Lagos state civil servants scamper for bags of rice reportedly given to them by APC governorship candidate

Members of the Lagos state civil service threw caution to the wind earlier today as they scampered for the bags of rice the APC governorship candidate in the state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reportedly sent to them as gifts.

Twitter user @magbeborun who shared photos and video from the scene where the workers were falling over themselves for the bags of rice, wrote;

''Sanwoolu asked to meet Civil servants in Lagos State at Adeyemo Bero Auditorium, Alausa... But we are here struggling to collect Rice. Yes! CIVIL SERVANTS!!!!

These are not thugs my dear, these are civil SERVANTS OF LAGOS STATE!!!!''.

INEC declares Muhammadu Buhari as winner of 2019 Presidential election

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has declared Muhammadu Buhari of APC as winner of the 2019 presidential election that held on February 23rd, 2019.

President Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled a total of 15,191,847 (56%) votes, winning in 19 of the states while Abubakar received 11,262,978 (41%) of votes and won 17 states and Abuja. 

Buhari also satisfied the constitutional requirement of making 25 per cent in 34 states and the FCT.  In 2015, Buhari scored 15, 424,921 votes to beat the PDP incumbent Goodluck Jonathan who scored 12,853,162 votes.

Atiku Abubakar's People's Democratic Party has however rejected the results and called for fresh elections in some parts of the country where they allege over-voting and other irregularities.

"We demand the immediate and outright cancellation of presidential election results in Yobe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Borno states as submitted by INEC presiding officers and ask for the conduct of fresh elections in these states," PDP said.

That Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected. #NigeriaDecides2019?Result pic.twitter.com/oz89PAz1QM

— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) February 27, 2019

At least 39 people were killed in election-related violence, according to the Situation Room, a coalition of more than 70 civic organizations that monitored the elections.

The death toll reported in the presidential vote is lower than in previous national elections. The International Crisis Group said at least 100 people were killed in violence that broke out during and after the 2015 election and Human Rights Watch reported 800 killed in the post-election violence of 2011.

See the full results below...

STATE	APC	PDP	AAC	YPP	ANN
Abia	85,058	219,698	212	720	88
Adamawa	378,078	410,266	282	109	162
Akwa Ibom	175,429	395,832	222	118	95
Anambra	33,298	524,738	124	4,091	45
Bauchi	798,428	209,313	183	112	46
Bayelsa	118,821	197,933	126	50	37
Benue	347,668	356,817	309	557	201
Borno	836,496	71,788	269	78	29
Cross River	117,302	295,737	242	217	88
Delta	221,292	594,068	1,626	497	320
Ebonyi	90,726	258,573	205	192	683
Edo	267,842	275,691	3,106	531	273
Ekiti	219,231	154,032	400	68	88
Enugu	54,423	355,553	219	1,379	141
FCT	152,224	259,997	583	1,083	652
Gombe	402,961	138,484	165	39	78
Imo	140,463	334,923	467	676	119
Jigawa	794,738	289,895	226	67	66
Kaduna	993,445	649,612	243	196	261
Kano	1,464,768	391,593	416	200	114
Katsina	1,232,133	308,056	186	61	82
Kebbi	581,552	154,282	276	53	99
Kogi	285,894	218,207	250	87	89
Kwara	308,984	138,184	401	140	422
Lagos	580,825	448,015	8,910	5,733	6,946
Nasarawa	289,903	283,847	75	44	45
Niger	612,371	218,052	324	113	145
Ogun	281,762	194,655	3,196	553	1,509
Ondo	241,769	275,901	4,414	1,224	311
Osun	347,634	337,377	1,022	189	268
Oyo	365,229	366,690	4,014	1,608	1,896
Plateau	468,555	548,665	268	442	796
Rivers	150,710	473,971	372	415	365
Sokoto	490,333	361,604	181	84	124
Taraba	324,906	374,743	116	80	35
Yobe	497,914	50,763	137	36	37
Zamfara	438,682	125,423	186	44	24
Total:	15,191,847	11,262,978	33,953	21,886	16,779

Alleged bribery: EFCC writes AGF seeks Diezani’s extradition

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, today informed Justice Valentine Ashi of a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court sitting in Apo that it has written to the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami, SAN, in respect to the extradition of a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, from the United Kingdom.

Diezani and Jide Omokore, a former Chairman, Atlantic Energy Drilling Company, were supposed to be arraigned by the Commission on February 25, 2019, for offences bordering on conspiracy and illegal act of accepting and giving gratifications.

They are alleged to have accepted and given gifts in properties located at Penthouse 22, Block B, Admiralty Estate, Ikoyi, and Penthouse 21, Building 5, Block C, Banana Island, Lagos. They are to be arraigned on February 25, 2019 on a five-count charge for the offences, which are contrary to Sections 26(1) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

At the last sitting on December 4, 2018, the Court had ordered the EFCC and other security agencies, to ensure that she is brought to court 72 hours after she returns to Nigeria, for her to face the fraud charges.

At the resumed sitting on February 25, 2019 prosecuting counsel, Faruk Abdullahi, informed the court that the Commission has written to the AGF, seeking for the extradition of Diezani.

He said: “The Commission has written the AGF, with a view for the extradition process so as to enable her face her trial, as she is still in the United Kingdom.”
..
Titled, Letter Of Request To Extradite Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke From The United Kingdom, it was received by the office of the AGF on December 14, 2018..
.
It reads in part: “The Commission recently filed charges against Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke in both the Federal High Court (Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/208/2018) and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (Charge No. CR/22/2018)".

Governor Ibikunle Amosun wins Ogun central senatorial seat

Governor Ibikunle Amosun has won the race for Ogun Central Senatorial Seat.  

The Ogun State Governor was declared the winner of Ogun central senatorial District in the early hours of Monday, February 25

He polled 88,110 votes to defeat his closest rival Solomon Sanyaolu of the PDP who polled 33,276 votes. The result was announced by INEC’s returning officer Professor Ayinde Akanbi.

Tinubu reacts to allegations a Bullion van stashed with money was parked in Ikoyi home

a picture of a Bullion van exiting the Bourdillon, Lagos state home of APC National leader, Bola Tinubu, surfaced online. It was alleged that the Bullion van was stashed with money that was to be used to induce vote buying during the elections.

Speaking to newsmen after casting his vote, Tinubu said that the bullion vans coming out of his premises does not in any way signify that his party is plotting to rig the elections as some have speculated.

According to him, the bullion vans are not ballot papers and that even if they carry money, it is his legally earned funds and he can do with it as he wishes.

“I don’t work for the government, I am not in an agency of the government, and let anybody come out to say I have taken any contract from the government of President Buhari and the APC in the last five years. If I don’t represent any agency of government and I have money to spend if I like I give it to the people for free of charge as long as it is not to buy votes”. he said

Vice President Osinbajo, Fela Durotoye lose their polling unit to PDP

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the presidential candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), Fela Durotoye, lost their polling units in the Victoria Garden City VGC in Lagos state to PDP's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Osinbajo and Durotoye voted in the same polling unit.

At the end of the elections, the PDP polled 425 votes while the APC had 229. The opposition party also won the National Assembly elections in the polling unit. In the senatorial election, the PDP had 414 votes while the APC had 261. For the house of representatives election, the PDP had 268 while the APC had 190 votes.

Federal Government condemns deportation of 723 Nigerians from Ghana

The federal government has condemned the deportation of 723 Nigerians from Ghana on allegations of cybercrime, prostitution and illegal stay.  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement by its Spokesperson, George Edokpa on Friday in Abuja, expressed concern over the development saying the federal government also frowned at the reports which included the maltreatment and inhuman conditions entailed in the processes by the Ghanaian authorities.

“Although it is the policy of the Government not to condone any form of criminality on the part of Nigerians in any part of the World, such inhuman treatment and alleged torture of some of these Nigerians in Ghana is unacceptable,” it said.  

The ministry said the federal government, through its High Commissioner to Ghana, Michael Abikoye, had registered its displeasure over the disheartening incidents. It stated that the High Commissioner was currently engaging in diplomatic dialogue with the Ghanaian authorities.  

Abikoye had during a meeting with the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), Kwame Takyi, said in Accra that 723 Nigerians had been deported from Ghana since January 2018 to date. The envoy said during the meeting, that the GIS linked prostitution and cybercrime as some of the reasons for the deportations.

He, however, said it was improper to deport Nigerians for alleged illegal stay in Ghana. Abikoye had observed that there were several Ghanaians living in Nigeria but the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had never deported any of them because of brotherliness between the two countries.  

He reminded Ghana of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Protocol on free movement of persons to migrate to the various member nations without necessary valid documents. He drew the attention of Takyi on several cases of molestation, harassment and torture of Nigerians by the GIS officials, especially those awaiting deportation at its facility. The High Commissioner told the GIS boss that the inhuman act was against the UN Convention against torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

He, therefore, implored Takyi to prevail on his officials to treat Nigerians and other ECOWAS nationals with human face and not as common criminals. However, the GIS boss said the service was being compelled to carry out the deportation because of the conduct of some Nigerians in Ghana. According to him, besides engaging in cybercrime and prostitution, some Nigerians had become “law” themselves.  He said they engaged in blockage of roads in major Ghanaian streets where they drank, fought and stabbed each other, stressing that their “unruly” behaviour contravened the local laws in Ghana.

'We support Nigeria to manage its own internal affairs' – Chinese Government

The Chinese government has expressed its readiness to continue to support Nigeria to manage its own internal affairs without any interference.

This position was made known on Thursday by the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang while fielding questions on Nigeria’s coming general elections at a regular press conference.

When asked about the Chinese government’s comment on the elections in Nigeria against the backdrop of the postponement of the poll last week and the reactions such generated from the international community, Shuang said'

“We have noted the relevant situation. The Chinese side hopes and believes that Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary elections will be held successfully and smoothly.

“I would like to point out that Nigeria is an important country in Africa. Peace, stability and development of Nigeria serve the interests of the Nigerian people, the region and Africa at large.

“China always stands for the principle of non-interference in other country's internal affairs. We believe the Nigerian government and people are capable of managing the relevant election affairs.”

2019 Election: US Congressman advises Buhari to live up to GEJ's legacy of peaceful transition

As reactions continue to trail the postponement of the 2019 general elections, a US congressman has written a letter to president Buhari asking him to emulate the peaceful transition process of the Jonathan administration.

Chris Smith, a ranking Republican in the House sub-committee on Africa laid the blame for the postponement squarely on president Buhari's shoulders. He said this in a letter to President Buhari titled, ‘On the Postponement of Elections in Nigeria,’

The letter reads:

“Responsibility for the delay of Nigeria’s presidential election lays squarely with President Muhammadu Buhari and those close to him. Actions in advance of the election — including removal of Supreme Court Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen and arson attacks on Independent National Electoral Commission offices in opposition strongholds — are undermining confidence that this election and subsequent gubernatorial elections will be free and fair. At a minimum, the presidential election must meet the 2015 standard, which saw a peaceful transfer of power and a statement by the then-sitting president that all bloodshed must be avoided.”

"In addition to being sub-Saharan Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria is its biggest economy, and what happens in Nigeria has ramifications beyond its borders,” Smith said. 

 

“Given the magnitude of global problems Secretary Pompeo must contend with, he should consider appointing a Special Envoy for Nigeria vested with full authority. “The State Department must use all tools at its disposal, including visa denial and sanctioning authority, to hold accountable those who undermine democracy and foment sectarian and ethnic violence,” Smith added

Ex-Liverpool coach Brendan Rodgers becomes new boss of Leicester City on three-and-a-half year contract

Former Liverpool coach, Brendan Rodgers has been appointed as the new manager of Leicester City after leaving Scottish Premiership giants Celtic.

The Northern Irishman who won two straight Premiership titles for Celtic replaces Claude Puel who was sacked on Sunday, less than 24 hours after a disappointing 4-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.

Rodgers' backroom staff are Glen Driscoll, Chris Davies, and former Manchester City and Liverpool defender Kolo Toure.

Speaking at a press conference this evening, Rodgers said: 'I'm very privileged and honoured to be here as Leicester City manager and I'll give my life to make the supporters proud of their club.

'Together, we'll be stronger and I'm looking forward to working with the players, staff and supporters to make the right steps forward.'

Leicester City vice chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, said: 'I'm absolutely delighted to bring a manager of Brendan's calibre to Leicester City and I look forward to seeing what he, our talented, young squad and our dedicated, skilled team of staff can achieve together.

'As projects, including the development of our new training ground and the proposed expansion of King Power Stadium continue to take shape, and as a young squad of great potential begins to mature, Brendan and his colleagues arrive at an exciting time for Leicester City. 

'We're continuing to grow as a club and I am anticipating that Brendan's coaching methods, knowledge and experience can enhance our journey.'

Customs detain four officers over Ogun shooting

The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) says it has detained four of its officers who engaged passengers of a Hiace bus in a scuffle at Sagamu interchange area last Sunday, which led to an accidental discharge of gunfire that claimed the life of one Godwin Agada Onoja.

A statement released by the Customs National Spokesman, Joseph Attah today, says the four officers have been detained pending the outcome of investigations into the matter by the investigation panel headed by the Zonal Coordinator Zone A, ACG Kaycee Ekekezie. Read the statement below

Following the unfortunate incident on Sunday 17th February 2019 at Shagamu Interchange involving Operatives of the Federal Operations Unit Zone A, which led to the death of a fellow citizen, Mr. Godwin Agada Onoja, the Nigeria Customs Service has continued to maintain close contact with the bereaved family. We are pained by this sad development and share the grief of losing a fellow compatriot in a seemingly avoidable circumstance. We are and will continue to take every necessary step that will cushion the pain associated with losing a dear one.

Consequently, the Comptroller-General of Customs Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali (Rtd) has directed a thorough investigation into the immediate and remote causes of the incident with the view to ensuring that justice is served. In line with this directive, the investigation panel headed by the Zonal Coordinator Zone A, ACG Kaycee Ekekezie has interrogated and detained four members of the patrol team. The panel could not immediately conclude the investigation because the actual officer (ASCI Destiny Onebamho) whose riffle discharged is presently receiving medical attention as a result of attack following the unfortunate incident. He will face the panel as soon as he is fit to do so, to enable the panel conclude investigation and recommend appropriate action(s).

NCS is a reputable organization known for integrity and responsibility. In line with our corporate values, we will not shield any operative found wanting in this ongoing investigation. The Service appreciates the public concern and strong emotions drawn from the viral video with narratives that created various opinions.

Nigerians will recall that in 2017, the Service made public its investigation and dismissal of five (5) officers implicated in the illegal release of the 661-pump action riffles from Apapa Port. The dismissed officers were immediately handed over for prosecution along side the importer and agent. A prosecution that is ongoing at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi Lagos.

In the same vein, the ongoing investigation will be holistic including looking at the weapon handling skills and actions that must be taken by the Service to possibly prevent future occurrence.

We will continue to update the public details of every action taken in the handling of this unfortunate incident.

Gbenro Ajibade is a weak man- media girl Shade Ladipo blasts

According to media personality, Shade Ladipo, Gbenro Ajibade can best be described as a weak man for his recent outburst on IG about his wife and mother of his daughter, Osas.

Gbenro on Sunday February 17th, acccused Osas of neglecting their daughter and keeping late nights.

While speaking on Silverbird TV yesterday, Shade who is disgusted at Gbenro's attack on Osas, said

''‘A man who is busy making money will not notice a woman who is home or not home''/

Watch the clip below

39-year-old woman arrested for defrauding church of N100m in Ogun State

The Ogun State Police command has arrested a woman for allegedly defrauding a Christian faith-based organisation to the sum of N100m.

The suspect, 39-year-old Iwuagwu Onyinyechi was arrested under the pretence of assisting the organisation to raise fund for its charity programme

Speaking to newsmen on Sunday, Police spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the lady was arrested after a petition written by a Lagos-based lawyer of the organisation, Godswill Ojakovo, to the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, in which he complained that his client was defrauded by the suspect through an act of forgery.

According to Oyeyemi, the suspect claimed to have got a Local Purchase Order (LPO) from a property company and appealed to the organisation to help fund the LPO, consequent upon which a sum of N33.118m was transferred into to her bank account.

He said while the organisation was awaiting the repayment of the loan, the suspect came with another two LPOs she claimed to have got from a Catholic Hospital, Iju and a private school in Ikorodu, Lagos State, upon which another sum of N77m was given to her, after convincing the organisation with relevant documents and proofs to back her claims.

But as soon as the suspect got the last payment in September 2018, she was nowhere to be found, prompting the organisation to make inquiries about the LPOs she submitted before they discovered it was all forged.

“Upon the petition, the Commissioner of Police Ogun State, Ahmed Iliyasu, directed his monitoring team to go after the suspect and bring her to book. The team technically tracked the suspect and got her arrested on January 21, 2019.

“On interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime by admitting that the LPOs presented by her were forged and some of the companies she claimed to be the owners of the LPOs, were made up by her.

“Meanwhile, the CP has directed the monitoring team to arraign the suspect in court as soon as the investigations are concluded,” DSP Oyeyemi stated.

Will Smith trolls Kim Kardashian and Kanye West over Kenny G Valentine's Day surprise

Will Smith has become the latest celebrity to troll Kim Kardashian and Kanye West over Kanye's Valentine's Day gift.

Recall on Valentine's Day, Kanye West treated his wife Kim Kardashian to an incredibly romantic surprise by inviting legendary musician Kenny G to privately serenade her while amongst an array of roses placed in her room.

The couple were hilariously trolled online by various celebrities and Will Smith decided to join  the band wagon.

The actor shared a photoshopped image of himself playing the instrument among the roses and wrote: 'Ye - I'm available next year!'

The image was taken from an episode of his show, The Prince Of Bel Air from back in season five in 1993. 

INEC postpones presidential election to February 23rd

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, a few hours ago announced the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for today February 16th to next Saturday February 23 2019, while State Governorship and House of Assembly elections will now hold on Saturday March 9.

The announcement was made by Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu

'It is your turn to prove that nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any citizen" Ex- President Goodluck Jonathan calls for credible 2019 elections

Former President, Goodluck Jonathan has called for peaceful 2019 elections. He made the call in a statement on Thursday, February 14. Read below: 
 

My dear citizens of our beloved country Nigeria,
My name is Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and I bring good tidings for Nigeria and for you.
Today, I want to talk to you about the coming elections this Saturday, February 16, 2019.
My simple message to you is that if you love Nigeria, you must come out to vote.
As a wise man once said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
You are all good Nigerians. I therefore urge you to come out and vote based on your conscience and conviction.
The best antidote to rigging of elections is a high voter turnout. Remember, none of us is greater than all of us.
I proved that my political ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. Now it is your turn to prove that nobody’s political ambition is worth the blood of any citizen.
Shun violence, shun hatred. Come out this Saturday and vote peacefully for the Nigeria of your choice. Remember, we are all brothers and sisters born from the womb of one mother Nigeria.
May God bless Nigeria. GEJ.

Olympic champion and intersex athlete Caster Semenya 'set to be classified as a male athlete' by IAAF

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will insist that South African Olympic champion and intersex athlete, Caster Semenya should be classified as a 'biological male' at a Court of Arbitration of Sports hearing next week.

According to The Times, lawyers for the athletics' international body will argue that the 28-year-old South African should be allowed to compete in women's events if, as transgender athletes do, she takes testosterone suppressants. 

The hearing, which is set to last five days, is concerning Semenya and athletes with 'differences of sexual development' (DSD) and is likely to have a huge impact for transgender athletes in women's categories, the publication added.

The move is expected to divide views over whether Semenya and other DSD runners should be forced to take testosterone blockers, usually a contraceptive pill. 

According to Mail Online, the result of the 800m final at the Rio 2016 Olympics summed up the complexity of the issue. As well as race winner Semenya, silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi and bronze medallists Margaret Wambui of Kenya, have also faced questions about their testosterone levels 

Speaking to The Times on the case, Jonathan Taylor, the IAAF's London-based lawyer from the firm Bird & Bird, said: 'If the CAS rules that legal recognition as female is sufficient to qualify for the female category of competition, and the IAAF is not permitted to require athletes of female legal sex who have testes and consequently male levels of testosterone to reduce those levels down to the female range, then DSD and transgender athletes will dominate the podiums and prize money in sport, and women with normal female testosterone levels will not have any chance to win

2019 elections: Nigerian Air Force begins airlift of election materials for INEC

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), has commenced the airlift of electoral materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) across the country for the conduct of the 2019 General Elections. 

The airlift exercise includes day and night missions, during which both sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials were conveyed in batches, with NAF C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja to various airports across the country. The materials were duly delivered by the C-130H aircraft crew to teams of INEC and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) officials together with security personnel waiting at the various airports.

It may be recalled that the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, during his meeting with Air Officers Commanding (AOCs) and NAF Field Commanders in February, had expressed the readiness of the NAF to avail INEC its transport aircraft to enable expeditious movement of electoral materials, as done in the past. 

It is pertinent to state that the transport aircraft are deployed solely to provide airlift support to meet INEC’s logistics requirements, in fulfillment of NAF’s constitutional role of providing Military Aid to Civil Authority.

Two decades after Nigerian widow Esther Kiobel testifies against Shell in The Hague

Esther Kiobel, the widow of a Nigerian activist suing oil giant Shell over the execution of her husband says his death left her "traumatised" and "poverty-stricken".  

She is testifying in court in The Hague, demanding compensation from the Netherlands-based firm. Esther is among four women who accuse Shell of being complicit in the hanging of their husbands by Nigeria's military in 1995 but Shell denies the allegation.

Back in the 90s, the activists led mass protests against oil pollution in Nigeria's Ogoniland. The protests were seen as a major threat to then-military ruler Gen Sani Abacha, and Shell.

They were led by author Ken Saro-Wiwa, who was among nine activists hanged by the military regime. Their executions caused global outrage, and led to Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth for more than three years.  

Two of the widows were in court, but two others were denied visas to attend.

In a written statement, Esther said she had lost a "wonderful husband" and a "best friend".

She added: "Shell came into my life to take the best crown l ever wore off my head. Shell came into my life to make me a poverty-stricken widow with all my businesses shut down. Shell came into my life to make me a refugee living in harsh conditions before l came to the United States through [a] refugee programme and now [I am a] citizen.

"The abuses my family and l went through are such an awful experience that has left us traumatised to date without help. We all have lived with so much pain and agony, but rather than giving up, the thought of how ruthlessly my husband was killed... has spurred me to remain resilient in my fight for justice.

"Nigeria and Shell killed my late husband: Dr Barinem Kiobel and his compatriots Kenule Tua Saro Wiwa, John Kpuinen, Baribor Bera, Paul Levula, Nordu Eawo and the rest [of the] innocent souls.

"My husband and the rest were killed... The memory of the physical torture my family and l went through has remained fresh in my mind, and whenever l look at the scar of the injury l sustained during the incident, my heart races for justice all the more."

World number one tennis star, Naomi Osaka sacks her coach Sascha Bajin

World number one, Naomi Osaka has split with her coach Sascha Bajin 16 days after winning the Australian Open.  

The Japanese 21-year-old, whose win in Melbourne sealed back-to-back Grand Slam titles, worked with the German for just over a year before they parted ways.

"I will no longer be working together with Sascha. I thank him for his work and wish him all the best in the future" Osaka tweeted.  

Bajin was named WTA coach of the year for 2018. He is a former hitting partner of Grand Slam champions Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki. Bajin thanked Osaka and said he wished her "nothing but the best. What a ride that was. Thank you for letting me be part of this" he tweeted.  

Under Bajin, Osaka rose from world number 72 at the start of 2018 to the summit of the rankings little over a year later. No reason has been given for the split, which comes less than six months after he said he was in it for the long haul.

Nicki Minaj pulls her BET Experience performance after BET shaded her while congratulating Cardi B on her Grammy win

Nicki Minaj has pulled her BET Experience performance after BET shaded her while praising Cardi B on her Grammy Awards win.

In a now-deleted tweet, BET retweeted an article saying Cardi B is the first solo female rapper to win best rap album.

Their caption read:

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj is being dragged by her lacefront.

BET was called out for the tweet and they took it down. But Nicki later took to Twitter to write:

Young Money will no longer be apart of the BET Experience or award show. ♥???♥? Summer Tour dates dropping soon ?

When a follower asked if they should ask for a refund for the BET ticket they already bought, Nicki said:

Absolutely. Get your refund ASAP

Nicki also went ahead to retweet posts by Twitter users calling out BET for disrespecting Nicki.

She captioned it:

Meanwhile, BET is being dragged by their lace front. ?