television, the Minister narrated how the Gowon government was planning to ensure free and compulsory primary education for children of school age.
Lai Mohammed who claimed that failure to execute the plan is responsible for Nigeria’s large number of out-of-school children, added that insecurity in Nigeria has been heightened by the militant and insurgent groups having a ready army to recruit from the country’s 13.2 million out-of-school children.
He said;
“The fact is that in 1973, we were informed by the lead discussant and that the government of the day then had a retreat and said there must be a national pledge that what is that thing that we must do to ensure that we did not go through another civil war.
“The government of that day came out with a decision that what will prevent another civil war is to ensure that anybody born after January 1970 has free and compulsory primary education,” Mohammed said.
“Regrettably that administration was overthrown two years later and all the lofty ideas and all the preparations that were needed to ensure that every child of school age acquired free and compulsory education were jettisoned.
“And we are paying the price today because if you have 13.2 million children of school-age out of school that is the market which Boko Haram, bandits, IPOB and other militants, that is the market where they recruit people.”
The Minister also said it was resolved at the meeting that all three levels of government “must ensure that we go back to that and ensure at least free primary education for the first nine years for each child”.
Former Manchester United footballer, Ryan Giggs has pleaded not guilty to all three charges against him during his appearance at the court on Wednesday, April 28.
Giggs, 47, denied a charge he was violent and engaged in behaviour towards his ex-girlfriend including isolation, belittling, humiliation, harassment, degradation, and abuse, a court heard.
He also entered a not guilty plea of actual bodily harm to PR executive Kate Greville, 36, at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester on 1 November last year.
The Wales manager has also been charged with the common assault of Emma Greville, understood to be Ms. Greville’s younger sister, during the same alleged incident.
The charge of controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship alleges the abuse lasted almost three years, between December 2017 and November 2020.
Giggs appeared in the dock at Manchester Magistrates’ Court for his first court appearance as the three charges against him were read out and he entered his not guilty pleas.
He spoke only to confirm his name, address, and enter his not guilty pleas, and has been bailed to appear at Manchester Crown Court on 26 May.
His conditions of bail are he must not contact Kate or Emma Greville or go to any address where they are.
The hearing, lasting 13 minutes, dealt with procedural matters as the case was sent to the crown court for a further hearing.
On Friday, Giggs released a statement, saying he had “full respect for the due process of law and understand the seriousness of the allegations”.
He added: “I will plead not guilty in court and look forward to clearing my name.
“I would like to wish Robert Page, the coaching staff, the players and the supporters every success at the Euros this summer.”
Referencing his replacement as Wales manager for this summer’s European Championships, he said: “I would like to wish Robert Page, the coaching staff, the players and the supporters every success at the Euros this summer.”
Giggs was told he will have to appear at crown court on May 26.
Giggs won 64 caps for Wales and had a glittering playing career with Manchester United, winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and three League Cups
Arsenal youngster, Bukayo Saka has been named Young Player of the Year at the 2021 London Football Awards.
The English winger, 19, saw off strong competition from Mason Mount, Declan Rice, Emile Smith Rowe, and Reece James to win the award at a virtual ceremony on Tuesday night, April 27.
Accepting his award, the four-cap Three Lions international said: “I’m really happy to win this award.
“I want to say a big thank you to everyone for your support and of course another big thank you to everyone who voted for me.
“I promise to keep giving my all on the pitch to make you happy and keep you entertained.”
Saka, who has become a talisman under coach Mikel Arteta is being tipped for a place in the England squad at Euro 2020 in the summer following a brilliant season for club and country.
Nominees for the award were selected by an expert judging panel from the worlds of football and media, from former players to major footballing bodies and sports media, including The Evening Standard, Sky Sports, BBC, The Daily Telegraph, and talkSPORT.
Tottenham striker, Harry Kane has been crowned Premier League Player of the Year at the London Football Awards.
The England international, 27, beat off competition from team-mate Heung-Min Son, West Ham duo Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek and Chelsea’s Mason Mount to win the award after scoring an impressive 21 goals and 13 assists in the league this season.
With five matches remaining, the England captain is leading the race for the Golden Boot with 21 goals and has the most assists in the top-flight with 13.
If he maintains both leads, he would be the first player to be complete the double in the Premier League era.
Kane’s award was one of 10 announced on Tuesday night at a virtual ceremony hosted by Harry Pinero and Alex Scott.
The boxing exhibition between Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul, is now set to take place June 6 from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Mayweather, a five-weight world champion with a 50-0 record, was originally due to take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul on February 20, before it was postponed.
Announcing the fight on Instagram, Mayweather wrote: “Me and Logan Paul will be fighting at the Hardrock Stadium.
Mayweather last fought professionally in August 2017 when he stopped UFC star Conor McGregor in the 10th round. It was McGregor’s first and, only professional boxing match.
Mayweather also took on Japanese kickboxer and mixed martial artist Tenshin Nasukawa in an exhibition match in December 2018, recording a first-round knockout.
Paul has only one fight on his record, a split-decision loss to fellow YouTuber KSI in November 2019.
Music mogul, JAY-Z, has revealed how he has been living with his family and staying productive during quarantine.
Over the first few months of 2021, Jay-Z has launched his own cannabis brand, sold half of his champagne brand Armand de Brignac to LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and sold a majority ownership stake in TIDAL to Square, Inc.
In a rare interview with The Sunday Times to promote his partnership with Puma as creative director, Jay-Z, 51, discussed his life in lockdown with Beyoncé and their three children.
“In the beginning it was time for everyone to sit down and really connect, and really focus on family and being together, and take this time to learn more about each other,” says JAY-Z.
“And then, as it wore on, it’s like, ‘OK, all right, what is the new normal?’”
“If anything came from this,” Jay says of the pandemic, “it’s that we have to recognize that we’re all connected. It’s a metaphor for how connected we are.”
He also revealed he has no plans to tour in the near future.
“I’m not planning it, but I’m definitely missing it,” he says.
During the zoom call interview, Jay takes a moment to acknowledge his youngest daughter off camera. “Hiii, beautiful!” he says while blowing kisses.
“That’s my youngest daughter, Rumi.”
Despite his many businesses Jay-Z says family remains his “foundation.”
“Feeling loved is the most important thing a child needs, you know? Not ‘Here’s this business that I’m going to hand over to you, that I’m creating for you,’” says JAY-Z.
“What if my child doesn’t want to be in music or sports? I have no idea, right? But as long as your child feels supported, and feels loved, I think anything is possible.”
He adds, “Just make sure we provide a loving environment, be very attentive to who they want to be. It’s easy for us, as human beings, to want our children to do certain things, but we have no idea. We’re just guides.”
Following the trial of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd’s murder, Jay-Z says says there’s still a long way to go but acknowledges that progress has been made.
“As a human race we’re still on basic things. We’re still on Stop Asian Hate. We can’t sit and cry over spilt milk, but we do have to acknowledge that there’s milk, right?” he says, adding, “Are we here today? No. Are we further than 50 years ago? Yes.”
Although he rarely uses social media, Jayz says its necessary for today’s stars.
“You can’t give someone a microphone for 24 hours a day and [have them] not think they have to use it!” he says. “These kids, it’s unbelievable. Imagine having a microphone and you’re asked about social justice questions at 18 years old?
It’s like, ‘What? I’m meant to know the answer, and if I don’t answer the correct way, if I don’t say everything right, even if my intentions are right, and I don’t say the same right thing, it’s going to be everywhere.’”
Speaking about how he’ll like to be remembered Jay Z said;. “I have no idea,”
“I’m not beyond ego, right? Hopefully they speak of me [with] the names of Bob Marley and all the greats. But that’s not for me to say.”
When asked what he’s most proud of, he responds, “I’m most proud of overcoming my circumstances and providing opportunity for people who look like me and who came from the same situation that I’ve come from.”
“He was targeted and killed after some of the Igbo he was fighting for gave out his details to the security forces,” a source explained.
The Nigerian Army ‘s operation against the Eastern Security Network and Indigenous People of Biafra in Awomama Village, Oru East Local Government Area of Imo State was aided by local informants which led to the killing of top commander, Ikonso Don, and others, SaharaReporters has learnt.
Sources told SaharaReporters that Ikonso was also given away by some of his photographs shared on social media as well as by one of his friends, who had been in touch with security agencies for weeks, if not months.
“Ikonso Don was a well-known hardcore IPOB member. When the ESN was launched, he joined and participated in several operations, rising to later become a commander. He was going to his village in Umuoma alongside other ESN members when they were ambushed.
“He was targeted and killed after some of the Igbo he was fighting for gave out his details to the security forces,” a source explained.
“His photographs were also shared on social media by a friend and he was given away as the ESN commander. That was the same place his photograph with Nnamdi Kanu was obtained,” another source revealed.
On Saturday, the army stated that its troops and the police intelligence team killed Ikonso, known as Vice President, and six IPOB commanders who worked for the Eastern Security Network in a raid the operatives carried out on the “operational Headquarters of the IPOB/ESN terrorists in Awomama village.”
The army had confirmed that an officer and three policemen were also shot dead by the ESN during the gun battle on Saturday.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig Gen Mohammed Yerima, released a photograph of Ikonso with IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, as well as of the shrine where the ESN and IPOB fighters reportedly gathered in Oru East.
The army spokesman had revealed that they had been on the trail of Ikonso and other ESN commanders for weeks before he was finally captured.
“The IRT and DSS teams along with troops of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army have been on the trail of the terror group since the unfortunate attacks on the Imo State Police Command and the Owerri Correctional Center on April 5.
“The said Ikonso Commander, who was the mastermind of those attacks in addition to multiple attacks in the South-East and South-South regions, was neutralised along with six of his top Commanders.
“The joint intelligence team had earlier interviewed several arrested IPOB/ESN terrorists in connection with the April 5 attacks and they all confessed that Ikonso Commander who was named as Vice President by their leader, Nnamdi Kanu, was the one that mobilised men and resources as well as ordered and orchestrated the attacks on Owerri.
“They equally revealed that Ikonso was responsible for many other attacks on police stations across the two geo-political zones. The intelligence team later tracked the IPOB/ESN top leader to his exact location in Awomama village where he (Ikonson) and his commanders were hibernating and plotting dastardly acts against the Nigerian state.
“The neutralised Ikonso Commander had on several occasions posed for photographs with the fugitive leader of IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu,” the army stated.
IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, said on Sunday that Ikonso was truly ambushed.
“Yesterday (Saturday), our commander went to his village. They ambushed him with some politicians. They ordered the military to kill him. In Imo State, they arrested more than 50 people. They have been going to people’s houses to arrest them; in Anambra, they arrested so many people; in Abia, they arrested so many people,” he stated.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has warned Nigerians against what it described as any investment that promises returns that looks too good to be true.
“Though risk-taking is considered by some as the oxygen that drives investment decisions, the commission warns the public against taking unmitigated risk in desperation to earn a windfall.
“Investment in Bitcoin, for instance, is a high risk activity as the terrain is largely unregulated, and prone to fraud,” the anti-graft agency said.
EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, who gave the warning in Abuja, said the commission was alarmed at the rate Nigerians send petitions to the anti-corruption agency on fraudulent investments that promise high return with little risks to investors. x
According to EFCC, Nigerians are losing, money to Ponzi schemes, forex trading and most recently, Bitcoin trading, compounding the nation’s economic woes.
To the EFCC spokesman, the trend indicates that investment scams continue to thrive despite enforcement and public enlightenment interventions by the commission and other stakeholders.
“While EFCC will continue to investigate and prosecute persons complicit in fraudulent investment schemes, it is incumbent on the investing public to be circumspect in their investment decisions..”
MEANWHILE, EFCC has reminded civil society organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that it is mandatory to report to the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) any transaction through any formal financial channels in excess of $10,000 and any cash donations in excess of $1,000.
The Head of EFCC, Lagos Zonal Office, Ahmed Ghali, who stated this in Ikeja, Lagos at a seminar jointly organised by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa, (GIABA) warned that “failure to do this is punishable by the law.”
Delivering a paper entitled “The Role of NGOs and CSOs in Countering Terrorism Financing in Nigeria”, Ghali warned that the law would not spare any such group that allows itself to be used as a tool for perpetrating money laundering or terrorism financing in Nigeria.
“The varied funding sources and the ability of NGOs and CSOs to process large amounts of cash to beneficiaries and regularly transmitting funds between jurisdictions make them prone to money laundering and financing of terrorism,” the EFCC official said. According to him, both the CSOs and NGOs have critical roles to play in curbing money laundering and terrorism financing in Nigeria.
Nigerians have expressed worries over the deteriorating security challenges, stating the country is ‘sitting on a keg of gunpowder.’
The Nation has reported about several cases of insecurity across Nigeria with killings and kidnapping at alarming rate.
Apart from the activities of the terrorist group Boko Haram in the Northeast, armed bandits routinely attack communities in Northwest, killing and kidnapping residents.
Kidnapping for ransom, gunmen attacks, attacking policemen, military and police formation/checkpoints, burning of police stations and attacks by armed herdsmen have become commonplaces in many other parts of Nigeria.
Nigerians expressed concerns on social media that killings, kidnapping and other nefarious activities have become daily occurrences in the country.
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari to do more to stop Boko Haram terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements threatening national security.
Some others sued for peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.
Popular Comedian, DeboMacaroni said: “It’s no longer a question of whether people die daily in Nigeria due to the high rate of insecurity emboldened by a very unresponsive and reprehensible Government. The question is how many will continue to die daily?”
Social Commentator Tosin Olugbenga lamented: “In all my life as a Nigerian, this nation has never been this unsecured.
“When incompetent Buhari took over insecurity was largely concentrated in the north east but now it has spread like wildfire to every part of the nation. This is the change APC brought upon the nation.”
Public Affairs commentator Hamma Hayatu tweeted: “Nigeria has never been this unsecured. When Buhari took over insecurity was largely concentrated in the north east but now almost every region is battling with some sort of insecurity. We are now worse off under APC.”
Francis Adeboye argued: “Buhari knew the solutions to Nigeria’s insecurity when he wasn’t President. El-Rufai complained about their security recommendations not being adopted. APC clamored about knowing how to tackle insecurity. Then, they came into power & suddenly forgot the solutions & approaches.”
Popular On-Air personality Osi Suave noted: “This govt came into power on the back of solving the insecurity mess. And it’s even worse now. The President and his govt cannot continue to bury its head in the sand as people are killed and properties destroyed day in day out.”
Another social commentator Dr. Ayo Sogunro lampooned the Federal Government saying: “The stages of fighting Boko Haram: 1 – Boko Haram kills, destroys, and seizes territory. 2 – Buhari’s govt claims to have defeated Boko Haram. 3 – Boko Haram transfers a few ‘captured’ men to Buhari’s govt for ‘rehab’ and stops for a while.”
Nagelsmann told the club’s official website: “I will leave RB Leipzig with a heavy heart. I’ve been able to coach a special team here at a club with huge opportunities and the best possible conditions to work in. Everybody here, including the staff who work alongside the team, have ensured that we’ve written plenty of stories for the club’s history books and are continuing to do so now. I’m really proud of that.”
RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff said: “There has been a lot of activity over the past few days regarding the role as head coach of FC Bayern Munich. Following this, Julian Nagelsmann approached us and expressed in open talks that it is a lifelong dream of his to become coach of FC Bayern, and that he would like to make the move to Munich if the opportunity presented itself after the end of this season.
“Julian has taken a fantastic path in Leipzig and developed the club very successfully. He has not only improved individual players but has also taken the team as a collective to the next level.”
UEFA has launched an investigation into allegations that football star, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has a financial interest in a betting company.
In sports, it is a very big crime for sports men, coaches or managers to have betting companies or be involved in betting and if found guilty such a person could be banned from the sport or given a hefty fine.
Ibrahimovic, 39, signed a a new deal with AC Milan last week. However, UEFA has appointed an inspector to look into the allegations that he’s financially involved with a gambling company.
In a statement on its website, UEFA said: “In accordance with Article 31(4) of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector has today been appointed to conduct a disciplinary investigation regarding a potential violation of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations by Mr. Zlatan Ibrahimovic for having an alleged financial interest in a betting company.
“Further information regarding this matter will be made available in due course.”
The probe comes following a report in Ibrahimovic’s native Sweden that said he could be hit with a ban on account of reports earlier in April alleging Ibrahimovic’s company Unknown AB owns shares in Bethard gambling company.
Pornhub CEO Feras Antoon’s £11m mansion has gone up in flames in a suspected arson attack.
The mansion was under construction and recently put up for sale boasting eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and plans for multiple elevators in Montreal in Quebec, Canada.
Police found the 1.4 acre property ablaze after receiving reports of two people spotted trespassing there at 11.30pm on Sunday, April 25.
Neighbours were evacuated as more than 80 firefighters tackled the flames in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville neighbourhood, DailyStar reports.
No one was hurt but the fire caused “major” damage to the mansion before it was under control by 2.30am.
Police spokesman Julien Lévesque told VICE: “Police officers who arrived on site were able to see that the fire began inside the residence.
“Earlier this morning… our arson squad from Montreal police took charge of the investigation. They were onsite this morning to analyse all the scene, meet some witnesses to try to understand what was the cause and the circumstances of the beginning of this fire.”
Feras, who is the CEO of Mindgeek Canadian operations – the company that owns Pornhub, said in a statement: “Over the weekend, a fire occurred at my residence.
“The residence was under construction. I am grateful that my family and I and our neighbours are safe. Out of respect for the ongoing police investigation, I will not be commenting further.”
Italian police said on Monday, April 26, they had arrested 30 suspected members of the Nigerian Black Axe mafia gang that have been operating in many regions of the country.
The Black Axe members, including their alleged leader, were detained in Italy after a series of raids around the country, police have said.
All those seized were Nigerian nationals. The suspects face almost 100 charges, including mafia association, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, prostitution, computer fraud and money laundering, which involved cryptocurrency, police said in a statement on Monday.
The operation – codenamed “Hello Bross” – involved state police, as well as officers in Rome, Rieti, Bari, Caserta, Naples, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena, Catania, Genoa, Messina, Potenza and Terni.
Reporting the development, RT alleged that the “Black Axe mafia has attained a reputation for ritual murders, mutilation and rape since originating in Africa in the 1990s.”
Police said they had arrested a 35-year-old man who led the Italian “branch” of Black Axe from his home in the city of L’Aquila in the central Abruzzo region. The gang’s parent organization is managed from Nigeria.
“There is evidence that the members had a direct connection with the Nigerian gang, drawing on the same vocabulary, symbols and affiliation rituals,” police said.
Most of the suspects’ alleged crimes are web-based scams, including using bitcoin to buy the numbers of cloned credit cards on the dark web for online shopping.
Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese said Italy was showing its determination to tackle organised crime, Reuters reports.
