Agbani Darego spotted at Arise Magazine Fashion Week

 

The former Miss World still as stunning as ever!

Kalu’s hat-trick lifts Espanyol over Rayo

Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi recalled Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Sani Keita to the national team for the 2013 Nations Cup first leg match against Rwanda on February 29 in Kigali but left out Kalu Uche, who recently moved back to the Spanish La Liga, after joining Espanyol.

But the manager may have a rethink for the second leg and other Eagles ties with Uche scoring a stunning hat-trick to help Espanyol beat Rayo Valecano 5-1 on Sunday (yesterday).

With Samson Siasia as coach of the Eagles between November 4, 2010 and October 28, 2011, Uche was a constant figure in the Eagles line-up, sometimes being used as a point man.

After six seasons with Almeria in Spain, he moved to Swiss club Neuchatel Xamax but left due to financial crisis that hit the club to join Espanyol.

Yesterday’s win was Espanyol’s first in six games and Uche’s fourth strike for the club. His first goal for the club was in a 2-1 loss to Levante on February 25, but Sundays goals earned the club maximum points and a place in the first half of the table.

Man escapes death a day to child’s wedding

 A man identified simply as Olatunji had looked forward to his child’s wedding on Saturday. He was in good spirits and engrossed with preparations for the wedding.

To ensure that all arrangements were finalised, Olatunji on Friday speedily drove through the Yidi Road, Ilorin, Kwara State, on his way to Asa Dam area of Geri Alimi to avoid traffic hold-up at Taiwo Road.

Olatunji, who an eyewitness, Alhaji Yusuf Ishola, said was in a hurry and at full speed, overtook a truck belonging to a construction company working on the Customs Barrack Road, near New Yidi.

But a taxi that was moving at a slow speed was ahead of the truck and this made it difficult for Olatunji to come in between the truck and the taxi.

Olatunji apparently trying to save the precarious situation was said to have swerved to the first lane so that he could quickly overtake the truck, but was unlucky as the truck hit his black jeep, with registration number, Lagos, PK 327 AAA, at the rear from the driver’s side.

The Sports Utility Vehicle was said to have somersaulted, hit a street light, climbed the median and faced oncoming vehicles.

Some officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps at the scene declined comments when PUNCH Metro approached them.

PUNCH METRO

Kidnappers of Italian, Briton demanded $6.5m – Report

The plans to free two Western hostages were well underway when they were killed during a  failed rescue bid in Nigeria, a spokesman for the kidnappers told the Mauritanian  news agency ANI.

According to AFP, the spokesman for a splinter group of Boko Haram claimed his group was negotiating the release of the British and Italian hostages and had reached an agreement with their families that excluded government involvement.

However, a senior government source in London on Sunday denied there was any such plan, saying the rescue operation had been the best option.

“The kidnappers had established contact with the family of the British hostage and had begun negotiations asking for a five million euro ($6.5 million) ransom and the freedom of certain prisoners,” the spokesman said Saturday.

The online news agency ANI, in December released a video in which gunmen threatened to kill one of the hostages if their demands were not met.

The spokesman added that the family of the Italian hostage had entered the negotiations in which both families had been provided with evidence that the hostages were still alive.

He said the kidnappers had “proved their flexibility: They accepted to add the Italian to the agreement without supplementary demands and gave up their demand that detained Islamists in the region be freed”.

He said the parties had finally agreed on a ransom of 1.2 million euros, and  no government intervention.

“A tiny part of this ransom had already been paid a few days earlier and the rest was to come,” he added.

Italian engineer Franco Lamolinara, 48, and his British colleague Chris McManus, 28, were killed during the failed rescue bid authorised by British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday.

PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Fuel scarcity looms as Nupeng threatens nationwide strike

Scarcity of petroleum products looms across the country as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers threatens to embark on a nationwide strike with effect from Wednesday when a 72-hour deadline issued to the Federal Government expires.

The General Secretary of NUPENG, Mr. Elijah Okougbo, said in a communiqué  issued by the union in Abuja on Sunday that the impending strike had to do with disagreement over loan obtained by Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners Association of Nigeria from some banks, to satisfy the demand for fuel importation.

It was learnt that NUPENG was demanding the implementation of a section of an agreement reached with the Federal Government to allow JEPTFON, a subsidiary association, to pay back the loan in 15 years with three percent interest.

He said the Federal Government had ignored implementations of both demands contained in the agreement reached with the union.

The NUPENG general secretary said the union was compelled to issue the ultimatum because the banks were mounting serious pressure on JEPTFON to repay the loan in spite of the agreement reached with the Federal Government.

PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Suicide bombers kill 8-yr-old, 10 others in Jos church

An eight-year-old boy and 10 others were  killed on Sunday when suicide bombers attacked St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church, Rayfield, Jos, Plateau State.

One of the bombers died in the blast while another, who barely survived, was mobbed and killed by an irate crowd at the church  where a former Deputy Governor of the state, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, worships.

The church’s security team were said to have recorded the highest number of casualties.

Carcass of the suicide car

Yesterday’s attack came barely two weeks after suicide bombers had attacked the headquarters of the Church of Christ in Nigeria, where the state Governor,  Jonah Jang, worships.

Sources said that the St. Finbarr’s Church bombers had planned to attack the 10am Mass favoured by many prominent residents of Rayfield.

The church is located less than two kilometres to Government House, Rayfield, and about 100 metres to the television arm of the Plateau State Radio and Television Corporation.

After the incident, four other persons were reportedly killed in reprisal attacks in various parts of the Jos metropolis. Ten others were injured.

Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, Samuel Dabai, however, put the casualty at  10.

On Sunday, Boko Haram claimed responsiblity for the bombing, telling reporters via a telephone call that the suicide bombing was carried out to avenge the “killing and dehumanisation of Muslims”.

“We attacked simply because it’s a church and we can decide to attack any other church. We have just started,” said Abu Qaqa, the spokesperson of the sect.

Boko Haram had last December 25,  killed 44 worshippers at St Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger State.

Source 

Taiwo’s coach blames officials for defeat

Taye Taiwo coach at Queens Park Rangers Mark Hughes says match officials are not doing their jobs following his side’s 2-1 defeat by Bolton.

The referee failed to award QPR a goal at 0-0, despite television replays showing Clint Hill’s header clearly crossing the line.

Hughes said, “We have to demand that their performances are better. The referee was let down by his assistant.

“Clearly the ball was over the line. The linesman is there to see that.”

Hughes added, “That is what his job is. We can’t have key moments in games being officiated in the way they are at the moment.

“The official should do their job, looking down their line. The linesman’s job is to check for that. No excuse, because it wasn’t a close decision.