FRESH 4RM GIM

There was pandemonium in Okwelle community, in the Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo State after a couple were murdered by some suspected assassins. It was learnt that the assailants had stormed the couple’s house on Saturday evening wielding cutlasses and other weapons. They were said to have taken turns to rape the woman in the presence of her husband and their children, after which the couple were hacked to death. Our correspondent learnt the assailants subsequently fled with the deceased’s three children. The Imo State Police Command, which confirmed the incident, said the cause of the attack had yet to be ascertained, He added that some arrests had been made in connection with the killings. However, a resident of the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the husband had a serious disagreement with a woman lately. He said, “I got to know about the incident from a friend, who is a neighbour of the couple. I learnt the husband had a quarrel with a woman who followed...

Niger Delta Avengers The Niger Delta Avengers on Wednesday appeared divided over whether or not to engage in a dialogue with the Federal Government over the crisis in the geopolitical zone. While a self-acclaimed spokesperson for the Avengers, Mr. Ballantyne Agiri, said in a statement on Wednesday that the NDA was ready to enter into dialogue with the Federal Government for a possible ceasefire in the region, the Avengers in a counter-statement by Mudoch Agbinibo, denied the claim. Agiri had in a statement mailed to one of our correspondents in Jos, the Plateau State capital on Wednesday, said that it had constituted a contact and dialogue group to engage the Federal Government in meaningful dialogue as part of the initiatives to resolve the crisis. Agiri said that the group was determined to come out with results that would yield a lasting peace, equity, justice and harmony among all ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. While urging Nigerians and the international community to follow dev...

The Federal Government’s plan to diversify the nation’s economy leveraging the solid minerals development cannot be funded by banks in the country, a former Managing Director of Nigerian Mining Corporation, Dr. Biodun Olorunfemi, has said. Olorunfemi, who is currently the Vice-President, Mineral Watch Global Investment Company Limited, said in an interview with our correspondent that only the stock exchange had the capacity to provide the funding required for the development of the mining sector. According to Olorunfemi, a former High Commissioner of Nigeria to Namibia, Nigeria is still far from being a mining nation as the best that can happen to the country now is to lay a solid foundation for mining development. He said, “The private sector drive must go pari-passu with government activities. There are agencies and there are players that must come into this playing field. The playing field, which defines the value chain, starts from exploration; mine planning, mine development, exp...

Nigeria’s quest for an Olympic medal continued on a woeful note in the early hours of Thursday after two of the country’s medal hopes, Ese Brume and Ejowvokoghene Oduduru, failed to soar at their separate events. Brume, a track and field athlete who specialises in the long jump and holds the African junior record in the event, fell a distant fifth behind 30-year-old Tianna Bartoletta of the United State in the finals of the women’s long jump. She could only muster a leap of 6.81m while Bartoletta won the event after jumping 7.17m. Meanwhile, Ejowvokoghene Oduduru could not gather the speed and pace which took him to the semifinals of the 200m track event behind Usain Bolt after clocking 20.59sec, a notable time difference from the 20.34sec he ran in round one. Gatlin out American sprinter Justin Gatlin failed to qualify for the men’s 200m at the Olympics on Thursday. Gatlin, who has served two doping bans, finished third in 20.13sec and missed out on one of the eight final berths for ...

Blessing Okagbare failed in her quest to win a medal in the women’s 200m event at the Rio 2016 Olympics on Wednesday as she crashed out in the semifinals of the event. Another Nigeria, Antwon Hicks, lost in the semifinal of the men’s 110m hurdles. Jamaica’s Omar McLead won gold in the event. Okagbare finished fifth in her heat with a time of 22.69secs behind Holland’s Dafne Schippers, who took the heat in 21.96secs. Women’s 100m champion Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson was second in 22.13secs while USA’s Deejah Stevens was third in 22.38secs and Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith finished fourth in 22.49secs. Okagbare will seek to help Nigeria win a medal in the women’s 4x100m relay race, where the country will compete in the Heat 2 along with USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Switzerland. The 4×100 relays begin on Thursday. The Nigerian women have a season best of 44.24m against the 42.61secs of the USA and 42.84secs of France. On the overall standings in the...

Ekiti State Governor. Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) wants the‎ Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dead because the APC does not want a virile opposition to challenge its obnoxious policies and inability to tackle the problems confronting the country. Speaking in Port Harcourt on Wednesday on the sideline of the national convention of the PDP, Fayose said such a development would not, however, be in the interest of the country and Nigerians at large. In a statement by the governor's Chief Press Secretary, Mr Idowu Adelusi, the governor was quoted as saying that a virile opposition was a vital ingredient for democracy and necessary to make democracy thrive. Fayose, who could not attend the convention owing to the blockade of the road leading to the Old Presidential Lodge of the Rivers State government house where he was accommodated, said the condoning off of the Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt by the police on the orders of the Inspector General...

Arda Turan and Lionel Messi lead Barcelona to Super Cup win The ESPN FC crew discuss the transfer rumour surrounding Barca goalkeeper Claudio Bravo replacing Joe Hart at Man City. Barcelona eased past Sevilla on Wednesday to win the Spanish Super Cup for the 12th time in the club's history. Arda Turan scored twice and Lionel Messi added a header as the Catalan side won 3-0, completing a 5-0 aggregate victory. Positives There were good performances from the club's summer signings, all of whom started the game at Camp Nou. Claudio Bravo also stood out despite all the noise surrounding his future, but Turan was the biggest positive. The 29-year-old's two goals should provide a boost to his confidence after a tricky start to life in Catalonia. Negatives A late hamstring injury for Javier Mascherano soured an otherwise comfortable evening for Barca. They were slow to get going, conceding several chances to Sevilla during the opening exchanges. Manager rating out of 10 8 -- Lui...