Our Reporters

Police arrest Ooni’s ex-queen, others as death toll hits 35

The Oyo State Police Command has disclosed the arrest of the ex-queen of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola; the Principal of Islamic High School, Ibadan, Fasasi Abdulahi; and six others in connection to the death of some children during a stampede at a funfair in Ibadan, the state capital, on Wednesday. The ex-queen was named as the main sponsor of the event. More so, the number of children who have died from the stampede has risen to 35 while six others are critically injured, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the State Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso. The event which was held at the Islamic High School, Basorun, Ibadan, was made available to 5,000 children but the number that turned up was reportedly over 7, 500, according to investigations by PUNCH Metro. Details later…

Read More

Dino Melaye denies marriage plans

A former Senator and member of the 8th Nigeria National Assembly, representing Kogi West Senatorial district Dino Melaye has denied remarrying as claimed on social media. According to a post on Facebook, the Senator was said to be planning to solmnise union with a Lagos-based businesswoman at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Ogudu on December 26. The invite indicated that Fuji Music Icon Wasiu Ayinde (K1 D’Ultimate) will be on stand to entertain guests at the wedding reception. The Senator however took to social media to deny the claims saying: “419 taken too far. “General Public i dont know this person talkless of marriage. “Even for film it can’t happen. “SDM is not available ooo.” In 2015 he defected to All Progressives Congress (APC) but returned to PDP in the build-up to 2019 elections after months of political struggle with Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello. He was chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and briefly chairman of the Senate Committee on Aviation in Nigeria. He was the spokesperson of 2023 presidential candidate of People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar.

Read More

Tyson Fury bans his ‘distracting’ dad from Usyk re-match

John Fury will not be in his son Tyson’s corner for Saturday’s world heavyweight title showdown against Oleksandr Usyk, the Gypsy King’s trainer has confirmed. Tyson, 36, is bidding to bounce back after losing to the Ukrainian by split decision back in May, with Usyk becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999 following his triumph in Saudi Arabia. The Gypsy King’s father John, 59, was criticised by several fans for his behaviour in the build-up to May’s fight, having been left bloodied after headbutting a member of Usyk’s camp. John was left bleeding from his forehead after he launched the attack in the lobby of the Riyadh Hilton Hotel in Saudi Arabia. Footage that quickly circulated on social media showed Fury Snr lashing out with his head towards Stanislav Stepchuk, who was wearing Usyk’s team tracksuit. He then had to be restrained after security stepped in to prevent any further confrontation. After the fight, fans suggested that John’s presence in the corner distracted Tyson from tactical advice being offered by his coach Andy Lee and trainer SugarHill Steward. Now, SugarHill has confirmed that Tyson’s father will not be present in the corner for Saturday’s showpiece. ‘Tyson is just ready right now, along with myself,’ the trainer said. ‘He has always has a silly demeanour, playing around, but this is a different side of him and he is 100 per cent ready.’ When asked exactly who will be in the corner, SugarHill replied: ‘Just myself, Andy Lee and the cutman, pretty much that’s it.’ Meanwhile, Lee admitted there we perhaps too many voices in Tyson’s corner last time. He added: ‘Last time the corner was hectic, especially towards the end of the fight. There were three different voices in there, SugarHill, John and me. ‘I can understand, from a dad’s point of view, he was trying to protect his son. But SugarHill was trying to win the fight. I was told Tyson was two rounds down and I had to communicate that to him.’ Tyson is determined to avenge his sole professional defeat — and perhaps has decided that his father’s exclusion from the corner will help him focus. The Gypsy King revealed earlier this week that he has not spoken to his wife Paris in three months after locking himself away for his training camp. Promoter Frank Warren has explained the thinking behind Tyson shutting himself off from the outside world ahead of this weekend’s heavyweight showdown. ‘His mind just needs to be Usyk,’ Warren exclusively told Mail Sport. Attempting to get into the mind of the Gypsy King, he added: ‘This is what I’ve got to do. I don’t want to be distracted. ‘I don’t want to know if there’s a problem at home. I don’t know if I’ve got a business problem. All I want to do is focus on this. This is what I want. I need to win this fight. ‘It’s not about the belts, it’s about beating the guy who got the decision in the last fight in a very, very close fight, a split decision. He needs and feels he’s got to do this to win that. ‘I’ve got to sacrifice, I’ve got to be in that mood, I’ve got to be in that mindset, I’ve got to focus on this is what it is. And I’m not going to be deviated, no one’s going to distract me. Blinkers on, that’s it. And that’s where he’s at.’ Earlier this month, Tyson vowed to take his rematch against Usyk more seriously this time, admitting he did too much ‘clowning’ during the last bout. He said: ‘I’ll just throw more this time. Keep hitting him in the face more often than I did last time. ‘I’m just going to box smart, box clever and if I catch him, get him out of there. ‘retty similar to what I did last time. ‘A little bit less clowning around and a bit more focus and that’s it, really. ‘I did more clowning than anybody in any high-level fight’s ever done. ‘It’s taken my focus away as well, so maybe a little less clowning and more focus on the actual victory. I was messing around too much in there.’

Read More

Super Eagles retain spot on FIFA ranking

Former African champions Super Eagles retained her spot in the latest World football governing body (FIFA) monthly ranking. The Nigerian side ended the year in 44th position spot as released by FIFA on Thursday. Nigeria’s global football standing. Eagles however remain fifth in Africa. On the global stage, World Champions, Argentina, signed off for the year in top spot, with France (2nd) and Spain (3rd) joining them on the podium. As for those in the chasing pack, England (4th), Brazil (5th), Portugal (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Belgium (8th), Italy (9th) and Germany (10th) all retain their places in the upper echelons of the ranking. Indeed, that lack of movement is mirrored throughout the top 100, where there is not even the slightest bit of jostling for position. The next edition of the FIFA Men’s World Ranking will be published on 3 April 2025. Africa’s Top 10MoroccoSenegalEgyptAlgeriaNigeriaCote d’ IvoireCameroonMaliTunisiaSouth Africa

Read More

Holiday Bonanza: Dangote Reduces PMS Price to N899.50k

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced the price of its Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) product to below N900 per litre, to provide much-needed relief for Nigerians ahead of the holiday season. Africa’s first privately-owned oil refinery, which previously lowered the price to N970 per litre on November 24, has now announced a new price of N899.50 per litre. This reduction is designed to ease transport costs during the festive period. In a statement issued by the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina, the company also introduced a special offer to further benefit consumers. In addition to the holiday discount, Dangote Petroleum Refinery is allowing consumers to purchase an additional litre of fuel on credit for every litre bought on a cash basis. “To alleviate transport costs during this holiday season, Dangote Refinery is offering a holiday discount on PMS. From today, our petrol will be available at N899.50 per litre at our truck loading gantry or SPM. Furthermore, for every litre purchased on a cash basis, consumers will have the opportunity to buy another litre on credit, backed by a bank guarantee from Access Bank, First Bank, or Zenith Bank,” said Chiejina. The refinery also expressed its gratitude to Nigerians for their continued support as the country enters the festive season. Chiejina further emphasised the refinery’s commitment to ensuring Nigerians have access to premium quality petroleum products that are competitively priced, as well as environmentally and engine friendly. He highlighted that the refinery’s operations mark the end of Nigeria being a dumping ground for substandard and ‘blended’ imported products, which have posed significant risks to human health, machinery, and the environment. The Dangote Refinery, with a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day (BPD), is the largest single-train refinery in the world. It is fully capable of meeting 100% of Nigeria’s refined petroleum product requirements, with a surplus available for export.

Read More

Ademola Lookman crowned African King

Nigerian star Ademola Lookman has been crowned as the African Player of the Year at 2024 CAF Awards held at the Palais des Congrés in the Moroccan city of Marrakech on Monday. The Atalanta of Italy forward succeeded his Nigerian compatriot Victor Osimhen. His three goals and two assists were pivotal to Nigeria reaching their eighth Africa Cup of Nations Final in Cote d’Ivoire in February, and his hat-trick in a 3-0 win handed Italian side, Atalanta FC the UEFA Europa Cup at the expense of hitherto-rampaging German side, Bayer Leverkusen in May. This season, he has notched 11 goals and five assists in 18 appearances in all competitions for Atalanta (including a goal against record winners Real Madrid FC in the UEFA Champions League), and scored two goals as Nigeria qualified for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations finals, with two other goals controversially chalked off. The Winners Player of the Year (Men)Ademola Lookman (Nigeria/Atalanta Player of the Year (Women)Barbara Banda (Zambia) Coach of the Year (Men)Emerse Fae (Cote d’Ivoire) Coach of the Year (Women)Lamia Boumehdi (TP Mazembe) Goalkeeper of the Year (Men)Ronwen Williams (S/Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns) Goalkeeper of the Year (Women)Chiamaka Nnadozie (Nigeria/Paris FC) Interclub Player of the Year (Men)Ronwen Williams (S/Africa/Mamelodi Sundowns) Interclub Player of the Year (Women)Sanaa Massoudy (Morocco/ASFAR) Club of the Year (Men)Al Ahly (Egypt) Club of the Year (Women)TP Mazembe (DR Congo) National Team of the Year (Men)Cote d’Ivoire National Team of the Year (Women)Nigeria Young Player of the Year (Men)Lamine Camara (Senegal/AS Monaco) Young Player of the Year (Women)Doha El Madani Morocco/ASFAR Referee of the Year (Men)Mutaz IbrahimElivis Guy

Read More

SERAP sues Tinubu over alleged missing N57b in Humanitarian Affairs Ministry 

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has instituted a lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu over “the failure to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, to work with appropriate anti-corruption agencies to investigate allegations that over N57 billion of public funds were missing, diverted, or stolen from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021 alone.”  This was disclosed in a statement signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, on Sunday and sent to Nairametrics. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) has been joined as a respondent in the suit, with the advocacy group alleging that serious concerns against the Humanitarian Affairs Ministry were documented in the 2021 audited report released last month by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. In the suit before the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is asking the court “to compel President Tinubu to direct Mr. Fagbemi to work with appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly investigate allegations that over N57 billion of public funds were missing, diverted, or stolen from the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in 2021.”  SERAP is also asking the court “to compel President Tinubu to direct Mr. Fagbemi to work with appropriate anti-corruption agencies to prosecute anyone suspected to be responsible for the missing N57 billion, if there is sufficient admissible evidence, and to recover any missing public funds.”  SERAP argued that investigating the allegations, prosecuting those suspected of being responsible for the missing N57 billion, and recovering the missing funds would help end the impunity of perpetrators. “The allegations amount to stealing from the poor. There is a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these grave allegations. “Poor Nigerians have continued to pay the price for the widespread and grand corruption in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as in other ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs),” SERAP added. Oluwadare and Ms. Oluwakemi Agunbiade further emphasized that granting their reliefs would go a long way in addressing corruption in ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), as well as the country’s budget deficit and debt problems. “According to the 2021 annual audited report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation failed to account for over N54 billion (N54,630,000,000.00) meant to pay monthly stipends to Batch C1 N-Power volunteers and non-graduate trainees between August and December 2021,” the suit partly reads. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.

Read More