Spain's National Court on Monday, September 30, announced it had dismissed a complaint against Barcelona's Lionel Messi filed by a former employee of the Argentine footballer's foundation, who had accused him of fraud, embezzlement and money laundering. Dismissing the case, the judge wrote that the complaint "was based on an account put together from stories in the press, without bringing even a single element that was personally and directly known" by the plaintiff. The complaint was filed in June by Federico Rettori, an Argentine national living in Majorca who formerly worked for Messi's charity. In it, he named the Barcelona striker, the charity, his father Jorge and brother Rodrigo and "all the people, as yet unidentified, who in one form or another

The Kano governorship election petition tribunal has fixed Wednesday 2nd October 2019 for judgment on the Governorship legal tussle between the incumbent governor, Dr.Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the gubernatorial candidate of All Progressive Congress (APC) and the candidate of People Democratic Party (PDP)Alhaji Abba Yusuf. However, it would be recalled that the Tribunal on Wednesday, September 18th reserved judgment in the petition filed by the PDP and its gubernatorial candidate, Abba Kabir-Yusuf. The PDP and Abba Kabir-Yusuf are challenging the declaration of governor Ganduje as the winner of March 23 election. However, the Chairman of the tribunal Justice Halima Shamaki after listening to the parties in the matter said that the judgment date would be communicated to them. According to finding on Monday, the tribunal

Co-ordinator of a youth group that organised a political rally for Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo in Akure, Bamise Akintomide, has been arrested by the police in Ondo State, It was learnt that he is currently being detained at the Criminal and Investigation Bureau Department of the Ondo State Police Command headquarters in Akure, the capital. Akintomide was picked up for organising a rally in support of the Vice President. A source with knowledge of the incident said; “He (Akintomide) was arrested by the police. I cannot really say if he was directly picked up or invited for questioning. But I can confirm to you that he has been at the police headquarters in Akure since weekend and has been detained

Turkey is to continue to press for answers on who killed Jamal Khashoggi, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote on Monday, ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Saudi journalist’s murder. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, for which U.S. resident Khashoggi was a columnist, Erdogan called his murder “arguably the most influential and controversial incident of the 21st century, barring the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.” Khashoggi was killed on October 2, 2018, inside Riyadh’s consulate in Istanbul. He was there to collect documents he needed in order to marry his Turkish fiancee. Erdogan wrote that the 15-member hit squad that “chopped his body into pieces served the interests of a shadow state within the kingdom’s government — not the Saudi state

United States’ President, Donald Trump, has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on the nation’s 59th independence anniversary. Trump, in a statement in Washington on Monday, said Nigeria was among America’s strongest partners in Africa, adding that the two countries share common goals of expanding trade and growing their economic relationship. He said, “We are allies in the global battle against terrorism, and we want to see Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa driven out of the region and other insurgencies like them dismantled. “The United States welcomes efforts by your administration to diversify opportunities for your talented, creative, and hardworking people to the benefit of both our countries, Africa, and the world.” The American President said he was pleased that the Vice Presidents of the two

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, has said that terrorism and terrorist groups could not be eliminated alone by the military unless religious bodies and organisations in the country come to the “forefront of this spiritual battle.” The army chief noted that the focus must be religious groups interfacing on addressing the ideologies which fuelled the Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists. Buratai stated these on Monday in Abuja at a spiritual warfare seminar at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre with the theme, “countering insurgency and violent extremism in Nigeria through spiritual warfare.” The army chief, who was represented by the Chief of Administration, Maj Gen Sani Yusuf, therefore, urges Islamic and Christian clerics across the army formations to join the

The Council of Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria has filed a suit at the Federal High Court Abuja against Shell Petroleum Development Company over alleged missing N5trn oil revenue. The group, in the suit, alleged that Nigeria has lost huge revenue due to what it described as “illicit activities of Shell at the Forcados and Bonny terminals to the tune of N5trn.” Convener of the group, Mr. Tochukwu Ohazurike, suing as plaintiff, also joined the Federal Government as first defendant. Ohazurike wants the court to declare that the legal interest, ownership and control of all hydrocarbon, including petroleum products in, under and upon the land in Nigeria is invested in the Federal Government; and by virtue of which it can appropriate, use or

US President Donald Trump railed against the Democratic lawmaker leading the impeachment probe Monday, suggesting he be arrested for treason for depicting him as using mafia-like tactics. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, opened a congressional hearing last week by pretending to be the president speaking like a mob boss to pressure Ukraine’s leader to probe rival Joe Biden. The impersonation was intended to dramatize Schiff’s contention that Trump’s July 25 phone call to Volodymyr Zelensky was a classic mafia-like shakedown — but has been widely criticized by conservative media. Trump denounced it on Twitter as a “FAKE & terrible statement,” saying Schiff “pretended it to be mine as the most important part of my call to the Ukrainian President, and

There's alot of confusing and pandemonium at the Bayelsa State House of Assembly complex as the embattled Speaker, Emmanuel Isenah, has been controversially impeached and replaced with a lawmaker representing Southern Ijaw Constituency 2, Monday Obolo. Ranami Afagha, a media Aide to Emmanuel Isenah, however said the impeachment of his boss would not stand as it was done against the standing rules of the House. Afagha said the mace of the House was violently taken away by thugs, adding that since the symbol of authority was not in the House activities of those who purportedly removed his boss, the proceedings were illegal and unconstitutional. “Those who don’t want peace said they removed speaker without the presence of the mace. The mace

The Federal Court High Court in Abuja has ordered Omoyele Sowore, Convener of Revolution Now protest to be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Service, DSS pending the hearing of his application for bail. He's to be remanded in DSS custody alongside his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare as Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu fixed Friday, October 4th for the hearing of their bail application. Sowore and his co-defendant were arraigned today on seven counts of treasonable felony and other sundry offences instituted against them by the DSS. They pleaded not guilty to the seven counts when read to them. After the defendants took their pleas, the defence lawyer, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), urged the court to allow Sowore to