BREAKING: Ambode loses bid to stop probe by lawmakers over purchase of 820 buses

Justice Yetunde Adesanya of an Ikeja High Court on Thursday struck out a suit filed by former Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos, seeking to stop his probe by the state Assembly over purchase of 820 buses for Bus Reform Project.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Adesanya ruled that the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate Ambode was a fact-finding committee.
According to the judge an investigation is not an indictment.

“The claimant (Ambode) has not been indicted. An invitation by an agency of government cannot in anyway cause a breach of the threat of the fundamental rights of the claimant.

“I hereby find that the claimant’s action is an invitation to the court to cripple the legislative exercise of the statutory power of the Lagos State House of Assembly under Section 128 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution.
That is not the function of the court, and no court of law should accede such invitation. The claimant’s suit is hereby struck out,” she said.

NAN reports that Ambode had instituted the civil suit against the State House of Assembly, its Speaker, Mr Mudashiru Obasa, and the House Clerk, Mr A.A. Sanni.

Other respondents are Mr Fatai Mojeed, the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee set up by the House to probe the procurement of the buses, and eight members of the committee.

BREAKING: Court Sentences Olisa Metuh To Seven Years In Prison Over N400m Money Laundering Case.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced a former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Olisa Metuh, to seven years in prison.

Justice Okon Abang handed down the sentence on Tuesday in his judgement on seven counts of money laundering and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of N400 million.

The charges were filed against Metuh and his company, Destra investment, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The trial judge sentenced Metuh after convicting him and found him guilty of all the charges brought against him by the anti-graft agency.

Details later…

BREAKING NEWS: Kaduna Speaker resigns

Speaker of Kaduna Assembly, Hon. Aminu Abdullahi Shagali, has resigned his position.
Sources from the Assembly said Shagali tendered his resignation before commencement of Plenary session on Tuesday morning

Details shortly…

Breaking: Oluwo suspended for six months

Osun state traditional rulers council has suspended the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi for six months over his attempt to drag the institution into the mud with his public conduct.

The council at its emergency meeting held at the Finance Building at the State Secretariat on Friday banned the monarch from attending its meetings and also constituted a committee headed by Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun to further investigate the matter.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun said the decision was not because of alleged fight between the Oluwo and Agbowu but due to his conduct to other traditional rulers in Yorubaland, including the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Awake of Egbaland and the Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.

The Oluwo was alleged to have punched a fellow monarch, the Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa, Oba Dhikurulahi Akinropo during a peace meeting at the instance of the Assistant Inspector General of Police Zone XI, Bashir Makama at his office in the state on the dispute between the monarch and members of Iwo traditional rulers council.

BREAKING: Shops destroyed as fire guts Jabi motor park, Abuja

Many shops were destroyed when fire gutted some sections of Jabi motor Abuja on Friday.

The cause of the fire cannot be ascertained at the time of this report but men of the FCT fire service have arrived the scene .The incident, which started at 10:12am, led to chaos as passengers and motorists scampered for safety.
The situation got worst when the fire spread to a shop where car batteries and car gas were being sold, causing more havoc .

As time of filing this report, FCT fire fighters have arrived the scene and are battling to put out the fire.

16 killed in stampede in Niger's Diffa region

NIAMEY, Niger

At least 16 Nigerian refugees were killed in a stampede on Monday during a donation drive in southeastern Niger, multiple sources confirmed.

"The incident occurred when the governor of Borno State [Nigeria] was distributing rice, loincloths and cash to refugees from his country who are temporarily based in Diffa city," Mahamadou Mado, a local journalist told Anadolu Agency.

A security source, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, also confirmed the incident and the death toll.

He said the stampede occurred as people rushed to get the essential items and even security officials deployed at the scene could not control the crowd.

Nigeria's Borno state Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has been touring the Diffa region since Saturday to inquire about the condition of Nigerian refugees.

Terrorist violence in the northeastern states of Nigeria since 2013 has forced tens of thousands of people to seek refuge in neighboring countries, including Niger.

Man City banned from Champions League for two years and fined €30m

The Premier League side say they are "disappointed but not surprised" by the decision and described it as "prejudicial"
Manchester City have  been banned from competing in the Champions League for two years.

UEFA handed down the punishment, which includes a €30 million fine (£25m/$33m), to the Premier League giants for breaching Financial Fair Play rules.

Following an investigation, the Adjudicatory Chamber of UEFA's Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) found City guilty of "overstating its sponsorship revenue" between 2012 and 2016.
Manchester City have been banned from competing in the Champions League for two years.
The investigation started after a series of allegations published by German magazine Der Spiegel in November 2018, which drew on documents purportedly obtained by whistleblowers Football Leaks.
UEFA's statement read: "The Adjudicatory Chamber, having considered all the evidence, has found that Manchester City Football Club committed serious breaches of the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations by overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts and in the break-even information submitted to UEFA between 2012 and 2016.
The Adjudicatory Chamber has imposed disciplinary measures on Manchester City Football Club directing that it shall be excluded from participation in UEFA club competitions in the next two seasons (ie. the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons) and pay a fine of €30 million."
Denying any wrong doing, City responded with a statement on their website, saying UEFA made the decision even before the investigation had started.
Manchester City is disappointed but not surprised by today’s announcement by the UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber," the statement said. "The Club has always anticipated the ultimate need to seek out an independent body and process to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence in support of its position.

"In December 2018, the UEFA Chief Investigator publicly previewed the outcome and sanction he intended to be delivered to Manchester City, before any investigation had even begun. The subsequent flawed and consistently leaked UEFA process he oversaw has meant that there was little doubt in the result that he would deliver.  The Club has formally complained to the UEFA Disciplinary body, a complaint which was validated by a CAS ruling. 

"Simply put, this is a case initiated by UEFA, prosecuted by UEFA and judged by UEFA. With this prejudicial process now over, the Club will pursue an impartial judgment as quickly as possible and will therefore, in the first instance, commence proceedings with the Court of Arbitration for Sport at the earliest opportunity."