PL NEWS : Unai Emery is ”desperate” to offload Ozil, Mustafi

Unai Emery is struggling to find buyers for Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi as he tries to boost his summer transfer kitty.

The Arsenal boss wants to offload the pair to make room for potential new arrivals at the Emirates.

Emery has a limited budget of £45m with which to sign players, and sees Ozil and Mustafi as surplus to his plans.

He hoped to sell them both for significant fees but the Sun report he is yet to find any interested parties.

The Spaniard is particularly keen to get Mesut Ozil off the Gunners’ wage bill, and is willing to pay a portion of the German’s £350k per week salary to tempt other clubs into signing him.

Ozil had a disappointing season for Arsenal in the last campaign, and was criticised for his performance in the Europa League final.

There was some interest in the 30-year-old playmaker from Turkish side Fenerbahce, but they’ve since gone cold after admitting they were put off by his huge wage demands.

Mustafi is another player who struggled for form last season, with Emery now prioritising defensive reinforcements to replace the centre-back.

The Gunners will want to recoup at least some of the £35 million they paid Valencia for his services back in 2016, but there is yet to be an approach from interested clubs.

Arsenal are keeping tabs on RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamercano as they eye a replacement for Mustafi, but are thought to have been priced out of a move unless they can raise some extra cash.

Emery meanwhile has put his frustrations in the transfer market to one side to make changes in his backroom staff.

Loyal club servant Steve Bould has been removed from his post as assistant first-team coach, with Gunners legend Freddie Ljungberg stepping up to replace him.

Bould will now serve as under-23’s boss – the role Ljungberg was filling previously.

- PM NEWS

Fulani marauders must vacate Yorubaland now – Gani Adams

The Aare Onakakanfo, Gani Adams has ordered Fulani marauders killing people in the Southwest to vacate Yorubaland now or face the consequence as the Yoruba people will not fold their arms and watch their people being killed, raped and kidnapped.

Arising from a crucial meeting of the Aare Onakakanfo in Council, Adams warned that the Yoruba people would be forced to retaliate if the Fulani herdsmen continued to maim innocent people.

“We cannot continue to fold our arms and let these bandits continue to soil our land with the blood of the innocent. Consequently, we hereby ask these Fulani marauders to stop their murderous activities and vacate every inch of Yorubaland they currently ravage.

“Failure to reconcile themselves with these terms may warrant maximum retaliation as the principle dictates that a bully only respects a bully.

“The campaign of blood by Fulani herdsmen, who have been ravaging our land, kidnapping, killing, maiming and raping our people in recent years has become a serious source of concern for the Yoruba race; a race renowned for their staunch passion for peaceful coexistence, national cohesion and development.

“The threat posed to our existence by these blood-mongering marauders cannot be overlooked as we, as a people, believe that for peace and accord to reign among the multiplicity of people who occupy a common territory, all parties must play a role in ensuring that each and every unit in this country respect each other in all ramifications,” he stated.

According to Adams, it was disheartening and most embarrassing that the group, despite several appeals to their consciousness and common sense, had continued to wreak havoc in Southwest land, and forcibly planning to reap where they had not sown.

He said they had proven that they had come to steal, destroy, and kill; as evident in the unmitigated attacks on communities where their nomadic enterprise took them, adding that they had been plundering Yorubaland, and “we recognize evil when we see it. This is no exception.”

He said “as true spawns of Oduduwa, we are unequivocally forthright about this threat posed by this group which the federal government has turned a blind eye to by refusing to call a spade by its name, dubbing the Fulani marauders as criminals, bandits, and pillagers. Every true blood of the Yoruba race is at the risk of being haunted and slaughtered by this reckless group if we keep sugarcoating the bloody implications of their evil enterprise.

“We are acquainted with the nature of Fulani nomads in the past, and we know as a matter of fact that they were not carrying AK47s. It is because of this naked truth that we ask that these people be labelled as what they are. We are clamouring that the appropriate moniker should be used to tag them. They should be addressed as ‘Fulani bandits,’ for we believe that there is power in names.

“We strongly advise Obas and local Chiefs to show more than passing interest in the activities of people in their domains. They must know that they cannot be blameless for their failure to account for and monitor strangers in their areas of jurisdictions, particularly those whose activities run contrary to peaceful coexistence.”

Adams added that the Yoruba people could not continue to fold their arms and let these bandits continue to soil their land with the blood of the innocent and demanded concrete action from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over the activities of these murderous gangs.

“We are no longer comfortable with the continuing brutalization and murderous humiliation of our people. Government’s silence is distressing as it is emboldening the criminals. President Buhari must act now. They need to understand that their seeming stillness about this plague is a tacit alignment with the forces of evil,” he said.

Adams listed dark spots where urgent Federal Government’s intervention were needed to include Orile-Owu to Ijebu-Ode forest, Osun and Ogun States; Ilesha, Ife, Aramoko, Ijero, Esa-Oke, Ikire, Gbogan, Ode-Omu, Ifewara, Ibadan to Ife Road, Ife to Akure Road, Ikesha to Oshogbo, and environs; Osi, Igede, Ilupeju, Ikole, Ado, Ikere, and environs, among others.

- PM NEWS

How women can keep their husbands from flirting – Daddy Freeze

Critic, Daddy Freeze has dropped wise words for women in order to keep their husbands from flirting and running after other women outside the home.

Freeze is of the opinion that if women could spend less time in praying and fasting and devote enough time to dressing sexy at home, that would keep their husbands from looking outside for other women.

According to him, insinuations by some people that even if women would dress naked for their husband, those who would still cheat would do so, did not hold any water.

He wrote on his Instagram: “Dear women, if you spent the time you are spending praying and fasting, dressing sexy for your husbands, you will have less divorce cases and less unfaithful husbands.

“Some cretinous dingbats will say, even if you are naked a man that would cheat, would cheat. It’s the intellectual equivalent of saying everyone will die, so let’s just eat all the junk food we can lay our hands on.

“Do your bit first, pray, yes! fast, yes! nut make sure you are your husbands whore, so your job and position won’t be outsourced.”

- PM NEWS

YAHOO EXECUTIVE JAM SCAMMER !! $8m fraud: Ajudua swore with son’s life not to defraud me – Bamaiyi

A former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, on Friday told an Ikeja High Court that Fred Ajudua, alleged serial conman, defrauded him in spite of swearing with his son’s life.

Bamaiyi made the disclosure while being cross-examined by Ajudua’s counsel, Mr Olalekan Ojo, at the resumed hearing in allegedly swindling of Bamaiyi of 8.4 million dollars at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons by Ajudua in 2004.

Friday’s session was the fifth in the proceedings in which Bamaiyi was cross-examined by the defence since giving his evidence-in-chief on Nov. 26, 2018.

Responding to Ojo’s question on why he did not ask for receipts from Ajudua as proof of receiving the funds, Bamaiyi said that he trusted Ajudua not to defraud him.

He noted that his trust was further strengthened when Ajudua swore with his son’s life not to defraud him.

“I trusted him completely; you don’t understand the concept and level of trust I had.

“I’m a father and a grandfather. I understand these things. If as a father he (Ajudua) swears that his only son should die if he should defraud me; that is more than sufficient receipt.

“When he defrauded me, I initially kept quiet. It was after he ran away for six years that I decided to complain. By God, I never knew I will find myself in court,” Bamaiyi said.

The former army chief said that the funds given to Ajudua for payment for the legal services of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), were brought to him in prison by family members, friends and staff.

He said that prison rules allowed money meant for the payment of legal representation to be brought into the premises of the prison, adding that he recorded every money brought to the prison in his diary.

“Sometimes money was put in our food containers. The money is counted in the presence of the prison officers, so it was not hidden.

“My lord, I said it before and let me repeat it, when visitors come with the food containers, he who brings the food will taste it so that they will not poison the inmate.

“The food container has food on top; that is the one they will taste. Money is kept underneath the container.

“To me, the counting of the money is a record; the prison authorities knew about this money and constitutes records to the prison authorities.

“I can remember the specific amount each person brought; my former ADC, Timothy Chechet, brought one million dollars on two different occasions,” he said.

He said the individuals who brought some of the foreign currencies, gave statements to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirming that they brought money to the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons.

Explaining the source of the funds, Bamaiyi said that the money was given to him by friends who did not want their identity disclosed.

He also said that the funds were sourced from his personal savings, property and farming businesses, adding that some of the funds were withdrawn from his account at the defunct Nal Merchant Bank.

Following the revelation, Ojo requested for a copy of Bamaiyi’s statement of account, saying that the prosecution had not frontloaded a copy of the statement to the defence.

On his part, the prosecuting counsel for EFCC, Mr Tope Banjo, said that an additional proof of evidence containing the requested bank statement would be filed in court by the prosecution at an adjourned date.

The Judge, Justice Josephine Oyefeso, adjourned the case until Sep. 16 and 19, 2019, for continuation of trial.

According to the prosecution, Ajudua was incarcerated at the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons over alleged fraud while Bamaiyi was incarcerated over alleged involvement in the attempted murder of Mr Alex Ibru, late publisher of The Guardian Newspaper.

The prosecution alleged that Ajudua had alongside some accomplices, approached Bamaiyi in the prison in 2004.

The defendant had allegedly convinced Bamaiyi that he could hire the legal services of Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) to help secure his freedom from Kirikiri, and Ajudua allegedly fraudulently collected 8.4 million dollars as the legal fees.

When the alleged fraud came to light, the law chambers of Afe Babalola and Co. issued a disclaimer disassociating itself from the case.

- PM NEWS 

‘Doctors kidnapped’, policemen shot as gunmen hijack ambulance in Ondo

An ambulance conveying medical equipment was attacked at the boundary between Ondo and Edo states on Friday.

TheCable gathered that some medical officials were inside the ambulance, a white Toyota Hiace bus, when it was attacked.

A source said the ambulance was conveying drugs used in treating lassa fever patients to an undisclosed location, when the attackers struck.

“The team was traveling in the bus (ambulance) to deliver the medical equipment meant to fight the Lassa Fever when the gunmen struck on Benin road,” the source said.

“They ambushed, and attacked the medical team and later shot at the security personnel in the vehicle as I was told, they kidnapped those in the ambulance.”

TheCable could not reach Femi Joseph, spokesman of the Ondo police command, as of the time this report was filed. His telephone line was out of reach.

Ondo is among the states where the government is tackling insecurity.

Earlier in the week, Rotimi Akeredolu, the governor, narrated  how suspected kidnappers targetted his convoy.

He said his security aides had to open fire before the suspects fled.

- THECABLE

Police parades pastor for allegedly raping lady in Cross River

The Cross River State Police command has paraded Pastor Hossana Okoi of Gate of Testimony Church Sierra Leon for allegedly raping a lady.

Also paraded was a 400 level student of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Calabar, Nnamdi Kingsley Ikezue, allegedly arrested with arms and army uniform.

The Command similarly paraded twenty-five other suspects arrested for various crimes in the state.

Parading the suspects, the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Austen Agbonlahor, said Pastor Okoi had claimed that his church was located in Sierra Leone and that he was arrested after a lady reported to the police that a pastor, who was supposed to pray for her had raped her and threatened her with a gun not to report the incident.

He said the command was ready and has strategized to stamp out criminals in the state and solicit support from traditional rulers to join hands in the fight.

“We shall stop at nothing in ridding the state of criminals. I want to equivocally state that the command has assiduously strategized an onslaught on these criminals across the state and we will never renege on this no matter whose ox is gored.

Among those paraded were nine for robbery; 10, cultism; five, sundry fraud; one for possession of firearm, while N409, 500 cash was recovered as well as ammunition and cartridges.

However, Pastor Okoi told reporters during an interview that he was framed up by the lady in question. He said, “I am a Nigerian but I am the pastor of Gate of Testimony based in Sierra Leone.

“I came to Nigeria and I met the lady, who said she was going to a wedding. I did not know her from Adam, but I offered to take her there and gave her N500 to drink water.

“Later, we met at a joint and we drank and that is all that happened. I did not take her to anywhere and I don’t know why she decided to frame me up.”

But Nnamdi Ikezue owned up to being a cultist, explaining, “I am having the army uniform because, I was at the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, before I got admission into the University of Calabar to study Medicine and Surgery in 2014. I am a cultist and I still use the military uniform and my gun, which I acquired to protect myself.”

He, however, regretted that the devil was behind his ordeal, because, according to him, “At the level I am now, I am not supposed to be in cult.”

- DAILY POST

Drogba, Makelele to join Lampard at Chelsea

Frank Lampard is set for an emotional return to Chelsea, as the club prepare to formally offer him the manager’s job and will bring some of his former team-mates, SportsMail reports.

Derby County will not stand in Lampard’s way, provided Chelsea are respectful in their pursuit and pay a £4million compensation.

Negotiations between Chelsea and their all-time leading goalscorer to become Maurizio Sarri’s successor, will take place once permission is granted by the Championship side.

Lampard’s imminent return has seen a growing determination at Stamford Bridge, to bring back more of the club’s legends.

Petr Cech is set to return in a technical role, although no final decision will be made until his Arsenal contract expires on June 30.

There is also a long-standing desire to bring Didier Drogba back to the club in some capacity, while former midfielder Claude Makelele, who quit as manager of Belgian side Eupen on Friday, has also been linked with a return.

Lampard would bring Chelsea academy graduate Jody Morris and former coach Chris Jones with him from Derby.

- DAILY POST