Gist Arena

Nigeria have recalled Victor Moses to the starting line up for their match against France in Brasilia. The Chelsea man had been dropped from the team since he started against Iran. He comes on in place of Babatunde Michael who was injured in the match against Argentina. Meanwhile, captain Joseph Yobo will make his 100th appearance for the Super Eagles after being named in the line up by coach Stephen Keshi. He will become the first Nigerian to reach the milestone. France XI: Lloris (c), Debuchy, Evra, Varane, Cabaye, Valbuena, Giroud, Benzema, Matuidi, Pogba, Koscielny Nigeria XI: Enyeama, Yobo (c), Ambrose, Musa, Odemwingie, Emenike, Mikel, Moses, Oshaniwa, Onazi, Omeruo

One of the defendants, Mohammed Rabiu Lawan (alias Shande Dzungwe Ako) being led away by an EFCC official in court in Lagos on Monday. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Monday filed a criminal charge against  three men before an Ikeja High Court for allegedly stealing over N74 million asset belong to two dead men, Shande Ako Dzungwe and Alhaji Isa Koto. The three men Mohammed Rabiu Lawan, (alias Shande Dzungwe Ako), Raphael Olorunfemi Okomoda, Adegbesan Theophilus and others still at large were alleged to have fraudulently posed as the late Shande Ako Dzungwe and Alhaji Isa Koto and obtained over N74 million from their separate share investments with various companies. The EFCC alleged that the late Shande Ako Dzungwe died in 1992 while Isa Koto died in 1970 but that the  defendants presented themselves as the late men and gave instruction to various companies to release the monetary value of their shares to them. The EFCC specifically alleged that on 16 M

Many weeks after his trial was put on hold so he can get psychiatric evaluation to determine if he was mentally ill when he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, in his home in February 2013, a report has been released. A panel of mental health experts has concluded that Oscar Pistorius was not suffering from mental illness when he killed Reeva, the chief prosecutor at his murder trial said today. The mental experts, a psychologist and 3 psychiatrists all agreed that Oscar understood the gravity of his act when he shot Reeva through a closed toilet door. The request for evaluation came after his defence team brought a psychiatrist who testified that Oscar h ad an anxiety disorder, because of his disability, that could have contributed to the shooting. His trial resumed today after a 1-month break.

THE body counts from the war against terrorism are getting abnormal. Whether the losses are on the part of the security agencies or mere standbys, like school children, it is becoming clearer .that government needs to do more. Terrorists may do all they can to make the country unsafe, but government has the responsibility to .not only protect us, it has to make us feel safe. What we find more absurd is that the seasonal killings, their brutality, which the killers have .made their trademark, no longer shock. The condemnations have thinned. We have moved on with obviously more important matters like who becomes whatever in 2015. We forget the killings quickly in order to sustain the .pretence that the union is in sane state. Nigeria has lost thousands of lives to terrorists. Neither the numbers, nor those killed, appears to be important. Lives, no longer seem to count, they have become numbers, ordinary statistics, .kept for the records. Which society watches its members dec

(AFP) – Uruguay’s President Jose Mujica has slammed FIFA leaders as “sons of bitches” for banning the country’s star striker Luis Suarez over his infamous World Cup bite. Mujica called the four month ban on all football activity imposed on Suarez for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini “fascist sanctions”. The president made the comments to a state-run TV sports show which asked Mujica his opinion of the World Cup as he welcomed the defeated Uruguayans on their return from Brazil late Sunday. “Those at FIFA are a gang of old sons of bitches,” Mujica said. He gasped and put his hand to his mouth in an I-can’t-believe-that-I said-that manner, but smiled. The journalist asked if he could publish the remark. “For my part, sure,” Mujica shrugged. “I support the president’s remarks,” added his wife, Senator Lucia Topolansky, who was stood next to him. “They could have sanctioned him,” said Mujica, a 79 year-old ex-guerrila, “but not with fascist sanctions.” Suarez bit Chiel

Thousands of curious onlookers and residents of the historically significant town of Oguta in Imo State thronged the sites of multiple festivities that were lined up to celebrate the life and times of the late Legal Luminary; Justice Chukwudifu Akunne Oputa. Top Government officials and several other dignitaries including international envoys arrived the town at various times during the three day event which featured carnival styled concerts that was beamed live by AIT and several other media houses. A requiem mass, wake keeping, funeral service and the laying in state and burial at the Oputa family home constituted key aspects of the three-day activities. The images below are a random sample. Charles Oputa (Charly boy) comforts and consoles his mother during the funeral service Mammoth crowd during the ceremony Attorney George Oputa and Niece Anyim Pius Anyim delivering a goodwill message on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Exec

The Thanksgiving Service for the new Church Auditorium of Taiwo Odukoya's The  Fountain  of  Life  Church held yesterday Sunday June 29th. Pastor E.A Adeboye ministered at the service. See more pics after the cut...

While speaking on Channels TV's breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, this morning June 30th, former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, who recently dumped the APC for PDP, said the founder of terrorist group, Boko Haram, is an indigene of Borno state and is also a key official of the opposition. He also said Boko Haram is the armed wing of the opposition. Some of what he said below... "It is very clear that the founder of Boko Haram, the person that actually founded Boko Haram when he was in office...and I won't mention his name on Television but everybody knows who it is, is from Borno state. He is alive and well. He is a key member of the opposition. Again I look at the utterances of the official spokesman of the opposition last year, that is Lai Mohammed, where he protested at the fact that Boko Haram was proscribed by the federal government where he said it was unconstitutional for the federal government to do so. He needs to explain why it is he would want to pr

The Minister for Sports and Chairman, National Sports Commission (NSC) Dr. Tammy Danagogo over the weekend revealed that billionaire businessman Otunba Mike Adenuga gave him $250,000 to give to the Super Eagles in Brazil to encourage them to beat France today, promising to do more if they win and advance to the quarter-final stage. According to Danagogo, who has since presented the money to the team,  Mike Adenuga, while presenting the money to him said; "This is a token and if the team goes ahead and shock the world, I will join Mr President to shock the team.” Shock them? Imagine the kind of money that can shock a millionaire footballer. Lol. Choi! Super Eagles, oya o...make una win o! The match will take place 5pm today!

Over the weekend, former Zamfara State governor Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi, who is planning to contest again as Governor of the state in 2015, shared bags of rice to his people for Ramadan, making sure to let them know that he's contesting again. Shinkafi was governor of Zamfara State in 2007 to 2011 and was Aisha Babaginda's second husband.

ABEOKUTA-A Magistrate court sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta has remanded a-32-year-old Kazeem Odetayo in prison for allegedly defiling a-three year-old girl. The acussed was reported to have inserted his finger into his victim’s private part on June 1, 2014 at Agbegilere street, Itoku, Abeokuta. The Prosecutor, Inspector Sunday Eiggbejiale told the court that the acussed enticed the victim with snacks before he defiled her. He added that the offence is contrary to and punishable under section 360 criminal code volume 1 laws of Ogun State, Nigeria,2006. However, the acussed pleaded guilty to the one count charge of rape levelled against him. Counsel to the acussed, Gani Ogunsanwo had prayed the court to grant his client bail in most liberal terms. The Presiding magistrate, Martins Akjnyemi remanded the acussed in prison and adjourned the case till July 10,2014

‘Being Ogboni leader has made me a good disciple of Jesus Christ,’ he claims. For many Christians, Ogboni soci­ety is not only regarded as a secret cult but also treated as an abomi­nation that must not be identified with. A senior member of the Christen­dom however feels otherwise and in fact made a shocking revelation that will leave many gasping for breath. For over four decades, 65-year-old Pas­tor Solomon Oladimeji has been a shep­herd in the vineyard. Apart from being the founder of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Orisun-Ayo, with branches at Alapere, Ketu, and Odogunyan in Ikorodu area of Lagos, Prophet Oladimeji reveals that he is also a top member of the Ogboni fraternity. He be­longs to Saala Ogboni Fellowship of Nigeria (SOFN) – within the fraternity – where he occupies the position of Oluwo and the third in command to the overall head of the fraternity. “I am not ashamed to confess my mem­bership of the fraternity. I’m proud to be Og­boni member. In actual fact

Guys, the worst place to try to play smart with a "rough girl" is in Lagos; the girls don't have shame. So, if you do anything with any of the girls, you must be ready to pay or get it very rough. This married man was trying to play smart with one of the big runs girl in a popular joint and she gave it hot to him... "He must pay my money complete, he has enjoyed himself". Lol!

The United States said on Friday it had decreased its surveillance flights in the search for the about 219 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram, but added that the overall effort was unchanged due to more flights by other countries. It stated that it had no idea of the location of the girls, noting however that there is no letup in the efforts to locate and rescue them. “We don’t have any better idea today than we did before about where these girls are, but there’s been no letup of the effort itself,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told reporters, according to Reuters. Kirby said the same level of effort was being sustained now through international involvement. A US defence official speaking on condition of anonymity said American flights had been reduced only after a body of intelligence had been gathered and that the cuts had been offset by the British and the French support. Kirby denied a suggestion that US flights over Nigeria had been reduced to accommodat

Insurgents on Sunday launched attacks on three villages near Chibok in Borno State, setting ablaze five churches and killing no fewer than 48. In the offensive, which was said to have lasted for about four hours, the terrorists attacked churches during Sunday worship, shot at worshippers and set the church buildings ablaze. A resident said, ‘‘Boko Haram stormed Kautikari, Kwada and Karagau villages early in the morning at about 8.45am. “The attackers locked worshippers inside the church and rained bullets on them.” The source said 30 persons were shot dead in Kwada while about nine were killed in Karagau. According to the source, no fear than nine worshippers were killed inside the Kautikari EYN church. A youth leader in the area, Mr. Moses Zakwa, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said, “The communities that were attacked are Kwada, Kautikari and Karagau, all in the Chibok Local Government Area. As of now, over 20 persons have been confirmed dead, 10 of which I kn