Ronaldo returns, inspires Juventus to sensational win

 

Cristiano Ronaldo at 35-years continues to show why he remains one of the greatest footballers as he comes off the bench to inspire Juventus to a 4-1 win against Spezia.

The Old Lady were having a hard time keeping the newly-promoted side at bay at half time. The home side forced a 1-1 draw in the first half after Morata opened scoring.

However, Ronaldo who came in as a substitute in the 56th minute needed only three minutes to rescue the old lady. The 35-year-old received a through ball from Morata, runs at Spezia defense, creates a one on one with the goalkeeper, and simply put the ball in the net.

Adrien Rabiot who also came in as a second-half substitute doubled Juventus lead putting them 3-1 ahead.

Ronaldo scored the final goal in the match from the penalty spot after Paolo Bartolomei tripped Federico Chiesa.

Juventus who celebrate their 123-year-old birthday got the perfect gift from Ronaldo.

- PM NEWS

End SARS unrest: Protect yourselves, policemen can’t guarantee security – DPO to Nigerians

 

A police officer (name withheld) has informed Nigerians that it would be difficult for Force personnel to provide adequate security for now.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), in a chat with PRNigeria, advised citizens to protect themselves from hoodlums ahead of yuletide.

He spoke at the weekend after a joint meeting of law enforcement agencies in Southern States worst hit by the violence that followed the End SARS protests.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Nigerian military, security, intelligence and response agencies.

It analysed how the assaults on security manpower dampened the morale of many of servicemen and women.

The DPO said: “In these ember months, up to Christmas and New Year, I doubt if any of the services can guarantee maximum security. There is no way we can discharge our statutory responsibilities when we have become soft targets.”

The DPO declared that it would be over his dead body to allow any of his subordinates to be drafted to risky situations anytime soon.

“Our destroyed facilities are yet to be reconstructed; looted armouries are yet to be restocked. Our men and women are yet to get over the atrocities committed by the same people we are charged to protect. How can we return to duty posts?”

On Friday, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, regretted that 22 policemen were killed and 205 stations and formations destroyed during the nationwide violence.

Adamu, however, directed police personnel to protect themselves against onslaught.

“If anybody touches or assault you, you can also protect yourself, he said while assessing state of security in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

But policemen are still off the roads. Those who move about do so in plain clothes. Operatives are sceptical on return to places of assignment, especially volatile areas.

Nigerians have been lamenting their fate as several locations are unprotected and exposed to attacks.

The Police Service Commission (PSC) said it would not force personnel to return to work due to the recent unrest.

The spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, in a statement, denied that PSC threatened to dismiss officers who fail to resume.

“The commission is pained that policemen were killed and stations set ablaze throughout the country. It will be very insensitive at this point for anyone to say that the commission will dismiss any policeman who didn’t return to work”, he noted.

Ani said the PSC can only plead with the officers to, in the spirit of nationalism, go back to work while government finalizes plans for their protection and welfare.

- DAILY POST

Lagos curfew now from 10pm to 6am

 The government of Lagos has reviewed the restriction of movement in the state.

The curfew, which allows movement from 8am to 6pm, has now been reviewed to 10pm till 6am.

Gbenga Omotosho, commissioner for information, broke the news on Friday.

“The Lagos State Government has announced a further relaxation of the curfew imposed after the breakdown of law and order, following the hijack of the peaceful #EndSARS protests. The curfew will now be from 10pm till 6am,” the statement read.

“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu praises Lagosians for observing the curfew, which is expected to restore normalcy in our communities. He urges all Lagosians to go about their businesses in peace, even as they shun actions that can threaten our unity.

“The Governor advises purveyors of fake news to stop causing disaffection among Lagosians, who are well known for being peace-loving and friendly.”

A 24-hour curfew was imposed in the state last Tuesday following the outbreak of violence during the #EndSARS protests.

The curfew was eased on October 24 with movement allowed from 8am to 6pm.

It was later reviewed the next day and movement was allowed from 6am to 8pm.

- THECABLE

Bobby Charlton, football legend diagnosed with dementia

 

Sir Bobby Charlton, Manchester United and English national team legend has been diagnosed with dementia, his wife Lady Norma confirmed on Sunday.

“Everyone at Manchester United is saddened that this terrible disease has afflicted Sir Bobby Charlton,” said his former club Manchester United in a statement on Sunday.

“We continue to offer our love and support to Sir Bobby and his family,” the club added.

English Football Association (FA) also shared a post on Twitter to send best wishes to Charlton and his family.

Charlton, 83, lifted three league titles and a European Cup with Manchester United while he was also a part of 1966 World Cup winner England squad.

- PM NEWS

End SARS: End all street protests, dialogue with my govt on police – Buhari begs youths

 

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday urged Nigerian youths to shun street protests and engage his government in meaningful discussions on police reforms.

Buhari said Nigerian youths should engage his administration in discussions that would bring about comprehensive reforms to end all forms of police brutality against.

He spoke in his message to the maiden National Youth Day celebration, observed on November 1, which coincided with the African Youth Day celebration.

Represented by the FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, Buhari assured that his administration has heard the pleas of Nigerian youths.

A statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu quoted the President as the Federal Government ‘‘now wants to hear concrete and practical ideas.

”You must realize that protests cannot last indefinitely. My government will not lift a hand to stop or suppress you.

”However, the fact of the matter is that other forces and actors will seek to take over your protests that they may redirect them in ways you did not intend and perhaps do not agree with.

”Every successful protest movement the world over has understood that there comes a time when activity must move from the street to the negotiation table. That time for you has come. Do not be afraid of this reality. You should welcome it.”

- DAILY POST

How Boko Haram burnt down Borno village after air force ‘ignored rescue call’

 

The Nigerian Air Force did not respond to calls for support when suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked Takulashi village in Shikarkir ward, Chibok local government area of Borno state, military sources have told TheCable. 

Around 10am on Sunday, the insurgents descended on the village, shooting sporadically and setting houses ablaze. 

Sources said not less than 11 of the villagers had been killed before the Nigerian Army’s 28 task force brigade headquartered in Chibok attempted to repel the attack. 

“The insurgents came with six gun trucks, three other vehicles and some heavy weapons. They had also killed some vigilantes who first engaged them and had collected their Hilux vehicle,” a source said. 

“When they came in, the head of the vigilantes immediately called the army brigade. From the information he gave, the army brigade started calling the air force for air support as soldiers from the 117 battalion under the brigade were mobilised to advance to the area.

“Unfortunately, there was no response from the air force. The whole village was brought to ashes, and after about an hour of gunshot exchange with troops, the insurgents left.” 

Another source said the insurgents who came in large numbers would have been dealt with “if air support came on time. One or two air strikes would have decimated them.” 

TheCable gathered that most of the villagers ran into the bush, while some are making their way to Chibok which is about 15 kilometres away.  

When contacted, Ibikunle Daramola, spokesperson of the air force, asked that TheCable reach the defence headquarters as he couldn’t comment on the development. 

John Enenche, coordinator of the defence media operations, however, did not immediately pick calls placed to his telephone. He had not responded to a message at the time of filing this report. 

In February, residents of Garkida, Adamawa state and Korongilum, Borno state, had accused the air force of refusing to open fire on suspected Boko Haram insurgents when they attacked their communities.

But the air force had said it did not fire “in order not to kill innocent people.” 

- THECABLE

Paul Pogba to Man United fans: I am sorry

 

Paul Pogba has apologised after conceding the crucial penalty during Sunday’s Premier League defeat of Manchester United by Arsenal at Old Trafford.

The Frenchman tripped Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin in the box midway through the second-half, allowing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to tuck home and give the Gunners all three points at Old Trafford, for the first time since September 2006.

When speaking to MUTV after the final whistle, Pogba was visibly gutted, but owned up to his error and also said he and his team-mates could have done better to react to the setback.

“My mistake, I shouldn’t do that,” said Pogba. “I have to be better in the box defensively. When you run forward and back, a player runs behind you.

“When you get in the box, you have to be… not more clever – in French, the word is lucid. I don’t know the word in English but I have to be fresher in the box, on my feet.

“Details made us lose the game and we have to be better. We have to do better with the ball because we weren’t dangerous with the ball today.

“We didn’t create chances, as we should, and we didn’t win at home. That’s what we need to do. We need to win at home, you know?”

It’s now four Premier League games in M16 without a league win this season for United – six, if you go back to the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

Although he repeated his regret at giving away the spot-kick, Pogba struggled to explain why the Reds are having issues getting results on home turf – the midweek demolition of RB Leipzig aside.

*Reported by Man United website

COVID-19: Gombe dethrones Lagos, as Nigeria posts 162 new cases

 

Gombe takes over from Lagos on Saturday in the number of new COVID-19 cases, as the nation posts 162 fresh infections.

The national figure is however lower than the 170 cases recorded on Friday.

This takes the total confirmed Coronavirus cases in the country to 62,853, with 58,675 survivors discharged and 1,144 deaths recorded.

Of the 162 new cases, Gombe raked in 54 cases to take over from Lagos, which posted 26 cases, while the FCT recorded 36 new cases.

However, Lagos’ 26 new cases represent a far cry from the 106 cases it posted on Friday.

On Saturday, 13 states and FCT recorded COVID-19 cases, while there was no death recorded.

See figures below

Gombe-54
FCT-35
Lagos-26
Ogun-12
Plateau-10
Rivers-10
Kaduna-4
Ekiti-3
Edo-2
Osun-2
Bayelsa-1
Imo-1
Ondo-1
Oyo-1

62,853 confirmed
58,675 discharged
1,144 deaths

- PM NEWS

‘How SARS detained, tortured me for 22 days, until I lost my pregnancy’

 

A school teacher, Mrs Ndubuisi Obiechina, has told the Lagos State Panel of Judicial Inquiry into SARS brutality how she was detained by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad for 22 days and tortured until she lost her pregnancy.

Obiechina spoke at the panel on Saturday.

She was arrested by SARS operatives in 2017 on allegations that she was a thief and a kidnapper.

Obiechina, a school teacher said she was tortured until she lost her two-month-old pregnancy.

She gave the name of the officers who tortured her as Phillip Rilwan, Christian and Haruna Idowu.

According to her, the SARS operatives stole her husband’s N50,000 and compelled them to cough up N400,000 as bail, before they were freed.

Obiechina, who was at the panel with her husband said on June 1, 2017, she received a text message from an unknown number that he had a parcel from DHL, adding that a caller using different numbers asked for her home or office address and that she gave him her school address upon her husband’s advice.

She narrated that the following day, she saw a black jeep with huge men inside it, saying that one of them was in a DHL uniform and that they immediately approached her and started beating her

“They said I should enter inside. They said I was a thief, an armed robber. The one in the DHL uniform removed it. My HM (headmistress) was peeping at us. I said let me go and tell her. They said no. I said my kid is there, they said no, that I should follow them, that my kid would die there,” she explained.

According to her, her headmistress came to the gate as they pointed a gun at her, explaining that she asked what was going on and that they told her that she was a thief and a kidnapper and must follow them, identifying themselves as SARS operatives.

Obiechina explained further that they pushed her inside the car and moved away, while the men were slapping and beating her.

She said she was two months pregnant and started vomiting, saying that was when they found out  she was pregnant, but that they kept torturing her and that she told them she did not know the suspect they were looking for.

After taking her to their Ikeja office, she said they took her to a shrine and hung her up as they began to beat her severely, threatening that they would force her baby out unless she produced the person or die there.

- PM NEWS

We have failed our children – FG

 

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed has appealed to parents to instill family values in their children in order to save Nigeria from degeneration.

The minister made the call on Saturday in Kaduna during a stakeholders’ engagement with 77 district heads, religious and community leaders from the 23 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, NAN reports.

According to her, “We are calling the attention of parents that we have failed our children in the sense that the kind of values we use to have is no more.

“We need to remind ourselves that our children need to be upright and that this criminality going on, on daily basis, is not for their benefits and the benefit of the state and country.”

The minister further commended the Kaduna state government in managing security issues in the state.

Ahmed reiterated that the Federal Government has created a N75 billion entrepreneurship support fund, to enable youths in the country grow their businesses and be economically independent.

The minister explained that the fund would support the youth to actualize their innovative and entrepreneurial ideas.

- DAILY POST

Army: Why we won’t disclose identity of personnel deployed in Lekki tollgate

 

The Nigerian Army says it will not disclose the identities of its men who were sent to Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.

Soldiers had dispersed #EndSARS protesters who prevented vehicular movement along that axis for two weeks.

The incident had triggered different reactions, within and outside the country, as the military and the federal government were accused of human rights abuse.

While there are reports that many persons were killed by soldiers, only one case has been confirmed so far.

In an interview with PUNCH, Osoba Olaniyi, spokesman of the 81 division of the Nigerian Army, said it is unprofessional for the army to name the soldiers who were in action on that day.

“It is against operational security. We don’t give that. It is against the policy of operational security. There is no problem here. The picture some people paint, as if we are fighting with the state government, is wrong,” the newspaper quoted him to have said.

The army had initially denied being responsible for the incident.

In separate tweets, the army had labelled the reports on soldiers opening fire at the tollgate as fake news.

But last week, Olaniyi confirmed that soldiers were the ones who carried out the operation.

He had said the Lagos state government invited the army to restore order after widespread violence.

“At no time did soldiers of the Nigerian Army open fire on any civilian. From the onset of the ENDSARS protest, there was no time personnel of 81 Division Nigerian Army Lagos were involved,” he had said in a statement.

“However, the decision to call in the military was taken by the Lagos State Government (LASG) after a 24- hour curfew was imposed.

“This was as a result of the violence which led to several police stations being burnt, policemen killed, suspects in police custody released and weapons carted away. The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy.

“The intervention of the military followed all laid down procedures for Internal Security operations and all the soldiers involved acted within the confines of the Rules of Engagement (ROE) for Internal Security operations.”

- THECABLE

Pastor, female assistant burnt to death by jealous lover

 

A 40-year-old jealous lover, identified as Etifa Obukulubu, on Saturday in Igbogene area of Yenagoa Local Government Area, the Bayelsa State, allegedly set ablaze the home of his girlfriend over suspicion of cheating.

The deceased, a pastor working with the New Baptist Church and a female assistant were reportedly burnt to death in the fire.

While some residents claimed the burnt house was owned by the targeted girl’s family, others claimed it was rented by the deceased Pastor.

DAILY POST gathered that the incident, which occurred at about 3am on Saturday, led to pandemonium as attempt to rescue those inside the building failed.

DAILY POST also learnt that the exit door out of the house was jammed from outside when the targeted girlfriend, identified as Wilberforce, reportedly vacated her home for the deceased pastor and his assistant who came from outside the state on an evangelical mission.

Residents of Igbogene Community told DAILY POST, that the suspect, who is a commercial driver, had waited for his girlfriend to come home, “but maybe on sighting her with a man and another girl, he got angry and set the home ablaze.

“He waited for them to enter the house. And use fuel to set fire round the house. But he did not know that his girlfriend had left gone to sleep with another friend.”

Another resident, who described the suspect as a loner, said the incident shocked everyone in the area, “these lovers were staying three houses apart and no one suspected they were dating.

“It is unfortunate that the pastor and his assistant died in the fire. I was told the pastor was invited to preach in Yenagoa and the estranged girlfriend offered her home for them to sleep so for them to leave early.”

Contacted on the development, the Spokesman to the Bayelsa Police Command, confirmed the incident and said investigation is ongoing.

- DAILY POST

Truck crushes 10 to death after brake failure in Ondo

 

It was a black Saturday in Ondo State, as a truck crushed 10 traders to death at a market in Akungba-Akoko, Akoko South West Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that the truck had brake failure and ran into traders at the market.

The truck was conveying rice and was coming from the Ikare-Akoko axis before it rammed into the market.

Police Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Police Command, Tee-leo Ikoro confirmed the tragedy.

He said the police were initially informed that eight persons had already lost their lives.

He added that two more people under the truck were also dead.

Ikoro said the truck rammed into the market after brake failure, as many people were trapped under the trailer.

He added that those injured were taken to the hospital by rescuers.

- PM NEWS

COVID-19: England imposes four-week national lockdown

 Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, has announced a four-week national lockdown in England as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The lockdown will take effect from November 5 and last till the first week of December.

Speaking at a press conference held on Saturday, the prime minister said residents may only leave home for “specific reasons”, while schools will remain open.

“Now is the time to take action because there is no alternative. From Thursday until the start of December, you must stay at home,” he said.

“You may only leave home for specific reasons, including: For education; for work, say if you cannot work from home; for exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own with one person from another household; for medical reasons, appointments and to escape injury or harm; to shop for food and essentials; and to provide care for vulnerable people, or as a volunteer.

“I’m afraid non-essential shops, leisure and entertainment venues will all be closed – though click and collect services can continue and essential shops will remain open, so there is no need to stock up.

“Pubs, bars, restaurants must close except for takeaway and delivery services.

“Workplaces should stay open where people can’t work from home – for example in the construction or manufacturing sectors. Single adult households can still form exclusive support bubbles with one other household, and children will still be able to move between homes if their parents are separated.

“If you are clinically vulnerable, or over the age of 60, you should be especially careful to follow the rules and minimise your contacts with others.”

The prime minister added that the government will provide support for individuals and businesses that will be most affected by the lockdown.

“I am under no illusions about how difficult this will be for businesses which have already had to endure hardship this year. I am truly, truly sorry for that,” Johnson said.

“This is why we are also going to extend the furlough system through November. The furlough scheme was a success in the spring. It supported people and businesses in a critical time. We will not end it. We will extend it until December.

“Christmas is going to be different this year, very different, but it is my sincere hope and belief that by taking tough action now, we can allow families across the country to be together.

“My priority, our priority, remains keeping people in education — so childcare, early years settings, schools, colleges and universities will all remain open. Our senior clinicians still advise that school is the best place for children to be.

“We cannot let this virus damage our children’s futures even more than it has already. I urge parents to continue taking their children to school and I am extremely grateful to teachers across the country for their dedication in enabling schools to remain open.”

As of October 31, the UK had confirmed over one million COVID-19 cases, out of which almost 47,000 deaths have been recorded.

- THECABLE