Everton could be forced to sell Alex Iwobi

 

Everton could be forced to offload Alex Iwobi in a bid to balance the books, the UK Mirror reports.

Iwobi, who only arrived from Arsenal last year, could be shown the door along Moise Kean.

Neither Iwobi or Kean has established himself since arriving last summer and both could command decent fees, which would help balance the books after the club brought in James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Dacoure this summer.

Everton’s new signings have offered a fresh optimism, following a 1-0 win away at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Sandro Ramirez, Yannick Bolasie and Mo Besic have all returned from loans last season and will be sold if there be any interest, which is not guaranteed.

Cenk Tosun is still injured and may be difficult to offload, while the likes of Theo Walcott, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Bernard are likely to be squad players on big wages this season, and so could be shifted for any decent fee.

- DAILY POST

Police finally release MKO Abiola’s sons

 

Kassim and Aliyu Abiola, two children of the late MKO Abiola, have been released from police custody.

The two brothers were arrested following a robbery incident at the residence of the late businessman and presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Kassim and Aliyu had accused Adebisi, one of the widows of Abiola, of being behind their arrest and a N100 million suit was instituted against the police over violation of their fundamental human right

But Adebisi claimed the two brothers were arrested over their unruly conduct with the police.

She had also said the family was making efforts to get them released until lawyers from Mike Ozekhome’s chambers, lawyer to Kassim and Aliyu,  and thwarted the process through thr fundamental human rights suit.

Ozekhome confirmed the release of the duo to TheCable on Tuesday.

He said Lola Abiola-Edewor, first daughter of late businessman, and another relative, signed an undertaking with the police over the bail of the brothers.

Ozekhome added that four suspects have been charged before a magistrate’s court over the robbery.

“Yes, they have been released. There was no condition attached to their release because they did not participate in the robbery,” he said.

“Those who are the real suspects have been charged before a magistrate’s court. The only reason they were detained was that the police said they were rude to them. Is that why you detain them for almost two weeks?”

- THECABLE

Soyinka: Obasanjo is right, Nigeria close to extinction under Buhari

 Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka on Tuesday said Nigeria, under President Muhammadu Buhari is close to extinction.

He threw his weight behind former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who said Nigeria under Buhari was degenerating fast into a failed State.

Soyinka said while he is no fan of Obasanjo, who is a co-architect with other past leaders of the crumbling edifice that is still generously called Nigeria, he would embrace the responsibility of calling attention to any accurate reading of this nation from whatever source, as a contraption teetering on the very edge of total collapse.

“I am notoriously no fan of Olusegun Obasanjo, General, twice former president and co-architect with other past leaders of the crumbling edifice that is still generously called Nigeria. I have no reasons to change my stance on his record.

“Nonetheless, I embrace the responsibility of calling attention to any accurate reading of this nation from whatever source, as a contraption teetering on the very edge of total collapse.

“We are close to extinction as a viable comity of peoples, supposedly bound together under an equitable set of protocols of co-habitation, capable of producing its own means of existence, and devoid of a culture of sectarian privilege and will to dominate,” he said.

Soyinka said on Africa Day, May 2019, organized  by the Union Bank of Africa, he similarly seized an opening to direct the attention of this government to warnings by the Otta farmer over the self-destruct turn that the nation had taken, urged  the wisdom of heeding the message, even while remaining chary of the messenger.

He said that advice appeared to have fallen on deaf ears and that in place of reasoned response and openness to some serious dialogue, what this nation had been obliged to endure had been insolent distractions from garrulous and coarsened functionaires, apologists and sectarian.

According to Soyinka, “The nation is divided as never before, and this ripping division has taken place under the policies and conduct of none other than President Buhari  – does that claim belong in the realms of speculation? Does anyone deny that it was this president who went to sleep while communities were consistently ravaged by cattle marauders, were raped and displaced in their thousands and turned into beggars all over the landscape?

“Was it a different president who, on  being finally persuaded to visit a scene of carnage, had nothing more authoritative to offer than to advice the traumatized victims to learn to live peacefully with their violators? And what happened to the Police Chief who had defied orders from his Commander-in-Chief to relocate fully to the trouble spot – he came, saw, and bolted, leaving the ‘natives’ to their own devices.

‘Any disciplinary action taken against ‘countryman’? Was it a spokesman for some ghost president who chortled in those early, yet controllable stages of now systematized mayhem, gleefully dismissed the mass burial of victims  in Benue State as a “staged show” for international entertainment?

“Did the other half of the presidential megaphone system not follow up – or was it, precede? – with the wisdom that they, the brutalized citizenry, should learn to bow under the yoke and negotiate, since “only the living” can enjoy the dividends of legal rights?”

Soyinka added that to reel off any achievements of a government – genuine or fantasized, trivial or monumental – was thus to dodge the issue, to ignore the real core concerns, saying no government, however inept, failed to record some form of achievement – this was why it were elected, and that takes real genius to succeed in spending four years actually doing nothing.

“What it fails to do, or what it does wrongly, deceitfully or prejudicially  is what concerns the citizenry. Across this nation, there is profound distrust, indeed abandonment of hope in this government as one that is genuinely committed to the survival of the nation as one, or indeed understands the minimal requirements for positioning it as a modern, functional space of productive occupancy. 

 “Donald Trump is not without a governance pass mark here or there – indeed, he has been touted for the Nobel Peace prize in some quarters,  backed, predictably, by the quota Nigerian columnist – yet who dares deny, outside Republican diehard circles – that the great United States of America is brutally divided, and is even unraveling  under the Trumpian phenomenon!”

- PM NEWS

Falana-led group joins nationwide protest against petrol price hike

 

The Alliance for the Survival of COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB) has asked Nigerians to participate in the September 23 nationwide protest called by the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The protest follows the recent hike in electricity tariff and fuel price which the TUC and other groups have described as anti-people.

ASCAB, a coalition of about 80 groups chaired by Femi Falana, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in a statement on Tuesday, said it will mobilise the civil society to join the protest tagged ‘Enough is Enough’ in support of working people and poor Nigerians who face the daily agony of survival.

The protest, ASCAB said, is to show public discontentment against fuel and electricity tariff hike which continue to push many Nigerians to the edge of frustration and desperation.

ASCAB said it will go along with the TUC while waiting for the Nigerian Labour Congress, (NLC) to join after its Wednesday meeting.

“We call on all Nigerians, workers, farmers, students, traders, the poor and the defenseless people alike, women, men, young and the aged to come out on September 23 to show their disdain against institutionalised poverty, hunger, deprivation and the the country’s slide into a cesspool of anomie in the face of violence and spineless killings,” the statement signed by Falana read.

“This will be done peacefully in communities, neighbourhoods, public streets. All the 80 affiliates of ASCAB in all areas or locations where they are based, including TUC affiliates nationwide are expected to participate in the protest.

“Last year the price of crude was about $60 a barrel and the dollar was about N360. Now the cost of crude is about $45 and a dollar is worth about N390. So last year the cost of barrel of crude oil was about N22,000 a barrel and now it is only N17,500 a reduction of about 20%.”

ASCAB said it wondered why the government is forcing Nigerians to pay fifty percent more for petrol when the price of crude oil has significantly reduced.

The group said the government’s policies have further impoverished Nigerians and fuelled their desperation to survive even if it means breaking the law and societal values.

It said the fuel hike coming during a pandemic when many workers have lost their jobs and millions have been placed on half salary “is wicked and inhuman”.

- THECABLE

One killed as gunmen abduct ex-US Soldier, one other in Ekiti

 One person was killed yesterday in Ilupeju-Ijan Ekiti, Gbonyin Local Government area of Ekiti State, as a retired United States of America army officer, Major Jide Ijadare and one other were kidnapped in the town.

Ijadare, a native of Ijan Ekiti was kidnapped at his palm oil-producing factory located along Ijan-Ise Ekiti road.

Confirming the incident, a resident of the community, revealed that the criminal numbering seven invaded the factory and shot a staff in the course of making spirited efforts to kidnap the retired army officer and other victims.

“They came into the factory with guns and started shooting sporadically. They shot one of the staff of the factory and killed him.

“They then dragged Major Ijadare and the other staff into the car and zoomed off”.

The source stated that the abductors escaped through Ise Ekiti road.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Mr. Sunday Abutu, confirmed that one person was killed during the abduction.

“We can confirm to you that a retired US soldier was kidnapped around 2:00pm today (Tuesday) and one other.

“One person was also killed during the attack at a factory in Ijan Ekiti where the two persons were kidnapped.

“The police commissioner has drafted policemen to the place and we are combing the bushes where they escaped into.

“The police are working with local hunters to ensure that these kidnappers are arrested and prosecuted”.

- DAILY POST

APC MACHINERY !! Why we deployed 1,000 policemen for Edo election – Lagos police command

 The Lagos State Police Command has explained why it deployed 1,000 of its officers to Edo State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

DAILY POST reports that the command, on Sunday, said it has deployed 1,000 officers to Edo for the September 19 gubernatorial election.

Meanwhile, Nigerians have been expressing concerns on why such a large number of officers were deployed to Edo from Lagos.

But, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the command acted based on the instruction from the force headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Sweet FM Abeokuta on Monday, Adejobi said:

“I wouldn’t know why people are raising issues about that action of the police. We all know that whenever we have special elections like that of Edo, the Inspector-General of Police will always mop-up men from neighbouring states.

“The 1,000 men sent to Edo are part of the mop-up for this special duty in Edo State. We are part of the men the IG has deployed to make sure we have free fair and credible election in Edo state.

“So, in Lagos, we just deployed the number in accordance with the directive of the Inspector General of Police from the Force headquarters.”

Adejobi spoke further that, “there’s nothing special about it, it is a normal thing. When we have elections like this, we always select police here and there. We want to maintain our standard that we have just done what the force headquarters has asked us to do.”

Adejobi disclosed that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, warned the 1,000 police officers to shun any practice “that could dent the image of the police or truncate our democratic values in this country.”

“So, the message is well prepared and that is what we have just done, nothing more,” Adejobi stressed.

- DAILY POST

Woman jailed for cutting own hand in €1m insurance fraud

 Julija Adlesic, a Slovenian woman, has been sentenced to two years in prison for deliberately cutting off her hand in an insurance fraud.

A court in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, gave the judgement after authorities discovered that Adlesic had taken out five insurance policies in the year before her injury.

The 22-year-old claimed that the incident happened while cutting branches, but the court found that her claim was false.

She stood to gain more than €1 milion (£900,000, $1.16 million) in insurance payouts if successful.

According to Sky News, authorities gathered that in 2019, Adlesic plotted with her boyfriend to have her left hand severed above the wrist at their home in Ljubljana.

It was gathered that the couple had intentionally left the severed hand behind, rather than bring it with them to the hospital to ensure the disability was permanent. However, authorities recovered it in time to sew it back on.

Prosecutors said Adlesic’s boyfriend had made internet searches about artificial hands in the days before the incident.

They argued that the search is proof showing that the incident was intentional.

While the court found Adlesic guilty of attempted insurance fraud and sentenced her to two years in prison, her boyfriend was sentenced to three years in jail, and his father received a one-year suspended sentence.

During the trial, Adlesic denied plotting the incident alongside her boyfriend.

“No one wants to be crippled. My youth has been destroyed. I lost my hand at the age of 20. Only I know how it happened,” she said.

Marjeta Dvornik, the judge, said “the sentences are fair and appropriate, and will serve their purpose.”

- THECABLE

Banker in court over alleged N25m theft

 

A 32-year-old banker, Benjamin Musa, on Tuesday appeared in a Wuse Zone 6 Chief Magistrates’ Court, Abuja, over alleged theft of N25 million.

Musa, whose residential address was not given, is charged with three counts of breach of trust, theft and forgery.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecution counsel, ASP Peter Ejike, told the court that the defendant committed the offenses between Aug. 2019 and Feb. 2020.

He said that the complainant, Zakari Uthman, of Union Bank Plc, Area 3, Garki, Abuja reported the matter at the Garki Police Station on Aug.24.

Ejike in addition alleged that the defendant used his position as the bank’s Teller and forged three customer’s signatures and withdrew the sum of N 25 million from their accounts without their consent.

The prosecutor further said that during police investigation, the defendant admitted the crime.

The offence, he said, contravened the provisions sections 289, 312 and 364 of the Penal Code Law.

The Chief Magistrate, Omolola Akindele, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.

She ordered that one of the sureties must be a civil servant on grade level 09 and above.

She adjourned the case until Sept. 22, for hearing.

- PM NEWS

Barcelona put 12 players up for sale following Messi’s decision

 

Barcelona have put at least, 12 players up for sale, including Luis Suarez, Martin Braithwaite and Samuel Umtiti, according to Mundo Deportivo.

New manager, Ronald Koeman, is expected to oversee a mass clear out at the Nou Camp before his first season with the club.

This follows Lionel Messi’s decision to remain with Barca for at least another season.

Koeman is looking to axe up to 12 players and bring in his own personnel.

The LaLiga side also need to cut down on their extortionate wage bill, of which Messi takes up a huge chunk.

With the 33-year-old now staying, other cuts now must be made.

Suarez is the most high-profile of potential departures and could join Juventus or Atletico Madrid.

Also included on the exit list are Braithwaite, Umtiti, Jean-Clair Todibo, Nelson Semedo, Arturo Vidal and Rafinha.

Two left-backs – Junior Firpo and Miranda – are also looking set to leave, along with fringe players like Monchu, Moussa Wague and Busquets.

- DAILY POST

4 return positive in Premier League latest COVID-19 testing round

 The Premier League has confirmed that four cases of COVID-19 have been detected from the latest round of testing, which saw 2,131 players and club staff checked for the virus.

In the last testing round, only one result returned positive, however, the latest screening had 500 more players and staff tested.

“The Premier League can today confirm that between Monday 7 September and Sunday 13 September, 2,131 players and club staff were tested for COVID-19,” a statement on the league’s official website read. “Of these, there were four new positive tests.

“Players or club staff who have tested positive will self-isolate for a period of 10 days.

“The Premier League is providing this aggregated information for the purposes of competition integrity and transparency.

“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and results will be made public after each round of testing.”

The virus has left all EPL team play their matches behind closed doors as teams also brace the financial impact it will have on them.

- PM NEWS

US slams visa ban on election riggers in Nigeria

 The US says it has imposed visa restriction on some individuals for their actions during the Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

In a statement on Monday, Mike Pompeo, secretary of state, said actions have also been taken against some persons in the run-up to the September and October 2020 governorship elections in Edo and Ondo.

The identities of those affected by the ban were not disclosed.

“In July 2019, we announced the imposition of visa restrictions on Nigerians who undermined the February and March 2019 elections. Today, the Secretary of State is imposing additional visa restrictions on individuals for their actions surrounding the November 2019 Kogi and Bayelsa State elections and in the run up to the September and October 2020 Edo and Ondo State elections,” the statement read.

“These individuals have so far operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and have undermined democratic principles.

“The Department of State emphasises that the actions announced today are specific to certain individuals and not directed at the Nigerian people. This decision reflects the Department of State’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to realise its expressed commitment to end corruption and strengthen democracy, accountability, and respect for human rights.”

The US said it remained a steadfast supporter of Nigerian democracy and commended all those Nigerians who participated in elections throughout 2019 and have worked to strengthen democratic institutions and processes.

In the buildup to the 2019 elections, Pompeo had said those who interfere with the process must be held accountable.

- THECABLE

COVID-19: Nigeria’s death toll hits 1,083

 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) at midnight on Monday said that the death toll for the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria has jumped to 1, 083.

The health agency stated that one new fatality raised the death toll to 1,083.

It also confirmed that there were 132 new infections on Monday.

The NCDC made this known on its official twitter handle.

It noted that 185 people had been treated and had recovered from the virus, bringing the nation’s number of recovery to 44,337.

According to the NCDC, Lagos State had the highest number of recorded cases on Monday with 52, Gombe State followed with 27 cases, and Plateau State came next with 17 cases.

The other States were Kwara-10, Enugu-9, Ogun-9 , Katsina-3 , Ekiti-2, Bauchi-1 , Osun-1 and Rivers-1.

“Till date, 56388 cases have been confirmed, 44337 cases have been discharged, and 1083 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” It said.

- DAILY POST