Author: David Great

A Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday has granted the former minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, and his brother, Ahmad Abubakar Sirika, bail in the sum of N100 million each and two sureties. One of the sureties must own a landed property in the Federal Capital Territory, in like sum. The court also held that the defendants are not to travel outside the shores of Nigeria without the permission of the court. While delivering the ruling on the bail application, the presiding judge, Justice Belgore held that “I see no reason to depart from the conditions…

Chelsea are in discussions with Kieran McKenna’s representatives about the 38-year-old becoming their new manager. (Football Insider) Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 29, can leave this summer if Manchester City receive an offer of at least £50m. (Football Insider) England could appoint former Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino if Gareth Southgate leaves his post after Euro 2024. (Telegraph – subscription required) Argentine Pochettino, 52, would be interested in talking to Manchester United if they sack manager Erik ten Hag. (Times – subscription required) Chelsea have identified a shortlist of candidates to replace Pochettino and hope to make an appointment in a matter of days. (Athletic – subscription required) Leicester City are braced for an approach…

Non-interest-yielding banking services provider, TAJBank Limited, has filed an application before a federal high court in Lagos to set aside the final forfeiture order relating to a multi-billion naira property known as Apartment No. 1103 Belmonte, located at number 40 Bourdillon Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Justice Tijjani Ringim had on November 29, 2023, ordered a final forfeiture of the property to the federal government following a request by the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a suit number FHC/CS/1818/2023, filed before the court. TAJBank in a Motion on Notice filed by its lawyer, Anthony Ibekwe is praying the court to…

Super Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman was the star of the night as Atalanta won their first major European trophy by beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to lift the Europa League trophy in Dublin on Wednesday evening ending the German club 51-game unbeaten run. With his stellar performance at the Aviva stadium in Dublin, Lookman made history as he becomes the first Nigerian player to net a hat trick in a Europa League final Atalanta are the ninth Italian club to win honours on the continent and they did it the hard way, seeing off Leverkusen in the final – a team…

Ademola Lookman scored a hat-trick as Atalanta beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 to win Europa League and end the German’s team 51 unbeaten matches. The Nigerian forward scored two goals in the first half and completed his hat-trick in pulsating fashion as the Italian side ended their trophy hunt. Lookman made history as he became the first player to score a hat-trick in Europa League final. He also helped Atalanta win its first continental trophy since 1963. Leverkusen opened the scoring 12 minutes into the match. Davide Zappacosta fed the ball through to Lookman, who picked up the pass inside the…

A Federal High Court in Abuja has granted the former commander of the Force Intelligence Response Team, DCP Abba Kyari, two weeks’ bail after 27 months in detention. Kyari is expected to conclude his mother, Yachilla Kyari’s burial rites. The court subsequently set Friday, May 31, for the determination of his bail application in the trial over drug-related charges filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency following his arrest over two years ago on February 14, 2022. Kyari’s mother died in the early hours of Sunday, May 5, 2024, and was survived by 10 children (five males and five…

A Nigerian court has adjourned a tax evasion case against Binance to next month for probable arraignment of the cryptocurrency exchange and two of its officials, after the trial stalled on Wednesday, according to the judge. The case languished when authorities failed to bring Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen and Binance’s head of financial crime compliance, to court. There was no explanation for Gambaryan’s absence in court. On Friday, an Abuja court determined that Gambaryan may stand prosecution for tax evasion on Binance’s behalf. In May, Binance CEO Richard Teng accused Nigeria of setting a dangerous precedent by inviting its…

Nabila Fash, the ex-wife of Nigerian singer Oritsefemi, has threatened to take legal action against him over defamatory statements about her in a recent interview. Oritsefemi, during an interview with media personality, Jude Chidonwo, disclosed that his ex-wife, Nabila, who had accused him of cheating on her in their home and having children behind her back, betrayed him. He said, “Nabila had 21 miscarriages, yet she still tells me, Oritsefemi, that I can’t impregnate her. My wife asked her friends to come and beat me up in my house. I said, ‘Look at me, lion, and the women they pursue’.…

Budapest’s Puskas Arena will play host to the 2026 Champions League final, UEFA confirmed on Wednesday. A decision on the 2027 final was postponed until September with Milan set to host as long as the San Siro is not undergoing redevelopment works at the time. It is the first time Hungary will host a final of Europe’s elite club competition. However, the 67,000 capacity Puskas Arena was used for the 2023 Europa League final and matches at Euro 2020. The Europa League final will be held in Istanbul in 2026 and Frankfurt in 2027. Leipzig will host the UEFA Conference…

Mauricio Pochettino is on the radar of Manchester United and Bayern Munich after leaving Chelsea by “mutual consent”. (Standard) Stuttgart manager Sebastian Hoeness and Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna have been sounded out by Chelsea to replace Pochettino. (Teamtalk) Girona boss Michel and Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca are also likely to be among the names under consideration by Chelsea. (Telegraph – subscription required) Former boss Thomas Tuchel has held “loose talks” with Chelsea about returning to the club – who sacked him in 2022 – for a second spell in charge. (Florian Plettenberg) Manchester City are open to offers for Brazil goalkeeper Ederson, 30, who is attracting interest from Saudi Arabia. (Fabrizio Romano) Manchester United are exploring the possibility of signing Crystal Palace and England…