Transfer news : Manchester City to sign Daniel Arzani

Manchester City are close to completing a deal for Melbourne City’s Daniel Arzani, the Daily Mail reports.

The Australian prospect is expected to be immediately sent out on loan to Celtic for the 2018/19 season.
The 19-year-old is expected to join City for a fee in the region of £280,000.
Celtic are thought to have beaten off competition from PSV Eindhoven in securing the attacking midfielder on loan.

Arzani made three appearances for Australia at the World Cup and also attracted interest from the likes of Roma.
However City appear to have won the race for his signature and in joining Celtic on loan, Arzani will link up with fellow Australian Tom Rogic.
City’s deal for Arzani will be similar to the one they completed for midfielder Aaron Mooy back in 2016 before he joined Huddersfield Town on a season-long loan, then later completing a permanent move to the Terriers. 

Transfer news : Chelsea loan Pasalic to Atalanta

Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic will spend a fifth season out on loan after Atalanta agreed a season-long deal for the 23-year-old.

Pasalic moved to Stamford Bridge in 2014 and has had temporary spells across Europe, including a year with Italian giants AC Milan.

He spent the 2017-18 campaign with Spartak Moscow, making 21 appearances in the Premier League, scoring four goals.

The Germany-born Croatia international has also spent time at Spanish side Elche and Ligue 1's Monaco.

A second stint in Serie A beckons after Atalanta added him to their squad for the 2018-19 campaign, with the Italian club holding an option to make the move permanent.

"Mario Pasalic will spend the upcoming season on loan at Serie A side Atalanta," Chelsea confirmed in a statement. 

"Pasalic enjoyed a productive season on loan at Spartak Moscow in 2017/18, making 28 appearances and featuring in both the Champions League and Europa League.

"The midfielder has previous experience in Serie A after being loaned to AC Milan in 2016/17.

"Having played the second half of our friendly win over Perth Glory on Monday, he now heads back to the Italian top flight to continue his development with Atalanta." - Goal 

25-year-old woman buys clothes, ‘pays with fake money transfer’

A woman, Joy Godwin, who allegedly bought designer items worth N306,000 from a boutique but paid via a fake money transfer, was on Wednesday brought before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Godwin, 26, was arraigned by the police on a two-count charge of fraud and theft before Mrs F. M. Dalley.

Prosecuting Sergeant Oluwafemi Adeleye alleged that Godwin committed the offences on July 13 at about 2:30pm at Ajah, Lagos.

The court heard that the defendant bought clothes shoes and bags worth N306,000 from Dress Jem Boutique and requested to pay by money transfer into the boutique’s account.

She was given a Point of Sale (POS) machine and it indicated that the transfer was successful, following which she left with the goods.

However, it was afterwards discovered that no money was remitted into the boutique’s bank account.

Adeleye said: “The sales girl called the number the defendant gave the boutique several times, but it was unavailable.

“On July 17, the defendant returned to the boutique, disguised with a hijab and sun glasses. She bought five tops, one trouser and two pairs of shoes and again asked to use the POS machine.

“Her request made the sales girl suspicious and she asked to see the defendant’s face, but she refused. The sales girl raised the alarm and, when the defendant’s sunglasses and face veil were removed, it was discovered that she was the same person.”

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravened Sections 287 and 314 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

But Godwin pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Dalley granted her N100,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

The case continues on August 14. - The Nation

Man remanded for allegedly raping 9-year-old

A Magistrates’ Court in Kano on Wednesday ordered the remand of a businessman, one Balarabe Habibu, in prison over the alleged defilement of a nine-year-old boy.

Habibu, 41, residing at Dullurawa Quarters in Kano, is being tried for committing an unnatural offence, contrary to Section 284 of the Penal Code.
Muhammad Jibril, the Chief Magistrate, ordered the remand of the accused in prison, pending advice from the Kano State Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP.

The police Prosecutor, Insp. Pogu Lale, told the court that one Murtala Sa’idu of Zango Kaya Village in the Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano, in company of his ex-wife, Aisha Khalid, reported the case at the Jakara Police Division, Kano on July 6.
He said, “On the same date, the complainants noticed their nine-year-old son was not walking normal.”
“When they questioned him, the victim told his parents that the accused lured him to different places to have canal knowledge of him,’’ Lale said.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Jibril adjourned the case until Sept. 20 for further mention.   

Imam divorces Wife for converting to Christianity, becoming prophetess

The Igando Customary Court on Tuesday dissolved a 21-year-old marriage between one Rachael Olayiwola and Rabiu Olayiwola.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rabiu, 48, an Islamic cleric, had approached the court to terminate his marriage to Rachael, who had turned a prophetess.

Olayiwola had told the court that prior to their marriage, Rachael had agreed to abandon her Christian religion for Islamic faith.

“But three years ago, she now told me that God has asked her to return to her former religion and become a prophetess.

“I cannot accept that under my roof; it is either she comes back to my faith or I send her packing through dissolution of the marriage.

“The annoying thing is that she does not go to her church alone but takes the children along.

“Now the Central Mosque Association Committee vowed to remove me as an Imam if my wife refused to return as a Muslim,” Rabiu said.

The petitioner testified that his wife was in the habit of fighting him and did not respect him.

“Rachael lacks respect for me; she once hit my head on the wall, gave me punches on my face and also tore my praying garment,” he said.

According to him, Rachael defamed his character by accusing him of an attempt to use two of our children for money rituals.

Olayiwola told the court that he stopped sleeping with his wife because she refused to use the family planning ring he gave her.

However, the 41-year-old Rachael told the court that her husband wanted to use two of the children for rituals.

“My husband came home with a herbalist, who gave me black soap from a black pot and some leaves that I should bathe with them at 1:00am.

“The herbalist said I should call the names of my first born and the last born and I should also touch them with the items to bring victory and riches to my husband.

“After the herbalist and my husband left, I received a prophecy not to use any black substance and that if I use it, I will cry. So I discarded all the items given to me and prayed at 1:00am.”

She said she agreed to practice her husband’s religion, adding that she practiced it for 18 years before God called her to work for Him in the church and she could not disobey God.

The mother of seven said that her husband had denied her of sex for over two years.

She said that after their sixth child, her husband gave her a ring which he said would prevent her from getting pregnant.

“I actually wore the ring but the ring failed. After having the seventh child, he just abandoned me and refused to touch me let alone make love to me.”

Rachael admitted punching her husband in self-defence when they fought, adding that he used to grab her neck, attempting to strangle her.

She urged the court not to grant her husband’s request for the dissolution of the marriage, claiming she had no accommodation and could not leave her children.

Ruling, the court’s President, Mr Akin Akinniyi, who ordered the dissolution of the marriage, said the court had no alternative than to dissolve the marriage as efforts by the court and family to reconcile the couple had failed.

“Since the petitioner (Rabiu Olayiwola) insisted on divorce after several interventions, the court is, therefore, left with no option than to grant him his wish and pronounce the union dissolved.

“The court hereby pronounces the marriage between Mr Rabiu Olayiwola and Mrs Rachael Olayiwola dissolved.

“Both of you, henceforth, cease to be husband and wife; you should go your separate ways unmolested,” he said.

He added: “The court wishes both of you well in your new journey of life.

“The first two children, who are above 18 years, should decide who to stay with while the last five children who are below 18 years are to live with their mother.

“The petitioner is to pay N25,000 monthly for the feeding of the five children and he also to be responsible for the children’s school fees and medical bills.

“A severance of N350,000 only is awarded to the Rachael as rehabilitation cost and Rabiu is also to pay N350,000 for accommodation to his estranged wife yearly.” - Daily Post

Ambode : Lagos safest city in Africa

Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday said the state has become one of the safest cities in Africa.

The governor spoke as the guest speaker at this year’s Executive Intelligence Management Course participants of the Institute for Security Studies in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The event, with the theme: Cultural Values, National Security and Challenges of Contemporary Governance: Perspectives from Lagos State Experience, was attended by participants from across the country.

Ambode said the greatest achievement of his administration in the past three years is the protection of life and property of the residents.

The state, the governor said, had invested over N20 billion on security in the past three years.

With the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corp (LNSC) his administration set up, he said crimes had reduced across the state.

Ambode noted that the problem with the country was problem of discipline and the challenge of attitudes.

He said: “Indeed, I strongly believe that the fight against crime and all forms of criminality would be better enhanced if efforts are geared towards embracing community policing to complement the police and other law enforcement agencies.

“This is what informed the setting up of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corp Agency of which I shall later speak. However, what we have found in our experience in Lagos State is that intelligence gathering through community policing will be ineffective in the absence of certain germane cultural values in the society.

“Indeed, the security of life and property of citizens remains the topmost pursuit of my administration. Indeed, one of the biggest achievements of my administration in the last three years is the security of life and the property of Lagos State residents. And of course, it is gratifying to note that Lagos State is now one of the safest cities in Africa.”

The governor also said an efficient and effective security architecture would ensure the implementation of other policies and the preservation of investment made.

“After all, that is what really grows our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that is what makes other people to want to come to Lagos State to live and work and invest,” he added.

Ambode noted that to reclaim the cultural values in multi-cultural and cosmopolitan Lagos State, there were four cardinal values that should be observed: truth, justice, hard-work and character.

According to him, 65 per cent of Nigeria’s population is below the age of 35.

Ambode said security is the exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government, even though the Lagos State government supports the security agencies to protect the citizens.

The Director of the Institute for Security Studies, Mathew Seiyefa, thanked the governor for the support of the state through the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. - The Nation

‘I don’t need a political job to survive’ — Banire blasts senators opposed to his AMCON appointment

Muiz Banire, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says he does not need a political job to survive.

Banire, a former legal adviser of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said this in reaction to the opposition of the three senators from Lagos state to his appointment as chairman of the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
President Muhammadu Buhari transmitted the name of Banire to the senate for confirmation.

At its sitting on Tuesday, Solomon Adeola, lawmaker representing Lagos west senatorial district, laid a petition signed by two other senators from the state against Banire’s nomination.
Adeola had said the letter emanated from their constituents.
But Banire said his nomination is not a quota appointment that requires special approval of the senators, adding that he was nominated as a Nigerian because the president has a lot of confidence in him.

He maintained that he does not need to occupy a public office to add value to his community and the nation.
“In the first place, let me recognize the constitutional right of the three senators to express their views without hindrance. It is part of the democratic tenets we all cherish and strive to protect at all times,” he said.

“Equally, because of the respect I have for the offices of the senators, I will not join issues with them, particularly when it has become traditional and conventional for them to be objectors on occasions such as this. All I can say is that I wish them well and remind them that no dynasty or empire lasts forever. Whatever has a beginning will have an end.
“However, it is necessary to point out to interested or concerned members of the Nigerian citizenry that my nomination in the first place is not a quota appointment (as the three politicians and distinguished senators may have wrongly perceived) requiring their special approval to deal with.

“I was nominated simply as a Nigerian in whom the appointer has a lot of confidence and who is prepared to give his all in service of his fatherland.
“Beyond the above, let me also state clearly that I am blessed with so many alternative contact addresses and consequently, do not desperately need a political job to survive. It is those who are professional politicians and whose survival depends on such that can be so threatened. Here I am, a professional in politics.”

Banire vowed not to be distracted, describing the action of the senators as an attempt to gag him.
“Of course, if this is a continuation of the consistent harassment, intimidation and threat to gag my advocacy for good governance and the rule of law, the effect unfortunately is otherwise,” he said.
“It strengthens me further and makes me resolute in my crusade. I shall continue to interrogate and agitate issues of good governance and rule of law, regardless of whose ox is gored.

“I am already demonstrating through my activities and engagements in several other spheres that I do not need to occupy a public office to add value to our community and nation. My relevance does not lie in public office or wealth. I have said it that I will continue to challenge the warped order till the ultimate change comes, sooner than later.
“Finally, let me equally apologise to those who feel I am not submissive to worshipping them. It is not my making but the covenant I have with my God, to whom all power belongs. They should bear with me as I am incapacitated in this regard.” -TheCable