Author: Festus Adeloye

Barcelona winger Raphinha said Tuesday that potential future signings might be put off from joining the Catalan giants because of the Dani Olmo registration debacle. Financially-struggling Barca are frantically battling to get the Spanish playmaker licensed for the second half of the season after his registration ran out at the end of 2024 and earlier efforts were rebuffed twice in court. The Catalan club took their case to Spain’s top sports court on Tuesday but until there is a verdict or a temporary measure grants them new licences, are set to be without Olmo and striker Pau Victor. Both have…

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission charged former Chief of Staff to Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Saidu with money laundering before the Federal High Court in the state on Tuesday. According to the charge sheet, Saidu, who also served as Commissioner of Finance in Kaduna State, allegedly accepted a cash payment of N155,000,000 from one Ibrahim Muktar, a public officer in the Ministry of Finance, exceeding the amount authorized by law. The ICPC alleged that the transaction took place in March 2022 and that Saidu received the cash through his Special Assistant,…

President Bola Tinubu, alongside former Nigerian leaders Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, joined a host of African dignitaries on Tuesday in Accra for the historic inauguration of Ghana’s new president, John Mahama. Mahama, who previously served as Ghana’s president, returned to office after succeeding Nana Akufo-Addo, his successor in 2017. The ceremony also marked a groundbreaking moment as Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was sworn in as Ghana’s first female vice president. Addressing the audience, Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering support for Ghana under Mahama’s leadership, describing him as a leader of “patriotic vision and substance.” He called for unity among African nations,…

Justice K. B. Olawoyin, presiding over Court 8 of the Oyo State High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, has fixed Tuesday, January 13, to deliver his ruling on the bail application filed by Ooni of Ife’s ex-queen, Naomi Silekunola, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and Abdulahi Fasasi. Hamzat is the proprietor of Agidigbo FM, an Ibadan-based radio station; while Fasasi is the Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan. They are currently standing trial over the stampede which occurred during a Christmas funfair at Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, in December 2024. The incident claimed the lives of no fewer than 35 children.…

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the historic leader of France’s far-right, died on Tuesday aged 96, his family told AFP. Le Pen, who had been in a care home for several weeks, died at midday (1100 GMT) Tuesday “surrounded by his loved ones”, the family said in a statement. Le Pen, the co-founder of the National Front, sent shockwaves through France in 2002 when he made it to the second round of the presidential election on a staunch anti-immigration platform. He was often accused of racism and anti-Semitism and infamously dismissed the Holocaust as a detail of history. His daughter Marine Le…

The Ondo State Police Command has disclosed that a total of 19 people have been arrested in connection with the cult clash which occurred on Monday, in Owo town, the Owo Local Government Area of the state. No fewer than four persons were killed during the clash which ensued between two rival cult groups in the community. As a result, the state government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the community as part of efforts to douse the tension. The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Wilfred Afolabi, who visited the community on Tuesday disclosed that 19 people have been apprehended in connection with the incident,…

The Police Command in Abia State has demoted a police corporal to a constable over his involvement in unprofessional conduct and incivility to members of the public. The command’s spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, confirmed the demotion in a statement on Tuesday. According to the spokesperson, the decision followed the conclusion of an administrative action in which he was tried in an orderly room and found guilty of discreditable and unprofessional conduct and incivility to members of the public. “The Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, CP Danladi Isa, in alignment with the vision of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), to…

Disengaged staff members of the Central Bank of Nigeria who were relieved of their jobs in a mass layoff last year have dragged the bank before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria in Abuja. In an originating summons, filed on July 4, 2024, under the NICN Civil Procedure Rules 2017, the aggrieved staff members raised several questions for determination. The Ex-CBN staff members among others, are asking the court to determine whether they were denied their constitutional right to a fair hearing before and after their appointments were terminated while they claimed that the CBN violated internal policies, Nigerian labour…

John Mahama has taken the oath of office as Ghana’s new president in a ceremony attended by world leaders. Mahama was sworn in at Independence Square in Accra, the Ghanaian capital on Tuesday. The new president took over from Nana Akufo-Ado who succeeded him in 2017. Before Mahama’s swearing-in, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was inaugurated as the country’s first female vice president. The Chief Justice of Ghana Gertrude Torkornoo administered the oath of office at the event. The duo won the election held in December with Mahama returning to the post he left seven years ago with a mission to revive…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the country is at “moderate” risk for Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV).  In a public health advisory, the agency said the Federal Government is closely monitoring the outbreak of the virus and is taking safety measures to “strengthen the country’s preparedness and response capacity”. The NCDC said it conducted a risk assessment for the HMPV in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC), and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). “The assessment classified the risk of…