(VIDEO) ATLETICO MADRID WINS LA LIGA IN GRAND STYLE AS THEY HELD BARCELONA TO A 1-1 AT THE NOU CAMP.

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Atletico Madrid ground out a 1-1 draw at the Nou Camp to claim their first Primera Division title since 1996.

It was not always pretty, but Diego Godin's headed equaliser early in the second half was enough to deny Barca in a tense title decider.

The hosts had taken the lead with a stunning strike from Alexis Sanchez but it was a rare sight of goal for the hosts, with Lionel Messi cutting a frustrated figure and Atletico's defence standing firm.

Gerardo Martino sprung a surprise in his team selection with Barca's most decorated player Xavi Hernandez left out as Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Busquets started alongside Andres Iniesta, while Pedro Rodriguez was preferred to record signing Neymar.

(FULL VIDEO) HOW ARSENAL'S NINE YEARS DROUGHT ENDED IN MAGICAL STYLE.. (ARS 3 HULL CITY 2)

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Arsenal came from 2-0 down to win a dramatic FA Cup final 3-2 with a goal from Aaron Ramsey in extra-time to end their nine-year wait for a trophy.

Hull had ealier stunned the Gunners at a sun-baked Wembley as they went 2-0 up inside eight minutes through James Chester and captain Curtis Davies, who both capitalised on some poor defending from balls into the penalty area.

Arsenal, though, rallied and reduced the deficit through a superb 30-yard free-kick from Santi Cazorla.

After several Arsenal penalty claims, notably a pull by Tom Huddlestone on Olivier Giroud, were turned down by referee Lee Probert, the equaliser evetually came on 71 minutes when Laurent Koscielny knocked the ball into the net from a corner before being clattered by Allan McGregor.

HOW PASTOR RAPED MY DAUGHTER. #SAYNOTORAPE

The mother of one of the girls allegedly raped by Emmanuel Matthew, a pastor, told an FCT High Court on Friday that the accused used a white bedspread and red curtain to rape her daughter.

Mr. Mathew, 52, who is the General Overseer of The Choice Bible Church, Mpape, Abuja, and proprietor of the primary school where his alleged victims attended, was arraigned on a six-count charge.

At the continuation of trial, Jacintha Ejiofor told the court that her daughter was molested by the pastor in his bedroom on March 12, 2012.

While being cross-examined by Ejike Orji, a lawyer from the Attorney- General’s office, the mother said her child, one of the pupils in the accused’s school, was lured into his bedroom for unknown reasons.

THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF CHICKENS OUT - BAMIDELE ATURU

The cancellation of the presidential visit to Chibok on any ground whatsoever is an abandonment of the unwritten responsibilities of the office of the President. It is now clear that the President and his aides do not understand the scope of his presidential responsibilities and this is very scary. 

The President, for God’s sake, is first and foremost the Father of the Nation. In that capacity he is the chief mobiliser and galvanizer of the people. The President is expected to give hope to the people even when all seems hopeless; it is the part of the functions of the President to show courage when fear looms everywhere. 

What manner of father would desert his children and refuse to visit them on account that danger looms in the abode of his children? As one African writer puts it, whenever the lives of others depend on us, one has no right to fear even when one is afraid. 

BOKO HARAM MURDERS ONE CHINESE AND ABDUCTS TEN IN CAMEROON.

Boko Haram gunmen have killed a Chinese worker in Cameroon and kidnapped 10 others overnight, piling more pressure on leaders meeting in Paris  to thrash out a tougher strategy against the Nigerian Islamists.

Militants stormed an encampment used by Chinese road workers late Friday in a region of northern Cameroon just across the border from the strongholds where they sparked global outrage by abducting more than 200 schoolgirls last month.

"The Boko Haram militants were heavily armed, they came in five vehicles," an official in Waza, a town near the site of the attack, told AFP on condition of anonymity.

He said the camp where the Chinese road workers stayed was usually guarded by soldiers from Cameroon's elite Rapid Intervention Battalion, but that many of the troops were in Yaounde for a military parade marking National Day on May 20.

FULL DETAILS ON WHY SOLDIERS ATTACKED GOC IN MAIDUGURI.

An Acting General Officer Commanding, GOC, has been appointed for the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Borno State. He is Brigadier General M. Y. Ibrahim.

Ibrahim takes over from Major General Ahmed Mohammed who was removed from his position, after being attacked by soldiers under his command in Maiduguri Thursday. This was even as more facts have emerged on why soldiers attacked their former GOC, Maj. Gen. Mohammed.

Director Of Defence Information, DDI, Major General Chris Olukolade, Chief Of Staff, 7 Division, Brig.-Gen. Enobong Udoh and Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Mohammed Dole, had confirmed the removal of Mohammed during a news conference on the attack of GOC. 7 Division.\

The DDI, General Olukolade, at the briefing in Maiduguri said: “The GOC has been redeployed based on the decision of the headquarters.”

HOW MASTERMIND OF NYANYA BOMBING "AMINU OGWUCHE" WAS RADICALISED IN BRITISH UNIVERSITY.

Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, the alleged mastermind of the Nyanya bomb blast is said to have been radicalised while studying at university in South Wales, a report published in Daily Mail Friday revealed.

Ogwuche who dubbed himself ‘The Lion of God’ threatened to cut the hands and feet of non-believers while he was living in Britain.

The 29-year-old who was said to have escaped to Sudan was declared wanted by security authorities early in the week. But the terror kingpin was arrested by the Interpol in the Islamic country on suspicion of carrying out terror attacks in Nigeria which killed more than 90 people.

Boko Haram is also behind the abduction of 300 schoolgirls who are currently being held captive in a forest near the border with Cameroon.

But Ogwuche who dropped out of the university is said to have become radicalised while studying Business science at the University of Glamorgan from 2007 to 2010 while living in Pontyridd.

JAYZ, BEYONCE, AND SOLANGE RELEASE JOINT STATEMENT ON ELEVATOR SHOWDOWN.

Beyonce, Jay Z and Solange released a joint statement on Thursday to address the now infamous elevator showdown video.

'As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it,' they said in a statement. 

'Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.'

6 MISTAKES PRESIDENT JONATHAN CANNOT AFFORD TO MAKE NOW.

THE ship of state of Nigeria is adrift for some key reasons.

The Northern elders, elites and political leaders seem to be determined to either intimidate, harass or force GEJ not to run in the 2015 presidential election. The merger of the ACN, CPC, and others to form the APC, which was the joy of many earlier, have just turned out to be more of a gang up to the disappointment of those who thought our democracy was shaping up.

But following the Chibok incident and the expressed willingness of the international community to assist Nigeria, some of them have seen the need to change their stance. They were blinded all these past four years and did not see the danger of Boko Haram as the nation’s number one enemy. Then they did not seem to care if the country was blown to pieces, aware that they will never be able to beat GEJ in 2015; thus, they told lies to themselves that the failure of Nigeria was only the failure of GEJ.

#HEALTHCORNER - TOOTHPICK CAN RUIN YOUR GUM.

For some people, even when they drink water they must pick their teeth. Of course, food residues can get trapped in our teeth each time we eat, and because they make us feel uncomfortable, we feel the desperate urge to remove them.

But then, the truth is that some people have turned tooth-picking into a habit, such that it has become an integral part of the meal.

Some even go as far as leaving the toothpick hanging between their lips for a long time after meal, as if the object is a fashion statement of sorts.

Where there are no decent and hygienic toothpicks, some people simply make do with broom sticks, never minding the dirty jobs the broom may have been employed to do all the while. By so doing, they unwittingly transfer germs or harmful bacteria into their mouths — an action that can lead to severe health consequences as time goes on.

JAMES IBORI TO FACE TRIAL IN NIGERIA AS APPEAL COURT UPTURNED HIS "INFAMOUS ACQUITAL"

A Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital, on Thursday upturned the “infamous ruling” given by Justice Awokulehin which acquitted a former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, of a 170-count of money laundering levelled against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, who led a panel of three judges, said the decision was predicated on four grounds.

Saulawa while upturning the ruling said, “First, the trial judge, (Awokulehin), looked at the proof of evidence and evaluated same as if the prosecution had called all his witnesses and trial had been concluded. Second, the procedure is by way of summary trial and not trial by indictment or information.”

TIME TO STOP THE LYNCHING - #SAYNOTOJUNGLEJUSTICE

Stories of widespread lynching of suspected kidnappers have dominated news reports in recent times, thus compounding the complex security challenge that is currently threatening to overwhelm the country. It is, indeed, a throwback to a period in a distant past when it was commonplace in Lagos to make a bonfire of anybody that was unfortunate enough to be publicly branded a thief or a kidnapper.

A case in point is the ordeal meted out to an elderly woman at the Abule Egba area of Lagos on May 7. Based on some seemingly spurious claims of attempting to kidnap a child, the woman was thoroughly beaten, stripped naked and dumped inside the gutter. Not quite done with that ignominious treatment, she was later brought out, doused with petrol and set alight. The police, who managed to arrive at the scene and tried to rescue her, were reportedly engaged in a free-for-all, while the woman burnt to ashes. This can only happen in a society that has lost its soul.

LAGOS POLICE NAB A MEMBER OF A SIX MAN ROBBERY GANG.

A member of the six‑man armed robbery gang said to be terrorising Ajangbadi, Shibiri, a Lagos suburb and its environs, has been nabbed by security operatives.

The suspect was arrested following a tip‑off by residents, when the gang operated along Imude road, Shibiri.

Although five members of the gang escaped, four locally‑made shotguns and cartridges were recovered from the arrested suspect, simply identified as Kabiru.

Vanguard gathered that the gang began operation at 9 p.m., robbing residents and shop owners in the area, including one Alhaja Musura Haziz.

OBA OF LAGOS TIPS MR. AKIWUNMI AMBODE "LAGOS ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL" TO REPLACE FASHOLA.

When a traditional ruler speaks about politics, people listen.

The Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, has expressed support for a former Accountant General of the state, Mr. Akinwunmi Abode, as governor in 2015.

Akiolu said this at the launch of a biography of Ambode titled, ‘The Art of Selfless Service’ in Lagos on Thursday.

He said while addressing guests at the event that there was no more room for hide and seek as it was time to let Lagosians know who their next governor would be.

PRESIDENT JONATHAN SET TO VISIT CHIBOK 1 MONTH AFTER OVER 200 SCHOOL GIRLS WERE ABDUCTED BY BOKO HARAM. #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS

Barring any last minute change in plan, President Goodluck Jonathan will on Friday(today) visit Chibok, the Borno State community where over 200 schoolgirls were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents on April 14 according to Punch.

A Presidency source made this known on Thursday that the authorities of the Nigerian Army had removed the General Officer Commanding the 7th Infantry Division in Maiduguri, Borno State, Maj. Gen. Abubakar Mohammed.

Jonathan, according to our source, is visiting the troubled town to see for himself, the carnage done by the insurgents and hear from eyewitnesses.

As of the time of filing this report, members of his advance team had left Abuja for Maiduguri.

Jonathan is also expected to travel to Paris, France later in the day where he hoped to meet with his counterparts from Benin Republic, Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

PREGNANT WOMAN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN SUDAN FOR REFUSING TO RENOUNCE HER CHRISTIAN FAITH.

A Muslim-by-birth Sudanese woman who married a Christian man was sentenced to death after she refused to recant her Christian faith, her lawyer said.

Meriam Ibrahim, whose father was Muslim but her mother was an Orthodox Christian from Ethiopia, was convicted of "apostasy" on Sunday and given four days to repent and escape death, lawyer Al-Shareef Ali al-Shareef Mohammed said.

The 26 year old, who is eight months pregnant, was sentenced after that grace period expired, Mohammed said.

WHAT DIFFERENCE A HASHTAG MAKES - #BRINGBACKOURGIRLS

Over three million people have tweeted about it by now. The #BringBackOurGirls Twitter campaign has seen a phenomenal uptake, with heads of state (and their wives), movie stars and women’s rights leaders all joining in to highlight the plight of the more than 200 school girls kidnapped by the militant Islamist group, Boko Haram, in north-eastern Nigeria last month.

However, criticism of the campaign is mounting, with some comparing it to the ill-informed Kony2012 viral campaign to hunt down the Ugandan Lord’s Resistance Army leader, Joseph Kony. What is behind this ‘hashtag-activism?’ And will it really change anything for the victims? After all, nothing came of the Kony campaign.

Rather, world leaders and politicians should act instead of sending tweets.

Yet, it seems something is being done – at least in the short term. For the first time last week, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan agreed to accept help from international partners like the United States, Britain, France and perhaps even China and Israel. Reuters reported on Tuesday that US surveillance aircraft were being deployed to try and track down the missing girls.

THE 52 YEARS OLD CURSE OF BELA GUTTMAN HUNTS BENFICA AGAIN AS THEY LOST TO SEVILLA IN EUROPA CUP FINAL.

BELA GUTTMAN

The curse of Bela Guttman returned to haunt Benfica as Sevilla won a penalty shoot-out to beat the Portuguese giants to the Europa League trophy in Turin.

The Hungarian coach declared Benfica would never win another European final when being denied a pay-rise and leaving the club in anger having delivered back-to-back European Cups in 1961 and 1962.

Over the intervening 52 years, Benfica had since fallen short in the final on seven occasions, most recently conceding a late goal to Chelsea in Amsterdam to concede the 2013 Europa League crown.

On Wednesday night they could not be separated from Sevilla - UEFA Cup winners in 2006 and 2007 - over 120 minutes, and penalty misses from Oscar Cardozo and Rodrigo allowed substitute Kevin Gameiro to prolong their agony as Guttman's fateful words rang around the Juventus Stadium.

THE BATLLE FOR CONTROL OF APC INTENSIFIES.

A major struggle to grab the soul of All Progressives Congress, APC, from the grip of the pair of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) is on the way.

Leading the onslaught against the two national leaders is Chief Tom Ikimi, erstwhile national chairman of the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC. Ikimi, it is alleged, is the face of many of the governors are allegedly hoping to use Ikimi to assert their influence in the party.

The shape of the battle was formally expressed at a national caucus of the party in Abuja on Tuesday that lasted into the early hours of yesterday.

At that meeting, Tinubu and Ikimi were said to have engaged themselves in a shouting match that followed reservations from some party officials including Tinubu over the leakage of a memo from Ikimi to party elders.

RYAN GIGGS HAS BEEN OFFERED THE JOB AS MANCHESTER UNITED'S ASSISTANT MANAGER.

Ryan Giggs has been offered the job as Manchester United's assistant manager after having talks with Louis van Gaal on Wednesday, according to ESPN.

The Netherlands manager is set to be announced as the successor to the sacked David Moyes and Giggs, who had been in interim charge for the final four games of the season, will be given the chance to be his right-hand man, the source said.

The 40-year-old was pictured outside the Hotel Oranje in Noordwijk, Holland, after meeting Van Gaal, who had a day away from the Netherlands' pre-World Cup training camp in Hoenderloo on Wednesday.