Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, will not sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid, the Evening Standard reports.
Solskjaer’s desire to reduce the age of the squad he inherited from Jose Mourinho, means United will not be exploring the possibility of signing Bale, 30.
Zinedine Zidane may have been hoping to use the Welshman as bait, in his attempts to bring Paul Pogba to the Spanish capital.
Zidane is desperate to sign Pogba, but United are holding out for a staggering £170m offer and will dismiss any offer that includes players.
On Sunday, the Madrid boss revealed the club are working on Bale’s departure, which he expects to happen within days.
His comments prompted the Welshman’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, to call him “a disgrace”.
An Aircraftman of the Nigerian Air Force, Bashir Umar, has returned the sum of €37,000 found in a parcel at the Hajj Camp Market in Kano State to the owner.
Umar, who is a member of the NAF Mobile Air Defence Team deployed for airport security duties, found the parcel on Tuesday during a routine patrol with some of his colleagues, according to the air force in a statement on Sunday.
The Aircraftman, however, returned the money, which was said to belong to one Alhaji Ahmad, after calling a phone number he found on the parcel.
The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, had directed the NAF Chief of Administration to “immediately come up with modalities to reward the airman.”
Daramola said, “The air force is set to reward one of its personnel, Aircraftman Bashir Umar, who found and returned the sum of €37,000 to Alhaji Ahmad, the owner of the lost money.
“The incident occurred at the Hajj Camp Market in Kano on Tuesday, when Bashir, while on a routine patrol with some of his colleagues, found the money in a parcel. Fortunately, there was a phone number on the parcel, which the airman called, and he eventually handed over the package to the owner.
“Consequently, the Chief of Air Staff has directed the Chief of Administration at the NAF Headquarters, Air Marshal Kingsley Lar, to immediately come up with modalities to reward the airman so as to encourage other personnel of the service to continue with attitudes that reflect the air force’s core values of integrity, excellence and service delivery.”
A week before the expiration of his tenure in May this year, the then Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi, pardoned an official of the Oyo State Ministry of Justice, Yewande Oyediran, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for killing her husband, Lowo.
Yewande, a lawyer, was in November 2017 convicted of manslaughter by Justice Muntar Abimbola of the Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan.
Yewande killed her husband with a knife following a disagreement on February 2, 2016, at their residence in the Akobo area of Ibadan.
The disagreement was said to have arisen after she accused her late husband of infidelity.
However, a few days before leaving office, Ajimobi granted the convict state pardon.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro on the telephone on Sunday, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state under Ajimobi, Mr Seun Abimbola, said the governor had the constitutional right to grant amnesty to any convict.
He, however, said Ajimobi did not exercise the power arbitrarily as it was being insinuated.
Abimbola said on the day the convict was pardoned, 49 other persons were also freed by the former governor.
The former commissioner stated that a committee was set up to look into the petitions of 400 persons, who had pleaded for clemency.
He said the committee comprised commissioners, officials of the Department of State Services and other government agencies, which advised the government.
The former AG dismissed insinuations that the convict was pardoned because of her former position as an official of the state Ministry of Justice and the alleged influence of her family.
Abimbola stated, “The issue of clemency by any government is a constitutional matter and the exercise of that power is not arbitrary. It is based on the recommendation of the committee on the prerogative of mercy.
“The committee is chaired by the attorney-general and also has DSS officers, the police, the chaplain and the chief imam of the Government House, Legal Aid Council; Director, Legal Affairs; the Solicitor-General and the Director of Public Prosecutions as members. So, it was not an arbitrary decision.
“The lady in question is just one out of 50 who were pardoned. And the 50 who were pardoned were drawn out of 400 who were considered. So, she was not singled out as some are insinuating. Even the prisons authorities brought recommendations on the good behaviour of those pardoned.”
Abimbola maintained that Yewande had already served half of her sentence and the ex-governor decided to show her mercy since she was not convicted of premeditated murder.
He explained that nine months in prison was equal to a year, adding that her sentence began counting from the day she was detained.
The former commissioner added, “She was arrested in 2016 and her sentence started reading from the day she was arrested. A year in prison is nine months. She was not convicted of murder but of manslaughter. It was a fight between a husband and a wife, which resulted in death.
“People should stop saying she killed her husband as if it was premeditated. The amnesty was not a secret one. We did it every May 29 and even the new governor pardoned convicts on June 12.”
The decision of the Ajimobi-led government to pardon the husband killer has, however, sparked a debate on social media.
Many argued that were the convict a man, he would not have been released so early from prison.
Many male Nigerians stated that had it been a woman who was murdered, several feminist groups would have taken to the streets in protest.
Popular musician, Timi Dakolo has lamented that his life and that of his wife and children have been at risk since the rape allegation, his wife, Busola made against the Senior Pastor, Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo.
He also raised the alarm over the attempt to abduct his wife by a team of policemen that visited their home on Saturday.
Dakolo alleged that things got worse when the police made their residential address in Lagos public, thereby making them susceptible to attacks.
The artiste said, “I didn’t expect that our residential address, where my children live, would be released to the public and since then, we have noticed how my life, my wife’s life and the lives of my children have been put at risk to strange faces around the house.
“We have been followed home, people are watching our home; we have not been able to do our work. Also we now have to tell our children why they cannot step outside.”
He rubbished allegations that he and his wife were trying to extort money from Fatoyinbo, adding that he had made enough money from his music.
Dakolo asked Nigerians to stop treating rape victims like criminals for speaking the truth.
He said his wife had informed him of the alleged rape since last year and it took a while before they both decided to make the matter public.
The artiste further stated that the allegation was not targeted at the church but Fatoyinbo and the matter should thus be treated as a crime and not a campaign against the body of Christ.
Dakolo says the police have refused to invite the Senior Pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly, Biodun Fatoyinbo, who allegedly raped his wife, Busola, 20 years ago.
Police storms his house
Dakolo, therefore, wondered why the police would storm his home to invite him and his wife to Abuja from Lagos State.
The musician said this at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday.
He noted that last month, he and his wife wrote a petition to the police and they were questioned for six hours by cops.
Dakolo, therefore, wondered why the police would invite him and his wife to Abuja for another round of questioning.
The artiste said, “On June 27, my wife, through her legal representative, wrote a petition on rape against Mr Biodun Fatoyinbo. The petition was filed at the Office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Alagbon, Ikoyi.
“We had four meetings and spent about six hours at the police station. The IG personally assigned the file and immediately asked for an action on the case but we deliberately decided not to publicise it because we believed the law would be followed through.
“We had filed the petition before the release of the interview that had been recorded three weeks earlier. The interview was published on June 28. We have on several occasions met with the police in the course of investigation. We were therefore shocked by the invitation to Abuja when no visible action was taken to interview Mr Fatoyinbo.”
The Nigerian Army has begun the quizzing of its former General Officer Commanding of the 8 Division, Sokoto State, Maj. Gen. Hakeem Otiki, following the N400m said to have been stolen by escort soldiers in the division.
Apart from the quizzing, the former GOC was said to be under close watch and would be brought to Abuja after he had handed over and cross-examined by the Directorate of Military Intelligence, the Special Intelligence Bureau and the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police.
Five soldiers had been confirmed to have stolen the money while on an escort duty from Sokoto to Kaduna states in the first week of July.
The former GOC had reportedly asked the soldiers to escort the money and deliver it to a Very Important Personality in Kaduna.
The army’s spokesman in 8 Division, Lieutenant Audu Arigu, had confirmed the incident, saying investigation had commenced, and had identified the runaway soldiers as Corporal Gabriel Oluwaniyi, Corporal Mohammed Aminu, one Corporal Haruna, Oluji Joshua and Hayatudeen.
Army sources said on Sunday that the runaway soldiers turned in their rifles and abandoned their mobile phones at the Infantry Corps in Jaji, Kaduna State, before they escaped.
One of them said, “Investigations so far show that this is not the first time the escort soldiers have transported such a huge amount of money for the officer. The soldiers all left their mobile phones in the vehicle, which has made their tracking difficult.
“The former GOC is being quizzed. He will be in Sokoto State for now where he is expected to properly hand over to the new GOC and then he will be brought to Abuja for further investigation.”
Teachers and pupils have deserted primary and secondary schools in Alabata villages in the Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State following attacks by suspected herdsmen.
The PUNCH gathered that the schools had been deserted since the attacks reportedly carried out by herdsmen on some of the villages.
Herdsmen had invaded Seriki village in Alabata and hacked a 76-year village head, Chief Akanmu Laisi, to death about a month ago.
Herdsmen also carried out an attack on Adao village in Alabama and stabbed a 49-year-old farmer, Rafiu Showemimo, to death a week ago.
Following the attacks by herdsmen, all the schools in the schools have been deserted by pupils, teachers and headmasters to avoid being victims attacked.
Speaking with our correspondent, the Olu of Alabata, Chief Sanusi Wahab, confirmed the development, saying, “The pupils have not been coming to the schools .The headmasters and headmistress came to the schools last week Friday. The teachers and the students did not go to schools. Only few of them went to the schools on Friday.”
He appealed to the government to provide security for the villagers, stressing the need for a police post in the area.
He said, “We need a police post in our community. The police post that is serving our community is in Harmony Estate close to FUNAAB and is far from most of the communities.”
When contacted for reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to Ogun State governor, Kunle Somorin, said, “There’s no cause for deserting where people live. Government assures them of adequate security.
“Security has been beefed up to pre-empt and arrest those who might want to breach the peace of our people.”
Attempts to get the reaction of the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, failed as the police spokesperson could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Abayomi Olonisakin, yesterday charged graduating cadets of the Direct Short Service Course of the Nigerian Army (DSSC) to remain loyal to President Mohammadu Buhari.
The new officers were conferred with the rank of lieutenant in the Nigerian Army by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gabriel Olonisakin, a general.
He said the Nigerian Army was still grappling with fleeing terrorists who engage in acts of suicide bombing.
The Army Headquarters admitted yesterday that insurgents killed a colonel, captain and three soldiers in an attack in Jakana, Yobe State. Though other military sources said more soldiers were killed in the attack.
This is coming as Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State yesterday instituted a N30 million fund for the family of Colonel Ken Elemele, who was one of the officers killed in Boko Haram ambush in Yobe State Wednesday.
Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Jaji, Kaduna State, Gen. Olonisakin charged them to brace up to the service of their fatherland, saying that their preparedness to contribute to national security and defence of the territorial integrity of Nigeria was expected to be at a higher level.
He said, “As professional officers who will shortly be commissioned into the Nigerian Army, each and every one of you have various roles to play based on your expertise and previous experiences, in curtailing the country’s security challenges.
“As junior leaders, you will be confronted with various challenges. The Nigerian Army expects you to add value to the system by being innovative and providing objective leadership to the men that will be placed under your watch.
“You are expected to exhibit complete and absolute loyalty to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as provided in the Constitution and the Oath of Allegiance which will be administered to you shortly”, he said.
Olonoshakin said: “You are also expected to be guided by existing regulations in your personal and professional conduct.
“I need to advise you that any act of disloyalty, disobedience to constituted authority, insubordination and other unprofessional conduct will attract appropriate sanctions,”.
The CDS also admonished the newly-commissioned officers to understand and abide by the extant condition of service of the armed forces, assuring them that they would be exposed to further training.
He said the entry of the new officers into the armed forces was significant considering the various security challenges facing the country at the moment.
The CDS further said, “you are entering into the army at a period when we are consolidating on the gains of years of confronting various security challenges in the country.
“The Nigerian Army, in conjunction with the other services and other security agencies, have been engaged in intensive combat against terrorist groups, especially in the North-East through Operation Lafiya Dole.
“It also includes our involvement in multinational operations in the Lake Chad Basin under the auspices of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MN/TF). The Army is equally involved in anti-banditry operations in various parts of the country, especially the North-West, North-Central and the South Western region”.
He noted that “in the South-South, the activities of miscreants who are bent on crippling the economy by engaging in wanton destruction of oil and gas infrastructure constitute a major security challenge.
“To address these security challenges, the President, Commander-in-Chief, authorized the conduct of series of operations across the country. In all these operations, especially in the North-East, we have made steady and deliberate progress.
“However, we still contend with fleeing terrorists engaging in acts of suicide bombing with Improvised Explosive Devices (1503) and other heinous crimes,” he said.
Gen Olonisakin commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his continuous support to the armed forces, stating that the successes of the military in various operations would not have been possible without the unrelenting support of the president
He also commended the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, for his resilience, dedication and doggedness in providing effective leadership to the Nigerian Army.
He said the Nigerian Army has demonstrated outstanding professionalism in all its operations and in improving the welfare of officers and men under the current transformational leadership of the Chief of Army Staff.
“I, therefore, urge you to keep up the good work. Once again, congratulations on this remarkable achievement,” he said.
He told the new officers: “you are entering into the army at a period when we are consolidating on the gains of years of confronting various security challenges in the country.
“The Nigerian Army, in conjunction with the other services and other security agencies, have been engaged in intensive combat against terrorist groups, especially in the North-East through Operation Lafiya Dole.
“It also includes our involvement in multinational operations in the Lake Chad Basin under the auspices of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MN/TF). “The Army is equally involved in anti-banditry operations in various parts of the country, especially the North-West, North-Central and the South Western region.
Meanwhile, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State yesterday set up an educational trust fund to train the four children of the Late Colonel Ken Elemele, who was killed in a Boko Haram ambush between Yobe and Borno last Wednesday.
The deceased army officer hailed from Rivers State.
The governor said that the fund would take off with an initial seed money of N30million.
Governor Wike described the death of Late Colonel Elemele as a sad loss to Rivers State and the entire country.
Speaking during a condolence visit to the family in Port Harcourt, Governor Wike who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, said that the Rivers State Government would stand with the family.
“This is a sad loss of an illustrious son of Rivers State. We were expecting the emergence of another General before this unfortunate incident.
“Please accept my personal condolence and that of the good people of Rivers State. The Rivers State Government shares this grief with the family. We will stand with you through this period “, he said.
The governor prayed God to console the widow and her children, saying that only God would fill the gap created by the sudden death of Late Col Elemele.
“We urge you to put your trust in God. Be strong for your children. God will always support you at this time”, he said.
He said the Rivers State Government will be in touch with the family to ensure that their immediate needs are taken care of.
The widow of late Colonel Ken Elemele, Mrs. Chioma Elemele, thanked the Rivers State Governor for his kindness.
President Muhammadu Buhari has assigned Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to undertake immediate consultations and dialogue with stakeholders across Nigeria as part of measures to contain the deteriorating security situation in the country. In addition, the office of the vice president hinted that the federal government was working with the state governments on how to improve security in local communities while rearranging the security architecture nationwide.
Osinbajo, who began his assignment yesterday in the South-west, held consultations with the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, and the Awujale of Ijebu Kingdom, Oba Sikiru Adetona, both in Ogun State. The discussions focused on the security challenges in the country.
Accompanied by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun to the palace of the Akarigbo, Osinbajo hinted on what was expected to be a wide consultation with key traditional rulers in the state, and across the country, while fielding questions from journalists. He said the exercise was meant to ensure peace and security in the communities.
He stated, “As you know, there are many significant concerns all over the country and, of course, there are concerns also in the South-west. So, I’m here on the instruction of Mr. President to consult with the Kayibesi, Governor Dapo Abiodun, and other stakeholders on what to do to beef up security, and to generally improve the security architecture.
“Of course, you know that the Kabiyesi is not just the traditional ruler, but also a very important part of the government. That’s why we are here to speak with him and to agree on a few modalities for beefing up security, ensuring that we are fully conscious of all that is going on around us, and just to be sure that peace and security reigns here and across the country.
“There are some who might want to cause instability and difficulties, but we are very confident that God helping us, working together as a nation, we will be able to overcome all our problems and set our country on the path of peace and prosperity.”
The vice president said the federal government, in collaboration with the states, had taken significant steps to improve security, while undertaking further consultations with the traditional rulers. He said the governor of Ogun State was committed “to ensuring there is peace and security and that everyone, who lives in all our neighbourhoods, localities and communities lives in peace with each other and that we maintain a high level of security.”
He added, “We are consulting with many of the traditional rulers all across the country. But there are concerns in the South-west. I’ve started here in Ogun.
“We are also going to be in Osun State on Tuesday. We are also going to go round and see several other traditional rulers. Primarily, they themselves want to participate. We’ve spoken at various times and they want to participate in improving the security architecture.
“One of the things that Mr. President has spoken about is the role of traditional rulers in maintaining peace and security in their own locality. As you know, they are the closest to the grassroots, to their communities.
“And one of the critical things that we expect is that even with our community policing efforts, we expect that there would be some interventions between the traditional rulers, the community police and some of the other efforts that they are making to improve intelligence to understand what is going on. We need to know who is where and what exactly is happening all around, so that these can then be transmitted to the security agencies.
“I think for all of us, the most important thing to realise is that we are one Nigeria; we are one country; we need to work together to ensure that the country is peaceful, secure and happy for all of us.”
Osinbajo said Nigeria had the potential to give the citizens all they desired, but alleged that some people were working against the interest of the country by attempting to cause instability. Nonetheless, he was optimist that Nigeria would overcome its challenges.
From the Akarigbo’s palace, Osinbajo proceeded to Ijebu Ode, where he had a private meeting with Oba Adetona. After his meeting with the monarch, Osinbajo said the Awujale was one of the most important voices in the South-west and that their discussion was on steps that needed to be taken to improve the security general architecture. He said the monarch had given a lot of insight on what needed to be done and how to go about it, including what had been done already.
“But very important is his commitment to ensuring that there is peace and security and that everybody lives in peace with one another and that we maintain the highest level of security. We are consulting with many of the traditional rulers across the country, but there are concerns in the South-west now,” he stated at the Oba’s palace.
He added, “We are going round. I will be in Osun on Tuesday; we are going to go round to see the Alake, the Ooni and other traditional rulers and primarily, they themselves want to participate in improving the security architecture.”
