Army nabs ‘four traffickers’ travelling with 19 children

The Nigerian army on Saturday said that it has intercepted four child traffickers with 19 under-aged children in Yobe.

Sani Usman, army spokesman, confirmed this in a statement.
He said the four traffickers, who were arrested by of troops of Bravo Company, 120 Battalion at Katarko, were conveying the 19 children from Potiskum to Garin Tuwo, Bungai and Buni Yadi in Gujba local government area of Yobe and Galarabala in Biu local government area of Borno.

“Both the suspected traffickers and their victims have been moved to the Brigade Headquarters for transfer to National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons,” the army spokesman said.
Usman also confirmed the arrest of a suspected Boko Haram terrorist, Aliyu Ahmed, alias “Aliko”.

Usman said in the statement said that “Aliko” was arrested on Friday by troops of 33 Brigade following a tip off in Yuga village in Toro local government area of Bauchi, where he has been in hiding.

“He was found to be in possession of one single barrel gun and one Dane gun,” he said.
“During preliminary interrogation, he confessed that he actively participated in several Boko Haram terrorists’ attacks and also owned an AK-47 Rifle which lost during one of the attacks they carried out in 2016. His interrogation continued.” - The Cable

Two in hospital after 16 'Iraqis' found in back of lorry in sweltering conditions

Two men have been taken to hospital after 16 people believed to be Iraqi nationals were found in the back of a lorry in sweltering conditions.

Police said they waved to alert passing motorists who flagged down the driver to stop on the A22 in East Grinstead, West Sussex.

The 13 men, two women and a child were released from the lorry by emergency teams.

Two of the men were taken to hospital suffering from dehydration. Water and medical treatment were provided to the others.

A 63-year-old man who was driving the lorry was arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and is now in police custody.

Officers said it was vital they reacted quickly in getting the nationals out of the lorry as temperatures in the area soared to 25C.

Sergeant William Keating-Jones, of Sussex Police, said: "Our priority was for the welfare of the occupants who were in the back of the lorry. The vehicle was exceptionally hot and it was important we reacted quickly.

"This was a great multi-agency response to a potentially life-threatening situation, with emergency services, immigration officials, volunteers and even local residents all pulling together.

"We were also mindful of causing minimal disruption to motorists, and the road was closed for about 20 minutes while we were at the scene." - Sky News 

Europe's dilemma - how to deal with returning jihadists

Europe is struggling to respond to the challenge posed by the thousands of jihadists who travelled to the battlefields of Syria or Iraq and have now begun to return home.

Of the around 27,000 foreign fighters believed to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to take up arms alongside extremist groups such as the Islamic State, around 5,000-6,000 are estimated to be European.

But with some slipping in and out of Europe unnoticed, the exact figure is unknown.
The EU's anti-terrorism coordinator, Gilles de Kerchove, believes that between 2,000 and 2,500 European nationals or residents are still in the Middle East but are likely to return as anti-IS fighters close in on the jihadists' last strongholds such as Raqqa in Syria.

"The most recent figures suggest that 15 percent to 20 percent of European fighters have died there, 30-35 percent have already come back and around 50 percent are still in Syria and Iraq," De Kerchove wrote in a recent report.
Those who have not returned home are holed up "in pockets of resistance in neighbouring countries or will travel to other conflict zones", he added.

'Desire to attack' 

The EU's security commissioner Julian King said in March that the jihadist threat "will remain high in the coming months and years, particularly as events in Syria, Iraq and Libya unfold".
Some of the foreign fighters will attempt to return to EU countries, "some with the intention of planning and executing potential future attacks", he said.

Although attacks this year in Stockholm, Manchester and London were carried out by "homegrown" extremists who had not fought in Iraq and Syria, security services fear battle-hardened extremists pose a high risk.

According to a count by AFP's European bureaus, based on official estimates, around 1,500 jihadists have already returned to their home countries or countries of residence.
They are often either put in prison, or placed under surveillance, sometimes with stringent conditions and sometimes in de-radicalisation programmes whose success remains unproven for the time being.

French journalist and author David Thomson, who has written a best-selling book about returning jihadists called "Les Revenants", said the biggest challenge for the authorities was evaluating what exactly they did in Iraq and Syria.
"The problem is when they're questioned after they return, they all say they were nurses," he told AFP.

 Slip through net 

The biggest problem for investigators is finding proof of what the individual did, Thomson said.
"The most cunning, and often the most dangerous, never post anything about their activities on social networks.
"So in France as a rule it leads to prison, and with longer and longer prison sentences. The problem is just pushed back because no-one knows what else to do for the time being."

When returnees set foot back in EU countries, they are first arrested, then questioned and put under investigation.
Different countries have each come up with specific charges to correspond to the problem of returning jihadists, such as "membership of a terrorist organisation".

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A breakdown done by AFP showed there are currently 280 suspected jihadists who have returned to Germany out of 820 who went to Iraq and Syria, 450 in Britain out of 850, 210 in France out of around 1,000 and 45 in the Netherlands out of at least 280.

In Norway the figure is around 40 from 100 who went, in Sweden it is 150 (out of 300), in Finland 20 (out of 80) and in Denmark around 70 (out of 145).
In Austria, of the 300 people who went to fight at least half are of Chechen origin. Around 40 were killed and 50 were arrested on their return.

Karl-Heinz Grunboeck, an Austrian foreign ministry spokesman, said there were two consequences for the returning jihadists.
"The first is that they are charged with membership of a terrorist organisation. We investigate to see if they have a criminal past. 

Then they are placed under police surveillance to assess the risks that they might pose," he said.
"If they have dual nationality they could be stripped of their Austrian nationality, but that only concerns a very small number of cases."

In the absence of a common EU policy, many governments are playing it tough, but some countries have tried to engage in dialogue with the returnees -- with varying degrees of success.
The Danish city of Aarhus, for example, began a rehabilitation programme in 2007 focusing on helping former radicals find a job or with training and accommodation.

Phil Gurski, a researcher at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in The Hague, said countries were "struggling" with what to do with returnees.

"Some will come back traumatised, some will be wounded, some may want to disown IS and its barbarity and (other returnees) may be keen to radicalise others," he told AFP.
"Governments will have to consider a variety of strategies to deal with the phenomenon that is unprecedented on such a scale in recent history."

Billionaire Kidnapper: How me and my gang hijacked bullion vans, stole N200m – Evans

Billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudi Onuamadike, also known as Evans has revealed how he and his gang attacked bullion vans while he was in the crime world.

Addressing journalists on Friday, Evans disclosed in one of their operations along Aba-Port Harcourt road in Abia State, they made away with the sum of N200m.

Evans noted that the operation was one of three of such.

According to Evans, “In 2007, I travelled to South Africa to deal in drugs and returned to Lagos the following year after a customer, who did not want to pay for a drug I supplied him, shot me on the shoulder.

“With the little money I had from my trip to South Africa, I came back to Nigeria and a friend of mine, Kingsley, introduced me to one of his gang members known as Too-Much-Money in Abia State.

“Too-Much-Money got me involved in the bullion van robbery.
“We hijacked a tipper we found on the Aba-Port Harcourt Road to intercept the bullion van.
“We forced the driver and his police escort to open the van. We got N80m from the van and I was given N1.8m as my share.

“Another operation was in Enugu where I met a gang leader called ND.
“We adopted the same tactic to attack another bullion van containing N200m. When we wanted to share the proceeds, ND collected our guns and gave us N200, 000 each.”

Evans noted that the third robbery operation was on Umuahia Road where he and some new gang members attacked another bullion van and made N7m.

He said that the N7m he got from the operation was used to stock his shop in Lagos, Daily Post

One Nigeria ? Security advises against arrest of Northern youths

Following security advice, there were indications yesterday that the Presidency is weighing options on how to tackle the Coalition of Northern Youths and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for the actualization of the Republic of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

Security agencies, sources said yesterday, have advised the Federal Government to embrace dialogue and give the two groups final warning instead of arrest, outright crackdown and revocation of Kanu’s bail.

It was learnt that some of the options were presented at the sessions which the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo had with Northern and Igbo leaders a few days ago.
Osinbajo, it was learnt, had reviewed intelligence reports on the Northern youths, IPOB and the renewed separatist agitations in the country with service chiefs, security chiefs and the police hierarchy on Sunday.

At the meeting, the Presidency was briefed that “some war mongers and divisive elements” were behind the Northern youths and IPOB, and that the objective of “these elements” is to destabilise the country.

The security reports indicated that some influential Northern leaders and groups have provided back up support for the coalition of Northern youths.
They also cited intelligence reports on how key Igbo leaders, including Senators, had been paying homage to the IPOB leader before the group organised a successful sit-at-home protest.

Although those behind the quit notice to Igbo have been identified, the security chiefs “strongly advised the government to exercise caution but to read the Riot Act to all the groups and their sponsors with a final warning.”

“The government has discovered that some forces were behind the coalition of Northern youths and IPOB. Those behind the ill-fated quit notice to Igbo have been identified, but the government is employing tact in managing the situation, ” a source privy to the goings-on in the Presidency in the last couple of weeks said.
Security report available to the government pointed to the fact that these Northern youths were most likely running errands for some war mongers, he further said.

He said there is a firm belief in government that the arrest of the Northern youths could trigger spontaneous violence in the North.
He said the sponsors of the Northern youths were found to be reacting to the successful sit-at-home protest by the IPOB.
“Some Northern leaders were said to be angry that after the IPOB protest, the leader of the organisation neither had his bail revoked nor was he re-arrested for treason,” he said.

He said the security services strongly advised the government to exercise caution in arresting the Northern youths.
They further advised against the revocation of bail for the IPOB leader despite the fact that the protest by the organisation which they perceived as “act of treason.”

They said arresting Kanu might lead to more security challenges in the South-East, which could heat up the polity.
The security chiefs, however, recommended dialogue with Northern and Igbo leaders where a Riot Act will be read and final warning given to all “divisive groups.”

The advice prompted the Acting President to meet with leaders from the North and the South-East, particularly leaders of umbrella socio-cultural organisations like the Arewa Consultative Forum ( ACF) and Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Next week, the Acting President is expected to hold a joint meeting with Southeast leaders and their colleagues from the North.

After the meeting and once “the dialogue template has been followed satisfactorily,” the government may clamp down on any hate-inclined group in the country.
Security agencies are expected to be proactive in busting plots by any group, be it the Northern youths or IPOB.

“The government will no longer spare the rod in arresting leaders of groups undermining the peace and unity of the country. Also, all their sponsors will face the wrath of the law.
“There will be constant surveillance on all pressure and sensitive socio-cultural organisations nationwide,” the highly placed source disclosed.
Sixteen Northern youth groups, under the aegis of Coalition of Northern Youths on June 6 gave the Igbo up to October 1 to vacate the three geo-political zones in the North.

Some of the youth organisations in attendance at the Kaduna meeting included Arewa Citizens Action for Change, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Arewa Youth Development Foundation, Arewa Students Forum and Northern Emancipation Network on the Igbo Persistence for Secession.

The Northern youth organisations had enjoyed the backing of the spokesman of Northern Elders Forum and former vice chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, who also lashed out at Northern governors for disowning the youths.

Abdullahi, who addressed reporters in Zaria, said he saw nothing bad with the quit notice issued by the Northern youths to Igbo people residing in the North because the Igbo were busy calling for the Sovereign State of Biafra and from all indications, their leaders, including governors, were behind them.

In a retaliatory move against the Northern youths, a coalition of Niger Delta militants demanded from the federal government the return of all oil blocs controlled by Northerners to the people of the oil producing region.
IPOB also issued a statement, calling on all Igbo sons and daughters residing in the North to return to their home states. - The Nation

Chelsea considering Lacazette as Lukaku alternative

Chelsea are keeping their options open this summer and Alexandre Lacazette is on the club’s radar in case they get priced out of a deal for Romelu Lukaku.

French outlet L’Equipe, as cited on Sport Witness claims that Chelsea do hold an interest in the Lyon forward but are focusing on a deal to re-sign Lukaku from Everton this summer.

Everton have stood firm once again as Chelsea look to poach one of their most prized assets.
The Toffees reportedly want £100 million for the striker, with the Premier League champions thought to be working a deal that would see the forward return to Stamford Bridge for somewhere in the region of £80 million.

Lacazette has once again been linked with a move away from Lyon this summer, with Arsenal the favourites to land the forward.

Reports in France suggested the player had a verbal agreement in place to join Atletico Madrid prior to their transfer ban.

Lagos arraigns suspected land grabbing notorious kingpin, six others

 

The Lagos State Government on Friday arraigned a suspected notorious land grabber, Chief Kamorudeen Lamina before a Special Offences Court sitting in Oshodi over alleged forcible dispossession of residents of their land.

Lamina, popularly known as Sir K, was arraigned alongside six others on a six-count charge by the Special Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force set up by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration.
Lamina and his gang were said to have been terrorising the people of Ikorodu area of the State for some time before he was arrested on Thursday.
Others arraigned alongside him are Mr Omotola Ogunsanmi, Mr Samson Shobule (A.K.A Samson Salau), Biliaminu Orega (A.K.A Biliaminu Salau), Alhaji Jimoh Aromasodu, Alhaji Wasiu Orenuga and Alhaji Nurudeen Kasali.

In counts one and two, Lamina, sometime in February 2017 in Mowo Kekere area of Ikorodu Local Government, allegedly took over one plot of land forcefully which was sold to one Mrs Ebere Okafor by Ifegbuwa family contrary to Section 2 (1) of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law 2016.

The action was allegedly carried out by Lamina despite the fact that the sale of the land had been ratified with proof of payment.
In count three, Lamina was accused of forcefully taking over and remaining in possession of 200 plots of land in Mowo Kekere belonging to Planet Properties Ltd contrary to Section 2 (2) of the same law, while in count five, the defendants were said to have fraudulently sold 60 hectares of land which had been previously sold by the rightful owner contrary to Section 8 (1) (b) of the law.

The fraudulent sale, which was allegedly carried out in January 2017, was perfected by the defendants fraudulently claiming to be the descendants of Ifegbuwa family. In count six, the defendants were accused of fraudulent selling 25 hectares of land to third parties without any lawful right to do so, an offence punishable under the law.

After the charges were read to them, they all pleaded not guilty, while their lawyers, Mr E. Obatayo and B.O Abdusalam applied to the court to grant them bail in most liberal terms.
The lawyers argued that the offences for which their clients were charged are bailable, and that they were ready to defend the case.

The prosecutor, Ms Mosunmola Balogun from the Lagos State Ministry of Justice did not oppose the bail application but urged the court to impose conditions which would make the defendants available for trial.

In his ruling, Magistrate Lateef Owolabi granted bail to the defendants in the sum of N1million and two sureties in like sum.
One of the sureties must be a land owner in Lagos, while the other must be a civil servant not below grade level 15. The sureties must have three years tax clearance and registration with Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).

The Magistrate also ordered the defendants to deposit N150,000 each with the court, while they are to be remanded in Badagry Prison pending when they are able to meet the bail conditions.
The matter was adjourned. - The Nation

EFCC Declares Jonathan's Finance Coordinator Wanted

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared wanted, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the Deputy Chairperson, Finance Committee of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign Organisation in 2015.

Olojeme, who was Chairperson of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund from 2009 to 2015, was accused of cornering $48,485,127 from the NSITF, Daily Post reports.

The accused and some directors in the company allegedly siphoned billions of naira, including funds meant for the payment of allowances of its staff as well as compensation to contributors.
It was learnt that several directors and contractors were invited to explain their own side of the story, many of whom had since returned funds to the EFCC.

An EFCC report, made available to newsmen alleged that the funds were said to have been traced to the accounts of some consultants and contractors, who were believed to be fronts for Olojeme and other directors in the NSITF.

The anti-graft agency report said, “It was discovered that the NSITF accounts in First Bank of Nigeria and other banks have witnessed a total turnover of over N62,358,401,927 between 2012 and 2015 from the Employee Compensation Scheme contributions.

“That out of the N62bn, the Federal Government contributed N13,600,000,000 while the sum of N48,758,401,927.80 was contributed by the private sector. That there were several payments to individuals and companies from the NSITF bank accounts for purported contracts or consultancy services.

“That some individuals and companies that received these payments, in turn, transferred part of the monies directly to the NSITF officials while others transferred huge sums to bureau de change operators who changed them to dollars.”
The report added that Olojeme sent her account officer at FBN to collect $48m from some NSITF contractors through a BDC operator.

It stated, “That through this process, Dr. Ngozi Olojeme, the then NSITF board chairman, has collected a total sum of $48,485,127 from Mr. Chuka Eze (her account officer at FBN), which cash he collected on her behalf being the dollar equivalent of monies paid to BDCs by NSITF contractors.

“That she has refused to honour invitation and all efforts to get her to come and tell her own side of the story have proved abortive hence her arrest warrant has been obtained from court.
“We ask for the EFCC chairman’s approval to declare the suspect wanted.”
The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said Olojeme had been declared wanted.

He urged members of the public to offer information that could lead to her arrest.

“Yes, she has been declared wanted. Members of the public are advised to give us information that would lead to her arrest,” he said. - PM News

52-year-old man rapes 6-year-old girl in Ogun

The Police in Ogun State has arrested a 52-year-old man, Isiaka Obadairo for allegedly raping a 6-year-old girl.

The suspect was arrested after the mother of the little girl reported the matter at the Sango – Ota Divisional Headquarters.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Abimbola Oyeyemi, told newsmen that the victim’s mother, Mrs. Comfort Ajayi, said the incident happened while she was at work.

Oyeyemi further explained that the suspect, who resides in the same compound with the victim’s family, called the girl under the pretence of sending her on an errand, only to lure her into his room and raped her.

The PPRO said upon the report, the Divisional Police Officer, Sango-Ota, Ogunwale Akinsola, dispatched a team of detectives to the scene on Ijamodo Estate, Osi Roundabout, Ota, and arrested the culprit.

He said the victim had been taken to a hospital for treatment.

Oyeyemi said Obadairo had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Abeokuta, for further investigation‎.

Revealed : Inside story of the LAST ABDUCTION that nailed Evans

For seven years, suspected dare-devil kidnapper, Chukwudemeje George Onwamadike aka Evans, escaped police dragnet. His escape during his daring kidnapping runs had conferred on him supernatural invincibility of sort. His reign, however, came to an end last Saturday, after  a police special squad led by Abba Kyari, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), arrested him at his No 3, Fred Shoboyede Street, Magodo, Lagos home, after a fierce gun battle which lasted several hours.

An abduction carried out by his gang on February 14 this year had paved way for his demystification. On that day, which coincidentally was celebrated all over the world as St. Valentine’s Day otherwise known as lovers day, a pharmacist and the owner of Maydon Pharmaceutical Company, Ilupeju, Lagos, Mr. Donatus Dunu, was abducted by Evans’ gang. Dunu had barely left his office in the evening when he was blocked by a vehicle. Before he knew it, Evans’ gun-wielding men had stepped out of the vehicle and bundled the pharmacist into their vehicle and sped off to No 21, Prophet Asaye Close, New Igando, a Lagos suburb where he was kept for three months.

Evans subsequently demanded the payment of a sum of one million euros as ransom. Despite efforts to make Evans see reason and reduce the money, he would have none of it, even after a sum of N100 million had been paid to him. It was either the money was paid or Dunu paid with his life.

While looking for the money, Dunu’s wife, who is also a director of the company, staff members organized prayers for the safe return of their boss. One of the workers said: “We did not only pray but engaged in fasting too. Who will not pray and fast if his or her boss was in such condition? It was really traumatic for us.”

Unknown to Dunu’s wife and his workers, the person who gave the information leading to Dunu’s abduction was one of the staff members of the company, identified as Emeka, who was employed about five years ago.

At the gang’s den in New Igando, where Dunu was kept, he had given up hope on the possibility of regaining his freedom. But he had a big break in the early hours of Friday, May 12, 2017, while his captors were deep in sleep. Despite losing his weight, Dunu managed to wriggle out of the leg-cuff he was held with. He was only wearing a pair of short and white singlet. A perimeter fence with broken bottles was to become a major obstacle to his escape, but the victim used his bare hand to manoeuvre the shattered bottles and climbed his way to freedom.

It was learnt that when he landed into an adjoining building, he was mistaken for a fleeing robber or cultist. Security guards raised the alarm which attracted neighbours to the scene and it was providence that saved him from being lynched by a mob.

One of the security guards who asked not to be named said: “I just came to my duty post that day when I started hearing the shout of ‘thief! Thief!’ I came out and saw this fair-complexioned man running towards me. I stopped him near that mini- tanker (he pointed at a decrepit stationary tanker). 

He was wearing only his boxer with his white singlet placed on his shoulder. There was fear in his eyes and he looked sick and traumatised. His body was blood-stained and there were injuries on his legs probably because he had been cuffed on his legs for a long time.

“Some people were unwilling to listen to him and they wanted to take him away. I said no, they should leave him here and instead call the elders of the community. I took him to the front of that Foursquare Church and told him to sit at the entrance of the church. I then asked how much the kidnappers were demanding from him and how much he had paid and he said they were demanding N500m and he had paid about N100m. 

I was shocked. We then took him to the Igando Divisional Police Station.  Later that afternoon, the operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) returned with him to the street, but he was so tired and sick; he did not even come out of the vehicle. They broke into the compound but the kidnappers had escaped. So many things were discovered in the compound, including guns, a white bus and a power bike. I had never seen any power bike on this street before then.”

Number 21 Prophet Asaye Close, where Dunu was kept, is at the end of a close facing the entrance to the street. The compound has only a single bungalow. The compound is covered with interlocking stones. It is a study in irony. Carved on the gate is the sentence ‘Jesus is Alive.’ There is a doorbell on the left side of the gate. Observing the building closely, it is easy to see why the kidnappers settled for it. It is a single bungalow, so no noisy neighbour or neighbours to snoop into their business. It has coconut trees at the back, but there were no high rise buildings from where anybody could monitor what they were doing.

Asked about the activities in the compound, our source said: “They (abductors) kept to themselves. The guy there, whenever he was driving in from outside, the gate would have been opened before he got to the gate. In addition, loud music was always wafting from the bungalow. This always muffled every noise coming from there. This happened mostly in the day time. In the night, of course, the generating set would take over. So, we (neighbours) could never have known what went on there”.

With the escape of Dunu, he was able to make useful statements to the police about his kidnap. The next day, May 13, SARS operatives in four patrol vans stormed Franzaki Street, Bucknor Estate, off Isheri Osun Road. It was the rented home of one of the workers of Maydon Pharmaceutical, identified as Emeka, a pharmacist. He is from Oguta, Imo State, and in his late 30s or early 40’s; he has a wife and a child, according to the residents, who were rattled by the early morning raid.

Emeka was whisked away from his house by the police. Since then, the residents said he has not returned.
It was on the basis of this breakthrough that the Lagos Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, four days after Emeka’s arrest on May 16 declared a certain faceless Evans wanted. He said: “We are encouraging Nigerians to blow the whistle on this kidnapper. Whoever blows the whistle will get N30 million rewards as stated by the Inspector General of Police…Evans has been on the wanted list of the Police in Anambra, Edo and Lagos states for years. The suspects arrested have given us valuable information, which the command is working on to ensure that he is apprehended by all means.”

Operatives of the Inspector General of Police’s anti-kidnapping team went into action and with the aid of high tech equipment, they were able to track key members of the kidnap syndicate, rounded them up and then set the stage for the final arrest of Evans. This came last Saturday when Evans was demystified by the police.

Mood at the victim’s firm
At the headquarters of Maydon Pharmaceutical Company Limited at 15 Wilmer Street, Ilupeju, Lagos, the atmosphere was subdued. The workers discussed in low tone. There were several innuendoes about a certain Emeka from Oguta. Both Mr. Donatus Dunu, the chairman of the company, and his wife, the managing director, were not on seat.

However, one of the male workers said they had been warned not to discuss their boss’ harrowing experience with pressmen and that it was only the boss or his wife that can speak on the matter. Pressed further, he described his boss’ escape as miraculous. When shown the picture of the compound where Dunu was kept with the inscription ‘Jesus is alive’, he exclaimed ‘indeed, Jesus is alive!’ - The Nation

Update : My husband has cancer, says wife of ‘notorious kidnapper' Evans

Uchenna Precious, wife of arrested kidnap kingpin Chikwudubem Onwuamadike, also known as Evans, says her “prayerful” husband reads “Psalm 23 a lot”.

She said he has cancer and neither drinks nor smoke.

In an interview with Vanguard, Precious said her husband’s mobile phone has a reminder set to 12 noon for him to read that part of the Bible.

She said Evans led their daily prayers and has never given money to show off.
Evan’s wife begged the authorities for forgiveness, saying that: “He did not know what he was doing.”

“He reads psalm 23 a lot.  Even his phone, he sets alarm for 12 noon to read psalm 23.   He took part in our daily prayers in the morning, evening and night.  He used to lead us in prayers.   We attend Anglican Church.  He has never given them money to show off,” she said.

“We used to give N5000 or N10,000 and the highest we have given so far was N50,000 when we baptised one of our children. I am appealing to the powers that be to spare his life (crying), as I speak now,   I am kneeling down with my children, crying and begging for forgiveness.  Have mercy on us.

“He did not know what came over him. I am ready to come back to Nigeria and plead on his behalf.   What I am reading in the news is shocking. Though, I have not heard that he killed anybody but all those he injured or took their money should please forgive him because me and my children.

“They should kindly forgive him, he will repent. God knows I will not be alive and see my husband doing bad thing and keep quiet.”
Precious who described her husband as “a good man”, said all his wealth should be sold and shared among his victims.

“All his wealth should be sold off and given to his victims. Evans is a good man.  He takes care of all his relations including the children of the second wife we are suspecting did this to him.  He has just two houses in Ghana but I have never seen them,” she said.

“I saw the house on his phone. Since I have been living with him, he has never injured anybody or beat me. He has milk of human kindness in his heart. He has not been harsh or wicked to anybody.

“He always advised us to be prayerful I (starts crying again) and complains bitterly any time I failed to pray. His neighbours also know him as a kind and generous man.

“He has cancer and does not drink alcohol nor smoke anything. I have never seen gun in our house. I don’t know where they got those frightening guns.

“He has never told me he has another house at Igando. Any time he went out, he always called to ask after the children and reassure me that he would be back soon.”

Manchester City refusing to meet van Dijk's asking price

Manchester City are refusing to meet the £70 million asking price for Liverpool target Virgil van Dijk.

The Manchester Evening News reports that Pep Guardiola has been handed a £300 million transfer budget this summer, but will not pay over the odds for key targets.

City have already completed deals for Bernardo Silva and Ederson, while they have also been linked with Kyle Walker, Ryan Bertrand and Alexis Sanchez most noticeably.

Van Dijk appeared to be heading to Liverpool but a formal complaint to the Premier League halted the Reds’ interest in the defender.

Guardiola had earmarked the Dutch defender as a key part of his squad overhaul this summer, with their main focusing being the City defence.

The Saints were willing to sell the player for somewhere in the region of £60 million, but following the high-profile incident with Liverpool, they have bumped up the player’s price to £70 million.

Arsenal must spend more, but lay off Wenger says Petit

Arsenal must spend more on wages if it hopes to keep players away from global competitors, former midfielder Emmanuel Petit told AFP Friday, adding fans also needed to lay off embattled manager Arsene Wenger.

It is 13-years since Wenger's 'Invincibles' won the last of his three Premier League titles and the club has just come through their worst season in two decades.
Former French national Petit was at the heart of Arsenal's glory days under Wenger but he said fans risked fixating on that era without understanding the present.

"I think that at times it has gone much too far (criticism of Wenger)," he told AFP in Bangkok where Petit was taking part in the first-round draw of the EFL's newly rebranded Carabao Cup.

"I think that, once again, people have been suffering from amnesia. I think that they tend to focus on what happened in the past, rather than the whole picture."

Wenger has spent much of the last year facing down a growing fan rebellion against his long tenure that looks unlikely to subside unless the team returns to their winning ways.

A surprise FA Cup win against Premier League champions Chelsea last month briefly lifted supporter spirits and was followed by the news that Wenger had signed a new two-year contract.
Wenger now faces a tough task of attracting new talent and keeping his best players.

For starters, he has to persuade Alexis Sanchez to sign a new contract amid rumours the Chile forward will attract offers from Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Sanchez and team-mate Mesut Ozil are both holding out for weekly wages of around £300,000-per-week and have just one year left on their current deals.

Petit, still sporting his trademark ponytail, said Arsenal has no choice but to compete on wages.
"I think it's time now for Arsenal to be competitive both in the transfer market but also in terms of its wage structure, because all the big European clubs are forced to spend crazy sums of money now," he said.

"There's so much competition nowadays, you see it with China, where you have clubs which are able to offer 40 million a year to the top players in Europe, obviously that upsets the market."
Wenger's transfer mishaps have left Arsenal lacking presence in midfield and bereft of an instinctive finisher, while their myriad defensive woes were exposed time and again.

Majority shareholder Stan Kroenke is ready to give Wenger £100 million ($128 million, 114 million euros) to spend, with Leicester's Riyad Mahrez, Monaco's Kylian Mbappe and AC Milan's Carlos Bacca all linked to the Gunners.
Asked what he thought about Mbappe, Petit replied: "A kid who no-one had heard of six months ago and now is worth more than a hundred million euros, you know what I mean... things move very fast in football."

Woman sues casino that offered her steak instead of $43 million

The Queens woman who was offered a steak dinner after staff said her $43 million win at a slot machine was the result of a glitch is suing the casino for the entire jackpot.

Katrina Bookman in August posed for a selfie at New York’s Resorts World Casino in front of the “Sphinx Slot Machine,” its screen promising her a grand prize of $42,949,672.76. When she attempted to collect her cash, however, casino employees told her she hadn’t actually won and offered her a complimentary steak dinner and $2.25 — the prize they claim her slot machine actually should have delivered.

Bookman’s lawyer, Alan Ripka, told CNN Money his client turned down the chump change and the dinner along with it. Instead, the mother of four filed a lawsuit against the casino off Rockaway Boulevard in the Queens County Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Ripka is seeking $43 million in damages from the resort. The suit also takes aim at Genting New York LLC, the casino’s parent company, and International Game Technology — the maker of the slot machine — for alleged common-law negligence, breach of contract and negligent representation, according to the 17-page complaint.

“You can’t claim a machine is broken because you want it to be broken. Does that mean it wasn’t inspected? Does it mean it wasn’t maintained?” Ripka told CNN. “And if so, does that mean that people that played there before [Bookman] had zero chance of winning?”

A resort spokesperson in August said Bookman’s win was the “result of an obvious malfunction,” noting the Sphinx Slot Machine’s highest payout was $6,500.

The state Gaming Commission at the time also dismissed the win as the machine displays a sign stating “Malfunctions void all pays and plays.”
Ripka said he repeatedly asked Resorts World Casino what caused the machine to glitch but has not yet received an answer according to CNN.
“I feel like they did me real dirty,” Bookman told the Daily News in August.

In the complaint, Bookman alleges the entire ordeal has caused her “mental anguish” and resulted in a financial setback because she did not have “the chance and/or opportunity to win.”