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  Lionel Messi's father is reportedly in England discussing terms with Manchester City for the Argentine playmaker.  This comes a day after the six-time Ballon d'Or winner informed the club that he does not want to continue under new coach Ronald Koeman following Barcelona's embarrassing 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and disappointing season in Spain which resulted in no trophies.  According to RAC1 and TyC Sports, Jorge Messi has already touched down in Manchester to discuss terms with the Premier League side.   The reports say that the player's father who is also his agent is discussing a two-year deal with City, despite a reported disagreement between Barcelona and Lionel Messi over his £630million release clause at the club.     Before Messi made his decision to leave the club, he held crunch talks with new coach Ronald Koeman following the Dutchman's appointment as Quique Setien's replacement last we...

  he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 15 suspected fraudsters following a raid carried out at Ayo Babatunde Crescent and James Adejumo areas of Lekki. EFCC's spokesperson, Dele Oyewale said the 15 suspects are believed to be members of Organized Cyber Criminal Syndicate Network (OCCSN). The suspects are identified as Sunday Okpe, Taiwo Adelagun, Obarakyo Tega, Fasuyi Oladapo, Mark Adedeji Kuju, Adelakun Kehinde Adewunmi, Temitope Gabriel Onore, Christopher Blessed, Aniche Ezenwa Francis, Abiodun Godspower Odion, Abiodun ThankGod Omoh, Raji Ayo Sheriff, Adeogun Babatunde, Olusesi Razaq Demola and Kole Adetoyinbo.  It was also gathered that during the raid, the suspects tried to destroy evidence by flushing their mobile devices into the toilet, burning some and throwing their laptops into a nearby bush and lagoon.

The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) has suspended the membership of West African nation Mali, increasing international pressure on the military junta that seized power in Mali last week after a coup d'etat that ousted Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse from power. On August 18, 2020, rebel troops seized Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and Prime Minister Boubou Cisse in a dramatic escalation of a months-long crisis, announcing military rule . Neighbouring states in West Africa including Nigeria, the European Union , France and the African Union, condemned the coup and warned against any unconstitutional change of power in the country. Now the leadership of OIF has suspended Mali after holding a meeting via video conference, saying that the body would maintain any cooperation with the Malian junta that would help the civilian population and aid a transition to democracy. The OIF in a statement also called f...

  England-born Nigerian midfielder, Eberechi Eze is set to make a switch to Premier League side Crystal Palace from Queens Park Rangers. 22-year-old has been targeted by several clubs including Aston Villa, Fulham, Leeds, West Ham, and West Bromwich Albion this summer but Palace have agreed on a deal with QPR to sign Eberechi for £19.5m. Eze, who scored 14 goals in 46 appearances in the Sky Bet Championship for QPR last season is expected to have a medical in the coming days and finalise personal terms. The talented footballer was born in Greenwich, England to Nigerian parents. He is eligible to play for both Nigeria and England.

  Zimbabwe has made it illegal for schools to expel pupils who get pregnant, a measure aimed at tackling gender inequality in the classroom and discouraging many girls from dropping out of school. According to Zimbabwean media, a legal amendment was announced last week and it seeks to reinforce a 1999 guideline that was patchily implemented.  The decision was reportedly made over fears of a rise in sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies as schools have been closed since the Coronavirus pandemic struck. Many parents of pregnant girls, or the girls themselves, decide to quit schooling due to the pregnancy, and schools do not always do enough to encourage them to stay, officials say. “I’m expecting every parent and guardian and everyone else to understand that every child must be assisted by all of us to go to school,” Cain Mathema, the education minister in charge of schools, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation this week “Every child whether boy or girl... has a ...

  The parents of a Nigerian student who went missing in Ukraine after being invited to a party on a yacht have issued a plea for help in getting information about their son's whereabouts. Nigerian citizen, Obari-Mark Caleb, born in 1999, is a recent graduate of Sumy State Agrarian University. He has a residence permit in Ukraine. He was invited by a woman to a party on a yacht on Thursday, August 20. He attended the party in the company of his friends but didn't return with them. According to volunteers of the search platform, "911", Caleb disappeared during a walk. He was on the yacht of the private yacht club “Sauvignon” (Ovidiopol district of Odessa region) when he disappeared. He reportedly went for the walk in the company of 8 people (including the captain of the yacht).  In the Odessa region, the police are investigating the circumstances of the disappearance of the Nigerian citizen while on a yacht. Caleb's companions claim that he disappeared whi...

  Governor Bello Matawalle has announced that foreigners are buying gold and other precious mineral resources with arms in Zamfara state which he governs.  The Zamfara state Governor who disclosed this after presenting some gold bars and other precious stones mined in his State to President Muhammadu Buhari, said his administration decided to embrace the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative to stop the criminal act being championed by illegal miners in the state.  Matawalle said;    “It’s very important to us as a government, particularly, the issue of insecurity, to know the root cause of insecurity. Zamfara state is blessed with many minerals resources and some people outside the country come in to buy gold and other precious stones and sometimes instead of paying people, they pay back with arms. I did some investigations. So, the state government will be buying some of these minerals so that we can block that chain. So...

  The remains of the popular Nigerian music executive and veteran artist manager , Bayo Odusami popularly known as Howie-T, will be laid to rest on Friday, August 29. According to his obituary, a tribute night will be held in his honor on Wednesday, August 26 via zoom. On Friday, a church service will hold at the Vaults and Gardens chapel and then he will be interred at the Ikoyi cemetery. Late Howie-T who managed defunct music duo, P-Square, died on August 8 after battling with stroke for about four years. He is survived by his wife and two children. May his soul rest in peace, Amen.🙏🙏

  Zimbabwe's most wanted armed robber, Musa Taj Abdul has been arrested after 20 years of terror.  The suspect has been on the run for over two decades and was arrested while in the company of six other accomplices in the border town of Beitbridge on Monday night. Abdul who has been on the police wanted list since 1999, was linked to the robbery attack on December 2019 at Wessel Shop in Msasa, Harare, It was alleged that his gang disarmed a security guard and stole a special Amadeo Rossi revolver, $160 000 and an Isuzu KB240 single cab vehicle.   On February 5 this year, the gang went to Makoni Shopping Centre, Chitungwiza, armed with pistols, an AK47 rifle and robbed unsuspecting complainants of US$19 000, $30 000, cellphones and a Toyota Allion vehicle, which was later found abandoned in Glen View. On February 26, the gang robbed another person in Harare of US$40 000, jewelry, several pairs of shoes, a laptop, cellphones, a star pis...

  The Anglican Priest and his 10-year-old who were abducted in Kaduna in the early hours of Saturday, August 22, have regained their freedom. Reverend Meshach Luka and his son were kidnapped while serving at the Priest's station in Kakura II Kujama Missionary Archdeaconry Fortunately, they were released on Monday, August 24, two days after they were kidnapped by gunmen.  The good news was announced by HACFO, Hausa Christians Foundation. The foundation had asked for prayers for the father and son immediately after they were abducted. The foundation did not state how they were found, neither did they give further details.    

  Nollywood actor, Zubby Michael has gifted his personal assistant a plot of land.  The actor took to Instagram to share a photo of himself presenting documents of the land to his PA and then wrote: 'Just gave my P A a plot of land @syratouchmetu enjoy.'    

The University of Alabama has reported 531 Coronavirus cases on campus since starting classes on August 19. The positive cases were reported on the university system’s COVID-19 dashboard, which reflects on-campus testing results and self-reported private lab results but does not include the entry testing conducted when school restarted, according to a local ABC affiliate.  The University of Alabama President Stuart Bell called the rise in COVID-19 “unacceptable” since the school has guidelines in place to avoid gatherings such as parties. “My hope is that this will be just a brief pause on their plans to reopen and that we can get this in our rearview mirror sooner, rather than later. Clearly, it takes everyone working together to keep Alabama moving in the right direction,” Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said at a press conference. The school located in Tuscaloosa, Ala., has more than 38,000 registered students. According to reports, several universities have seen surge...

  The identity of one of the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, killed on Sunday, August 23, during a violent clash with the State Security Service (SSS), has been revealed. One of the casualties is a young man named Ebuka. Friends took to Facebook to share photos of him while mourning him. They also shared a photo of a woman praying for his repose with a Biafran flag and candles in front of her.   At least two operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) were killed, on Sunday, August 23, 2020, allegedly by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Meanwhile, IPOB, in a statement also claimed that 21 of its members were killed by security operatives and 47 arrested. The incident caused tension in the area as armed police officers and soldiers were deployed and they combed the area in search of IPOB members. In a statement by its spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, the SSS said its patrol team was “attacked in Emene, Enugu State by members of the ...

Popular Instagram celebrity, Ramon Abbas popularly known as “Hushpuppi“ has been arraigned in a court in California, United States, ahead of his trial on October 13. The 37-year-old Nigerian man accused of being the leader of a group that facilitates computer intrusion, business email compromise (BEC) fraud and money laundering pleaded not guilty to the four-count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracies, international money laundering and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity. Premium Times reported that the prosecutors kickstarted the process of arraignment by filling necessary documents and forms after his first appearance on August 17. Hushpuppi reportedly entered a plea, insisting that he is not guilty of the charges. The Instagram celebrity will be represented in court by Vicki Podberesky, a top-rated lawyer in California and Gal Pissetzky, a Chicago-based lawyer appearing pr...

Manchester United captain, Harry Maguire has been convicted of all charges following a brawl at the Greek holiday island of Mykonos. The England international was found guilty of assaulting police, verbal abuse, and attempted bribery on Tuesday, August 25, after the alleged last friday. He was handed a 21 month and ten day sentence suspended for three years as it was his first offence. Maguire's brother, Joe who plays for non-league team Ilkeston Town, was also found guilty of assault, attacking police and attempted bribery while a third man, 29-year-old Christopher Sharman, was guilty of two assault charges and another of verbal abuse. The pair were given suspended sentences of 13 months after being found guilty. The court heard today how Maguire told Greek police 'don't you know who I am? I'm the captain of Man Utd', before attempting to bribe officers after his bar brawl in Mykonos last week. The 27-year-old flew back to the UK on Sunday ahead of his tri...