Author: Chronicle Editor

Everton are expected to complete a £10m deal for Charlton’s 19-year-old forward Ademola Lookman early in the January transfer window. Director of Football Steve Walsh has made the signing a priority and the move is likely to go through quickly as manager Ronald Koeman starts what is expected to be a busy January. Lookman scored his seventh goal of the season in Charlton’s 1-0 win at MK Dons on Boxing Day. He was also linked with Crystal Palace. Everton – with Walsh a key figure – are embarking on a policy of recruiting emerging young talent as well as established…

Illegal Nigerian migrants working for nail salons in the United Kingdom have been arrested in a crackdown on nearly 100 people, MailOnline has reported. Some 97 men and women were seized during a blitz on salons that employ non-EU citizens who do not have permission to be in Britain. More than a dozen of those rounded up during a series of swoops were suspected of having been trafficked by organised gangs into modern slavery. A total of 68 businesses were warned that they face fines of up to £20,000 for every illegal worker. The majority of people arrested were Vietnamese.…

The lobby of Trump Tower in New York was briefly evacuated on Tuesday amid reports of a suspicious package found in the Manhattan skyscraper of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, sources said. The New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) carried out the evacuation to forestall any eventualities. However, the departments said that the tower was all clear following the earlier suspicious package in the lobby. It said after investigating, the suspicious package contained children’s toys. Assistant Commissioner for Communication and Public Information for the Police Department, Peter Donald tweeted that the tower was all…

The House of Representatives has said that the former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin fled United Kingdom (UK) to avoid being arrested by anti-graft agencies on his trail for alleged criminal activities. ‎Jibrin has promptly denied the allegation and said he returned to Nigeria on the invitation of one of the anti-graft agencies. He spent two months in the United Kingdom. Chairman of the House committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rep. Herman Hembe, however alleged that Jibrin was on the run because security agencies were after him in the UK. The lawmaker who had a running…

A Boko Haram member, who was arrested in Abuja on Tuesday has made a frightening confession that many of his colleagues are seeking refuge in the federal capital. The Boko Haram militant, identified as Usman, gave the confession after his arrest by officials of Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC. The suspect was arrested at exactly 4:30pm on Tuesday at Utako market shortly after he arrived the premises “with a Qur’an and a chaplet on his neck while trying to lobby people in the market.” Kingsley Madaki, spokesman of local security agency operating in the capital territory known as AMAC Marshal,…

The veil has been partially lifted off the mysterious white man captured by Nigerian soldiers during last week’s storming of Boko Haram’s headquarters in the Sambisa Forest. According to a report by Daily Trust, the White man is a Frenchman. He worked for Boko Haram as a specialist in repairing and unlocking armoured personnel vehicles and other fighting equipment. The Federal Government and military authorities have refused to disclose the man’s full identity for diplomatic reasons, Daily Trust said. Soldiers who took part in the operation had revealed the arrest last week and that the man was providing “credible information”…

Nigeria says it will achieve the 30 per cent national broadband penetration by 2018 as projected in the country’s National Broadband Plan. The Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, disclosed this when he featured at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja. Shittu said the country had so far achieved between 18 to 20 per cent penetration as a result of private sector initiatives. The minister said government was encouraging all GSM and ICT companies to invest in the communication sector to expand the broadband penetration. He said the government was also encouraging a number of initiatives, including…

By Okey Ndibe A few days ago, a friend sent me a video of a choir made up of members of Nigeria’s security agencies singing “Feliz Navidad,” a popular Christmas song. The rendition was entirely inspiring, a thrilling combination of rousing singing, dancing and festive atmosphere. I was moved by the sheer cheeriness of the service singers, infected by their sunniness of spirit. The high professional quality of the performers was complemented by the outstanding videography. In between the Christmas lyrics, members of Nigeria’s respective service arms took turns pitching messages. A female officer informed us that the police were…

By Iyoha John Darlington There is no denying the fact that bad economic and foreign policies can precipitate serious crises like the ones we experience today in Nigeria capable of sparking off dangerous political consequences thus making politicians demand arbitrary power to deal with emergency situations caused by bad government policies. When times are bad many people have no option but are often too willing to go along and support terrible things that would be unthinkable in good times. In Nigeria, for instance, we have had dictators in military garbs and it took us years of dogged fighting, dingdong struggles,…

Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce could make Arsenal full-back Kieran Gibbs, 27, his first signing. (The Sun) Meanwhile, Sunderland boss David Moyes will resist Allardyce’s efforts to lure 34-year-old striker Jermain Defoe to Palace. (ESPN) Chelsea have made a £21.3m bid for 20-year-old Atlanta midfielder Franck Kessie. (France Football) Manchester City’s Joe Hart, 29, and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak, 23, are on Chelsea’s list of potential replacements if current goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois leaves for Real Madrid in the summer. (AS.com in Spanish) Paris St-Germain midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa, 29, has refused a loan move to Turkish club Fenerbahce. (L’Equipe in…