Our Reporters, Author at Trendbrio.com

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

Our Reporters3 months ago3 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

Our Reporters3 months ago3 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

Our Reporters3 months ago3 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

Our Reporters3 months ago3 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

Our Reporters3 months ago3 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.

Alleged N110b fraud: Why Yahaya Bello’s accomplice sought refund on property – Witness

Our Reporters3 months ago3 months ago05 mins

The trial of a former Kogi State governor, Yahya Adoza Bello, alongside Umar Shuaibu Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu continued on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, before Justice Maryanne Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court with the First Prosecution Witness, (PW1), Fabian Nwaora informing the court, that Yahaya Bello’s accomplice, Shehu Bello, opted for a refund from EFAB Property Limited, the sum of N550 million (Five Hundred and Fifty Million Naira) he paid for a property when he learned that the said property has come under the investigation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and linked to Yahaya Bello. The witness, Chairman of EFAB Property Limited, further disclosed that the property Shehu Bello bought was located at No.1 Ikogosi Street, Maitama, Abuja. Led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Kemi Pinheiro, SAN, he narrated that “We put up a property for sale with a signboard of EFAB Property. That was in 2020. Shehu Bello came to my office and asked for the property. We discussed the price and we agreed on N550 million. He said he was going to come back the next day, I told him I was not going to be around on that day, then I introduced him to my General Manager (GM), Segun Adeleke. They both exchanged phone numbers. When I came back after one week, the GM reported to me that Shehu Bello had purchased the property. He brought the document for me to see on behalf of EFAB. The name on the agreement was Dr. Bello Ohiani not Shehu Bello. We signed and gave them back to sign and return a copy to us, no copy was returned. “After three years, Shehu Bello came back to me and said that the property was under investigation from the EFCC, he returned all the documents that I gave to him and said he would like to get his money back. I discussed it with my lawyer and he said since it was under investigation, they know that the EFCC will invite us,” he said. The witness further informed the court that they were invited by the EFCC to make statements and that his company, EFAB Property Limited was told by the Commission to pay in the money it received for the property to the EFCC’s account since the property was under investigation. “After writing the statement, the EFCC said the house was under investigation and that we should return the entire money to the EFCC account. They gave us the account number, we returned N400million, then the second batch we returned N150million. The house was marked, but when we returned the money, the EFCC said we can take over the house, since we have returned the money to them,” he said.

Max Air suspends domestic operations for 90 days

Our Reporters3 months ago3 months ago02 mins

The management of Max Air has suspended its operations for 90 days following one of the airline’s aircrafts that crash-landed on Tuesday night at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA). The plane with registration number 5N-MBD (B733), carrying 53 passengers and six crew members, was arriving from Lagos when the incident occurred at approximately 10:45 PM. The Max Air stated this in a statement on its official X handle formerly Twitter on Wednesday. The statement reads; “This is to inform the general public that Max Air is suspending its domestic flight operations for 90 days effective midnight 31st January 2025. This is to enable us to carry out internal operational evaluation. “The proactive measure demonstrates our unwavering commitment to passenger safety and service excellence. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority and we believe this voluntary suspension will allow us to exceed industry standards and restore public confidence in our operations. “All affected booked passengers during the suspension period are enjoined to receive full refunds. Our customer service team will be available to assist all the affected passengers. “We are actively working with the aviation authorities during this period to ensure that every statutory requirements are met in view of the foregoing, therefore, we deeply regret the temporary inconvenience this will cause our valued domestic customers. However, we believe this investment in safety and reliability will significantly enhance our service quality delivery for years to come. “Regular updates will be provided through our website and verified social media channels.”

Oriyomi Hamzat visits Prisons, donates gift items

Our Reporters3 months ago3 months ago02 mins

The Chairman of Agidigbo FM Nigeria and United Kingdom Dr. Oriyomi Hamzat has donated gift items to Agodi Correctional Centre. Hamzat, who was put behind bars along with Ooni of Ife ex-Queen Naomi Silekunola following a stampede at a funfair in Ibadan late last year, returned to the prison on Tuesday dole out gifts to the inmates. During the courtesy visit, Hamzat urged the inmates who would be released soon to add positive value to society. Meanwhile, the Chief Magistrate Court in Ibadan, Oyo state has adjourned the trial of the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola; an Ibadan-based broadcaster, Hamzat; and the Principal of Islamic High School, Basorun, Abdulahib Fasasi. The trio are facing four charges related to conspiracy, murder, manslaughter and negligence in connection with the deaths of 35 children during a stampede at a Christmas funfair held in Ibadan, Oyo State on December 18, 2024. Previously arraigned on a holden charge — a temporary legal mechanism not recognised under Nigerian law—they were remanded in custody but later released on bail following a High Court ruling.Nigerian travel destinations The case, which was scheduled for mention on Monday, was adjourned until March 24, 2025, by the Chief Magistrate.