Romelu Lukaku’s time at Stamford Bridge could be coming to an end.

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea is looking to sell the striker to a Saudi Arabian club for a reported £34 million fee.

While AS Roma was interested in the Belgium international, they were unwilling to pay the hefty £40 million price tag that Chelsea placed on him.

With interest from the Middle East, the Blues are hoping to cash in on Lukaku who appears to have no future in London.

It is not the first time that Lukaku, who is currently on loan at Roma from Chelsea, has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal had reportedly made an offer for the former Manchester United star last summer, which he ultimately rejected.

Six out of the 137 Kuriga students who were rescued by troops from their abductors have been hospitalized.

In a statement issued on Monday, the General Officer of 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Mayirenso Saraso, stated that the hospitalized students will be handed over to the state government once they are deemed medically fit by the doctors.

Saraso revealed this information after delivering 131 Kuriga children to the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, at the Government House.

The unfortunate incident occurred on March 7, 2024, when bandits invaded the LEA Primary School and Government Secondary School in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, Kaduna, and abducted the students.

Fortunately, the military successfully rescued the students in Zamfara State on Sunday morning.

It could be recalled that the bandits had demanded a ransom of N1 billion for their release and set a deadline of March 27.

Nevertheless, the federal government clarified that no ransom was given to secure the students’ freedom.

During a speech at the Kaduna Government House, General Saraso mentioned that a combination of kinetic and non-kinetic strategies were utilized to rescue the students, who were held captive for 16 days.

He also informed me that one of the abducted teachers, Mr Abubakar, passed away while in captivity.

The general further elaborated that 131 students were physically brought to the Government House on Monday, as six were receiving medical treatment at a military facility in the state.

“In all, there were 137 children and one staff member, making 138 persons altogether, that were abducted from the co-located schools on the ill-fated day. But unfortunately, the staff member, Mr Abubakar, is not here with us today because he died while in captivity,” he said.

The Nigerian Army has reportedly cleared 200 suspects accused of having links with deadly terrorist group, Bokoharam.

According to reports, the detainees who were arrested by the military in the heat of insurgency would be released to the Borno State government today.

According to Daily Trust, Governor Babagana Zulum’s led government will receive the suspected terrorists today for proper reintegration into society.

It was reported that the event will occur on Tuesday morning at Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri, the state capital.

“Not fewer than 200 cleared Boko Haram suspects are being cleared of any wrongdoing by security operatives, and they will be handed over to the Borno State Government for rehabilitation and reintegration.

“The handing over ceremony is set to be this morning (Tuesday) at 10: am at Giwa Barracks,” a source, who spoke with the news platform, revealed.

The source further disclosed that the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Zuwaira Gambo, and her Information and Internal Security counterpart, Prof Tar Umar, will receive the clear detainees on behalf of the state government.

Femi Adesina, spokesman of the former President Muhammadu Buhari, has urged Nigerians to support the administration of President Bola Tinubu, saying things will get better with time.

Adesina state this at a book presentation by Azuh Arinze, publisher of Yes International Magazine in Lagos on Monday.

Adesina assured Nigerians that Tinubu’s administration will get it right, adding that they should do everything to ensure the country works.

He said, “My message to Nigeria at this time is just to hold the fort, this place is going to get better. It is our country, we don’t have another one.

“So we must ensure that it works because no matter where we go, we will not be first-class citizens.

“Nigeria will get it right, we will get there.

“So, let us support the government, let us pray for the government, and have goodwill towards the government and everything is going to get better and right,” he said.

The Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, has revealed that it spent over N23 billion to fund 912 research projects across the country.

TETFund’s Assistant Director, Research and Development, R&D, Dr. Hadiza Ismail, revealed this at a validation workshop on “Strengthening Research and Innovation Funding Agencies in West Africa,” in Abuja on Monday, March 25.

Ismail said the agency was fully committed to the establishment of a science granting council in Nigeria.

She said: “So far, the Fund has spent over N23 billion on about 912 research projects that have been sponsored.

“But that also gives us an insight into the need for this workshop and what we are actually talking about. Despite the fact that we have given grants to over 900 projects, we want to see how we can link these research projects to industry and get viable outcomes at the end of the day to help Nigeria move forward''.

On his part, Executive Director, African Technology Policy Studies, ATPS, Network, Professor Nicholas Ozor, said the workshop was aimed at giving momentum to a project designed to strengthen national research councils in six West African countries.

He said: “Nigeria specifically has an issue currently because they do not yet have a well-recognized national research and innovation funding agency.”

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the setting up of the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund (RHIDF) to bridge the nation’s $878 billion infrastructure gap.

Announcing this to journalists after the week’s FEC, which was presided over by President Bola Tinubu, Special Adviser to the President on Revenue and Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, also disclosed that the Fund will be domiciled in the Presidency.

According to him, the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan had estimated Nigeria’s infrastructure expenditure from 2016 to 2040 at USD 878 billion, averaging USD 35 billion annually, adding that recognising that the Federal

Government alone could not meet the demand, given its heavy reliance on revenue from the oil and gas sector, new financing frameworks are required, hence the RHIDF, which is an upgrade to the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund initiated by the previous administration.

Throwing more light on the Fund, Adedeji said: “How do we sustainably mobilise resources to actually fund development of the country. And what we have observed is that we need national infrastructure backbone to get this done.

“If you look at the analysis of the integrated master plan that was commissioned in 2020, we will require $895 billion in the next 10 years to actually bridged the gap of infrastructure problem that we have.

“For us to do that, it requires that we think outside the box and compare what has worked elsewhere, whether within our country or in other advanced countries that we are actually proud to be associated with.

“In coming up with this, in the wisdom of Mr President and the magnanimity the council, they approved the establishment of Renewed Hope Infrastructure Fund, as the catalyst to drive our infrastructure agenda.

“So, innovative fund consolidates existing resources to drive economic growth and connectivity across sectors like transport, agriculture, aviation and education and others. It helps for inclusive progress leaving no community behind and this is expanding the initial Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund that we have.

“This Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund unifies efforts streamline the projects delivery for maximum impact, it accelerates infrastructure development, sparking economic dynamism nationwide.

“The key objective of the fund is to invest in nationally critical projects in sectors that will promote growth, enhance local value addition through backward, forward and parallel linkages, create employment opportunities, promote technological innovation, promote exports.

“Potential sectors for focus, like I said, will be agriculture, energy technology, infrastructure, healthcare and education. However, these ones I’ve mentioned are just indicative of what we do.

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“Then what is our goal is to actually establish an innovative infrastructure investment vehicle that we will use to attract and consolidate capital, serving as a driver for economic advancement. It is also having as part of goals to execute strategic and meticulously chosen national infrastructure across several key-sectors, like coastal road; the rail that we want to do, both southern and eastern rail; agricultural, spanning from irrigation, storage, logistics, and cold-chain and food security; ports and our airports and also to guarantee Nigerians that we’ll secure most advantageous arrangement in financing.

“So what is the strategic key focus for now? Like I said, we’ll focus more on road infrastructure, rail infrastructure, and agricultural infrastructure, ports revitalization and aviation enhancement. We believe that this vehicle will be one of the major vehicles, major-thinking-outside-the-box solution to our infrastructure gap.

“We believe, hopefully by the special grace of Almighty God, that Mr. President will launch this Fund after the Honorable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning would have done the Supplementary Budget that will take care of all these critical projects that we want to go on to.

“So we’ll look forward that the next few months, the fund will be launched and then it will be domiciled in Presidency as its precursor, which was the Presidential Infrastructure … This one is just expanding on that and then hopefully, in the next few years, we’ll be able to bridge the gap that we have infrastructure and then we’ll laid a solid foundation through which the food security, industrialization and all other wonderful aims that we have, we’ll be able to do. At the end of the day now help our internal revenue mobilisation.”

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved two initiatives aimed at fostering greater inclusion and development opportunities for the youth population.

Disclosing this to journalists after the week’s Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Minister of Youth and Sports Development Dr Jemila Ibrahim-Bio also announced that FEC approved the restructuring of the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) with additional provision for it.

According to Ibrahim-Bio, the Council has approved institutionalisation of a 2% youth quota in all government appointments and women representation of 30%.

She said this will be addressing the age-long marginalization of young people in decision-making processes.

“I’m delighted to brief the gentleman and women of the press that we have received Council’s approval to institutionalise a 2% youth quota, a third percent representation of young people in all government appointments and an equitable young women representation inclusive of this 30%,” she said.

According to her, it will go a long way in addressing “the long marginalization and exclusion of young people in decision making, and will also go a long way to encourage young people to participate in decision making processes and in civic engagements.”

The Council also approved the restructuring and institutionalization of the NYIF, a fund initially established in 2020 to support youth-led and youth-owned enterprises in priority sectors.

Recognising the potential of this initiative, the administration has commissioned a technical committee to review and restructure the fund, leading to the establishment of the Nigerian Youth Fund through a legal framework.

She said the revamped Youth Investment Fund will receive an immediate infusion of ₦25 billion from the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act, complemented by an additional ₦25 billion from the 2024 Appropriation Act’s Digital Development Fund.

Moreover, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approved a ₦60 billion release through the Agric Investment and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Scheme, providing a significant boost to the fund’s resources.

She further said that the implementation strategy for the Renewed Youth Investment Fund will involve the establishment of clusters, where young people will cross-guarantee each other, focused on commodities with comparative advantages across the six geopolitical zones.

Additionally, she said the fund will offer increased obligor limits, moratoriums, and extended loan tenures, allowing young businesses to incubate and reach profitability.

“Secondly, the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund, initially established in 2020, has been restructured and institutionalized through a legal framework.

“The fund, initially set at ₦75 billion, will now receive ₦25 billion from the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Act and an additional ₦25 billion from the 2024 Appropriation Act. Additionally, ₦60 billion will be released from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s SME Investment Fund, focusing on agricultural investments.

“These measures aim to support young businesses and stimulate economic growth”, she said.

Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) has filed criminal charges against MTN Nigeria Communications Ltd and four others over alleged copyright infringement.

The case with the number FHC/ABJ/CR/111/2024 was filed at the federal high court in Abuja. 

Four other defendants in the case are Karl Toriola, chief executive officer (CEO) of MTN Nigeria; Nkeakam Abhulimen; Fun Mobile Ltd, a telecommunications service provider; and Yahaya Maibe, its CEO.

In the three-count charge, NCC alleged that the defendants, between 2010 and 2017, “offered for sale, sold and traded for business, infringed musical works of Maleke Moye, an artiste, without his consent and authorisation”.

The commission alleged that the defendants used Maleke’s musical works and sound recordings with subsisting copyright, known as “caller ring back tunes” without the authorisation of the artiste.

The musical works and sound recordings of the musician allegedly infringed upon include 911, Minimini-Wana Wana, Stop Racism, Ewole, 911 instrumental, Radio, Low Waist, and No bother.

The defendants were also alleged to have illegally distributed the musical works to their subscribers, without authorisation, thereby infringing on the rights of the artiste.

In the third count, the defendants were alleged of having in their possession, the musical works and sound recordings of the artiste, other than for their personal or domestic use. 

The copyright commission said the alleged offences are punishable under section 20 (2) (a) (b) and (c) of the Copyright Act, Cap. C28, laws of the federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The case is yet to be assigned to any judge and no date has been set for mention.

Despite controversy trailing it, The Labour Party (LP) last night said its convention slated Nnewi, Anambra State tomorrow will go on as planned.

Acting National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said all was set for the event.

“Yes, the convention will hold as planned. Delegates have started arriving,” Ifoh said.

Deputy National Chairman, Ayo Olorunfemi, also confirmed the convention would go ahead.

The decision to hold the national convention has pitted the National Chairman Julius Abure against the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which is calling for his resignation.

The party has twice shifted the convention venue from Benin City, Edo State to Umuahia, Abia State to Nnewi in Anambra.

On Sunday, the founding fathers joined their voices in calling for Abure’s sack.

The NLC insisted that the planned convention was illegal.

It called for the setting up of a caretaker transition committee to organise a “legitimate convention”.

Also, the House of Representatives Caucus called for the postponement of the convention.

The caucus leader, Victor Ogene, asked the leadership to put an end to the infighting and engage in further consultation.

The caucus said many stakeholders, including the lawmakers, were not carried along on the plans.

Former NLC president Ayuba Wabba had also said Abure and his team were perpetrating illegality and that the LP had deviated from the founding fathers’ ideology.

He dismissed the allegation of an attempt to hijack LP levelled against NLC President Joe Ajaero, saying it was designed to whip up sentiment.

Wabba said Abure’s tenure had expired, and that a national convention cannot hold without ward and state congresses.

The ex-NLC president also insisted that the NLC owns the LP, as decided by a court.

The Federal Government, on Monday, contacted the International Criminal Police Organisation and issued an arrest warrant for the apprehension of one of the detained executives of a global crypto-currency firm, Binance, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who escaped from lawful custody on Friday.

It was also gathered from the Office of the National Security Adviser that Anjarwalla, a suspect in the probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria, used a Kenyan passport to escape, while his colleague was still in custody.

The escapee Binance official, who has British and Kenyan nationalities, escaped from Abuja through a Middle East airliner, as his firm in Nigeria confirmed that Anjarwalla was no longer in the country, adding that the company would cooperate with security agencies.

The escape shocked security agencies, as they revealed that the fleeing executive was kept in a ‘safe house’ guarded by soldiers, adding that the security guards on duty had been detained.

The Office of the National Security Adviser confirmed the escape of Anjarwalla in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the Head of its Strategic Communication, Zakari Mijinyawa, who stated that preliminary investigation showed that the escapee fled Nigeria using a smuggled international passport.

He noted that efforts were ongoing to arrest the suspect.

The statement read, “The Office of the National Security Adviser confirms that Nadeem Anjarwalla, a suspect in the ongoing criminal probe into the activities of Binance in Nigeria, has escaped from lawful custody on Friday, March 22, 2024.

“Upon receiving this report, this office took immediate steps, in conjunction with relevant security agencies, Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as the international community, to apprehend the suspect.

“Security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect. Preliminary investigation shows that Mr Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport.”

Mijinyawa noted that the personnel responsible for the custody of Anjarwalla had been arrested, adding that investigations were ongoing to unravel the circumstances surrounding his escape.

“The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention.

“Recall that the Federal Government of Nigeria, like other governments around the world, has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform.

“Until his escape, Nadeem Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan nationalities and served as Binance’s Africa Regional Manager, was being tried by Nigerian courts.

“The suspect escaped while under a 14-day remand order by a court in Nigeria. He was scheduled to appear before the court again on April 4, 2024,” the statement added.

The ONSA spokesperson urged Nigerians and the international community to help with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect.

Mijinyawa said, “We urge the Nigerian public and the international community to provide whatever information they have that can assist law enforcement agencies to apprehend the suspect.”

Financial Times had on February 28, 2024, reported that two executives of the company were arrested and detained after they flew into the country as a result of a ban on their website.

On March 12, 2024, the FT reported that the EFCC asked Binance to share data on its 100 top users in Nigeria as well as all transaction history for the past six months.

According to the report, the request is at the centre of negotiations between Binance and Nigeria.

Our correspondent learnt that the escaped Binance executive fled Nigeria on his smuggled Kenyan passport.

Anjarwalla’s escape from custody last Friday steered controversy across the country since the news broke Monday morning.

The embattled Binance executive who is both a citizen of the United Kingdom and Kenya, had had his British passport seized by the Nigerian authorities.

However, in an exclusive interview with our correspondent on Monday night, the spokesperson for the Office of the NSA, Mijinyawa, revealed that Anjarwalla fled the country using his Kenyan passport.

Responding to an enquiry on the particular country’s passport used by Anjarwalla to escape from Nigeria, Mijinwaya said, “Kenyan. His other passport remains with the Nigerian authorities.”

Meanwhile, impeccable sources told one of our correspondents that Anjarwalla and his colleague, Tigran Gambaryan, were detained in a “safe house” guarded by heavily armed soldiers.

It was further revealed that the embattled crypto-currency gurus were detained on the order of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The high-placed security sources who confided in The PUNCH, also noted that some of the military personnel guarding the safe house had been detained.

“The escape of Mr Anjarwalla from custody came as a surprise to many of us in the security community. He wasn’t detained by the EFCC or the DSS, he and his colleague were detained in a ‘safe house’ guarded by heavily armed soldiers of the Nigerian Army, on the order of the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu,” one of the sources revealed.

Another source who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “The soldiers who were on duty on the day he escaped have been detained and are being interrogated over the matter.

“The Office of the National Security Adviser is the one coordinating the poet, while other relevant security agencies, the EFCC, DSS, police, FIRS, are carrying out their own independent investigations and have been questioning the Binance executives at the ‘safe house’ which is being guarded by the military.”

However, the Nigerian Immigrations Service and the Nigeria Police Force, were silent on the development.

The spokesperson for the NIS, Dr Forum Aridegbe, and the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, did not respond to inquiries concerning how Anjarwalla got a smuggled passport, and also on plans to inform the Kenyan and British police concerning his whereabouts.

When contacted to tell what would be done to military officials who guarded the house from where the Binance boss escaped, the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, replied “I currently do not have information about soldiers reportedly guarding the said escapees. Will revert if I do.”

Anjarwalla, 38, escaped on Friday, March 22, 2024 from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained after guards on duty led him to a nearby mosque for prayers in the spirit of the ongoing Ramadan fast.

Authorities are also said to be working to unravel his intended destination in a bid to get him back into custody.

An Immigration official said the Binance executive fled Nigeria on a Kenyan passport. He, however, said authorities were trying to determine how he obtained the passport, given that he had no other travel document (apart from the British passport) on him when he was taken into custody.

Another source said the two officials were held at a “comfortable guest house” and allowed many rights, including the use of telephones, a privilege Anjarwalla is believed to have exploited to plot an escape.

Anjarwalla and Tigran Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, were detained upon their arrival in Nigeria on February 26, 2024.

A criminal charge was filed against the two executives before a Magistrate Court in Abuja. On February 28, 2024, the court granted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission an order to remand the duo for 14 days.

The court also ordered Binance to provide the Nigerian government with the data/information of Nigerians trading on its platform.

Following Binance’s refusal to comply with the order, the court extended the remand of the officials for an additional 14 days to prevent them from tampering with evidence. The court then adjourned the case till April 4, 2024.

Also on March 22, the Nigerian government approached the Federal High Court in Abuja and slammed another four-count charge on Binance Holdings Limited, Anjarwalla, and Gambaryan, accusing them of offering services to subscribers on their platform while failing to register with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to pay all relevant taxes administered by the service.

And in so doing, they committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 8 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as Amended).

The defendants were also accused of offering taxable services to subscribers on their trading platform while failing to issue invoices to those subscribers to determine and pay their value-added taxes and, in so doing, committed an offence contrary to and punishable under S.29 of the Value Added Tax Act of 1993 (as amended).

Count three of the charges accused the three defendants of offering services to subscribers on their Binance trading platform for the buying and selling of cryptocurrencies and the remittance and transfer of those assets while failing to deduct the necessary Value Added Taxes arising from their operations and thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 40 of the Federal Inland Revenue Service Establishment Act 2007 (as amended).

The last count of the charges wants the defendants punished for allegedly aiding and abetting subscribers on their Binance trading platform to unlawfully refuse to pay taxes or neglect to pay those taxes and, in so doing, committing an offence contrary to and punishable under the provisions of S.94 of the Companies Income Tax Act (as amended).

The Nigerian government had, in the past three months, been cracking down on suspected money launderers and terrorism financiers, some of whom it alleged were using the Binance platform for criminal activities

The Nigerian government said over $21.6bn was traded by Nigerians whose identities were concealed by Binance.

The government also claimed its investigations revealed that unscrupulous elements were using Binance for money laundering, terrorist financing, currency speculation, and market manipulation, distorting the Nigerian economy and weakening the naira against other currencies

The detention of Binance officials in Nigeria began months after the crypto exchange platform pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $4.3bn to settle criminal money laundering charges levied by the US Department of Justice.

Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, pleaded guilty and agreed to resign. His criminal trial has been postponed to April 30, 2024, by a US court.

Binance, the global cryptocurrency exchange, confirmed on Monday that its executive, Anjarwalla, was no longer in Nigerian custody.

The crypto exchange said its concern continues to be the safety and well-being of its employees, and it is actively collaborating with Nigerian authorities to swiftly resolve the matter.

“We were made aware that Nadeem is no longer in Nigerian custody. Our primary focus remains on the safety of our employees, and we are working collaboratively with Nigerian authorities to quickly resolve this issue,” It said in the emailed response.

However, it did not provide details on how the executive left Nigerian custody.

Earlier, the public relations agency for Binance, for confirmation on the matter.

“I am currently seeking feedback from my clients. Unfortunately, I can’t share any information at the moment. As soon as I receive any updates, I will let you know,” the agency’s official stated.

Authorities are now scrambling to ascertain Anjarwalla’s whereabouts and the specifics of his escape, with investigations underway to determine his intended destination.

Last week, the families of the executives said they would remain in detention for at least two more weeks in Nigeria.

The duo appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday, even though they were not charged with a crime.

This detention follows Nigeria’s recent crackdown on various cryptocurrency trading platforms.

On March 8, the exchange announced its decision to cease its naira-to-dollar exchange services in Nigeria due to a dispute with Nigerian authorities, who accused the platform of manipulating the country’s foreign exchange rate.

The Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Yemi Cardoso, said that over $26bn in illicit funds had transited through the platform in the previous year.