Author: Vincent Osuwo

Sporting Lisbon retained their Portuguese title on Saturday, defeating Guimarães 2-0 to hold off rivals Benfica on the final day of the Primeira Liga season. Both Sporting and Benfica were tied on points heading into their last game after a tight 1-1 derby stalemate last weekend left the title race on a knife edge. Benfica needed to better their result to win, but they drew 1-1 at Braga, and even a victory would not have sufficed because Rui Borges’ team won and held the advantage head-to-head. Pedro Goncalves broke the tie in the second half, and Sporting’s leading scorer, Viktor…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, predicts more high-profile opposition figures joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the coming months, indicating Nigerians’ growing trust in the ruling party. The APC has recently welcomed prominent opposition members, including Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire Peoples Democratic Party structure in the state. Additionally, opposition federal lawmakers from the PDP and Labour Party have joined the APC, citing internal crises in their previous political platforms. Abbas made the announcement during the party’s North-West Zonal Stakeholders Meeting in Kaduna on Saturday. He…

Dr Ifeanyi Emenari, the Benue State Police Commissioner, has ordered an investigation into the shooting of Emmanuella Ahenjir, a 200-level student of Federal University Wukari, by police personnel in Makurdi. The incident occurred early Friday at the Wurukum area of Makurdi town when the vehicle she boarded was shot at by unidentified police personnel during a stop-and-search operation. The issue has sparked outrage in the state, with many civil society organisations (CSOs) and groups threatening mass protest if justice is not served by next Tuesday. The Benue State Police Command, in a statement issued over the weekend by its Public…

Miss Emmanuella Ahenjir, a 23-year-old student at Federal University Wukari in Taraba State, was reportedly shot dead by unidentified police officers at the Wurukum roundabout in Makurdi. According to an eyewitness, the 200-level business management student was killed Friday morning by the officers on duty at the famous Wurukum roundabout who opened fire on the vehicle transporting her from the Gyado Villa district of town. According to the witness, “The girl and a young male driver were in the vehicle around 7:30 a.m. when the incident happened. “They were driving from the Gyado Villa part of the town and got…

Dr. Blessing Agbomhere, the South South Zonal Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has written to the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, describing the founder of Tantita Security Services Limited, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, as a patriot and law-abiding citizen. In the letter, Agbomhere urged the EFCC boss to delete Ekpemupolo’s name from its X handle due to alleged naira abuse. According to a source close to the Commission who revealed the news under condition of anonymity in Abuja, Agbomhere made his appeal in a letter. Agbomhere, the Principal Partner of…

Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, and the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, have called for the urgent end to abject poverty across the country and Africa. Obasanjo mentioned that if China could lift 700 million people out of poverty, Nigeria ought not to have anything to do with abject poverty. Delivering a keynote address during Dele Momodu’s leadership lecture, ‘How to End Hunger and Poverty in Africa’, Obasanjo stated that “before we talk about food, security is key.” While proposing a long-term solution to hunger in Africa, Obasanjo emphasised that “education…

The President Bola Tinubu-led federal government has commenced a revalidation exercise of the National Social Register as part of efforts to strengthen the ongoing conditional cash transfer programme aimed at cushioning the impact of economic reforms. The National Identity Management Commission’s Director General, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, confirmed that 2.3 million households have been cleared for payment under the renewed scheme during a press briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja. The World Bank has expressed concerns about the slow implementation of the cash transfer program, which was launched in 2023. In its recent Nigeria Development Update report titled “Building Momentum for…

Nollywood actor-turned-politician Desmond Elliot recently caused a stir on social media with the odd dress he wore to the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. Elliot sent social media agog dressed in a flashy black two-piece ensemble consisting of a blouse and a skirt with a strong elephant design. The daring attire elicited varied reactions online, but the actor insists there is a deeper message behind the choice. In an interview with Saturday Beats, Elliot discussed the inspiration behind his fashion statement. He said, “I am more in politics now, and it means the few times you have the opportunity, just…

Finnish prosecutors have charged Biafra apologist Simon Ekpa with terrorism charges in connection with plans to establish an independent state of Biafra in Nigeria. In a statement issued Friday, Finland’s National Prosecution Authority announced that it had accused “a Finnish individual in a case involving suspected public incitement to commit crimes with terrorist intent and participation in the activities of a terrorist group.” The alleged violations occurred in the city of Lahti between 2021 and 2024. While officials did not reveal the accused’s name, Finnish public radio YLE alleged that he is Simon Ekpa, a dual Finnish-Nigerian national and self-proclaimed…

A 43-year-old woman simply identified as Gift has been arrested by the Rivers State police command for allegedly biting off the tip of her lover’s penis during a domestic dispute in the Mile 3 area of Diobu, Port Harcourt. The sad incident, which occurred on Thursday, sent shockwaves across the heavily crowded Bishop Okoye Street when news of it broke. According to sources, the altercation began when Gift’s lover, named only as Sunday, demanded sex. Gift reportedly refused, accusing him of using sex-enhancing drugs, which made their encounters too long. A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “Mr…