2025 | Page 246 of 262 | Trendbrio.com

PSC approves retirement of Senior Police Officers above 60 years

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago02 mins

The Police Service Commission has approved the immediate retirement of Senior Police Officers who have spent more than 35 years in service and those above 60 years of age. The Commission at its 24th plenary meeting of 27th and 28th September 2017 had approved that the Force entrants should have their date of appointment in the Force against the date of their enlistment. The Commission has passionately revisted their decision and has come to the conclusion that the said decision in its intent and purpose contradicted the principle of merger of service in the Public service and it is in violation of Public Service Rule No 020908 ( i & ii) which provides for retirement on attainment of 35 years in service or 60 years of age. Accordingly, the Commission at its 1st extra ordinary meeting of the 6th Management Board held today, Friday, 31st January 2025, approved the immediate retirement of those officers who have spent more than 35 years in service and those above 60 years of age. The Commission Chairman, DIG Hashimu Argungu, rtd, mni, presided over the extraordinary Meeting and had Justice Adamu Paul Galumje, retired Justice of the Supreme Court and Hon Commissioner representing the Judiciary; DIG Taiwo Lakanu rtd, fdc, Honourable Commissioner representing the Police and Chief Onyemuchi Nnamani, Secretary to the Commission in attendance. The Commission’s decision has been conveyed to the Inspector General of Police for implementation.

UCL: Real Madrid to play Man City in knockout playoffs

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago03 mins

Real Madrid will play Manchester City in the Champions League knockout playoffs round in a standout clash of the past two title winners after the draw was made Friday. Man City, the 2023 champion, will host the first leg on Feb. 11 or 12 and the return game in Madrid is on Feb. 18 or 19. Madrid won a record-extending 15th European title last season. The winner over two legs advances to the round of 16 to face either Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen, who placed in the top eight of the new 36-team league standings that ended Wednesday. Teams that finished from Nos. 9 to 24 in the standings dropped into the two-leg knockout playoffs. Madrid placed 11th and Man City barely qualified in 22nd, after rallying to beat Club Brugge 3-1 in a must-win game. By finishing in 22nd Man City knew it would have to face No. 11 Madrid or No. 12 Bayern Munich in the playoffs. Munich was drawn instead to face 21st-place Celtic. Seedings decided by the 36-team standings means Madrid and Man City already know the winner of their two-leg blockbuster will be drawn then to face No. 5 Atletico or No. 6 Leverkusen. UEFA makes the round of 16 pairings on Feb. 21. The tennis-style knockout bracket in the fresh competition format also now allows teams from the same country to face each other before the quarterfinals. That was not possible for the past two decades when the round of 16 opened the knockout phase. That left Paris Saint-German to be drawn Friday to face French rival Brest, which it also plays in a Ligue 1 game Saturday. Monaco was left to face Benfica. National derby games between Italian and Dutch sides were avoided because AC Milan was paired with Feyenoord, before Juventus was drawn to face PSV Eindhoven. Concluding the matches, Club Brugge play Atalanta and Sporting Lisbon face Borussia Dortmund. Teams awaiting them in the round of 16 in March are Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Atletico, Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.

Basketball: Rivers Hoopers emerge victorious over Energie

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago02 mins

Rivers Hoopers survived a late scare to beat Energie of Benin Republic 64-59 in their last Group B game of the Louis Edem Invitational Basketball Championship in Lagos. Buchi Nwaiwu scored 12 points while Samuel Sani added 10 points for the KingsMen. Hoopers scored five 3s and shot 12-of-14 from the free throw line, which was pivotal to their win. The KingsMen, who held an 18-point lead at the end of the third quarter, struggled at both ends of the floor in the fourth. Energie outscored the Nigerian champions 28-15 in the last quarter. The Beninese team knocked down four-threes in the last three minutes of the game. For a second consecutive game, Michael Daramola came through for the KingsMen as he scored back-to-back points (4) to stretch the lead to 11 (62-51) with 1:44 left. An 8-2 run by Energie in the last few seconds reduced the deficit to 5 points. Rivers Hoopers finished with a 4-0 in the group stage while Energie finished with a 2-2 mark. Rivers Hoopers will play Spintex Knights in a repeat of last year’s semifinals while ASPAC will face Police Batons on Friday. The Ghanaian team defeated Hoopers in the last edition.

IGP’s continuous stay in office legal, lawful -AGF

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago02 mins

The continuous stay in office of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, is legal and lawful. The appointment of Egbetokun, according to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) took effect from 31st day of October, 2023 would have come to an end on his attainment of 60 years of age on 4th day of September, 2024. “However, before his retirement age, the Police Act was amended to allow the occupant of the office to remain and complete the original four year term granted under Section 7 (6) of the Act, notwithstanding the fact that he has attained the age of 60 years. This has, therefore, statutorily extended the tenure of office of Egbetokun to and including 31st day of October, 2027 in order to complete the four year tenure granted to him. “For the avoidance of doubt, Egbetokun’s continuous stay in office is in line with the provisions of the Police Act amended in 2024 which allow the occupant of the office to enjoy a term of four years effective from the date of his appointment as IGP, in this case, 31st day of October 2023. “This advisory is necessary for the guidance of the general public,”Fagbemi stated.

Napoli rejects €65m Galatasaray bid for Osimhen

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago02 mins

Napoli have rejected a €65 million offer from Galatasaray for striker Victor Osimhen, according to Il Corriere dello Sport. Despite Osimhen’s current loan spell at Galatasaray, the Turkish club does not have a permanent option to buy. While Galatasaray are keen to make the transfer permanent, Napoli are holding firm on their valuation of the Nigerian striker. Osimhen’s contract with Napoli reportedly includes a €75 million release clause, which is valid from January. However, Corriere dello Sport suggested Galatasaray have a unique advantage. The clause for January is reportedly set at €81m (€75m + €6m compensation due to Galatasaray if Osimhen moves elsewhere mid-season). This means that Galatasaray are currently the only club able to acquire Osimhen for €75m this month. Any other club would have to pay that amount starting from next summer. Osimhen’s release clause was initially set at €130 million but was lowered to €75m last summer when he signed a new contract with Napoli before his loan move to Galatasaray. Despite Galatasaray’s eagerness to secure his permanent signing, Napoli’s rejection of their €65m bid indicates they are determined to receive the full amount of the release clause.

Leverkusen: Boniface stay amid Saudi bid

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago02 mins

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Wednesday that Nigerian striker Victor Boniface is set to stay at the club following reports of a possible transfer to Saudi Arabia. Boniface had been left out of the squad in Leverkusen’s preparations for their 2-0 win over Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday, and Alonso had said Tuesday it was due to talks with an unnamed club. German media had reported the negotiations were with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, where Cristiano Ronaldo plays, and involved a fee of €70 million euros ($73 million). “He will train again tomorrow. I believe he is staying with us,” Alonso said when asked about Boniface after the win over Sparta. “So I have to say that I am satisfied, I am happy.” Alonso said Boniface could play Sunday against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga and added: “He is comfortable here, so I don’t believe that this is a big stress for him.” The apparent collapse of a possible Boniface transfer could remove one obstacle for a move to Saudi Arabia for Aston Villa striker Jhon Durán. He has also been linked with Al Nassr and was an unused substitute in Villa’s 4-2 win over Celtic on Wednesday. Boniface hasn’t played since November because of injury, but had been on the bench for Leverkusen’s last two games before Wednesday.

IJF Handball: Nigeria draw USA, Azerbaijan, Moldova in Group B

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago03 mins

Nigeria’s Under-23 Men Handball team has been drawn against United States of America (USA) and Azerbaijan in Group B of the 5th IHF Emerging Nations Championship slated between 11 and 16 of March, 2025 in Vana, Bulgaria. The International Handball Federation revealed the championship groupings on Wednesday following the completion of the Draw at the IHF Headquarters in Basel, Switzerland. It can be recalled that the Nigerian side lost to the Americans in one of the group games in the first edition of the Emerging Nations Championship held in Georgia in 2019 and they defeated Azerbaijan in another group game in the 2023 edition hosted in Bulgaria. According to the President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) Mr. Samuel Ocheho, assured that the Federation will ensure they succeed at the championship. “This is a tricky group for our boys but i see opportunities as it is an opportunity for the team to improve on their previous 7th place standings in the championship. “We also know our opponents in this competition and we will give all the necessary support for the team to succeed because we believe they will thrive in the championship,” he said. Ocheho also appealed to the National Sports Commission to also support the efforts of the HFN in their continued push to put Nigeria handball in the global space. The IHF Emerging Nations Championship is a competition organised by the World Handball governing body, the International Handball Federation (IHF) for countries participating in the four-year plan of the European Handball Federation and some of the best ranked countries that didn’t qualify for the World’s Men Handball Championship.

NBBF releases programme of activities for 2025

Fola Badmus8 months ago8 months ago05 mins

The Nigeria Basketball Federation has released a comprehensive programme of activities for 2025, coming on the heels of its board meeting held earlier in January, 2025. The programmes of basketball activities which was ratified by the board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), led by its President Engr. Ahmadu Musa Kida, has been termed by stakeholders and enthusiasts as ‘Consolidation Time’. Beginning from February 5-9, 2025, the Nigeria Senior Female Basketball team, D’Tigress are expected to feature in a friendly invitational tournament billed for Belarus; February 17-25, 2025, would see the D’Tigers participate in the 2025 FIBA AFRO Basket qualifiers taking place in Tripoli, Libya. Activities for March, 2025, include the 1st Phase of NBBF Divisions 1&2 2024 season; Finals of NBBF Divisions 1&2 2024 season, as well as, the 1st Phase Women Zenith Bank league Division 1. Also, there would be the NBBF Annual General Meeting (AGM) and stakeholders Forum, to hold between February/March at a venue to be decided. April 2025, begins with BAL Season 5, with Nigeria’s representatives Rivers Hoppers competing with other 11 teams in the championship holding respectively in Rabat, Morocco; Dakar, Senegal; Kigali, Rwanda and Pretoria, South Africa. Also in April 2025, there would be refresher courses for Technical Officials, in Lagos and Abuja. The 1st Phase of NBBF Men Premier Basketball League would hold across the country; there also would be the 1st Phase of Zenith Bank Women Premier league in two conferences. Activities for May-June 2025, includes the 1st Phase U19 Girls National camps in Nigeria/USA, for the World championship; followed by the National U16 & U18 Boys and Girls championship; the NBBF Board Meeting would also hold during this period. This period would also have the 2nd Phase of NBBF Men’s Premier Basketball League; 2nd Phase of Zenith Bank Premier Women league; as well as, national camp for U16 boys and girls, and FIBA Zone 3 U16 African Championship qualifiers (Boys & Girls). Between July- August, 2025, D’Tigress would open camp in Nigeria/USA for the FIBA Women’s Afro Basket 2025; followed by the National U19 Girls; And in July 25th – August 3rd, 2025, D’Tigress would be in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire to compete for the FIBA Women’s Afro Basket and Zenith Bank Women’s Premier league Conference finals would also hold. FIBA Men’s Afrobasket 2025, also holds 12th-24th August in Luanda, Angola, there would be also, the NBBF Men’s Premier league Conference finals and the FIBA African U16 championship (Boys & Girls) September, 2025, begins with finals of State preliminaries for Total National Division 2 championship; also in the month, there would be the NBBF Men’s Basketball League Final 8; Zenith Bank National Division 1, female national league eliminations. In October 2025, the NBBF Board Meeting would hold and also the Zenith Bank Women’s Premier league finals. There shall be also the 1st Phase of BAL Qualifiers and FIBA Africa 3 AWBL Qualifiers. November-December, 2025, begins with the Total National Divisions 1&2 league Divisional playoffs; knockout phase of the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup. And then in December, 2025, we shall have the Total National Division 2 Conference playoffs; Elite 16 BAL Qualifiers 2025; FIBA AWBL 2025 finals; Total National Division 1&2 league finals; the NBBF AGM and Awards Night and lastly, the NBBF Board Meeting.