Author: Chronicle Editor

Mark Hughes says his “affinity” with Southampton is the reason he agreed to take charge of the Premier League strugglers until the end of the season. The former Stoke boss replaces Mauricio Pellegrino, who was sacked on Monday with the club one point above the relegation zone after one win in 17. “The objective is to make sure we’re a Premier League club next year,” Hughes said. “That’s where we should be.” Hughes was sacked by Stoke in January, with the club in the bottom three. The Welshman, 54, had been with Stoke for four and a half years and…

A Federal High Ciurt in Lagos, southern Nigeria has adjoured the prayer of Great Ovedje Ogboru, a former Labour Party gubernatorial candidate. Ogboru and his two companies Sofimar Fisheries Nigeria Limited and Grato Nigeria Limited have filed an application before a Federal High Court in Lagos urging the court to stay the execution of the order of the court restraining him and his two companies from operating their bank accounts in 26 banks in Nigeria listed before the court, as a result of their alleged indebtedness of N925,138,106.58 to Syke bank Plc. Sometimes in November last year based on an…

Mr. Olisa Metuh, on a wheelchair, stormed the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, asking to be granted permission to travel abroad for medical treatment. Previous attempts to get the permission of the court to travel abroad for treatment was rebuffed. At the resumed trial on Wednesday, the embattled former National Publicity Secretary of the People Democratic Party (PDP), informed the court through his counsel, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, that his health was fast failing. He said his health was failing due to spinal cord compression which requires a corrective surgery at a hospital in London. The Prosecutor, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir,…

Facing different but equally harrowing crises, parents and educators in the United States and northeast Nigeria are debating similarly drastic measures to improve school safety as a painful public reckoning plays out in both countries. As students hold walkouts across the US amid a scourge of mass shootings, President Donald Trump’s proposal to put more guns in schools carries echoes of questions being asked in one corner of Africa’s most populous country. Determined to do something, Nigeria’s government has deployed armed guards to schools while parents debate the merits of arming teachers themselves. Americans tend to think of their struggles…

A US woman has been sentenced to six months in jail for shooting dead her boyfriend in a botched stunt they hoped would go viral on YouTube. Monalisa Perez, now 20, was asked by Pedro Ruiz, 22, to fire a gun from a foot (30 cm) away, believing a thick book he held in front of his chest would shield him. The bullet pierced the 1.5in book, fatally wounding Ruiz last June. Perez, a mother of two, later pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter. What are Perez’s sentencing terms? On Wednesday, a Minnesota judge, Jeffrey Remick, said she would serve her…

A retired fraud investigator for the South Dakota Department of Revenue has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for bank fraud and money laundering to Nigeria. Steven Knigge, 71, was accused of fraudulently asking banks in several states to wire money to an account belonging to him while he was working as a state official in 2015. Banks in Georgia, Arizona, Washington and Texas were targeted. Court documents show the Rapid City resident requested a total of $146,000 from five banks between July and September 2015. Most of the transactions were blocked by banks, but about $42,000 were…

Metropolitan Lagos most famous dumpsite at Olusosun, Ojota has been gutted by fire, leaving residents, motorists and commuters panicky. Thick black smoke could be seen far from the site, located near the old Lagos Toll Gate. The unusual fire triggered a heavy traffic jam in the area, according to witnesses. Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, the General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday, that the cause of the fire outbreak was yet to be ascertained. Tiamiyu said that what was of utmost importance was to stop the fire, so that…

Bayern Munich reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the seventh successive year with a thumping victory over Besiktas. The German champions led 5-0 on aggregate after the first leg, and Thiago’s early goal in Istanbul extended their advantage. A Gokhan Gonul own goal immediately after half-time doubled Bayern’s lead, before Vagner Love pulled one back. Sandro Wagner wrapped up a comfortable win for Bayern with a tap-in. Besiktas – the first Turkish side to win a Champions League group – fielded six players aged 30 or older. They started stronger than Bayern but it was the visitors who had the…

Lionel Messi scored twice and assisted another as Barcelona beat Chelsea 3-0 at the Camp Nou to progress to the quarter final of the Champions League. It took Messi three minutes to open scoring for the Catalan side after he played a quick one-two with Dembele and then Luis Suarez before slotting the ball between the legs of Thibaut Courtois in goal. Messi then turned provider after he dispossessed Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas in the midfield. The diminutive Argentine then darted past Chelsea defenders before passing to Dembele who doubled Barcelona’s lead. Chelsea almost got back into the game in…

Justice S.S Ogunsanya of the Lagos High Court today sentenced Paul Onwughalu, a former Head of Operations, Union Bank Plc, Head Office, Marina, Lagos to three years imprisonment. Onwughalu was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office on February 24 on a four-count charge bordering on failure to conduct due diligence in financial transactions. One of the counts reads: “That you, Paul Onwughalu, on or about the 9th of January, 2013, at Lagos within the Ikeja Judicial Division, whilst being an employee of Union Bank Plc, failed to exercise due diligence in relation to the…