Robbers Steal $5m In Asaba

An Onitsha-based bureau-de-change operator was allegedly robbed while exchanging five million dollars into its naira equivalent for a guest in an Asaba hotel.
His fellow bureau-de-change operator, whom the victim said invited him for the transaction has been arrested.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Lucky Uyabeme, confirmed the story.
He said detectives swung into action and arrested one, while investigation is in progress and efforts are on to arrest other suspects , said:
“On April 20, at about 1530 hours, one Chukwudi Ibenye, a bureau-de-change operator residing at Onitsha, reported at GRA Police Station, Asaba, that on the same date one Abdulaziz (surname withheld), a fellow operator residing in Asaba invited him to come to Asaba to exchange some dollars worth N5 million for an unknown customer.
“However, on his arrival at Asaba, the said Abdulaziz took him to meet the purported customer at Southgate hotel Asaba only for him to be robbed of the money by three armed men already hiding in the hotel room before his arrival”.

Source: Vanguard

Rafael Benitez Won't Be Drawn On Prospect of John Terry England Return

Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez is keeping quiet over the prospect of Chelsea captain John Terry making an England return.

The 32-year-old defender made back-to-back appearances for the first time since February by featuring in Sunday's 2-0 defeat of Swansea which saw Chelsea consolidate their position in the Premier League top four.
Terry has hinted at a possible England return but Benitez declined to comment on the prospect of the skipper coming out of international retirement which was prompted by his Football Association charge and subsequent ban for racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand.
"That is not my business," said Benitez. "My business is to keep him as fit as possible for every game.
"I only speak to him about Chelsea."
Another of Chelsea's old guard, Frank Lampard, attracted praise following the victory after netting his 201st Chelsea goal.
After setting up Oscar's opener, Lampard, who began the game as a substitute, converted a 45th-minute penalty to move within one of the club record held by the watching Bobby Tambling.
The midfielder is 35 in June, out of contract this summer and his future remains uncertain.
"Frank is a great player," added Benitez.
"I'm really pleased he's scored another goal and hopefully he can score five between now and the end of the season and he'll be much happier and we will be the same."

Source: sky sports

Gareth Bale Plays Down Talk of Move Away From Tottenham

Tottenham winger Gareth Bale has played down talk of a summer move away from White Hart Lane.

Bale was speaking after collecting the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year Award and Young Player of the Year awards.
The 23-year-old's consistent performances have propelled Spurs towards a top four finish this season.
But Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has admitted he fears losing the Wales international if the club fail clinch a Champions League spot.
Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona are among the teams already linked with Bale, but the player insisted his focus is on Tottenham.
Bale said: "I just take no notice, it's all speculation, I can't do anything about it.
"I just concentrate on my football and play as well as I can and do my best for the team."
Spurs legends Ricky Villa and Ossie Ardiles joined those saluting Bale's excellence and then spoke of their hope that he remains at White Hart Lane this summer.
"He really is a great player, a top player," Villa said. "He is one of these players who can do different things.
"I expect that he will stay at the club - they have a chance to qualify for Europe and this is a good point for him. I expect him to play for the club for two or three more years.
"Everyone wants to play for these big, big clubs, but he has a lot of things to do for Tottenham.
"Maybe in the next few years he will need to move, but at the moment I believe he is expecting to win something important with this club. This is very important for him, I think."
Ardiles, who moved to Spurs 35 years ago with his compatriot Villa, is also confident that Bale will stay at the club.
He concedes the chances of the player being tempted to leave, though, will increase if Tottenham do not qualify for the Champions League.
"As Villas-Boas has said, we need to be in Europe to keep him and I think this is what is going to happen," said Ardiles, who played 311 times for the north London club.
"He is very happy playing at Spurs - he is a big idol there and a big hero. At the moment he is very happy indeed.
"From the point of view of a Tottenham supporter, I hope he stays for as long as possible at the club."

Source: sky sports

Luis Suarez's Name Booed Twice At PFA Player of The Year Awards

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez's name was booed twice at the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year awards on Sunday.

The PFA came under fire last week for their refusal withdraw Suarez from its Player of the Year shortlist after he bit Branislav Ivanovic during Liverpool's game against the Blues at Anfield.
In a room full of fellow professionals and other guests at the Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair, Central London, where the awards were handed out, the controversial Uruguayan's name was booed on two separate occasions.
The first time came when he was named in the team of the year, and secondly when his name was read out on the short list for Player of the Year, in which he finished second behind Gareth Bale.
Suarez, who has scored 23 goals in the league this year, received an eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra last season.
Suarez was the only Liverpool player named in the team of the year.

Source: sky sports

Drivers, Police Clash In Ekiti

Commercial drivers operating under the umbrella of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and men of Ekiti State Police Command engaged in a violent clash for several hours in Ado-Ekiti, weekend

The face-off was allegedly caused by the refusal of a police officer to pay N300 transport fare from Akure to Ado Ekiti.
The driver of the 18-seater bus was said to have insisted that the cop must pay his fare like other passengers
The policeman, who was said to be armed, allegedly fired a shot at the bus shattering the rare windshield, which attracted other drivers from nearby, who joined their colleague to beat up the policeman.
After the telling-off by the other drivers and the co-passengers, the policeman, a Sergeant, was said to have reported the case to his colleagues at his police station.
According to the report, the policemen mobilised to the motor-park located in Ajilosun and started shooting sporadically.
The action of the policemen was said to have forced the drivers and commuters at the park to flee into the bush, as the policemen dealt with the drivers that were not fortunate to escape.
The source revealed that as the policemen were firing the shots, the commercial drivers were also replying with dangerous missiles like stones, broken bottles and iron rods, brandishing cutlasses and axes.
Several people were said to have sustained serious injuries in the ensuing melee.
Motorists going towards Ijigbo from the old garage had to make a detour at Irona to escape through the GRA side, while those coming from Ajilosun towards Ijigbo passed through Moferere to Agric at Odo Ado.
But later in the day, the Special Assistant on Internal Security to the Governor, Mr Deji Adesokan, was said to have visited the park and pleaded with the drivers to give peace a chance, Adesokan was said to have promised to take up the matter personally with the governor.
Efforts made to reach out to the NURTW Chairman of the state, Chief Julius Jegede, were unsuccessful as all his telephone lines were switched off.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti State Police Command, Mr Victor Babayemi, confirmed the incident , saying police was still investigating the cause of the matter.
“ The Command is aware of the incident, but the cause of the matter is still sketchy. We are going to give you the full detail as soon as we conclude our investigation,” he said.

 

 Source: Vanguard

Tragedy As Family Of 7 Perish In Road Accident In Katsina

A ghastly motor accident has killed a family of seven on the Katsina-Kano road in Rimi Local Government Area of Katsina state.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Police Command in the state, Aminu Sadiq, told journalists that the accident happened on Saturday at about 8 p.m at Lambar-Rimi town.
Mr. Sadiq, a Deputy Superintended of Police (DSP), added that the accident occurred when a Peugeot car from Katsina and a Honda Civic car coming from Kano had a head-on collision.
He added that five persons died on the spot, while two infants later died and four others sustained various degrees of injuries.
“They (those who sustained injuries) were rushed to the Katsina General Hospital for medical treatment,” the PPRO said.
Mr. Sadiq, who said the police were investigating the cause of the accident, advised motorists to always obey traffic rules and regulations to reduce road accidents.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the dead were said to be members of the family of one Abashe Sarkin-kasuwa of Kankia Local Government Area of the state.
They have been buried according to Islamic injunction in Kankia, their home town.

Source: 247NigeriaNews

UTME: NSCDC Arrests 82 Over Exam Malpractice

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ogun State Command, said weekend, that it had arrested about 82 candidates of the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, in the state for alleged involvment in examination malpractices.

The exam, held last Saturday in about 108 centres across the state, however, recorded no violence.
State Corps Commandant, Aboluwoye Akinwande, in a statement by the Command Public Relations Officer, Kareem Olanrewaju, said the candidates were arrested from different centres across the state for cutting corners during the examination.
Akinwande said, 30 candidates were arrested in various centres in Abeokuta, nine in Ewekoro local government, while others were arrested at OlabisiOnabanjoUniversity, OOU centre, and MolusiCollege in Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area of the state.
“Some of them were caught using their phones while others were in possession of prohibited materials like books, palm tops, Scientific calculators among others. The Corps will take appropriate action on the candidates caught cheating.
”The first thing is that they have been made to fill relevant forms. Investigation will be conducted, that will determine their culpability and then we can decide on their trial. Necessary information about them have been collected.

“Apart from the arrest, no violence was recorded in any of the 108 examination centres. The large number of arrest recorded was as a result of effective coverage by Civil Defence. They were taken by surprise as they thought it was business as usual.
“The Corps will continue to do its best at all time to ensure examination malpractices are reduced to the minimum if not eradicated. We will continue to appreciate the support of candidates, parents and other stakeholders,” the Corps Commander said.

Source: Naij.com

Source: Vanguard