Senator Ademola Adeleke, the Osun Governor-Elect, has said he did not work with Rauf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior, during the just concluded gubernatorial election in the state.

In a pre-recorded interview that aired on Monday on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Adeleke said, “I did not work with Aregbesola, I do not even talk to him”.

Nevertheless, Adeleke said he has been in talks with a few associates of the minister, including Kolapo Alimi who used to be a commissioner when Aregbesola was at the helm of affairs in Osun, but eventually defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

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“During the tribunal, Alimi was one of the lawyers who represented Oyetola then, so anytime I see them in the court, because I am a civilised person, I will go to them and greet them and say how are you, how are you doing.

“It was later that he apologised and he told me he has been thinking ‘why is Senator Adeleke greeting me? We are trying to mess him up and he is still greeting me’.

“I believe Oyetola and Aregbesola fell out and Alimi came to me and said he has watched me and that he wants to join our party and we said come on in.”

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Senator Adeleke while asserting that as at the time Aregbesola and Oyetola had fallen out, it was clear that a way to victory had been paved for him.

He, however, stressed that though Aregbesola’s allies might have joined the PDP and worked with him, it is not clear that the minister orchestrated their moves.

Osun Election: I Did Not Work With Aregbesola, Says Adeleke

Manchester United signed Christian Eriksen on Friday with the Denmark midfielder arriving at Old Trafford as a free agent on a three-year deal.

The 30-year-old’s switch to the Red Devils completes an incredible return after his brush with death last year.

Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch in Copenhagen while playing for Denmark at the European Championship and was forced to leave Inter Milan after recovering due to Serie A health regulations.

Eriksen, fitted with a implantable cardioverter defibrillator, proved his form and fitness during a loan spell at Brentford in the second half of last season.

He played 11 times in the Premier League for the Bees, scoring once and providing four assists.

“Manchester United is a special club, and I cannot wait to get started,” said Eriksen.

“I have had the privilege of playing at Old Trafford many times but to do it in the red shirt of United will be an amazing feeling.”

Eriksen has experience of working with United manager Erik Ten Hag after training with Ajax as part of his return to football following the cardiac arrest.

Ten Hag, who took charge at United in the close-season after leaving the Dutch champions, is looking to revamp his new team after they finished a disappointing sixth in the Premier League last term.

“I have seen Erik’s work at Ajax and know the level of detail and preparation that he and his staff put into every day. It is clear that he is a fantastic coach,” added Eriksen.

“Having spoken with him and learned more about his vision and the way he wants the team to play, I am even more excited for the future.

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“I still have major ambitions in the game, there is a huge amount that I know I can achieve, and this is the perfect place to continue my journey.”

Eriksen is Ten Hag’s second signing after the arrival of Netherlands left-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.

However, United’s plans for the new season have been disrupted by reports Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave the club after they failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Man Utd Sign Christian Eriksen On Three-Year Deal

The Ogun State Police Command says it has arrested one of the inmates who fled the Medium Security Correctional Centre, Kuje in Abuja following an attack on the facility by terrorists.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, who is the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun, confirmed the arrest of the inmate in a statement on Wednesday in Abeokuta, the state capital.

He identified the inmate as 28-year-old Yakubu Abdul Mumuni.

According to Oyeyemi, the escapee was arrested following information received by policemen at Sango Ota Divisional Headquarters that the convict was sighted somewhere around the area.

“Upon the information, the Divisional Police Officer, Sango Ota Division, Superintendent of Police Saleh Dahiru, quickly mobilized his men and moved to the area where the convict was apprehended,” he narrated.

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The suspect is said to have confessed to the police that he escaped from the correctional Center in Kuje on Tuesday last week when the facility was attacked by terrorists.

“He (the escapee) stated further that he was convicted by the Kogi State High Court for the offence of Conspiracy and Culpable Homicide and sent to Kuje correctional center,” the command’s spokesman said.

He added that the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Lanre Bankole, has ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department to facilitate the transfer of the convict to the correctional center with immediate effect.

a prison in Nigeria where prisons escaped

Inmate Who Fled Kuje Prison Arrested In Ogun

An early morning  fire, yesterday, gutted a section of the popular Bodija Market in Ibadan, Oyo State capital. Reports gathered suggests that parts of the market got burnt, while some traders are counting their losses.

The affected areas include, Ori-igi, Daleko and Iso Elewa. An affected trader, Ganiyu Asimiyu, said the fire started from an unknown source as early as 3:00a.m.
  
According to him, although, the cause of the fire could not be ascertained, it was gathered it may have been caused by high power voltage in the market.
 
Another trader, Isiaka Kafilat, lamented that she lost goods worth about N2 million in the incident.

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Contacted, Director of Operations, Oyo State Fire Service, Ismail Adeleke, confirmed that Oyo State Fire Service has promptly intervened to minimize the impact of the outbreak. He said: “We received a call at about 5:35a.m.  We immediately moved in and put out the fire.
 
“There was no loss of life and nobody was injured in the incident. We didn’t receive any call from the people in the market, it was a policeman in the Yemetu area of the city that called and we responded swiftly.”
 
Adeleke advised residents to always put safety measures in place to prevent fire outbreaks and to always call fire service immediately there is an outbreak.

Fire Breaks Out in Bodija Market, Trader Suffers Loss

Flutterwave Payment Technology Limited has denied allegations of money laundering that led to the freezing of its accounts by a Kenyan court.

“Claims of financial improprieties involving the company in Kenya are entirely false, and we have the records to verify this,” Flutterwave said in a statement.

“We are a financial technology company that maintains the highest regulatory standards in our operations. Our Anti-money laundering (AML) practices and operations are regularly audited by one of the Big four firms. We remain proactive in our engagements with regulatory bodies to continue to stay compliant.”

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A Kenyan High Court on Wednesday froze 56 bank accounts belonging to Flutterwave and other businesses connected with Nigerian nationals over money laundering allegations.

The accounts involved are in dollars, pound sterling, euros, and Kenya shillings with a total holding of Sh7 billion suspected to be money laundering proceeds by foreign nationals.

The orders, to be effective for 90 days, were issued after the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) told the court that the accounts of the targeted companies were used as conduits for money laundering under the cover of providing merchant services.

ARA accused the company of receiving billions of shillings and depositing the same in different bank accounts in an attempt to conceal the nature, source, or movement of the funds.

But Flutterwave insists that the claim is false.

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“We are working to ascertain the motive behind the false claims, and have the records straightened,” Flutterwave said.

Flutterwave noted that it only “collect and pay on behalf of merchants and corporate entities.”

The fintech company explained that “in the process, we earn our fees through a transaction charge, records of which are available and can be verified. As a business, we hold corporate funds to support our operations and provide services to all our customers.

“By facilitating payments for the biggest organizations in the world and everyday businesses, we process significantly large volumes of money and contribute to growing the economy in Kenya, and the rest of Africa.”

Flutterwave said it has a “responsibility to ensure the integrity of the ecosystem and we pledge our commitment to continue working with all stakeholders to uphold this.”

Flutterwave denies money laundering allegations

The Kuje Custodial Centre located in Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory came under attack late Tuesday night apparently to free jailed criminals, despite an earlier warning by the country’s intelligence service.

A prison source stated that the State Security Service had “earlier today (Tuesday)” warned of an impending attack on Kuje prison. The source, however, could not describe the level of measures put in place to forestall the attack.

“Kuje prison is under massive bomb, armed attack,” a prison staff stated that as the attack was being carried out late Tuesday.

In the later update that emerged, the source said the attackers used three bombs and forcibly gained control of four entry and exit points.

The prison is in Kuje Area Council of the FCT, lying outside the Abuja city center, 47 kilometers to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, and 24 kilometers to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

Dangerous criminals, including apprehended Boko Haram terrorists, are held in the prison, which also houses high profile public officers standing trial or already convicted.

“Three weeks ago, several high profile terrorists were relocated to Kuje prison,” the prison source said, the earliest link officials are analysing to trace the motivation for the attack.

Kuje has a capacity of about 550 but currently detains about 1000 inmates, a prison source said.

Reports making the rounds suggests that the custodial service sought and got reinforcements from the army, police, and the SSS.

Specifically, soldiers of the 176 Special Forces Guards Brigade Battalion, Gwagwalada, were deployed by the army, officials stated.

The impact of the attack is not immediately known but officials are suspecting a terrorist motivation to free dangerous criminals.

a prison in the federal capital territory of Nigeria 

Kuje Prison Under Bomb Attack Despite Warnings 

Ahead of the July 17 deadline given by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for political parties to submit the lists of their candidates for the 2023 general elections, the Tinubu Support Organization has endorsed Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai as the vice-presidential candidate.

Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had openly admitted that he is still searching for his running mate. Sources within the APC said the party’s candidate is considering Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum or his predecessor, Senator Kashim Shettima as preferred options.

But speaking during a press conference on Monday in Kaduna, TSO’s Director-General, Aminu  Suleiman, said the group arrived at the choice of El-Rufai after meeting with critical stakeholders from the northwest zone and beyond.

He believes that the choice of running mate is a critical success factor for the victory of Tinubu in 2023, hence the organisation having assessed all options wants the APC’s candidate for the vice president should come from the northwest,  which is the largest voting bloc in the country.

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El-Rufai, the group added, is a very experienced person who has done well in both politics and governance at the federal and state levels and is the best candidate that can complement Tinubu as Vice  President.

“After due consultation with critical Stakeholders especially in the North-West, it is of the fact that El-Rufai is Asiwaju’s best choice for VP,” Suleiman said.

“The Tinubu Support Organisation is working tirelessly for the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the next President of Nigeria. TSO believes that the choice of running mate is a critical success factor for the victory of Asiwaju.

“We are glad that the APC has many outstanding individuals among its leaders. But having assessed all the options, it is the view of TSO that the APC’s candidate for VP should be chosen from the North-West, the single largest voting bloc in Nigeria.

“It is our view that the person that can best compliment Asiwaju as VP is Malam Nasir El-Rufai The Executive Governor of Kaduna State and we recommend that he should be chosen as the running mate.

“El-Rufai is a very experienced person. He has held office at the federal level and at the state level, and he has done well in every office. He has always stood for progressive policies. He is not afraid of difficult decisions. This is a man that is running a state government with appointees from all over Nigeria.

“His capacity is not in doubt. His personal ability is outstanding. He is firm. He is courageous. He is principled. We know that he resisted every pressure to be dragged into the presidential race. We appreciate him and his colleagues, the APC governors from the north, for sticking to the view that gentlemen should respect agreements.

“El-Rufai is a leader whose talents and energy should be brought back to the federal level. We appeal to all our leaders in the APC to support Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to choose El-Rufai as his running mate.”

TSO Endorses El-Rufai As Tinubu’s Running Mate

R&B singer, R Kelly, has been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment after being found guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering involving women, girls and boys.

The jail sentence was handed down to Kelly in the trial that has lasted for several years.

Last September, a jury in New York City found Kelly guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering, on all nine counts against him.

On Wednesday, US district judge Ann Donnelly, imposed the sentence at the federal court in Brooklyn after hearing from several survivors who attested to how Kelly’s exploitation reverberated across their lives.

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At the trial, victims had described how Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. Several said he would demand that they strictly obey rules such as needing his permission to eat or go to the bathroom, and writing “apology letters” that purported to absolve him of wrongdoing.

Ahead of sentencing on Wednesday, The Guardian reports that some of the victims made statements, including “Angela”, who said “with every addition of a new victim you grew in wickedness”. On this day of sentencing “we reclaim our names”, she said. “We are no longer the preyed-upon individuals we once were.”

In her victim statement, Lizette Martinez said: “Robert, you destroyed so many people’s lives.”

Another, unnamed victim who directly addressed Kelly as he kept his hands folded and his eyes downcast, said: “You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel. Do you remember that?”

Kelly’s case attracted attention in light of the #MeToo movement, during which powerful men have been held to account for sexual misconduct and sexual assault. Kelly follows Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and other prominent abusers in being sentenced to time behind bars, although Cosby was acquitted on appeal.

The singer, whose hits include Ignition and I Believe I Can Fly, was represented by Jennifer Bonjean, a lawyer who represented Cosby.

R Kelly Sentenced To 30 Years In Prison For Sex Abuse

Serena Williams’ hopes of a victorious return to Wimbledon after a year out ended with a loss to Harmony Tan.

The American great, 40, returned to the same Centre Court where she had limped out injured last year with a passionate display in a 7-5 1-6 7-6 (10-7) defeat.

Willed on by a fervent crowd, Williams answered questions over her fitness with a dynamic display that put her two points from a win before Tan edged it.

The burning question now is surely ‘was this her last Wimbledon’?

“That’s a question I can’t answer,” she told a news conference. “I don’t know.

It is almost a year to the day since Williams limped tearfully off Centre Court after slipping and hurting her right ankle in her first-round match against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

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The crowd that day might have wondered if they would ever see the American great back at the grass-court Grand Slam, with age and injury against her.

Even she herself admitted while at Eastbourne this month – where she made her comeback in the doubles alongside Ons Jabeur – that she had harboured her own doubts.

But Williams walked on to the same court, where she has won seven of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, to a rousing reception.

Now ranked 1,204th in the world, she had needed to request a wildcard to enter the draw.

And she soon showed why she was never going to be turned down.

Shaking off a slightly rusty start in which she was broken by the Wimbledon debutant in the first game, Williams found her feet – and her voice – as she roared when a smash sealed a break back.

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The pair traded further breaks, with Williams hitting balls on the run, moving much better than a year out of the sport might have suggested, and delivering some of the trademark powerful shots that have made her one of her sport’s all-time greats.

But a break for Tan in the 11th game left the Frenchwoman serving for the set, which she sealed with a forehand winner.

Such was the excitement at times during some lengthy and high quality points that the umpire even had to remind the packed Centre Court: “I know it’s very exciting but as a courtesy to both players please be quiet during the rallies.”

And that was before the roof went on before the start of the second set to raise the decibel level further.

Williams held quickly to love and then broke in a near 20-minute second game, which featured 12 deuces, on her way to a 5-0 lead. Tan, 24, earned a morale-boosting hold before Williams served out to take it to a deciding set.

The American, whose only matches in the past year were last week’s two doubles, broke early in the third but tenacious Tan soon pegged her back.

Williams had celebrated as if she had won the match when she broke for 5-4 in the decider but it proved premature when, having led 30-15 while serving for the match, she was broken again.

Williams forged a 4-0 lead in the final-set tie-break but it slipped away as Tan delivered some stunning winners and the American netted a forehand on match point.

female tennis player suffers loss at the 2022 edition of Wimblemdon 

Wimbledon 2022: Serena Williams Suffers Defeat

Presidential candidate of the Labour party, Peter Obi, on Tuesday met with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja.

He met with the labour leaders to solicit their support ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The NLC and Trade Union Congress are major stakeholders of the Labour party.

Peter Obi joined the Labour party after he pulled out of the presidential primaries of the PDP in May.

He has emerged as one of the favorites to win the 2023 presidential elections, especially among young people.

Nigeria labour congress presidential candidate

Peter Obi Meets Leadership Of The Nigeria Labour Congress

Nigerian singer, Temilade Openiyi, popularly called Tems, has won the Best International Act at the BET Awards 2022.

The 2022 award ceremony was held at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The BET Awards celebrate Black excellence in music, culture and sports.

The talented singer beat Fireboy, Dave from the UK, Dinos from France, Fally Ipupa from Congo, Little Simz from the UK, Ludmilla from Brazil, Major League Djz from South Africa, and Tayc from France.

Receiving the award, Tems urged women and girls to continue on their chosen path, adding that the hard work will soon pay off.

She said: “Thank you so much for this, thank you so much. It’s an honour… I mean, this is my first award show that I’m winning something and I just want to use this as an opportunity to speak to every single young, old, whatever, every single woman watching this, every single girl watching this at home. Where I’m from, things like this don’t happen.”

Tems had earlier at the event won Best Collaboration with Wizkid’s ‘Essence’ featuring Justin Bieber.

Essence was nominated against ‘Every Change I Get’ by DJ Khaled ft Lil baby and Lil Durk; ‘Family Ties’ by Baby Seem ft Kenderick Lamar; ‘Whole Lotta’ by Bia ft Nicki Minaj; ‘Way 2 Sexy’, Drake ft Future and Young Thug, and ‘Kiss me More’ by Doja Cat ft SZA.

Nigerian female singer wins best international act at the BET

Tems wins 2022 Best International Act at the BET Awards

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Rivers state, Tonte Ibraye, has presented controversial actress, Tonto Dikeh, as his running mate ahead of the 2023 elections.

Dikeh announced the nomination via her social media handles on Friday, where she shared their plans if elected into office during next year’s election.

“I thank Mr Tonte Ibraye (@TonteIbraye), the Governorship candidate for ADC, Rivers State for nominating me as his running mate,” Dikeh tweeted.

“We are looking at investing in social protection, creating social value system & increased women’s inclusion in governance.”

Tonte Ibraye and Tonto Dikeh were also presented their Certificate of return by the ADC party chairman, Ralph Okey Nwosu in Abuja on Friday.

The issuance showed the readiness to start mobilizing for support towards victory at the general election.

The certificate presentation was witnessed by members of the party’s National Working Committee and critical stakeholders among others.

One-time Senator of Kaduna Central and human rights activist, Shehu Sani reacted to Dikeh’s nomination as running mate to Ibraye via his Twitter handle

“Tonto Dikeh’s emergence as the Deputy Governorship candidate in Rivers State is good for Democracy,” Sani tweeted.

“This is a great challenge to other Female Nollywood and Kannywood stars; to step out of the screen to the ring. I’m not unaware that others have tried in the past.”

popular nollywood actress and a governorship candidate

ADC Picks Tonto Dikeh As Deputy Governorship Candidate

Nigerian newspapers,on one page.