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Basic facts about Boko Haram, Nigeria The group became active in 2002 under the Boko Haram leadership of Mohammed Yusuf. He is now deceased. It is active mostly in the north-eastern parts of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and the north of Cameroon. At first it was believed to be a part of al-Quaeda, but in 2015, it moved on to become part of the ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant). The Boko Haram origin of the name stems from the Hausa phrase that literally translates as ‘Western education is forbidden’. The name the group uses to describe themselves, Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād literally translates as the Group of the People of Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad. Read more: https://www.naija.ng/1127137-history-boko-haram-nigeria-activities.html#1127137 For many years, Boko Haram has terrorised Nigeria. The violent Boko Haram attacks have left deep scars, both visible and invisible. Check out our article on the history of Bo...

Barcelona have not given up hope of signing Adrien Rabiot from Paris Saint - Germain , according to Marca.  The 23-year-old midfielder has attracted the interest of the La Liga champions although it is expected to be difficult to agree a deal with PSG. The Barcelona transfer target is in the final year of his contract but the strained relationship between the clubs, following the Neymar signing, means it could be tough to pull off this summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo will start his Serie A career with Juventus at Chievo. The Portugal forward became Juve's club record signing last month when he joined from Real Madrid for £99.2m. And Thursday's announcement of the opening round of Italian top flight fixtures sees him head to the Stadio Bentegodi for the champions' first match of the 2018/19 campaign, on the weekend of August 18-19.

Marcus Rashford has been living it up with his stunning girlfriend Lucia Loi in Barbados as he enjoys his post-World Cup break. The 20-year-old has been granted an extended break by Jose Mourinho following his displays for England at the World Cup. And he was certainly making the most of his free time as he raced around the crystal clear waters on a jet ski as his partner held on for dear life. Both Rashford and Loi , 20, have taken to social media to document their holiday before he heads back to Carrington. In one picture, the forward ditched his partner and uploaded a snap of himself on a jet ski captioned “ Wavvy ” as he cruised around the Caribbean coast. Although he failed to score or provide an assist in Russia, he still managed to rack up six appearances as the Three Lions finished in fourth place. Rashford along with 11 of his Red Devils team-mates look set to miss the opening game of the season against Leicester on August 10. United’s warm up for the upc...

Brazil and Bordeaux winger Malcom is on his way to Barcelona , the club have tweeted - but he's due to undergo a medical on Wednesday morning before signing terms at the Nou Camp. Here's what they said about "enjoying" the impending arrival.

  Super Eagles player, Brian Idowu has spoken out about the game he played against Lionel Messi during the world cup in Russia. Brian Idowu has shared memories of the 2018 World Cup, which he will remember for a long time after a personal duel with Barcelona’s Argentina striker Lionel Messi. Speaking to the official website of Lokomotiv Moscow, the former Amkar Perm defender has thanked his Super Eagles teammates, the likes of Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo and Wilfred Ndidi, for assisting him to limit Messi’s impact in their last Group D fixture at the Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg on June 26. Idowu told fclm.ru:- “For life I will remember, of course, the game against Messi. He made me prepare for the match even more seriously”. “Fortunately, the teammates helped, rarely leaving me alone with him, but when such cases were, he tried to play as tightly as possible. “The base of our team was in Yessentuki – we were well supported after the victories, and aft...

  Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah are among the nominees for FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player of the Year award for 2018. World Cup winners Antoine Griezmann and Raphael Varane join international team-mate Mbappe on the list, while Golden Boot winner in Russia Harry Kane is also included. Salah , meanwhile, is rewarded for an incredible season at club level with Liverpool, with the 26-year-old having scored 32 goals in 36 league appearances to help the Reds finish fourth in the table. Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric also makes the final 10 as he claimed Champions League glory, the club’s third in a row, and played a pivotal role in Croatia’s run to the World Cup final. See The Full Nominees Below *Note That This List Will Eventually Be Skinned To 3* Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid >> Juventus) Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) Antoine Griezmann (Atl Madrid) Eden Hazard (Chelsea) Harry Kane (Tottenham) Kylian Mbap...

Nigeria’s chief coach Salisu Yusuf has denied any wrongdoing after footage broadcast on Tuesday showed him accepting money from undercover reporters posing as football agents. The BBC showed video of Yusuf taking what it said was $1,000 (850 euros) after a conversation about the selection of two players for the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN). He was also told he would receive 15 percent of the fee if the players were included in the Nigeria squad for the tournament, which is open only to home-based African footballers. The BBC said the footage was part of a wider investigation into corruption in African football by Ghanaian journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas. His expose has led to the resignation of the head of the Ghana Football Association, Kwesi Nyantakyi, after he was accused of soliciting bribes and kickbacks. The two players in the latest report were not identified. In a letter to the BBC, made available by Yusuf, he confirmed he met two people who in...

  President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, is leading senators to the Apo Legislative Quarters residence of Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, whose house has been under a siege by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and men of the Nigeria Police. Saraki had told lawmakers at the plenary that a solidarity visit would be paid to Ekweremadu.

Six months old Baby Chanco is fast becoming an internet sensation and it’s all because of her incredible hair! At just half-a-year-old, Baby Chanco boasts of an impressive 100,000 Instagram followers as at the time of writing, and the number keeps going up! It’s no doubt that most parent feel their child(ren) have something that sets them apart from the crowd, Chanco’s mum and dad are clear winners. Their lovely daughter girl was born in December 2017 in Japan and her Instagram page has ‘hair diary’ written in the bio. It’s quite lovely that they have decided to track their daughter’s amazing hair on social media for many to follow because the pictures are too cute! Because of hormones, some babies are born with plenty of hair, only to lose it in the following weeks. Chanco’s hair may not be lost, but its texture and color could change as she grows. There are only 46 posts on the page so far but the pictures often get well over 10,000 likes and hundreds of comment...

  The Lagos state commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, has banned policemen in the state from patrolling in mufti and commercial vehicles. This is contained in a statement released today by the spokesperson of the command, SP Chike Oti. Read the statement below:- To ensure that policemen in Lagos are at their professional best always, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Edgal Imohimi has banned police operatives in the state from operating in mufti and commercial vehicles such as the yellow buses popularly known as Danfo or other commercial buses. Unmarked vehicles will only be used occasionally for covert operations targeted at a specific individual or group based on credible intelligence. The Command is not unaware that some unscrupulous individuals impersonate as SARS operatives. To this end, the CP urges members of the public to take note of the dress code for SARS operatives in the Command. The dress code is as follows:- 1. A black jacket an...

Health minister of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Oly Ilunga officially announced the end of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever epidemic in a statement made on national television Tuesday. On May 12, officials declared an outbreak of the highly contagious disease, the eighth to date in the sprawling country, in Bas-Uele province – an equatorial forest zone near the Central African Republic. “I declare the end of the Ebola outbreak in Likati in DRC from midnight tonight,” Ilunga said. An Ebola outbreak in 2014 left 11 300 people dead, mainly in west Africa

Brazil superstar Neymar admits that after his nation’s quarter-final defeat to Belgium at the World Cup he couldn’t look at a ball and didn’t want to see any of the remaining matches. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say I didn’t want to play again but, I didn’t want to see a ball, or to see any more football played,” 26-year-old Neymar told AFP in an exclusive interview on Saturday. The PSG  forward was talking at his Neymar Praia Grande institute where the Red Bull Neymar Jr 5’s (five-a-side-soccer) tournament was being played. Dressed in a sleeveless t-shirt, with his six-year-old son Davi Lucca sat upon his knee, the striker was however in a relaxed mood as he explained his post-World Cup blues. “I was in mourning, I was really sad about it, but sadness passes, I have my son, my family, my friends and they don’t want to see me moping around. I’ve got more reason to be happy than sad,” said Neymar, reflecting on his team’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Belgi...

The Federal Government on Monday directed the contractor handling the new Lagos-Ibadan railway project, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, to extend its work from Ebute Meta to Apapa as part of measures to facilitate the movement of goods from the Lagos seaports to other parts of the country by rail. Although the extension is in the second phase of the standard gauge railway project, the government said the decision to bring it forward was informed by the need to address the near stagnation of import and export business due to the gridlock on roads leading to Apapa and the Lagos seaports.

The College of Medicine, University of Lagos, has inducted 154 graduates of medicine and surgery and 32 dentists into the profession. Speaking during the induction ceremony, which took place at the college’s New Great Hall, last Wednesday, the Provost of the college, Prof. Foluso Lesi, urged the graduates to be change agents and work with dignity.Lesi said, “I congratulate the parents, families, well-wishers and friends of the graduands and pray that your joy and investment in them will yield bountiful harvest. I also congratulate their teachers for delivering qualitative teaching to these young doctors. I congratulate my young colleagues for finishing the race, as I welcome you to this noble profession. “I enjoin you to be change agents. I want you to work with empathy, not sympathy. Strive to know more and don’t think that you know everything. The power to change a trend and nation resides in every individual as a change agent. I ...

Sky Germany understands that Bordeaux winger Malcom’s agent is in Barcelona to discuss a move for the Brazilian. Roma had earlier agreed a deal with Bordeaux for Malcom, subject to a medical, but the player pleaded with his club to let him speak with Barcelona once he learned of their interest. Malcom will cost around half the price of Willian, another Barcelona target, with Chelsea asking for £70m

Liverpool will feel the weight of increased expectation to deliver silverware this season after making encouraging forays into the transfer market, manager Jurgen Klopp said. "You're right and people will say that it is the next step. We need to be ready for that," Klopp told reporters in New York, where Liverpool were continuing their pre-season tour. "I know about the expectations and that's completely normal. First of all we have to play the football that gives us an opportunity to win something. We cannot talk about winning something before we start the season."

And welcome to AffricaNews live, bringing you all of the latest news from the window. Follow us  at AffricaNews .Live news and update.

In the kindest way possible, Cristiano Ronaldo is a freak of nature and his medical results at new club Juventus back up that statement. It has emerged that the striker's physical state has been compared to a 20 year old after results in his medical show that he has 7% body fat and an incredible 50% muscle mass, which is significantly better than his fellow professionals of that specific age group. Not only that but the 33-year-old ran 33.98km at the World Cup, which was faster than anyone at the tournament. He just continues to smash records, despite his age. Cristiano Ronaldo's physical state has been compared to a 20 year old after his Juve medical. Body fat: 7% (10-11% is avg w/pros) Muscular mass: 50% (46% is avg w/pros) Ran 33.98km in World Cup, fastest in the entire tournament - Matteo Bonetti (@TheCalcioGuy) July 23, 2018 Before he joined the Turin side earlier this month, Real Madrid's coaching staff hperformed a series of tests on Cristiano ...

Stefano Sturaro's agent has been talking to the Italian press about the Juventus  midfielder, with West Ham and Leicester  reportedly keen on signing him. Gazetta Dello Sport  reports the 25-year-old midfielder is valued at around £17.9m, and that both English clubs have made 'big offers' for him.

  Premium Sport reports Juventus are open to selling Miralem Pjanic, and they’d look to replace him with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away this summer, and it was reported today that there is a €100m price tag. Now Premium Sport is reporting that Juve haven’t categorically ruled out a sale, and talks for a renewal have halted. Should one of the four clubs reported to be interested come forward and pay the asking price, the Old Lady would turn to Milinkovic-Savic. General manager Giuseppe Marotta is reported to have contacted Lazio President Claudio Lotito already to discuss the Serbian, as Paul Pogba’s salary is too high to bring him back from Manchester United.

Gianluigi Buffon is believed to be earning close to €5m per season with Paris Saint-Germain, an increase on his Juventus salary. The 40-year-old left the Bianconeri when his contract expired on June 30, and has opted to continue his career in Ligue 1. The former Italy captain hasn’t gone to be a reserve though, and L’Équipe reports that his salary reflects his place in the team. The newspaper believes that Buffon is earning €410,000 net a month, for a yearly salary of €4.92m. That’s a figure which doesn’t include potential bonuses, so his take home pay could actually be much higher. The salary represents an increase on the €4.5m per season he was earning with his final Juventus contract.

The economics of Ronaldo – counting the €340m cost and opportunity of Juve’s superstar 23rd July 2018 July 23 – Cristiano Ronaldo’s €117 million transfer from Real Madrid to Juventus has polarised opinion with car union protests over the ‘immoral’ size of his transfer and wages, and fan excitement at what he will bring to the Italian champions. A report the Football Benchmark team of KPMG’s Sports Advisory Practice estimates the annual financial impact of the transfer at €85 million, or €340 million over the 4-year contract period. But this could be money well spent if Ronaldo drives Juventus revenue to the level where the club is competing with other European giants. Certainly, says the report, brand and social media exposure of Juventus will rapidly grow worldwide. “Monetising on digital activities will be crucial in order for them to meet revenues growth expectations.” With league TV and sponsorship already locked in, Ronaldo’s impact w...

One of the world’s most famous footballers, Lionel Messi has continued vacationing in Ibiza following the world cup tournament. Lionel Messi is making the most of his post-World Cup break, enjoying a spot of jet-skiing in sunny Ibiza with his family. Messi is being afforded an extended rest by Barcelona following his exploits with Argentina, where they reached the last-16 of the tournament before falling to eventual winners France. The 31-year-old superstar is on holiday with his wife Antonella Roccuzzo, their three children and Daniella Semaan, the partner of his former Barcelona team-mate Cesc Fabregas. Messi was pictured on a paddle board with his family as he took a well-earned break ahead of the start of the new La Liga campaign. Close friends since childhood, Messi and Roccuzzo married last year in a lavish ceremony and have three sons together – Thiago, Mateo and Ciro. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner was previously spotted enjoying some downtime in Forment...

The Biafra Zionists Feder­ation (BZF) has declared that election would not hold in 26 out of 36 states in Ni­geria during the 2019 general election due to the ongoing Bi­afra agitation. The self-styled leader of the group, Barrister Benjamin On­wuka, who made the declaration shortly after he was released from prison, described the affected states as part of the Biafra republic. Onwuka also announced a ban on all political activities in Biafraland, stressing that elec­tions would not hold on Biafra territories in 2019. He listed the areas where there would not be election in 2019 to include Southeast, South-South, West­ern region, Bakassi Peninsula, Middle Belt, saying they were all part of the Biafra territory. He also boasted that he would take over Enugu government house on August 20 to announce Biafra Independence as Presi­dent of Biafra. Onwuka was arrested on May 30 alongside 32 members of his group in front of Enugu govern­ment house where they had gone to de...

As many as eight innocent persons have been killed after a suicide bomber reportedly blew up a mosque in Borno. It has been reported that no less than eight people have been killed at a mosque in Borno. The killing happened on Monday when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives, a civilian militia member and a local resident said. According to a report by the Agence France Presse, AFP, one Ibrahim Liman, from the civilian militia force assisting the military in the fight against Boko Haram said the blast happened in the Mainari area of Konduga, in Borno state. “The male bomber walked into the mosque at about 5:15 am (0415 GMT) while prayers were on and exploded, killing eight worshippers and injuring five others,”he told AFP. “Seven of the victims died in the mosque while another died on the way to (the Borno state capital) Maiduguri.” Suicide bombings against “soft” civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations are the hallmark of the Boko Haram fac...

The Peoples Democratic Party has told President Muhammadu Buhari not to waste his energy on any “cosmetic campaign” for collection of Permanent Voter Card, insisting that the “failure” of his administration has provided enough stimuli for Nigerians to fully participate in the 2019 election. The party said President Buhari, by now, ought to have known that such “theatrics,” allegedly simulated by his “handlers,” cannot help his “self-destroyed public image” or reverse the determination of Nigerians to vote him out in 2019. National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, that Buhari declared his interest to run again some months back without engaging in voter education. He wondered what had made the President to suddenly realise the importance of PVCs. Ologbondiyan said, “This is a leader who declared interest to contest, months ago, without talking about PVCs or engaging in any form of voter education, only ...

There was a mild drama at a court after a suspected robber, Segun Mabaoreje, suddenly escaped from the court room in Lagos, fled and jumped into a canal to escape trial. However, he met his match as both the court officials and the security men pursued him. The security men dived into the canal, apprehended and brought him back to the court room to face his case. The incident happened at the Magistrates court sitting in Ejigbo, Lagos, where the suspect, Mabaoreje was brought for arraignment. The prosecutor, Inspector G. Simon, prepared another charge and he was also arraigned for attempting to escape. The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. L.K.J. Layeni, did not grant him bail as his attempted escape happened in his presence. He ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison custody and adjourned till 6th August, 2018, when he will be brought to court for the offence he had committed before his attempted escape from the court. The suspect was earlier arrested by the police ...

  A man who went mad with rage has done something terrible to his girlfriend after he found condoms inside her bag. A 46-year old man identified as Osaremwinda Omobude Idumwonyi has reportedly stabbed his lover to death for allegedly finding condoms in her bag, The Nation reports. The deceased, who is a single mother of three children, was stabbed with a kitchen knife three times in her mother’s room at No. 13, Ehiyoboy Street, Off Aifuwa Street, Ikpoba-Okha local government area of Edo State. The woman was killed few hours after she left her lover’s residence where she spent the night. A 19-year-old man, Junior Omo Shaba, had last week killed his 18- year- old girlfriend, Matilda Odiri, and dumped her corpse by the roadside. It has not been ascertained if the condoms were found inside thewoman’s bag while she was with him the previous night or during the day when he entered her aged-mother’s rented apartment. It was gathered that the suspect told police inves...

Chelsea  are reportedly readying a £45m bid for Daniele Rugani , according to Goal. The Juventus defender has been a long-term target for the Blues and made a £36m offer for the centre-back earlier this month, but saw it knocked back by the Serie A champions

It was a fun filled event as many celebrities, singers and comedians grace the ‘FunnyBoneUntammed3’ comedy show which was co-host by Teddy A and Bambam. Young comedian, Emmanuella joined singer, Duncan Mighty on stage to celebrate her 8th birthday as she displays her dance moves for the cameras looking overjoyed on her day. Singers and comedians present at the event were; Duncan Mighty, Young Emmanuella, Reekado Bankz, Buchi, Niniola, I Go Save, Zoro and many others. Watch the video below:-

  Emmanuel Attah, the Osun Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps, has called on prospective graduates posted to the state for NYSC to declare their health status for better management. Attah made the appeal in an interview with NAN in Osogbo, on the corps’ preparedness to accommodate and camp a new set of graduates for the NYSC scheme. According to him, the Osun NYSC orientation camp, located at Ede, would be opened on Tuesday through to Wednesday for the graduates posted to the state to report and register. He added that the camp would be closed for registration by Wednesday midnight for the 21 days’ orientation, while registered members would be sworn in as 2018 Batch B corps members on Thursday. He, therefore, appealed to graduates coming for NYSC not to hide their health status and avoid coming to the camp with fake medical certificate of fitness to deceive NYSC officials. Attah said, “knowing their health status would help us to assist them prope...

Students are complaining over a statement by the school. Read the statement below:- This is to inform the general public that as from next semester, i.e 2018/19 session, all students from 100-400L from the faculty below will pay the assigned amount as tuition fee… FACULTY OF ENGINEERING – N250,000 FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE, BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND PURE AND APPLIED SCIENCE – N200,000 MEDICAL, NURSING and BIOMEDICAL STUDENTS – N300,000.

Jose Mourinho admits Manchester United “are not a team” after they struggled to a pre-season draw with San Jose Earthquakes. A number of first-team players were not with the squad after their exploits at the World Cup, including Marcus Rashford, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, though Mourinho was able to field the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial. Nevertheless, United and the Earthquakes played out a largely uneventful game in Santa Clara , with the only moments of note coming when Eric Bailly hit the crossbar in the first half, and when San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski did the same later in the game. Mourinho was not disappointed, however, insisting that the game was merely training for the season ahead. “We are not a team. We’re a group of players from different teams,” he told MUTV . “Some are first team, some Under-23s, some coming from loans and going on loan, some are younger, Under-18s. We don’t have a team to play much better than we did but [it’s] one ...

Mateo Kovacic remains firm in his desire to leave Real Madrid , reports Marca . Kovacic last month revealed his desire to change clubs this summer, citing a need for regular first-team football. The Croatia midfielder met new Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui on Friday and asked him to let him leave. Lopetegui tried to persuade him to stay but Kovacic remains convinced that the best thing is for him to leave the Bernabeu this summer. Liverpool , Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester United are among the interested clubs who have contacted him and offered him the possibility of greater first-team action. The 24-year-old wants to begin pre-season at a new club after his summer holiday. Madrid are starting to feel that they will have to facilitate the Croatian’s departure and would seek a fee of at least €50m.

Watford's  Richarlison  represents undoubted potential for Everton, but for a reported £50m, is he a risk worth taking? Sky Sports assesses whether the Brazilian's inconsistency warrants the big price tag... Read the feature HERE

Manny  Machado  will be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a package of prospects barring a last-minute snag in negotiations, USA Today Sports reported on Tuesday, hours before the 2018 All-Star Game in Washington, D.C. According to the report, the Baltimore Orioles intend to complete the trade on Wednesday, sending the 26-year-old  Machado  to the reigning National League champions for a package of prospects unless the Milwaukee Brewers or Philadelphia Phillies emerge with a better offer. WATCH: B.C. born MLB pitcher Ryan Dempster looks back at his career During the All-Star Game broadcast Tuesday night, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweeted a separate report also saying  Machado  would be dealt to the Dodgers “with more certainty.” Rosenthal interviewed  Machado  in the AL dugout during the FOX broadcast in the sixth inning; the Orioles short...