The third-round draw for the English League Cup, otherwise known as the Carabao Cup, will take place on Wednesday 28 August at Sincil Bank, following the conclusion of the televised Lincoln City vs Everton second round fixture.
Chelsea could face any of the other top-flight teams who have qualified for Europe (Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United and Wolves) as well as a winner from one of the second round fixtures.
The draw will take place live on Sky Sports from around 9:40pm.
The dates for the rest of the Carabao Cup fixtures are:
Many persons have been reported injured in an accident involving a truck of Dangote cement and a BRT bus in Ikorodu area of Lagos state about 10am on Tuesday.
A witness said the BRT bus was coming from Ikorodu garage with passengers when the truck lost its brakes and rammed into the vehicle.
TheCable could not verify the claim as of the time of this report.
Lagos State Traffic Managememt Authority (LASTMA) tweeted about the incident on its handle.
“A fatal accident involving a loaded trailer going into Ikorodu that skidded off the main carriageway to collide with a high capacity bus on the BRT corridor,” the tweet read.
LASTMA said evacuation process has started as victims of the accident have been rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.
Photos of Captain Tijjani Balarabe, the Nigerian army captain that helped Taraba Kidnap Kingpin, Hamisu Wadume escape while being transported by policemen to Taraba State Police headquarters has surfaced following the confession of the re-arrested suspect.
Concourse News had reported that Wadume in his confession upon getting re-arrested, said the army captain that helped him escape is on his payroll. The Taraba kidnap kingpin also disclosed that he paid huge amounts into the army captain’s bank account three weeks before his arrest and also paid his way through checkpoints to avoid getting arrested with his gang members.
Wadume on Tuesday August 20, revealed how the army captain freed him from police custody. He said the soldiers drove him to the barracks before he was taken to the army captain’s house, where a welder was invited to cut off the hand and leg chains.
Here is a brief info about the army captain.
Captain Balarabe was born in Tudun Fera, one of the communities in Jos North Local Government of Plateau state. He was recruited during the Nigerian Army’s 35 Regular In-take of 1993, just before former Head of State Ibrahim Babangida created the now disbanded National Guards.
10 years after getting enlisted, he joined Nigerian Army’s 2 Battalion then based in Bori Camp, Port Harcourt in Rivers State, as part of the United Nations-backed Nigerian contingent to Liberia in 2003.
“He was one of the soldiers assigned to escort duties for our commanding officer,” a retired soldier told Daily Trust.
Though he didn’t further his education beyond secondary school, Balarabe soon got lucky in his military career.
“He was posted to be part of a team providing security cover to a former military administrator of one of the states in the North-East,” a military personnel said.
From being posted to one of the most respected, professional and prestigious military units in the Army, the Guards Brigade, Balarabe became a sergeant and served as a driver to senior army officers. Sources said he was once attached to a former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) as a personal driver. He also attended a military course at the Warrant Officers’ Academy in Jaji Military Cantonment.
Daily Trust reported that Balarabe was commissioned as a military officer in early 2000s even though his certificates were found “questionable.” He was reportedly detained in a guardroom for over a year, after he allegedly presented a secondary school certificate which the screening board said belonged to someone else.
Unfazed by the certificate scandal, the Plateau-born military gave it another shot and was decorated as a lieutenant in 2013 after attending a training for Executive Commission category.
“Because he was popular at the Mambilla barracks, his friends who were doing business at Mammy Market adorned the walls of their shops with the pictures he took in his officer rank during pass out,” said another officer.
It was further learnt that he sustained a gunshot injury following an attack by Boko Haram insurgents on his deployment to the North-East.
“He came back for home treatment and stayed in Mambilla Barracks until he was fit enough to return to active duty,” the source, now the security chief of a private company, said.
Captain Balarabe who was in Abia before being transferred to the army barracks in Takum community of Taraba State, was reportedly building a bakery in Jos after the completion of his two-bedroom apartment, before his link to Hamisu Wadume was uncovered.
“He was on the verge of importing some modern equipment to kick-start production when this saga erupted,” said the source.
His father said to be an Islamic cleric, reportedly died over 25 years. Balarabe’s mother on the other hand is from a royal house in Jalingo which she relocated to shortly after the death of her husband.
“Tijjani is from a reputable home. His father was an Islamic cleric who was well respected in the community. All the children are decent, and I can tell you that this came to us as a surprise and many people cannot believe that Tijjani is in any way connected to the killing of the police officers or have anything to do with Hamisu Wadume,” a source said.
Bolton Wanderers, the former club of Nigeria’s ace footballer, Jay Jay Okocha, face being expelled from the English Football League (EFL) after a proposed takeover of the troubled League One (third-tier) club collapsed, administrators said on Monday.
Bolton, who have been in administration since May, started the season with a 12-point deduction and manager Phil Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin resigned last week.
The club have been given until 5:00 p.m. BST (1600 GMT) on Tuesday to find a buyer or “give compelling reasons for an extension” after a takeover deal that would have rescued them from liquidation fell through on Saturday.
“In just over 24 hours, the club will have its membership of the EFL revoked,” joint administrator Paul Appleton said in a statement on Bolton’s website.
“Over and above that, the club is currently not in a position to carry on trading and, as such, the process of closing down the company will commence on Wednesday.
“This will ultimately lead to its liquidation, the expulsion of the club from the EFL and the inevitable loss of over 150 jobs.
More than that, it will devastate a community for whom the football club is a beacon of hope and expectation.
Founder members of the Football League in 1888, Bolton won the FA Cup three times, in the 1920s and in 1958, but have struggled since being relegated from the Premier League in 2012.”
Nigerian ace footballer, Jay Jay Okocha played for the club between 2002 and 2006, making 114 appearances and also scoring 14 goals. Okocha joined the club after spending four years at Paris Saint Germain.
The Minister of State for Niger Delta Affairs, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has been linked with Jerry Elo Ikogho, one of the 78 Nigerians indicted in cases of massive financial fraud recently uncovered by the American agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
A photograph of the minister sharing happy times with FBI-indicted Jerry Elo Ikogho, aka J Man, surfaced on the social media on Sunday and it became an instant hit.
Mid last week, the American-owned domestic intelligence and security service had rounded up 80 indicted Internet scammers, out of which 78 are Nigerians.
While some of the indicted persons live in the United States, the FBI charge sheet said the majority of them live in Nigeria.
The FBI went on to release their full names and aliases, along with a 252-count outlined in a 145-page document.
According to TheCable, Mr. Keyamo has confirmed that he was friends with Mr. Ikogho.
The online medium reported that Keyamo said he and Ikogho were born in Ughelli, Delta State, and that they grew up as childhood friends.
It added that the erudite lawyer revealed that he and J Man took the trending photograph eight years ago, precisely in 2011 at a burial ceremony.
The medium added, “The senior advocate said the suspect is from a decent home,” adding that he hoped that the American authorities got their facts right.
“He is my childhood friend. We were born in the same town, Ughelli.
“We attended the same church from birth. His parents and mine, best of friends, till tomorrow.
“His siblings and mine too. He left for the US about 10-12 years ago.
“Can’t deny him. It’s a family relationship from birth. He’s from a decent family. Hope they got their facts right. The wife has sent the charge to me,” TheCable quoted Keyamo as having said.
In the wake of the FBI sting operation concerning the 78 Nigerians, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, advised those living in Nigeria among the 78 indicted persons to turn themselves in willingly, threatening that the Federal Government would not hesitate to repatriate them if asked.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has said the federal government is working on an Executive Order, which will tackle fraud and money laundering.
Shehu stated this while appearing on Sunday Politics, a programme on Channels Television.
He described the 77 suspects on the FBI list released last week, as an embarrassment to the country.
“This is a double damage on every citizen of Nigeria. It is a big scare on all of us who go out of this country and are seen in this image that these our brothers have created.
“We will cooperate with international organizations, the government will generate and ask for new laws from the National Assembly and there will be new executive orders that will block some of these loopholes that are being exploited by some of our fellow country men to go out there and embarrass and blacklist the country,” Shehu said.
On the specific reaction of the federal government on the list of the FBI, he said: “Like I said earlier, this administration will work with all nations around the globe to fight criminality. If Nigerians are involved in this thing, well hard luck to them.
“The president will not stand in the way of the justice system. Every citizen that travels out of this country is expected to obey the laws of their host country. President Muhammadu Buhari is not one to excuse Nigerians from the laws of countries in which they reside.
“Therefore you will expect a more vigorous engagement with National Assembly. The laws will have to change, this has got to be tackled and if it will take executive orders, this will be strengthened very rapidly.”
Asked if there is direct communication between Nigeria and the American government on the incident, the presidential media aide said: “Yes, the diaspora commission is there and the Nigerian Government has taken position on this matter, it is cooperation all the way.
“I think every person with a modicum of common sense knows that the action of few Nigerians is not the action of all Nigerians. We are 200 million plus in the country and you are talking about 80 Nigerians in this case, they will face the justice system, if the Nigerian Government is expected to cooperate in anyway, extradition, if it meets the requirement of our laws, they will be assisted to ensure they face justice in that country.
“Nigerians are hardworking people all over the world, there are millions of our citizens out there earning legitimate living, they don’t deserve to be so tarnished.”
As resumption date draws closer for schools across the country, the crisis between primary school teachers and Edo State Government over poor condition of services has taken a new dimension as the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Edo state has rejected the September 2, 2019, resumption date for schools.
The teachers had last week issued a three-week warning strike notice to the state government, if it failed to meet its demands.
The demands include rejection of competency test for teachers, releasing of the approved N60million termly subvention to schools, payment of EDO BEST stipends of 2018 and 2019 to teachers, recruitment of teaching personnel into public primary and secondary schools in the state.
A statement signed by Moni Mike Itua, assistant general secretary, NUT and made available to newsmen in Benin, the union directed members to disregard the circular letter by SUBEB directing them to resume on September 2, 2019, for the First Term of 2019/2020 academic session, as against the approved September 9, 2019, by the state Ministry of Education.
Itua urged the board not to constitute itself into a “parallel ministry of education” as well as usurping the functions of the ministry by ordering a different resumption for primary school teachers in the state.
“In continuation of your board’s insensitivity to human dignity and plight of our primary school teachers, the attention of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Edo State Wing, has been drawn to your circular letter–SUBEB/A/7VOL.IIT/90 of 20th August, 2019, where you directed teachers to resume for the 2019/2020 first term academic session on the 9th of September, 2019 on the other hand, in a twist, you further directed the same teachers to also resume a week earlier than the pupils (that is, on the 2nd of September, 2019) to enable them put all arrangements in place for effective take-off of teaching/learning process.
“Arising from the above directives by your board, the state wing executive council of NUT want to inform you that, public primary school heads and their teachers are not the ones to clean up classrooms or cut grasses in their school compounds, but shall only act as supervisors to the pupils in executing such assignments on their resumption, if your board lacks the capacity to provide or employ cleaners and gardeners in the schools.
“Your board’s unending shenanigans and arm-twisting of our teachers which are now dovetailing into full scale tramping on their rights should stop henceforth.”
While directing school heads and their teachers to disregard the board’s circular letter regarding the September 2, 2019 resumption date, Itua urged them to adhere strictly to the union’s directives.
A circular letter from the Human Resources Department of SUBEB dated August 20, 2019 directed teaching and non-teaching staff in public schools across the 18 Local Government Education Authority to resume school on Monday, 2nd of September, 2019.
The circular was signed by Mrs Ehigiamusor I.Lydia, Director, Human Resources and Management on behalf of the executive chairman of the board, Mrs Joan Oviawe.
The circular letter was copied to all education secretaries and local government education authorities across the 18 local government area.
According to her, “I am directed to humbly refer to the above subject and to inform teachers of Edo State Universal Basic Education Board across the 18 LGEAs that school resumes for the 1st term 2019/2020 academic session on Monday, the 9th of September, 2019. “That the Board wishes to return to the usual practice of teaching/non-teaching staff resuming a week earlier than the pupils.
This practice the board has considered very necessary to enable teachers put all arrangement in place for effective take off of teaching/learning process immediately, upon resumption.
“In the light of the foregoing, teaching and non-teaching staff in our schools across the 18 LGEA are therefore to resume school on Monday, 2nd of September, 2019.”
Policemen from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Anambra State Police Command have allegedly beaten up a 98-year-old woman, Cecilia Okpalaku of Achina in the Aguata Local Government Area of the state, over a family dispute.
“The policemen said they were looking for a document in my house but they ended up taking my granddaughter from me and assaulted me with an AK-47 riffle,” the nonagenarian told PUNCH Metro.
It was gathered that the incident happened when the cops invaded the family home of one Emeka Okpalaku in Achina on the invitation of his estranged wife, Chiemerie Nzekwe, from the same local government area.
Emeka, a Japan-based businessman, our correspondent learnt, was married to Esther from Uga some years back.
While Emeka was in Japan, Esther and their daughter stayed back in Achina with the mother-in-law, Cecilia.
A family source, who begged not to be named said, “Emeka was occasionally visiting home to see his wife and daughter. But trouble started when the husband visited home recently and observed certain strange things.
“It was Esther’s inability to explain some of these things that made Emeka to threaten to opt out of the marriage.
“Emeka, having sent his wife away, left their only daughter in the custody of his nonagenarian mother, Cecilia.
“His embattled wife stormed the husband’s place in Achina with some SARS operatives to forcefully take away their daughter.”
It was alleged that the SARS operatives assaulted Cecilia in the process as she tried to stop them from taking away the child.
The nonagenarian’s family has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, for his intervention in the matter.
In the petition by its lawyer, Charles Asadu, the family decried the alleged assault on Cecilia by the police over a matrimonial issue.
The petition read in part, “We have been briefed and our legal services have been retained by Messrs Josephine Anudu and Euphemia Ekwebele of Umuezeiyi village, Achina in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
“Information reaching us is that armed police men with Ak-47 rifles and wearing black T-shirts with the inscription, F-SARS, in company with Mrs Chiemerie Okpalaku, invaded the premises of our client and physically assaulted their aged mother, Mrs Cecilia Okpalaku, 98.
“The reason behind the attack was that Mrs Chiemerie Okpalaku is an estranged wife of Emeka Okpalaku, son of the aged woman, who resides abroad and has been in marital problems.
“We gathered that it was the aftermath of the matrimonial faceoff that prompted Chiemerie and the officers to attack the aged woman.
“They ransacked the entire household, damaged the doors of the rooms and went away with so many household items belonging to our clients.
“In an effort to subdue our clients, the police used the butts of their AK-47 rifles on the aged woman, who according to our clients, is now admitted in one of the hospitals in Achina.”
When contacted on the telephone, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, confirmed the incident.
Mohammed said the persons in dispute were not formally married, adding that the command had commenced investigation into the matter.
He said, “The real fact of the issue is that the man confiscated the credentials of his fiancée in order to deny her the opportunity of reporting for the National Youth Service Corps orientation.
“The complainant’s lawyer sent in a petition to the Anambra State Police Command and the Commissioner of Police ordered a discreet investigation into the matter.
“However, as soon as the suspect sighted the police, he escaped through a window. The police then used the power of ingress to gain access into the house.”
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr says he feels loved by Nigerians, a major reason he’s attached to the country and the national team.
But the German, who holds a French passport, admits that there’s a section of Nigerians from whom he “doesn’t feel this love.”
The German led the Eagles to a third-place finish at last month’s Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt but claims “one category” of people didn’t show him love especially after the AFCON.
“We have difference between Francophone countries and Anglophone countries but I didn’t have any problem adapting (in Nigeria) because I was welcomed by everybody, not only in the team but the staff, and also from Nigerians,” he said.
“When I go out, I feel this love, I feel it everywhere. The only people I don’t feel this love from, there is only one category especially after the AFCON, and you know who it is. But everywhere, if it is here or in other places, I feel this love, this is a reason for me, which makes it very hard to leave because there is human relationship which is important also.
This is the most passionate(job) because the passion around me is giving me also the passion, enthusiasm and desire to do well. This job here is very different because we speak English, which I did not speak for a long time, since my school time. But I have learnt back quickly; the mentality is also different.
Captain Emmanuel Adebayor has been left out of the Togo squad for next month’s 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Comoros.
The 35-year-old is not in coach Claude Le Roy’s 23-man provisional list for the preliminary round double-header which takes place in Comoros on 6 September and in Lome four days later.
No official reason has been given for the omission of Adebayor who has been without a club since leaving Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir at the end of last season.
The former Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Real Madrid striker was last left out for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against the Gambia last October.
Another key player overlooked by Le Roy is 35-year-old midfielder Jacques-Alaixys Romao who plays for French Ligue 1 club Reims. Romao has played for Togo since 2005.
Among the new faces in the squad are players who have featured for Togo’s local-based national team, including Agbozo Klousseh, Aigba Abdul Mubarak and Mubarak Abdul Bode.
