HIGHLIGHTS - Everton 0 Arsenal 2.

EVE 0 ARS 2

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PSQUARE BREAKUP - PETER OKOYE SPEAKS.

Peter and Paul Okoye seem to have settled their differences and resolved to sing together albeit with different managements. However Peter Okoye  had granted an exclusive interview to the NetNG  on Thursday March 17 about the genesis of the problems within Psquare, Jude Okoye and their wives. 

HULK HOGAN WINS SEX TAPE LAW SUIT AGAINST GAWKER AS JURY AWARDS $115M TO HIM IN DAMAGES.

Hulk Hogan has won his lawsuit against Gawker. The wrestler was awarded $115million in damages by a jury in Florida after the website posted a leaked sex video that showed him engaging in intercourse with his best friend's wife. 

The jury awarded Hogan $55million for economic injuries and $60million for emotional distress. 

Hogan broke down in tears in the courtroom as the foreman read the jury's verdict.

Gawker will appeal the case, but under Florida law will have to hand over the monetary damages.  

KADUNA STATE'S LAW ON RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM.

In civilised societies, laws and policies protect religious freedom and, in practice, the government generally enforces these protections. But faced with the fear of radicalisation, many countries across the world are reviewing the concept of religious freedom. In Kaduna State, amid sound and fury, Governor Nasir el-Rufai and his team are facing an uphill task in defending “A Bill For A Law To Substitute The Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law, 1984” before a distrustful public.El-Rufai is, indeed, walking a tightrope. In 2004, a similar bill to regulate religious preaching sparked an uproar in Niger State.

JAMES OCHOLI, WIFE AND SON BURIED IN HIS HOMETOWN AMIDST TEARS AND SORROW.

The remains of James Ocholi, the Minister of state for Labour and Employment, who died in a car accident, were on Friday, laid to rest amidst weeping, wailing and eulogies from family members, friends, colleagues and associates.

Mr. Ocholi was buried alongside his wife, Blessing, and son, Joshua, in their family home in Abocho, Biraidu District, Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The three family members died in an auto crash on March 6, on the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

ARSENAL SIGNS ASISAT OSHOALA FROM LIVERPOOL.

Nigeria international Asisat Oshoala has joined Arsenal Ladies from rivals Liverpool Ladies.

The Nigerian has been a subject of transfer to the Gunners having impressed in the English Women topflight where she scored three goals in 12 appearances for the Reds.

“Asisat is a fantastic talent and will be a great addition to our squad,” said manager Pedro Martínez Losa.

SENATE PRESIDENT BUKOLA SARAKI REPAID HUGE BANK LOANS WITH KWARA STATE FUNDS - CODE OF CONDUCT BUREAU.

The Code of Conduct Bureau has said there is evidence that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, while governor of K‎wara State between 1999 and 2007, obtained huge bank loans and paid back the loans with funds belonging to the state.

‎The bureau alleged that Saraki used the bank loans running into billions of naira to acquire landed assets in Lagos, Abuja and London.

The Bureau said it gathered the information from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission which conducted investigations into various petitions written against the Senate President between 2010 and 2012.

GOVERNOR AMBODE SACKS OCCUPANTS OF LEKKI GARDENS BUILDINGS FOLLOWING LEKKI BUILDING COLLAPSE.

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday ordered occupants in all houses that had been built by Lekki Gardens to vacate their apartments.

He also ordered integrity tests to be carried out on the buildings to ascertain their fitness.

The governor, who visited the site of the five-storeyed collapsed building, which killed 35 people in Lekki, said he was displeased with what he saw, hence the need for immediate action.

PICTURES - SANFO WEDS MAYOWA - #THEAGYOS2016.

Sanfo Agyo & Mayowa Adebambo got married in Liverpool, UK on 12th March 2016. A love story of two Sunday school class teachers who became friends, then fell in love.

Mayowa owns a special place in Xanta's heart. I am excited about how well you've turned out sis.

This is me wishing you the best of every good thing in marriage. May the Lord bless your new home.

See pictures of faces at the wedding after the cut.

APPEAL COURT AFFIRMS FIVE YEARS JAIL FOR ACTRESS IBINABO FIBERESIMA IN MANSLAUGHTER CASE.

The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal has upheld the judgement of a Lagos State High Court sentencing an ex-beauty queen, Ibinabo Fiberesima, to five years imprisonment for manslaughter.

The lower court presided over by Justice Deborah Oluwayemi had convicted Fiberesima of manslaughter, ruling that the actress’ reckless driving was responsible for the death of one Dr. Giwa Suraj on the Lekki-Epe Expressway.

Justice Oluwayemi had set aside the verdict of a Lagos State Magistrate’s Court in Igbosere which earlier ordered Fiberesima to pay a fine of N100, 000 for the offence.

KELECHI NWAKALI SIGNS 5-YR DEAL WITH ARSENAL.

Box-to-box midfielder who was player of the tournament at last year's U17s World Cup will officially join the Gunners when he turns 18 in June.

Nigeria wonderkid Kelechi Nwakali has revealed he has signed a five-year deal with Arsenal.

The deal for the highly-rated 17-year-old is understood to be for a £3million fee agreed with the country’s Diamond Football Academy.

HOW MILE 12 CLASH ESCALATED LEAVING 10 DEAD AND OVER 100 INJURED.

Bloody clashes in the Mile 12, Ketu area of Lagos State on Thursday left no fewer than 10 persons dead and about 100 others injured.

Among the dead were two schoolchildren, traders, artisans and residents.

A two-year-old boy, Andrew Daniel, was abducted by some hoodlums and taken away after his father, Igba, was attacked with machetes and left for the dead.

ARSENAL DESTROYER MARCUS RASHFORD SET FOR MASSIVE INCREASE IN WEEKLY WAGE, FROM £1500 TO £15,000/WEEK.

Manchester United will bring forward talks over a new £15,000-a-week deal for Marcus Rashford following the teenage striker's sensational breakthrough at Old Trafford.

Rashford, 18, scored twice on his Premier League debut in Sunday's 3-2 win over Arsenal to take his total to four goals in his first two games for United's senior team.

The club were already looking to upgrade Rashford's current £1,500-a-week deal that is due to run out in the summer of 2017.

#IMMIGRATIONSCAM - ABBA MORO & THREE OTHERS ARRAIGNED, SENT TO PRISON.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arraigned the immediate past Interior Minister, Abba Moro, on an 11-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence, procurement fraud and money laundering.

Mr. Moro was arraigned before Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja, alongside three others for their roles in the botched March 15, 2014 immigration recruitment exercise that killed no fewer than 20 job seekers across the country, the News Agency of Nigeria reported.

His co-accused are: permanent secretary of the ministry at the time, Anastasia Daniel-Nwobia; a deputy director in the ministry, F. O Alayebami; one Mahmood Ahmadu (at large), and the contracting firm given the recruitment job, Drexel Tech Nigeria Ltd.

SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE OF REV KING.

The Supreme Court has affirmed the death sentence passed on the  General-Overseer of the Christian Praying Assembly, Chukwuemeka Ezeugo (aka Rev. King), ‎by a Lagos High Court in Ikeja for the murder and attempted murder of some members of his church in 2006.

The cleric was sentenced to death by hanging by then trial judge of the Lagos High Court, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole (now Justice of the Court of Appeal) on ‎January 11, 2007.

‎A five-man panel of the apex court led by Justice Walter Onnoghen, on Friday, dismissed the appeal filed by the cleric against the concurrent judgments of the Lagos High Court in Ikeja and Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which had both convicted him of the alleged crimes.

SUNDAY OLISEH QUITS AS COACH OF SUPER EAGLES OF NIGERIA.

Sunday Oliseh accused Nigeria of contract violations and failing to pay his wages as he resigned as national team coach on Friday, ending a brief but unhappy tenure at the helm of the side

"Due to contract violations, lack of support, unpaid wages, benefits to my players, assistant coaches and myself, I resign as Super Eagles chief coach," he tweeted on his verified account on Friday.

"I feel fortunate, blessed and eternally grateful for having had the honour to play, captain and coach this great nation of ours, Nigeria," added the former World Cup star, who had been in the job since mid-July.

18-YR-OLD GIRL ALLEGEDLY RAPED BY 5 TEENAGERS ADMITS SEX WAS CONSENSUAL AND THAT SHE HAD SEX WITH HER FATHER.

Charges against five teenage boys who were accused of gang-raping an 18-year-old girl at a playground in Brooklyn last month have been dropped as she admits to having consensual sex with the boys and her father.

The unnamed girl has recanted her allegations of sexual assault against Denzel Murray, 14, Shaquell Cooper and Ethan Phillip, both 15, and Onandi Brown and Travis Beckford, both 17, Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson announced Wednesday afternoon.

'Working closely with the NYPD, my office has thoroughly investigated disturbing and very serious allegations of a gang rape at gunpoint last month inside the Osborn Playground in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn,' a statement from Thompson's office reads. 

AMOSU'S WIFE RETURNS STOLEN N380M TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered N381m from Mrs. Omolara Amosu, the wife of the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Adesola Amosu.

Sources within the EFCC said on Saturday that the money was recovered in three tranches: N180m, N101m and N100m.

The detective said that the money was traced from the account of the Nigeria Air Force to the bank accounts of a company in which Amosu’s wife is a director.

He added that Amosu’s wife is a signatory to the accounts.

He said, “We recovered N381m from Amosu’s wife, Omolara. Initially, we recovered N180m from her account before another N101m and then N100m. These were monies transferred from Air Force accounts.”

Explaining how the money was diverted, the detective added, “They (Air Force officers) sent the money to an account where their wives have interests or are signatories without doing anything.”

A second source within the EFCC said that more properties belonging to the immediate past Chief of Accounts and Budgeting of NAF, Air Vice Marshal J.B. Adigun, had been seized.

The detective said a property, which is a quarry located in Ogun State, had equipment worth about $600,000.

He, however, did not state the value of the property.

Two weeks ago, houses worth over N2bn in Ikoyi and Victoria Island allegedly belonging to Adigun were seized.

The source said, “Adigun is still here with us. We recovered a quarry which he owns. In the quarry there were pieces of equipment worth about $600,000. They have all been impounded and investigations are ongoing.”

Amosu, Adigun and over nine air force officers are currently under investigation by the anti-graft agency for the procurement of equipment which was said not to be transparent.

Since his detention, Amosu had been quizzed over the procurement of two second-hand Mi-24V Helicopters instead of the recommended Mi-35M series at a cost of $136.9m.

The helicopters were alleged not to be operationally airworthy at the time of delivery while a brand new unit of such helicopters costs about $30m.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that Amosu and some other officers would be charged to court as soon as the holding charge which the EFCC obtained in court to hold the officers for 30 days from January 28 lapses.

A detective said, “Amosu will be charged to court anytime from now. Recall that we obtained a holding charge from a court to hold him for a maximum of 30 days. We are rounding off our investigations and anytime from now, he will be charged to court.”

The PUNCH had exclusively reported on February 11 that the EFCC had seized houses and other properties belonging to the immediate past Chief of Air Staff and other senior military officers worth N5bn.

According to the report, the properties, which were seized in the Ikoyi, Ikeja GRA and Badagry areas of Lagos State, allegedly belonged to Amosu; the immediate past Chief of Accounts and Budgeting of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice Marshal J.B. Adigun; and Air Commodore O. O. Gbadebo, who was the Director of Finance and Budget at NAF.

A source, who spoke to The PUNCH had said, “We have sealed a block of 12 luxury flats, located on Agodogba Street, Park View Estate, Ikoyi, belonging to Adigun. It is worth over N1.7bn. The same Adigun also owns another block of luxury flats on Sinari Daranijo Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. It is worth N1.8bn.

“A parcel of land, located on Bourdillon Drive, Ikoyi, worth N908m, belonging to Adigun has also been seized by the EFCC operatives.”

The source added that six other properties had been traced to Adigun, including a set of four terrace houses on Agede Street, off Aminu Kano in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja.

He stated that the properties traced to Amosu were located in the Ikeja area of Lagos metropolis.

The operative said apart from the buildings, Amosu’s vehicles had also been confiscated by the anti-graft agency.

He added, “Amosu confessed to owning an ultra-modern hospital on Adeniyi Jones Avenue in Ikeja. The hospital, St Solomon Health Care Limited, which is worth about N85m, has been sealed off.

“A house located on Adeyemo Alakija Street, GRA Ikeja, near the Ghanaian High Commission, which belongs to Amosu has also been sealed. It is worth over N200m.”

PUNCH

$2.1BN ARMS SCANDAL - EFCC RECOVERS N84M FROM FORMER DIR. OF FINANCE & BUDGET OF NIGERIAN AIR FORCE.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered N84m from the immediate past Director of Finance and Budget of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore O. O. Gbadebo, 

A reliable source in the EFCC said on Sunday that investigations revealed that the money was diverted from the account of the Air Force.

The source said the money was part of the money budgeted for the procurement of weapons.

PRESIDENT BUHARI SACK DGs OF 24 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.

Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, disclosed that President Buhari has sacked DGs of 24 Federal Government Agencies.

According to Lawal, the full list include: