02042019 - Military uncovers arms factory in Benue

Lazio tempt Eagles
striker, Nwankwo with
N1.2bn 3-year deal
ITALIAN Serie A club Lazio
have started preparing for
the reopening of the transfer
window and are working on a
deal to sign Super Eagles striker
Simeon Tochukwu Nwankwo.
According to Sportmediaset,
Lazio want to add the Crotone
star to their offensive ranks and
are prepared to offer him a
three-year contract in the
summer.
The 26-year-old stands to earn
at least 3 million euros (N1.2
billion) in wages over the
duration of the contract if the
deal goes through.
The Biancocelesti don’t need
• John Ogbonna
Ogbonna Shines
as Nigeria Claim
Three Medals In
Freestyle
TEAM Nigeria’s Emmanuel
John Ogbonna won his 3rd
consecutive continental gold
medal on the final day of
competition at the African Senior
Wrestling Championships in
Hammamet, Tunisia, while
Melvin Bibo and Ekereme
Agiomor each claimed bronze
medal.
Fighting in the final 74kg
category, the former World no 1 in
the 70kg weight category
overcame home-boy Maher
Ghanmi 7-1 to claim the ultimate
prize.
In the 79kg class, 2018 African
champion Agiomor settled for
bronze after easily beating his
South African opponent Zander
Geringer 12-1 via superiority,
while Commonwealth silver
medalist and veteran Bibo also
won bronze with a 7-0 thrashing
of Senegal’s Blaise Diatta.
to strike any deal with
Crotone as the player
comes off contract at the end
of the 2018-2019
season, meaning
only personal
terms have to be
agreed.
This season,
Simy has scored 11 goals (3
assists) in 26 matches in the Italian
Serie B while his total goals since
his arrival in Italy three years ago
is 22 in 75 appearances.
He played for Portuguese clubs
Gil Vicente FC and
Portimonense SC before joining
Crotone.
• Nwankwo
•PEP TALK —
APC National
Leader, Asiwaju
Bola Ahmed
Tinubu talks to
Taribo West and
Joseph Yobo at
his 67th birthday
Novelty Football
Match between
some ex-Super
Eagles players
and Team
Asiwaju Tinubu
at Campos Mini
Stadium, Lagos
Island on
Sunday.
Ikechukwu wins Ist Shaunz
Pool Classics
Kerry Ikechukwu has emerged winner of the 1st edition of
the “Shaunz Pool Classics”, organised by Cuegames
Limited with support from Dana Air which held at the Shaunz
Bar & Lounge in Victoria Island, Lagos at the weekend.
The Pool event which featured a 32-man draw, saw Mr
Ikechukwu carting home the top prize of N50,000 cash in
addition to a business class return flight ticket donated by
Cuegames Limited and Dana Airlines respectively.
The runner-up went home with N30,000 cash prize and
business class return ticket also donated by Cuegames Limited
and Dana Airlines.
Founder/Country Manager of Cuegames Limited, Mr. John
Ini Ebiekpi, disclosed that the event is set to hold quarterly,
adding that his organisation is the first corporate company to
develop and promote the noble games of Pool, Snooker and
Billiards in Nigeria.
Arum: If Wilder hits Joshua
on the chin, it’s goodbye
Bob Arum hopes Tyson Fury eventually gets
the opportunity to beat both Deontay Wilder
and Anthony Joshua.
If Wilder and Joshua wind up boxing each
other before Fury faces Wilder in a rematch or
Joshua in an all-UK showdown, Fury’s copromoter
predicted Wilder would knock out
Joshua. The 6-feet-7 Wilder (40-0-1, 39 KOs)
arguably is the most devastating puncher in
boxing, but the 6-feet-6, 245-pound Joshua has
knocked out 21 of his 22 professional opponents.
Joshua’s power aside, Arum isn’t confident
Joshua’s chin could withstand Wilder’s
exceptional power.
“Joshua, you know, it remains to be seen,”
Arum told World Boxing News for a story posted
to its website, “His chin isn’t the greatest. If
Wilder hit him on the chin, then it’s goodbye
Joshua, I think. It remains to be seen.”
It remains to be seen because Wilder and
Joshua don’t seem any closer to their muchdiscussed
heavyweight title unification fight
than they were this time last year.
Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019 — 45
NFF Congress ratifies
postponement of State FA elections
An extra-ordinary General
Assembly of the Nigeria
Football Federation yesterday
ratified the decision of the NFF
Executive Committee of 26th
January 2019 to postpone the
elections into the Boards of the
Football Associations in the 36
States and the FCT.
At an emergency meeting (emeeting),
the NFF Executive
Committee had decided:
“That given the various
complaints that have been
received and ventilated in several
fora regarding the ongoing
electoral processes geared
towards the conduct of elections
into the Football Associations of
the 36 States and the FCT, and
against the backdrop of the
nationwide elections taking place
between February and March
2019, the Executive Committee
resolved that the current electoral
processes in the States be
suspended immediately.
“Executive Committee has thus
charged the NFF Football Reform
Committee, which composition
was approved by the NFF
Congress at its Annual General
Assembly in Asaba, Delta on 24th
October 2018, to see the pattern,
composition and electoral
processes as one of its major
Referee dies during fitness test
The Liberia Football Referees
Association (LFRA) has lost
one of its members, Lackey
Massaquoi.
The Liberian referee died at the
Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex
during a fitness test for referees,
organized by LFRA.
The young match official ran
seven rounds during the fitness
test but could not continue and fall
to the ground minutes after
admitting that he was unable to
complete the fitness test.
LFRA Chief Referee Lamin
Kamara told FrontPageAfrica that
Lackey was taken to the ELWA
hospital unfortunately, he was
pronounced dead upon arrival.
According to the referee
association, Massaquoi was a
dedicated class “D” member of the
Liberia Football Referee
Association and is saddened by
his passing.
•Pinnick
assignments in the work of
recommending a comprehensive
reform of Nigerian Football.”
In Lagos on Monday, with all 44
Members of the NFF present
alongside the NFF Executive
Committee, at the meeting held at
the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria
Island, Lagos, the decision was
unanimously ratified after a
motion moved to that effect by
former NFF 1st Vice President and
current Chairman of the Imo State
Football Association, Mazi
Amanze Uchegbulam. The motion
was seconded by Mohammed
Nasir Saidu, Chairman of the
Sokoto State Football Association.
•Lackey
Mr. Kamara disclosed that
Massaquoi attended two different
fitness courses, including a FIFAsponsored
course which he passed
but it was surprising for him to fail
the fitness test at SKD.
British boxer Ali suspended
after biting opponent
BRITISH boxer Kash Ali has had his license suspended after
he twice bit opponent David Price and was disqualified
during their fight in Liverpool, in an incident labeled “f*cking
disgraceful” by the latter. Things turned sour during the all-British
match-up between Birmingham’s Ali and home fighter, former
British, English and Commonwealth heavyweight David Price
when, after having been hit with a heavy shot in the fifth round, Ali
tackled the taller Price to the ground before taking a chunk out his
abdomen.
Ali, who was unbeaten in 15 paid fights going into Saturday’s
bout, was duly disqualified by referee Mark Lyson and then had
to be shielded by security as he left the Echo Arena in Liverpool in
disgrace; he and his team hurriedly made their way to the exits as
a wave of drinks and missiles rained down from the stands.