Author: Vincent Osuwo

Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Argentina’s next friendly in the United States with a hamstring injury, the Argentina Football Association announced on Monday. The Inter Miami legend was scheduled to play for the world champions in friendlies against El Salvador in Philadelphia on Friday and Costa Rica in Los Angeles on March 26. However, the 36-year-old Argentine skipper has yet to heal from a hamstring injury sustained during Miami’s 3-1 triumph over Nashville in the CONCACAF Champions Cup the previous week. Messi, who was replaced shortly after halftime in the win over Nashville, did not play in Miami’s…

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, says the state government intends to get loans to implement the 2024 budget, noting that the Islamic Development Bank has already approved $125 million for the state. Otti revealed this on Monday during an interview with journalists in Umuahia, the state capital. He noted that the African Development Bank has also approved cash for the state. The governor said, “Two days ago, the Islamic Development Bank approved the sum of $125 million for us under AB Seed, as well as the African Development Bank, AfDB. All is yet to be drawn until after perfection. “We…

Four football players from Argentine first division team Velez Sarsfield were provisionally held on Monday as part of an inquiry into allegations that they raped a lady in a hotel room earlier this month, according to the plaintiff’s lawyer. The four Uruguayans, Sebastian Sosa, Paraguayan Jose Florentin, and Argentines Braian Cufre and Abiel Osorio—were detained for 48 hours before a judge decided whether they should continue in custody until the investigation. Eugenia Maria Posse, the prosecutor, requested the detention order after conducting a three-hour interview with the accused victim. Patricia Neme, the accuser’s lawyer, stated on television that there were…

Russian President Vladimir Putin says a direct conflict between Russia and NATO would mean that the planet is one step away from World War Three. The statements came after his landslide victory in Russia’s presidential election, receiving 87.8 percent of the vote. The United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries have claimed that the election was not free or fair because political opponents were imprisoned and censored. Speaking after his post-election briefing, the Russian president said, “It is clear to everyone that this will be one step away from a full-scale World War Three. I think hardly anyone…

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, has condemned, in strong terms, the ongoing reprisal attack by soldiers in the Okuama community of Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State. While condemning the gruesome murder of military personnel in the Delta community, Obi, in a statement on his verified X page, urged the military to note that “reprisal arson attacks on the community cannot compensate for the original wrong of the killing of the soldiers.” Stating that “two wrongs do not make a right,” Obi noted that “innocent lives will be lost…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Binance Holdings Limited to supply the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission with detailed information on all Nigerian traders on its platform. The court issued the order in response to an ex-parte application filed by the EFCC seeking information regarding Nigerian traders on Binance. According to the anti-graft agency, the suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/259/2024, was filed on February 29 under Sections 6(b), (h), (I), 7(1), (a)(2), and 38 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Establishment Act, 2004 and Section 15 of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 (as amended). In an affidavit in…

Two people have been confirmed injured after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device attached to his body outside a mosque in Biu Local Government, Borno State. ASP Daso Nahum, the state’s public relations officer, verified the incident on Monday. Nahum stated that the victims had been transported to the hospital. He stated that the event occurred around 8 p.m. on Sunday, while the Muslim faithful were doing their night prayers. He said, “The male suicide bomber, who was suspected to be heading to the mosque, detonated the improvised explosive device close to the roundabout, killing himself. ”Two…

The Delta State Police Command reported that two people were killed after a confrontation between Okada riders and the state task force on Sunday night. It stated that the commotion in Delta State’s capital, Asaba, on Monday was caused by the altercation. Bright Edafe, the state police public relations officer, announced this on his X account on Monday. According to Edafe, motorbike riders were protesting the tragic altercation by destroying property and assaulting people, leading the police to send personnel to manage the scene. He wrote, “There was a violent protest this morning by Okada riders who had an issue…

The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, has been the subject of online debate over his ownership of a Toyota Camry worth over N11 million.  In a post on X on Sunday, DSP Edafe posted a picture of himself standing close to the car with an iPhone 14 and a Samsung Fold, which would both cost N1.8 million. The post by the police PRO has since sent social media agog, with many questioning his financial ability to buy such a luxury car. Reacting to the post by the police PRO, a social media influencer identified as Omotayo…

Terrorists kidnapped 87 people on Sunday night during a fresh attack on Kajuru-Station village in Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State. Harisu Dari, a member of the Kajuru Station Youths, verified the event for our correspondent in Kaduna on Monday. Harisu stated that the terrorists also stormed into some establishments and took food and other things. He claimed they invaded the village around 10 p.m. The attack occurred just two days after 15 women and a man were kidnapped in the Dogon-Noma neighbourhood of the same municipality. In the last two weeks, Kajuru and Chikun LGAs have been hotbeds of…