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My Father Pardoned Buhari, Others Before He Died —— Shagari’s Son

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Alhaji Bala Shagari, eldest son of late President Shehu Shagari has expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari over his condolence visit to the family in Sokoto State, even as he noted that his father told them that he had pardoned everybody before his death.

According to him, his father had no grudge against Buhari or anyone because Shagari “told us he had pardoned everyone.”

The eldest son told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, yesterday, in Sokoto, Sokoto State, that the family was happy with the visit and Buhari’s pledge to immortalize the late president.

Bala, who is the District Head of Shagari town in Sokoto, however, said he would not comment on Buhari’s pledge until it was fulfilled.

Late Shagari, aged 93, died on December 28 at the National Hospital, Abuja and was buried on Saturday at Shagari, his home town.

Shagari was President of Nigeria from 1979 to 1983. He was dethroned by a coup d’etat that brought in Buhari to power as military Head of State, three months after he (Shagari) was sworn in for a second term.

He said the late president did not leave any will beside the directive that he should be buried at his home town, Shagari.

According to Bala, the directive was strictly observed and implemented as his remains were buried at Shagari town, on Saturday. He acknowledged that the Sultan had offered that the late president should be buried at Hubbare, where Shehu Usman Dan Fodio was laid to rest.

“We acknowledged it but late Shagari had told us that he should be buried in Shagari town and even indicated a specific location, so we have to comply with his will,” he added.

He explained that the late president’s absence at functions was due to his ill-health, saying that was the reason he stayed in Sokoto and Shagari town before he died. Earlier, President Buhari condoled with the wives and children of late Shagari at the deceased’s residence on Sama Road in Sokoto.

During the visit, Prof. Shehu Galadanci led the prayers for late Shagari. He also prayed to God to change the mindset of those spreading hate and disunity among citizens as well as those individuals or organisations working against the laudable and pro-human policies and programmes of the Buhari administration.

Buhari was accompanied by Governors Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko and Sokoto State Deputy Governor Alhaji Mannir Dan-Iya, among others.

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BIG STORY

Usyk Defeats Fury, Becomes Undisputed Heavyweight Champion

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Oleksandr Usyk emerged as the world’s undisputed heavyweight boxing champion adter defeating Tyson Fury.

On Saturday night, Fury and Usyk engaged in combat at the Kingdom Arena located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Usyk defeated the British fighter 115-112, 113-114, and 114-113 on the scorecards to win the fight by split decision.

In the first several rounds of the battle, Fury came out swinging, but Usyk was able to withstand the British fighter’s assault.

As the battle went on, the Ukrainian gained momentum because of his excellent movement and technical proficiency, which allowed him to block Fury’s strong attacks and land accurate shots of his own.

The highly anticipated battle took a turn for the better when the Ukrainian stopped Fury in the ninth round.

Despite Fury’s valiant effort to recover in the final rounds, Usyk’s dominance had already sealed the victory.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian is the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis 25 years ago. He has now unified the WBA, WBO, IBF, and WBC titles.

For Fury, it is the first loss in his 16-year professional career, but he will have a chance at a rematch before the end of the year.

In his post-fight interview, the British boxer accused the judges of giving the victory to Usyk because of the war in Ukraine.

“His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war,” he said.

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BIG STORY

Nigeria’s Boniface Scores As Leverkusen Make History With Unbeaten Bundesliga Season

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In the final game of the 2023–24 German Bundesliga season, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Augsburg 2-1 in the BayArena on Saturday thanks to an early goal by Victor Boniface.

In lieu of this victory, Leverkusen, who had already won the Bundesliga, would end the season unbeaten in the league.

In the 34-match league, the unbeaten streak that led to the league title consists of 28 wins and 6 draws.

It made history and cemented the names of Boniface and his colleagues in the Bundesliga as the first team to finish the season undefeated.

Boniface, who won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year award earlier in the week, started the party atmosphere when he slotted home an Amaine Chadli pass inside the area in the 12th minute before Robert Andrich doubled the lead before the half-hour mark.

Mert Komur’s goal on 62 minutes proved only a consolation for Augsburg as Leverkusen sealed victory in front of their passionate fans.

The Levekusen side is led by Xabi Alonso, who is only into his second year but first full season as coach of a senior team.

The team remains unbeaten in all competitions, with the win over Augsburg extending the run to 51 matches.

They have the chance to finish the season unbeaten in all competitions with victories over Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday and Kaiserslautern three days later.

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BIG STORY

FBI Lauds EFCC, Promises Support As Agency Hands Over Recovered $22k From Convicted Fraudster

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has handed over $22,000 recovered from Hakeem Olanrewaju, a convicted internet scammer, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

The EFCC, in a statement on Saturday,said the money was handed over to the FBI in Lagos, as the victim, who was defrauded, lives in the US.

Nicholas Oweibo, the judge of the federal high court in Ikoyi, sentenced Olanrewaju to two years imprisonment for identity theft and impersonation in August 2023.

The judge also ordered that the money recovered from him be restituted to his victim.

Speaking during the handover ceremony in Lagos on Friday, Michael Wetkas, acting director of the Lagos zonal command of the EFCC, said the commission remains dedicated to combating crimes and restoring sanity to the nation.

“We are delighted to be handing over this proceeds of crime today,” Wetkas said, adding that “the EFCC is willing and always ready to do more”.

Charles Smith, FBI legal attaché in Nigeria, thanked the EFCC for facilitating the recovery of the money.

“This type of crime cripples businesses in the US, and for them to recover the money within one to two years gives hope to the affected companies and brings some level of justice, even if not all subjects have been identified,” Smith said.

“We hope our relationship continues and fosters a more cohesive partnership between the two agencies.”

Smith added that the FBI is willing to support the investigation in any way possible.

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