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  • England’s friendly to decide Eagles team – Mutiu Adepoju

    England’s friendly to decide Eagles team – Mutiu Adepoju

    A former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, on Friday said the upcoming international friendly match between the Three Lions of England would be a good rehearsal before the World Cup.

    Adepoju, who featured for the Super Eagles at the USA `94 and the France `98 World Cup, said in Lagos that the match would likely decide final team selection.

    “Well it’s a Grade A match, and it will definitely give the team an insight into what to expect at the World Cup proper.

    “It’s a very good test match, probably this will be the last match before the World Cup.

    “And I think it’s a good one that will put the team in proper perspective for the main event,’’ the former Super Eagles midfielder said.

    The Three Lions will lock horns with the Super Eagles on June 2, at the iconic Wembley Stadium.

    Read Also: Keshi was a role model to us – Mutiu Adepoju

    The friendly encounter will be the third time both teams will be engaging each other, their first encounter was a friendly match at Wembley Stadium which England won 1-0 shortly, after the 1994 World Cup.

    While their second encounter was at Osaka, Japan in a Group F match at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup which ended in a goalless draw.

    NAN

  • My wife will beat me to death one day, cries husband

    My wife will beat me to death one day, cries husband

    An Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Friday reconciled Mr Olawale Jaiyeola with his wife whom he says will beat him to death should the court fail to terminate the 28 year old marriage.

    The court’s  President, Mr Akin Akinniyi, resolved the differences between the estranged couple after several adjournments and interventions.

    Akinniyi while striking out the case admonished the couple to maintain peace and continue to live in love and harmony.

    “Since the court was able to reconcile the couple through counselling, I urge both of you to go home and live in peace,  love and be law abiding,” Akinniyi said.

    Mr Olawale Jaiyeola had earlier told the court that his wife, Olatayo, was fond of punching him as if he were a punching bag, beating him like a baby.

    “My wife will beat me to death one day if I continue with the marriage.

    “I have scars all over my body as proofs of her abuse. I have been living every minute of my life in fear. Save me from the cruel hands of my wife.

    “I had suffered so much from her in silence in the past; anytime we had misunderstanding, she would beat the hell out of me,” he said.

    According to him, the marriage has been turbulent and fraught with fights and quarrels.

    “I have not been at peace since l married my wife; she is so quarrelsome.

    “I brought her to court in 2013 for the dissolution of the marriage, but she begged me and promised to change.

    “The court asked her to write an undertaking not to be beating me again, which she wrote and the case was put on “sine die’’ stage.

    “She has refused to change. Instead, her behaviour toward me has been hostile, and the beating continued unabated,” he said.

    Read also: Wife of Boko Haram’s factional leader, Mamman Nur, killed — Army

    The 67-year-old engineer said that his wife lacked care for him and was not giving him food.

    Jaiyeola also alleged that his wife threatened to burn his two cars.

    “Please, end this loveless marriage before my wife terminates my life,” he said.

    The defendant, Olatayo, however, denied all the allegations.

    “I never beat my husband neither did I threaten to burn his cars,” she said.

    Olatayo, a mother of three, said she was not a troublemaker, but peaceful.

    According to her, she is taking good care of her husband.

    The woman pleaded passionately with the court not to dissolve the marriage, saying she was still in love with her husband.

    NAN

  • Inmate emerges overall best Masters graduate of NOUN

    Inmate emerges overall best Masters graduate of NOUN

    An inmate of Enugu Maximum Security prison, Chukwununso Nomeh has emerged the overall best Post-graduate student of the National Open University of Nigeria ( NOUN ) prisons special study centres nationwide.

    The spokesperson of the Nigeria Prison Service in Enugu State, Mr Chukwuemeka Monday made the disclosure in a statement issued in Enugu on Friday.

    Nomeh, a convicted inmate, who was sentenced in 2010 gained admission to study Masters in Business Administration (MBA).

    He graduated with a cumulative grade point of 3.80.

    The Desk Officer of Enugu study centre, CSP Kelvin Iloafonsi said two other inmates also graduated from the NOUN post graduate school.

    Iloafonsi said that one of the inmates had since been released.

    The spokesperson recalled that one of the ex-convict of the same centre, Theophilus Adeniyi, emerged the overall best graduating student in 2014 while in incarceration.

    Monday said that he was currently pursuing his PhD in one of the universities in Nigeria.

    The Controller of prison in the state, Ndubuisi Ogbodo, encouraged more inmates to enroll into NOUN and embrace the transformation mantra of the Controller General of Prison, Ja’afaru Ahmed which focused on training and retraining of both staff and inmates.

    Read Also: Buhari applauds NOUN for redefining ODL

    The CP also called on the public to accept ex-convicts as reformed and responsible member of the society.

    He said that their continuous rejection would only lead them back to crime.

    NAN

  • Mechanic faces jail over rape of teenage girl

    Mechanic faces jail over rape of teenage girl

    A 25-year-old auto mechanic, Kayode Oladipupo, who was arraigned for rape, was on Friday brought before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court for  defiling a teenage girl.

    The accused, who resides at 15, Shobayo St., Abule Egba, a suburb of Lagos, is being tried for rape.

    The prosecutor, Insp. Clifford Ogu, told the court that the offence was committed on January 3, at Ile Epo market area, Abule Egba Road.

    Ogu said that the accused and the complainant, a 15-year -old girl, met that day at their friend’s birthday party.

    “The accused called the girl outside the party venue to ask her out but she refused and was about walking away from the accused when he gave her a slap on the face.

    “Before the complainant recovered from the slap, the accused had dragged her to an uncompleted building and raped her, ‘’ he said.

    Read also: Criminalise marital rape, says DVC

    Ogu said that thereafter, the girl ran to a nearby Police station to report and the accused was arrested.

    The offence contravened Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

    The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Taiwo Akanni, granted the accused a bail of N250,000 with two sureties in like sum.

    Akanni adjourned the case until February 5, for mention.

    NAN

  • ‘Frustration made me impregnate another woman,’ man tells court

    ‘Frustration made me impregnate another woman,’ man tells court

    An Igando Customary Court in Lagos on Friday dissolved an 11-year-old marriage between Elizabeth Shofunde and her husband, Babatunde, who impregnated another woman.

    The President of the court, Mr Akin Akinniyi, in his judgment, said it appeared that the estranged couple were tired of the marriage as all efforts to reconcile them had failed.

    “Since both parties consented to the dissolution of their marriage, this court has no choice than to dissolve the marriage.

    “The marriage between Elizabeth Shofunde and Babatunde Shofunde is hereby dissolved today, both parties henceforth cease to be husband and wife.

    “Both parties are free to go their separate ways without any hindrance and molestation,” Akinniyi held.

    The petitioner, Elizabeth, 36; a petty trader, had told the court that Babatunde was a flirt, and had abandoned her after impregnating another woman.

    “My husband abandoned me and the children after he impregnated another woman.

    “It is now three years he left us; he refused to give me money for the children’s school fees, feeding and house rent,’’ she said.

    Elizabeth said that Babatunde battered her at any slight provocation, alleging that her husband was a drunkard.

    The mother of three added that she was fed up with the 11-year-old union because of Babatunde’s behaviour.

    The respondent, Babatunde, did not deny the allegations, but said that Elizabeth’s attitude pushed him to another woman.

    Also Read: Atiku’s son escapes with son as court awards wife custody of kids

    “My wife made life unbearable for me, and the frustration made me to impregnate another woman,” he said.

    The 38-year-old furniture maker said that his wife always threatened his life with dangerous weapons.

    “Whenever we are fighting, Elizabeth brings out a knife or bottle to stab me, but I always escape.

    “I had a domestic accident and was admitted in a hospital. Elizabeth only called me on phone and did not visit me; because of that, I stopped giving her money,” he said.

    The respondent said that his wife denied him sex for one year.

    He consented to the dissolution of the marriage, saying he was also fed up with the union.

    NAN

  • Indonesian islamists accuse Facebook of discrimination

    Indonesian islamists accuse Facebook of discrimination

    Several hundred Indonesian Islamists held a protest outside Facebook ’s headquarters in Jakarta on Friday, accusing the social media giant of discrimination.

    The protesters, many dressed in white and including members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front ( FPI ), marched from a mosque to Facebook’s offices in the capital of the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country.

    They also accused Facebook of blocking some pages operated by hardline groups for allegedly spreading hate.

    “We want to remind Facebook to remain neutral and balanced,” Slamet Maarif, a spokesman for FPI, told reporters.

    “There are many accounts that spread hate about Islam, ulamas, that are allowed to operate. There are accounts that talk about Islamic humanitarian aid, those are blocked,” said Maarif.

    He said that the group still planned to use Facebook and intended to open new accounts.

    Facebook said its policy was to delete content that violated its community standards.

    “Our community standards are made to prevent organizations or individuals that urge hate speech or violence against those who hold different views,” said a company representative, who declined to be identified.

    A spokesman for Indonesia’s communications ministry, Semuel Pangerapan, said, “We have never requested that FPI’s accounts be closed.”

    Some Islamist groups in Indonesia use social media extensively and FPI usually has about 100 accounts on Facebook, as well as on other social media platforms such as Twitter.

    The rally was peaceful, though more than 1,200 police officers were brought in to guard the offices, media said.

    Indonesians are avid users of social media and Facebook had 115 million users in the second quarter of 2017, according to media citing its country manager, ranking the country fourth globally after the United States, India and Brazil.

    Some of the protesters on Friday made live video streams of the rally to air via Facebook.

    The vast majority of Indonesians practice a moderate form of Islam, though a reputation for religious tolerance has come under scrutiny as hardline groups muscle their way into public and political life in the young democracy.

    President Joko Widodo has expressed concerns over hoax stories and hate speech spread online and has pledged to “clobber” any group threatening to destroy Indonesia’s tradition of pluralism and moderate Islam.

    Also Read: Facebook to train 50,000 Nigerian SMEs in 2018

    At a rally late 2017 in Jakarta by Muslims opposing President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a body of Muslim clerics urged a boycott of U.S. and Israel products if Trump did not revoke his action.

    So far there has been no indication the measure will gain traction and Indonesia’s vice president said calls to stop using U.S. goods and technology were misguided.

    (Reuters/NAN)

  • Nigeria, UNESCO to hold Lake Chad conference in February

    Nigeria, UNESCO to hold Lake Chad conference in February

    The Federal Ministry of Water Resources says it will host a global forum on sustainable solutions to save the drought-ravaged Lake Chad between February 26 and 28 in Abuja.

    Dr Musa Ibrahim, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, said this in a statement in Abuja on Friday.

    He said that the theme of the conference was “Saving the Lake Chad to revitalise the Basin’s Ecosystem for Sustainable Livelihood, Security and Development’’.

    He said that the ministry would hold the conference, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation ( UNESCO ) and the Lake Chad Basin Commission ( LCBC ).

    According to him, the objective of the conference is to create global awareness on the socio-economic and environmental challenges arising from the shrinkage of the lake.

    He said that the forum would be an opportunity to deliberate on the effect of the lake’s desiccation on people’s livelihoods and security, with a view to developing a comprehensive programme and action plan to address it.

    Musa added that the conference would also inform stakeholders on the consensus of opinion on the different solutions to restore the lake.

    He said that the solutions included the Inter-Basin Water Transfer ( IBWT ) project, which was aimed at transferring water from Ubangi River in the Democratic Republic of Congo into the Chad basin.

    He said that there was a need to gather political and financial support for the overall restoration of the Chad basin.

    According to reports, Lake Chad is about eight per cent of the size of Africa and the lake is shared by Algeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Libya, Nigeria, Niger and Sudan.

    Read also: Lake Chad Basin: OCHA Chief to Visit Nigeria, Niger

    The eight countries have an estimated population of 373.6 million, with 12 per cent of the estimated population living around the Lake Chad in 2013.

    The people living in the basin depend on the lake for water supply as well as farming, fishing and livestock production.

    However, the LCBC website says that a review of the hydrology of the Lake Chad Basin shows that in the wet years (years before 1973), water inflow into the basin averaged between 30km3 and 40km3 per annum.

    The website says that in the dry years (years after 1974), water inflow averaged between 20km3 and 21km3 per annum, while the lowest inflow — 16km3 – was recorded in 1984.

    NAN

  • Man gets five strokes of cane for attempt to steal tyre cover

    Man gets five strokes of cane for attempt to steal tyre cover

    A Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Friday ordered that five strokes of the cane be given to a 25-year-old man, Mustapha Abubakar,  for attempting to steal a jeep tyre cover.‎

    Abubakar of no fixed address had pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of criminal trespass and attempt to commit an offence.

    The judge, Mr Mohammed Marafa, also warned Abubakar to desist from committing crime, adding that if brought back to court again, he would face the consequences.

    The prosecutor, Babajide Olanipekun, had told the court that Abubakar criminally trespassed into a compound along pipeline, Kubwa, Abuja on November 18.

    Read Also: FRSC: How to know a good tyre

    He said that Abubakar was arrested while attempting to steal a jeep tyre cover, adding that the offence contravened Sections 346 and 95 of the Penal Code.

    NAN

  • CBN inaugurates NFIS in Anambra

    CBN inaugurates NFIS in Anambra

    The Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN ) on Friday inaugurated the Financial Inclusion State Steering Committee for implementation of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy ( NFIS ) in Anambra.

    The committee was inaugurated at the Awka Branch office of the CBN on Friday.

    At the inauguration, Prof. Solomon Chukwulobelu, the Secretary to the Anambra government urged members of the committee to adopt policies and programmes that would ensure that the less privileged had access to financial services.

    Chukwulobelu was represented by the Anambra State Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Development Partners, Mr Mark Okoye.

    He described the committee as a veritable platform to enable stakeholders to contribute ideas toward addressing issues about effective implementation of NFIS.

    He said that if well implemented, the economically active population in Anambra would have greater access to finance for their businesses.

    Chukwulobelu expressed hope that the committee would fashion out strategies to help to achieve the 2018 target of achieving 328,000 new savings customers and 299,000 new credit customers.

    Mr Chuks Sokari, the Branch Controller of CBN, Awka branch recalled that NFIS was launched in October 2012 with the aim of reducing the percentage of adult Nigerians with low access to financial services from 46.3 per cent in 2010 to 20 per cent in 2020.

    Read also: CBN orders banks to open 7.6m new savings accounts

    Sokari said that the broader aim was to ensure that more than 80 per cent of economically active Nigerian population had access to and make use of financial services with at least 70 per cent of that number in the formal sector.

    He also highlighted initiatives that the apex bank had undertaken to improve the situation in most vulnerable zones of the country.

    Sokari urged the FISC State Steering Committee headed by him to come up with action plans that would accelerate financial inclusion drive at the local level.

    Membership of the committee was drawn from relevant ministries, including education, information, women affairs, financial service providers, and small and medium entrepreneurs.

    The inaugural meeting also featured interactive session and paper presentations.

    Members of the committee were further grouped into two committees including the Financial Inclusion Outreach Working Group and Financial Inclusion Vulnerable Working Group, chaired by representatives of the Ministry of Information.

    NAN

  • Carpenter jailed three months for stealing POS

    Carpenter jailed three months for stealing POS

    A Kubwa Grade 1 Area Court in Abuja on Friday sentenced a 22-year-old carpenter, Matthew Stephen, to three months in prison for stealing a Point Of Sale ( POS ) machine  after he pleaded guilty to a charge of theft.

    The judge, Mohammed Marafa, also gave Stephen an option of N10,000 fine and warned him to desist from committing crime.

    He also ordered Stephen to pay  N43,000 to the complainant‎ as compensation.
    The prosecutor, Babajide Olanipekun, had earlier told the court that the matter was reported by Fitzpatrick Nwachukwu of Odot Close, Kubwa, Abuja at Kubwa Police Station on December 31, 2017.

    Read also: Carpenter gets N150, 000 bail for ‘gang-raping’ 

    He said Stephen trespassed into the complainant’s garden on December 31, 2017 and stole the POS and the sum of N43,000 cash‎.
    He added that the POS machine ‎was recovered from Stephen, an offence which contravened Section 288 of the Penal Code.
    Stephen had begged the court for leniency.
    NAN