Transfer: Real Madrid set deadline to sign Chelsea’s Courtois

Champions League holders, Real Madrid

​are​ reportedly ​eager​ to conclude ​the​ deal for Chelsea goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois before they fly out for their pre-season tour of America at the end of this week.

Chelsea are reluctant to sell Courtois but with a year left on his contract, they face losing him for free next season.

Courtois is Real Madrid’s top transfer target this summer after missing out on Alisson to Liverpool and failing to convince Manchester United to sell their first-choice goalkeeper, David de Gea.

According to Spanish

​ news​ outlet, Marca, the Los Blancos are increasingly confident of signing Courtois and hope they can complete the transfer before the squad leaves for America later this week.

The report claimed Real’s pursuit

​for​ the 26-year-old is due to his age, talent and potential development.

It also claimed that Chelsea needs to sign a successor for Courtois before he can leave.

However, allowing Courtois to leave Stamford Bridge would be a huge blow to Chelsea and their new manager, Maurizio Sarri.

At his unveiling last week, Sarri said he wanted to talk face to face with Courtois and Eden Hazard about their future.

“Clearly the players you are referring to are very high-level players and I would like to keep them,” Sarri said.

“But a telephone call without looking them in the eye will not give me any certainty.

“I would like to meet these players face to face and talk to them and understand what the best thing is for everyone to do. Before that I would also like a player to come on the pitch for four or five days with me to have a clear idea of what the plan is.”

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Transfer: Pogba’s agent informs Manchester United France star wants to leave

Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola has told Manchester United that the midfielder wants to leave the club this summer.

The Frenchman has struggled to convince United manager since rejoining the club from Juventus for £89million in 2016.

But the midfielder showed his class in the just concluded World Cup in Russia, helping France to lift the trophy.

Spanish newspaper, Marca reports that Pogba’s representative, Raiola told senior figures at Old Trafford that his client wants to leave.

According to the newspaper, Raiola has been looking for a new club for Pogba for over a month, but his potential price tag is complicating matters.

Pogba reportedly believes Juventus now have the “most attractive project” in Europe as evidenced by their purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid

Marca reports that the 25-year-old feels leaving Old Trafford is “the best thing for his future.”

Juventus are currently unlikely to be able to afford Pogba and will have to offload some of their star players to fund a deal for the midfielder.

News of Pogba’s desire to leave will add further disruption to United and manager Mourinho’s preparations for the new season.

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Join Buhari to fight insecurity – VON DG, Okechukwu urges Atiku, others

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The Director General, Voice of Nigeria (VON) and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, on Sunday urged former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and indeed all Nigerians to join President Muhammadu Buhari to fight insecurity instead of comparing the dead with those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Okechukwu reacted when he was confronted by journalists in Enugu over the successful presidential declaration of His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar for the 2019 presidential election, where the former vice president made the lamentation over the killings.

The VON DG, who is an ardent supporter of President Muhammadu Buhari, dismissed the statistics of the former vice president, saying they were unnecessary and inaccurate. What is important is how to stop the killings, we need cooperation, prayers, information and assistance to the government.

Otherwise, Wikipedia reported from credible sources Iraqi death toll of over 500,000 persons since US led invasion of 2003, about 5,000 of who are US Service men.
He thanked him for acknowledging the massive infrastructural development going on in the land under Buhari, but expressed doubts over Turaki’s promise to tackle insecurity with his questionable immigration status in the United States of America.

“I am outraged like most Nigerians over the spate of killings by herdsmen/farmers clash, bandits, militias Boko Haram and sundry. President Muhammadu Buhari I must confess is very sad over the killings. His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, Turaki of Adamawa statistics are unnecessary and inaccurate, for one death is painful.

“At any rate his statistics and can be best dubbed campaign hype if not fake news, when the real statistics are assembled. Iraqi casualty is over 500,000. The cardinal question in all honesty is can Turaki stop the insecurity without the cooperation of international security agencies, especially that of the United States?” He queried.

On the public perception that Buhari is not doing enough to stop the large scale killings, Okechukwu said: “I am on good note that President Muhammadu Buhari is quietly deploying all means necessary to stop the insecurity in the land, among which is deployment of Mission Critical Communications System by Motorola Solutions of Illinois, United of America, an equipment which will put critical information at the fingertips of all the security agencies in Nigeria.”

“In fact the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno and Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, one understands, are leading the pack. I don’t want to say more than this, for this is security issue,” Okechukwu said.

He appealed to all Nigerians, especially politicians to cooperate with Mr. President instead of making insecurity a campaign issue.
Reminded that insecurity will remain on the top burner unless curbed, and that Atiku who is one of those most likely to fly the PDP’s flag will definitely return this issue to the front burner, Okechukwu responded:
“My relief is that His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar graciously recognised the unprecedented massive infrastructural development going on in the past three years under President Buhari. The targeted 5,000 kilometers of federal roads, 5,000 kilometers of rail lines, 5,000 additional megawatts of electricity and bid for self sufficiency in food are anchored on prudent management of public fund. Can Turaki guarantee Nigerians to curb corruption to this level?”
He challenged Atiku to authorise the United States Border Authority to make public his Immigration Status, querying if as a president, the former vice president will not go to United States of America.
He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari few weeks after inauguration was honoured with a red carpet reception at the White House.
Accordingly, Okechukwu enjoined all Nigerians, irrespective of political affiliations, to join hands and fight insecurity.
He, however, added that since presidential contest was like a beauty contest, Buhari remained the best among those parading themselves to be President in 2019.

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HURIWA moves against ICC President, Eboe-Osuji over Buhari’s invitation as guest lecturer

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has vowed to write a protest letter to the governing council of the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague to demand the removal of the Nigerian-born President of ICC, Mr. Chile Eboe-Osuji “following his seemingly compromised role leading to the ignominious invitation he extended to the Nigerian President to deliver a guest lecture at the just ended 20th anniversary” of the court.  

It wondered how Buhari can be invited for the event, “when it is a notorious fact that there are over a dozen petitions sent to the International Criminal court, accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of conspiracy in the killings of thousands of Christian Northerners by armed Fulani herdsmen (his kinsmen) who enjoy tacit approval of the current Nigerian government which against constitutional provisions appointed an all Muslim/Hausa/Fulani security chiefs since coming to office in 2015-a situation that motivated the armed fulani killer hoodlums”.

The civil rights organisation spoke in a statement signed on Sunday by its national coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and national media affairs director, Miss Zainab Yusuf, which suspected that “the President of ICC may have been compromised by the politicians to buy the current President the juicy slot of a speaking opportunity before the International community in which case the Presidency feasted on the invitation to harvest torrents of PUBLIC relations’ objectives for the embattled Nigerian President who is notorious for human rights violations and for disobeying court orders”.

The group described the Buhari government as one under which “several persons are kept in underground cells of the Department of state services (DSS) for years without trial including journalists and leaders of religious minorities such as the Leader of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria and his wife who have been detained for three years even after soldiers killed hundreds of their unarmed members in Zaria, Kaduna State.”

It added that the erstwhile National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd) has six Federal High Court bails but President Muhammadu Buhari has so far refused to respect any of these in flagrant breach of the Constitutional principle of separation of powers “and he is deploying armed police and DSS to harass and intimidate vocal members of the Senate who have protested these serial illegalities of the current administration”.

HURIWA further accused the Buhari government of “tolerating crimes against humanity committed by his kinsmen who have not only attacked communities in the North Central states including a large portion of Southern Kaduna dominated by Northern Christian farmers and have reportedly taken over their lands and housing assets which clearly violates all well known human rights norms and laws including the chapter four of the 1999 Constitution which amongst others guarantees citizens the right to own landed property and the Right not to be expelled from their communities.”

The statement, however, called on the United Nations; European Union and the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to prevail on Buhari to quickly ensure the evacuation of all armed Fulani herdsmen occupying villages they attacked in Plateau; Benue, Adamawa; Taraba and Southern Kaduna States to enable the ancestral land owners to return to their homes and resume farming activities.

This was as the group resolved to petition world leaders on Monday through their embassies and High Commissions to demand diplomatic pressure on the Nigerian President and parliament to act decisively to bring perpetrators of the mass killings to justice and retrieve lands of the victims of the vicious attacks from the armed occupiers.

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Police Dismisses Four SARS Operatives For Armed Robbery, Kidnapping And Unlawful Detention

Over offences of including armed robbery, kidnapping, unlawful detention, intimidation and threatening violence four policemen have been dismissed by the force.

The Assistant Inspector General in charge of zone 2 command, AIG Adamu Ibrahim has upheld the  recommendation of police disciplinary body that recommended dismissal of four policemen attached to Special Anti Robbery Squad Ikeja, Lagos (SARS).

 

The four policemen  who were dismissed and subsequently charged to court on offences of Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Unlawful detention, Intimidation and threatening violence being the report of the Investigation carried out against them when one Mr Chukwudi Godwin Odionye popularly referred to as 'Bishop' submitted a petition against the four on 2nd day of May 2018.

 

The petitioner in his petition stated that on the 4th of June 2017, he was in his house around Alagbado Lagos when the four armed men stormed  his house to effect his arrest on the allegation of performing 'FAKE' miracles.  He stated that after his arrest, he was taken to one hotel at Agege where he was detained and threatened to be killed if he fails to cooperate. He explained further that on the following day 5th June 2017,  he was taken to bank where he was made to transfer seven million Naira to one of the operative's account.

 

On the receipt of the petition the AIG ordered Investigation into the case.

 

On the strength of Investigation it was revealed that no proper police procedure for Investigation was followed in Mr chukwudi's arrest and that the four SARS operatives actually abducted the man from his house and Unlawfully detained him in the hotel under the guard of the suspects for personal gain.

 

The police men :

1.    Sgt Adeoye Adekunle
2.    Sgt AdeniraAdebowale
3.    Sgt Agbi Lucky

4.    Sgt Odighe Hehosa

    

Who were subsequently found guilty during the orderly room trial for professional misconduct,  corrupt practices and discreditable conduct were dismissed and consequently charged to court on criminal charges of Armed Robbery, Kidnapping, Unlawful Detention, Stealing, Intimidation and threatening violence.

 

The Police Public Relations Officer of zone 2 command,  CSP Dolapo Badmos while parading the suspects reiterated the AIG'S directive that the force will not tolerate any act of misconduct that undermines the value of International best practices of policing as she stated further that any police officer or men found guilty will not be spared.

CSP DOLAPO BADMOS

POLICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER

ZONE 2 COMMAND

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The Moment SARS Stormed Kidnapper's Mansion Before Demolishing It In Imo State (Photos

SARS operatives on duty

A massive demolition of a kidnapper’s dens and houses by the Imo state government has led to the destruction of one of the dens which housed an APC chieftain who was abducted and murdered in cold blood by the suspected kidnappers in the Mgbidi area of the state. 

According to reports, Mgbidi residents were shocked when security operatives numbering more than 45 with Hilux vehicles and heavy machines stormed the communities to destroy the houses of kidnappers said to be kingpins in the crime industry.

It was gathered that the families of the suspects were said to have been evacuated by the time the bulldozers reached the location. 

It would be recalled that in line with the decision of some state governments in the South East to curb kidnapping, the private houses and Hotels of suspects were bulldozed.

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Protests in Kwara over perceived attempt to implicate Senator Saraki

Youths in Offa, the town where the bank robbery of April 5 took place, held a peaceful protest at the palace of Olofa of Offa on Monday to decry what they perceived as an attempt by the police to implicate Senate President Bukola Saraki in the robbery incident.

Also in Ilorin, the state capital, a coalition of Kwara youths under the aegis of Kwara Agenda, staged a protest at the NUJ Press Centre demanding that the federal government and the Nigeria Police should stop politicising the Offa robbery incident.

Police had on Sunday said five gang leaders and some of the 17 Offa bank robbery suspects confessed that they were political thugs of the Senate President Saraki and Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed. The police consequently invited Saraki to appear at their Abuja office.

Among the Offa protesters were market women and artisans. The protesters under the aegis of ‘Youths Agitator’s Nationalism Forum’ carried placards with various inscriptions like, “We are one with Saraki in Offa”, “Don’t politicise Offa robbery”, “Baba IGP, this is too much for our leader”, “Saraki is the leader in Kwara”, ”Offa robbery cannot be used to settle political point”, among others.

Speaking with journalists at the palace of Olofa of Offa on Monday, the president of the forum, Mr. Peter Kayode, said police investigation into Offa robbery incident which implicated Saraki was unacceptable and uncalled for.

He said it was inconceivable that the senate president could be linked to the armed robbery in Offa community being the first dignitary that paid a condolence visit to the community over the tragedy.

He also applauded Senator Saraki for the role he played to quickly facilitate the release of Armoured Personnel Carrier to the community to beef up security.

While urging police authorities to stop politicising the incident, he threatened that thousands of Kwara youths, including secondary school students and those in tertiary institutions, would trek from Ilorin to Abuja in protest over the incident.

In his response, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye I, said the community had left “what has happened to God, but we don’t want the innocent to be punished. We want police to go after the real culprits.”

Represented by Ojomu of Offa, Chief Bayo Akinola, Oba Gbadamosi said the police must only fish out those that were involved in the act rather than trying to implicate innocent person

He added that, “Senate President Saraki was one of the first government functionaries that paid a condolence visit to Offa and even made promises to the town and had fulfilled the promises to us and we didn’t believe that he can be involved in such act.

“The Nigerian police force should ensure that those allegedly involved should be made to face the full wrath of the law and not using the issue to settle any political point.”

Also, the elders of Ajikobi Central, in a statement signed by their coordinator, Alhaji Salihu AbdulWahab Agbaji, said, ” it is illogical and unthinkable that the Senate President and the political leader of Kwara State will ask bandits to kill the citizens that he leads.

“The plot against our son is as a result of his growing popularity across the country, a situation which is making some of his political rivals uncomfortable. We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently call the Inspector General of Police to order so as to allow our hard earned democracy to blossom.”

Members of the coalition of Kwara youths during a peaceful protest to the Press Centre of the NUJ in GRA, Ilorin condemned the invitation extended to Saraki by the police over the Offa robbery incident.

The youths, in their hundreds, carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “Stop evil politics,” Be professional”, “No to over politicisation of Offa robbery”, “Saraki is not an armed robber’, “Don’t implicate Saraki.”

Addressing newsmen, the coordinator, Kwara Agenda, Haruna Yakub Kannike, said that the group was surprised by the decision of the police to invite Saraki over the Offa robbery incident, adding that, “nothing can be farther from the truth”.

He added: “Our attention has been drawn to a fresh plot by the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force, Abuja to implicate the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, in the April 5, 2018 dastardly armed robbery attacks on banks in Offa, Kwara State. During the robbery operation that shook Offa to its foundation, many innocent citizens, including nine policemen were murdered by the bandits.

“Prominent Nigerians have blamed the wanton killings of harmless citizens in Offa on that Black Day on the inefficiency of men and officers of the Nigeria Police.

“We are, however, surprised to see the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, wanting to politicise a serious criminal offence by insinuating that our revered Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and our amiable Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed had links with five of the arrested armed robbery suspects. Nothing can be farther from the truth!

“It’s instructive to note that this latest ploy to frame Dr. Bukola Saraki came after an earlier failed attempt by the Force Headquarters to frame our leader in a murder case involving some suspected cultists.

“The Senate President had on May 16, 2018 during a plenary in the Senate intimated his colleagues about the plot by the police to frame him up in the murder case. When that attempt failed, following public outcry, the police is now concocting another cock and bull story just to nail Saraki at all cost.

“It is on record that Saraki, because of his love for the people of Offa was the first public officer to visit us after the robbery incident, condoled with us and gave us succour”.

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