Propaganda against us ‘ll fail – IPOB

Propaganda against us ‘ll fail – IPOB 

— 1st October 2017

From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), yesterday, chided the Federal Government over what it described as desperate efforts to incriminate the group by all means possible.

Its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, said IPOB under the command of Nnamdi Kanu is the most peaceful self determination movement in the world right now, adding that as the children of light, devoted to the worship of the one true God (Chukwu Okike Abiama) in truth and in spirit, the group cannot dabble into any form of lawlessness or criminality.

Powerful insisted that the Nigerian military deliberately burnt down a police station in order to justify Operation Python Dance and to divert public attention away from its raid on Kanu’s home where no fewer than 28 people died, including his two cousins. The statement read in part: “We want to make it absolutely clear to all and sundry that IPOB does not condone and will never engage in any crime or violence, no matter the level of provocation by the barbaric Buhari regime. All spurious allegations spouted by Lai Mohammed to justify their barbarism are nothing more than pure lies, fabricated to give IPOB a bad name. The civilised world, of which Nigeria is demonstrably not one, must demand for evidence from Lai Mohammed to corroborate these heinous lies against IPOB or else they must be seen and condemned for the liars they really are”.

“The faces of IPOB family members and well wishers are on display during our rallies and peaceful protests ongoing now all over the world. It is the clearest signal yet that IPOB is not and can never be a terrorist organisation. Nigerian government must know by now that they cannot win this fight against a determined and well structured movement like IPOB that has global reach and connections.”  

 “The same way this Buhari regime accused our leader of treasonable felony yet till date the prosecution is yet to open its case in a court of law. Going by the weight of the charges and accusation, cleverly packaged and sold to the media through APC friendly media houses, one would be forgiven for thinking that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is more dangerous than Al Baghdadi the ISIS leader. When the time came for Buhari to present his much taunted incriminating evidence in a court of law, they were found wanting, but instead they chose to frustrate their own instituted legal proceedings through adjournment after adjournment for two years now.” 

“Being mindful of the fact they were definitely going to lose in their own court, as they have no witness nor evidence to tender, the Nigerian government decided to conjure up operation Python Dance 2, in concert with efulefu Igbo governors, to provide a perfect cover for the Attorney General of the Federation and Buhari’s henchman, the latitude to amend existing charges once again, by forcing the reintroducing of the same charge of terrorism the courts threw out in previous rulings.”

“The essence of the genocidal Python Dance exercise was to legitimise the extra judicial killing of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and his family.

The Buhari regime has no interest in continuing the treason trial against our leader because they discovered to their horror that Hon. Justice Binta Nyako a Fulani woman and the presiding judge in the case flatly refused to compromise her stance or allow her conscience to be bought over. It was after they discovered the uprightness of Justice Nyako that Buhari decided, out of desperation, to unleash the genocidal Operation Python Dance and the preemptive military raid to kill Kanu in his home and scuttle the trial.”

“It is equally on record that since late 2015 when IPOB started its protests and rallies all over the world, neither the Nigerian Police nor any law enforcement agency in over 100 countries in the world where IPOB gather, can point to a single incident of breakdown of law and order. Recorded incidents of lawlessness normally happen when soldiers converge on the venue of any such peaceful gathering and open fire on unarmed civilians. It is IPOB that are the victims of state lawlessness. We have at various times been visited with midnight abductions, torture, extra judicial executions, humiliation and imprisonment without trial, all perpetrated by Buhari’s police and soldiers exclusively made up of Hausa Fulani Islamic fundamentalists.” 

HOW AXED ANCELOTTI LOST LOVE AND SUPPORT AT BAYERN MUNICH AND ULTIMATELY HIS JOB (images)

HOW AXED ANCELOTTI LOST LOVE AND SUPPORT AT BAYERN MUNICH AND ULTIMATELY HIS JOB

The Italian has been unceremoniously removed from his post at the Allianz Arena amid accusations that members of his squad no longer supported him

On September 28, 2017, Carlo Ancelotti was ushered through the exits at Bayern Munich having been unceremoniously relieved of his managerial duties.

That decision was taken less than 24 hours after a 3-0 defeat to big-spending Paris Saint-Germain and five months after the Italian had guided Bayern to another Bundesliga title.

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He now finds himself without a job amid accusations that he lost the support of certain members of his squad, but how did it come to this for one of the most accomplished coaches in the business?

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IN THE BEGINNING

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Bayern announced the appointment of Ancelotti as their head coach in December 2015, with a successor quickly identified for Manchester City-bound Pep Guardiola.

The general consensus was that the Bundesliga giants had secured themselves the services of one of the finest man-managers around, with ex-players and so-called experts quick to hail the Italian’s ability to bring the best of star-studded squads – having done so at the likes of Milan, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

For a while all seemed well, with Bayern opening his reign with a 6-0 mauling of Werder Bremen, leading former favourite Mehmet Scholl to suggest that the Bavarian outfit had broken the chains of Guardiola’s regimented rule.

The players seemed happy as well, with France international Franck Ribery telling Goal in September 2016 : "Carlo Ancelotti is a chilled, accessible guy. He loves his players, that's what we realise. He is looking for contact, he laughs with us, he asks us how we are every day. This relationship is important. Ancelotti is a champion in all respects. Otherwise it would be impossible to create such a harmonious atmosphere. That's how you are successful together."

Ancelotti added to Goal a month later on his early experiences : "I found the team was in really, really good shape, good condition and with great knowledge. The foundations were really good so I never wanted to change them. Every coach has his own idea of football so I tried to implement my idea without having a revolution. I know what the team is doing very well because they learned a lot in the last three years. I try to do something new. Sometimes when you bring new ideas the players become more focused, they gain concentration."

At this stage, the playing staff welcomed a new-found freedom on the pitch, along with training sessions which had become less demanding. They were, however, to soon start pining for the more rigorous methods of Guardiola.

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TURNING POINT

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Ancelotti’s inability to retain the trust of his players was a slow process, with positive results helping to keep the collective mood upbeat and everybody pulling in the same direction.

The securing of another Bundesliga crown in April 2016 helped to paper over a few cracks, but a 3-2 defeat to arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the DFB Pokal was considered to be a turning point.

Doubts were now being cast over Ancelotti’s old school methods and their ability to deliver long-term success.

Players and club management hoped that things would get better in 2017-18, but that soon proved not to be the case – with Bayern suffering an unexpected defeat to Hoffenheim in early September before throwing away a two-goal lead against Wolfsburg to drop more priceless points.

All of a sudden the cracks were there for all to see, with greater attention being paid to divides within the camp – Thomas Muller’s claims that he was “not in demand” following a win at Werder Bremen, Ribery throwing his shirt away against Anderlecht and Ancelotti’s reluctance to discuss Robert Lewandowski’s criticism of the club’s transfer policy .

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REACHING THE END

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With uncomfortable questions already being asked of his ongoing presence, Ancelotti saw the final nails put in his coffin during a Champions League trip to Paris.

Bayern had an opportunity to lay down a marker in that contest against an emerging force in the European game, but they failed to do so.

Ancelotti only informed his players of his selection shortly before the match, with no explanation offered for the absences of Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Arjen Robben and Ribery .

In the wake of a humbling defeat, the axe came down and club president Uli Hoeness was forced to admit that his manager had lost control of proceedings .

He told Sport1 : "We didn't make this decision because we lost one game. The club saw a development which was heading in the wrong direction over the last few weeks and months. Even that would not have been too bad, but the fact Carlo lost five players in my eyes - Kingsley Coman as well – made the situation impossible. As a coach you cannot have the most important players against you."

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THE AFTERMATH

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The feeling now is that Ancelotti’s faults were allowed to be masked for too long.

Even when his tenure opened with a run of eight successive victories, his side did not perform to the standard expected of them – with individual quality often winning out over tactical mastery.

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In contrast to Guardiola before him, who demanded perfection, Ancelotti was seemingly happy to settle for good enough.

He would often tell the press in post-match interviews that he had been pleased with below-par performances, with, in his opinion, too much emphasis placed on strategies.

Ancelotti, it would appear, was blind to opposition he faced, with the 58-year-old always in trouble once he started to lose the support of those at the core of the club.

Mikel wins MOTM award in Tianjin Teda win

Mikel wins MOTM award in Tianjin Teda win

— 30th September 2017

•  Arrives tomorrow for Zambia

• Explains why Super Eagles deserve to qualify

Captain of the Super Eagles John Obi Mikel will arrive Nigeria tomorrow ahead of their October 7th World Cup 2018 qualifiers clash against Zambia in Uyo.

Mikel was voted the Man of The Match (MOTM) for his Chinese side Tianjin Teda in their 3-1 win over Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng, which helped them move out of the basement of the League table in the Chinese Super League.

Although he didn’t get on the score sheet, he was very lively and set up the third goal which helped his team kill off the tie after Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng have pulled a goal back.

His performance in the game lead to many fans of the club attributing their poor season to his absence after injury ruled him out for three months, few games into the start of the Chinese season.

The Chinese league won’t have weekend games, this is so done to allow players called up by their national team to honour the call, and travel on time due to the miles involve in travelling from China.

Meanwhile, Mikel feels that the Super Eagles deserve to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals next month.

The former Chelsea FC central midfielder was speaking to the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) official website.

“I must admit that I applaud the resurgence of the Zambians this late in the qualifiers. Beating Algeria home and away is no mean feat,” he said.

“We will take them very serious on 7th October because they clearly have a new spirit. It is time we wrap this up,” he continued.

“We have all shown professionalism, dedication and determination to be at the pole position in a group tagged ‘Group of Death’.

“Commendations must go to the entire team and the Coach, but we must finish it up in Uyo and secure our ticket right there.”

MOSES READY TO STOP FREE-SCORING MANCHESTER CITY RUN

MOSES READY TO STOP FREE-SCORING MANCHESTER CITY RUN

— 30th September 2017

By Joe Apu

FREE-SCORING Manchester City take their goals

hunt to the Stanford Bridge as they confront defending English Premier League champions Chelsea today at the Stanford Bridge. Just last season, Chelsea did the double over Pep Guardiola’s side, Eden Hazard scoring three times over two games and the Belgian will make just his second Premier League start of the season in the evening kick-off with Nigeria’s

Victor Moses ready for action. The Blues were unable to break down a resolute Arsenal side at Stamford Bridge two weeks ago but have scored 15 goals in the three games around the visit of the Gunners.
Such a goal record is only beaten by Guardiola & Co., who already have 21 goals to their name in their six league games with Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling sharing 15 between them already.

Eden Hazard is likely to start after coming through Wednesday’s trip to Atletico Madrid un- scathed.

There remains slight doubts over Pedro’s involvement but Antonio Conte was more positive over the Spaniard in midweek af- ter naming him on the bench.

David Luiz is suspended meaning captain Gary Cahill will likely come in despite concerns over his form seeing him lose his place recently.

Alvaro Morata was seen limp- ing through the mixed zone after the win over Atleti, and his condition is unclear.

Manchester City suffered a setback in midweek with Benjamin Mendy expected to face

lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a knee injury in the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace.

The summer signing will now fly to Barcelona to be assessed by a specialist, with Fabian Delph deputising well at Selhurst Park and Shakhtar Donetsk.

David Luiz completes his 3-match ban for the Blues, hav- ing been dismissed for a reck- less challenge on Arsenal’s Sead Kolašinac earlier this month.

Manchester City have been blazing the goal trail of late, so Guardiola has the unenviable task of choosing between all of the at- tacking options at his disposal.

Danny Drinkwater is still ruled out following his deadline day move from Leicester City, while Eden Hazard is pushing for a start after being eased back into first team action. Willian could be the man to make way, in Conte’s preferred 3-4-3.

Álvaro Morata proved that there is much more to his game than just an aerial threat when he bagged a hat-trick against Stoke City last weekend in Chelsea’s 4-0 romp.

The early signs suggest that he is more than capable of filling the sizeable void left by Diego Cos- ta’s departure, so the City game should provide more clues as to just how good he is.

Guardiola will be hoping that Vincent Kompany is fit enough to be involved but the short term prognosis does not look good for Benjamin Mendy who is flying out to Barcelona to have his knee assessed by a specialist.

The big question mark is whether or not Gabriel Jesus gets the nod to start alongside Agüero up front.

Undergraduate kills mum for refusing him money

Undergraduate kills mum for refusing him money

— 30th September 2017

From Tony Osauzo, Benin

Tragedy struck in Benin City on Thursday when a 22-year-old undergraduate murdered his mother over her alleged failure to give him money.

 The suspect, identified as Caleb Obasogie and last child of his deceased mother, Josephine Igbineweka, 55, allegedly committed the crime at their residence, 31A, Iyamu Street, Off Textile Mill Road, Benin City at about 8 am.

He reportedly locked himself and his mother in a room in their apartment, stabbed and ripped her stomach with a broken Pepsi bottle and dangled her mother’s womb before neighbours who rushed in to rescue her.

Sources said the deceased had passed the night in a neighbour’s house after her killer- son locked her out for not giving him the money he demanded.

It was learnt that Obasogie is a final year education student of the University of Benin, while his late mother was a beer parlour operator in Benin.

A woman who claimed to have accommodated the deceased overnight when her son locked her out and other neighbours, described the tragedy as unfortunate, horrible and a scene from a horror movie.

Meanwhile, the suspect has been arrested and is being detained at Textile Mill Road police division in Benin City.

His arrest was confirmed by Edo Police Command spokesman, DSP Moses Nkombe.

Presidency afraid I’ll defeat Buhari in 2019 – Fayose

Presidency afraid I’ll defeat Buhari in 2019 – Fayose

— 29th September 2017

…’Why they want to scuttle my presidential ambition’

Ekiti State Governor, Chief Ayodele Fayose, has said the imminent defeat of President Muhammadu Buhari in a free and fair election in 2019 is the major reason the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government is harassing and intimidating his aides and associates.

He also said the blunt truth he told Nigerians during his declaration of interest that Buhari and the APC had nothing good to offer Nigeria has pierced the conscience of APC leaders and given them wounded heart.

He, however, said he won’t be intimidated into abandoning a divine project of rescuing the country from maladministration.

Fayose, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, on Friday, said notwithstanding needless harassment, whoever thought he could stop a moving train with bare hands would have himself to blame in the end.

The governor described the arrest of two officials of the state by agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as the height of impunity, as a competent court of jurisdiction had ordered against such action.

The governor said the action of the EFCC was in flagrant disobedience to the orders of Justice Taiwo. O. Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti in the case of the Attorney General of Ekiti State versus EFCC, IGP and 16 others granted on November 7, 2016.

The order reads in part: ” an order of interim injunction restraining the 1st and 2nd defendants (which is the EFCC and the Inspector General of Police, their agents, privies or any other investigative agencies, howsoever described) from arresting, detaining or investigating any person or persons, whether past or present officials in the Ekiti State Government, without any report of indictment from the Ekiti State House of Assembly pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice filed in this suit “.

While contending that the order of the court had not been vacated or appealed by the agency, the governor added that the agency’s action showed desperation and political partisanship, as it had earlier petitioned against Justice Taiwo asking that the case be transferred to Akure, Ondo State.

” The new judge declined jurisdiction because he held that the EFCC’s case lacked merit and the case file was returned to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, who is yet to assign the case.

“The latest action by the EFCC is therefore premeditated, malicious, politically motivated, contemptuous and unconstitutional in all ramifications. It is another clear and undisguised evidence of gangsterism by an agency that derives its power from the constitution but uses it for political vendetta against the opposition.

” While we call on all men and women of conscience to call the EFCC and whoever is goading them along perilous path to order, we must warn that no harm must come the way of the illegally detained Ekiti State Government officials, who have health issues which they will be hampered to manage effectively in EFCC’s crushing detention environment.

“Not obeying court orders is not the hallmark of democracy, but a virtue of anti-democratic agents. Colonel Dasuki Sambo, former National Security Adviser is still being held despite numerous court orders to the contrary. Ibrahim el-Zakyzaky has been locked up unduly for months, this is not the democracy we fought to enthrone in Nigeria,” he said.