Author: Olukayode Oke

Karim Benzema scored a second-half hat-trick as Real Madrid routed Barcelona to reach the Copa del Rey final. Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Madrid levelled the tie through Vinicius Jr in first-half stoppage time. Benzema added two goals early in the second half – the second from the penalty spot – to put the visitors in control and completed his hat-trick to seal the win in the 80th minute. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will face Osasuna in the final on 6 May. Barcelona had the better of a feisty first half at the Nou Camp, but their best chance led…

Frank Lampard is set to be appointed interim Chelsea manager until the end of the season – just over two years after the club sacked him. He has been out of a job since January when he was dismissed by Everton after less than a year in charge. The ex-Chelsea and England midfielder previously managed the Blues from July 2019 until January 2021, when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel’s successor, Graham Potter, was sacked on Sunday. Chelsea are 11th in the Premier League and drew 0-0 with Liverpool on Tuesday under Bruno Saltor – with 44-year-old Lampard in attendance at Stamford Bridge. The…

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, sitting at Maitama, yesterday, issued an order, restraining Mr. Julius Abure from parading himself as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP. The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Hamza Muazu, equally barred Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Oluchi Opara and Clement Ojukwu, from further functioning as National Secretary, National Treasurer and National Organising Secretary of the party, respectively. The restraining order followed an ex-parte application that was brought before the court by eight aggrieved members of the party.Those behind the suit are; Mr. Martins Esikpali John O., Lucky Shaibu,…

The Plateau State House of Assembly complex has been sealed by the state police command. The security operatives sealed the building due to the ongoing speakership crisis. Anti-riot policemen arrived at the assembly complex at about 5 am on Wednesday and sealed the main entrance. This is coming after a Plateau High Court on Monday reinstated Nuhu Abok as the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly. The presiding judge, Justice M.L Musa reinstated Abok as Speaker following a suit filed before the court over his impeachment. Justice Musa held the submissions of the complainants that the impeachment was illegal and…

In an update to the earlier report suggesting the kidnapping of about 10 students in Kachia LGA, the Kaduna State Government has received detailed reports from security agencies on the incident. The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna. The Government can confirm that eight students of the Government Secondary School, Awon in Kachia LGA were kidnapped on Monday in the general area, along with other citizens. Aruwan further explained that it was verified that the students were not kidnapped within the school premises, but on their…

The Federal Government has berated some western countries for giving credence to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a terrorist organisation. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the admonition in Washington DC during his official engagements with some international media organisations and policy institutes. NAN reports that the minister is in Washington, United States, to engage with international media organisations and Think tanks on the just concluded 2023 polls. “IPOB is a terrorist organisation so declared by the Nigerian Government, yet some western countries harbour them and have been dealing with the illegal body. “They allow…

The federal government says the Second Niger Bridge will be fully open to motorists on May 15, 2023. Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, spoke on Tuesday while inspecting and confirming the completion of the Loko-Oweto Bridge and link roads between Benue and Nasarawa states. Fashola said the project was undergoing necessary finishing works such as lane markings and others. He added that the flag-off ceremony will be formally done by the President Muhammadu Buhari. “Yesterday (Monday), we had a periodic meeting in the office of the chief of staff to the president where the contractors, and our team,…

Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have summoned the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development and Special Adviser for Public Private Partnership (PPP), Paul Bamgbose Martins and Ope George respectively to give a reason for their refusal to make recourse to the House for ratification before contracts are signed. The summon was a sequel to a Matter of Urgent Public Importance raised by one of the lawmakers, Nureni Akinsanya, representing Mushin Constituency 1. Akinsanya urged the House to look at the flagrant disregard for the laws of the state on contractual agreements. Citing some contracts signed without…

Mixed Martial Arts is now one of the National Sports Federations in Nigeria as announced on Tuesday, April 5, 2023. While announcing the new development in his office in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, said the Federal government approved the creation of the Nigerian Mixed Martial Arts Federation (NMMAF) on January 11, 2023. The new federation will be under the supervision and control of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Development. In his address, the sports minister urged the federation to work toward identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level in addition to…

Nigerian forward, Ademola Lookman is the first player in 70 years to score 13 goals in his first season at Italian Serie A club, Atalanta. Ademola Lookman achieved this feat after he scored his 13th goal of the season in Atalanta’s 3-1 win over Cremonese on Saturday. The Nigeria international scored the goal in the last minutes of the game. Before he scored the third goal for Atalanta against Cremonese, Lookman played seven straight games without scoring for his Italian team and took the poor form to the international break in March in which he couldn’t score for the Super…

Ogoni Youth Federation (OYF) Worldwide, an umbrella body of Ogoni youths in Rivers States has thanked the Federal Government for the ongoing clean-up of Ogboni land. The association gave the commendation on Tuesday evening, when it gave an Award of Outstanding Performance to the Minister of Environment, Mr. Mohammed Abdullahi, in Abuja. The President-General of OYF, Chief Legborsi Yamaabana, who presented the award, said it was in recognition of Abdullahi’s keen interest and commitment to implementing the United Nations’ Environment Programme (UNEP), report on Ogoniland. Yamaabana also said the gesture was an expression of gratitude over the success of the…

Nine players have arrived the Super Falcons camp in Antalya, Turkey, ahead of the international friendlies against Haiti and New Zealand. The nine-time African champions opened camp in the European country for the friendlies on Tuesday night. The nine players are; Yewande Balogun, Regina Otu, Esther Okoronkwo, Onome Ebi, Etim Inyene, Abiodun Deborah, Halimatu Ayinde, Vivian Ikechukwu and Glory Ogbonna. More players are expected in team’s camp on Wednesday (today). Head coach, Randy Waldrum invited 23 players for both games. The Super Falcons are camped at the Sense De Luxe Hotel, Antalya. The West Africans will take on Haiti at…