Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, alongside his wife, Meghan, will in May visit Nigeria, the defence headquarters (DHQ) has said.

Tukur Gusau, director of defence information, made this known in a statement issued on Sunday.

According to the statement, Harry’s decision to visit Nigeria is sequel to an invitation from the DHQ and will revolve around conversations on possibilities of Nigeria hosting the Invictus Games.

The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event. Participants include wounded, injured, and ill servicemen and women, whether serving or veterans.

It is organised by the Invictus Games Foundation founded by Harry.

The international multi-sport event also offers a recovery pathway for the affected soldiers and spotlights their rehabilitation journey.

Last year, Nigeria participated in the games for the first time. The country was the only African representative at the event, swooping gold and bronze medals along the way.

“During their stay in the country, they will be meeting with Service members and will be hosted to arrays of cultural activities,” the statement said.

“The visit is to consolidate Nigeria’s strong hold at the game and the possibility of hosting the event years later.”

Gusau said Mohammed Baduru, minister of defence, who was at the event in Germany last year, is keen on playing host should Nigeria get the nod.

The trip will also be a first for Meghan who had once said she has 43 percent Nigerian ancestry.

Additional details about the visit are expected to be made public in the coming days.

Former world boxing champion Bash Alli has been warned by Sports Minister John Enoh to retract false allegations made against him in public within a week or risk legal repercussions.

Enoh’s remarks followed Alli’s claims in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu that the minister had sought $1 million from him to support his proposal to hold what he claims is Nigeria’s oldest boxing match.

The video went viral after Tunde Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.

Alli claimed he could have also placed the nation’s name on the map of the world, but some people were impeding his efforts.

In response to the claim, Enoh in a statement titled ‘Bash Alli and his serial blackmail must be confronted and defeated,” warmed the boxer to tender an apology or face legal action.

He said, “I am constrained to speak to the trending video and open petition to the President wherein Bash Alli, a former World Boxing Champion, threw caution and decency to the wind to allege that I demanded the sum of ‘another ‘ $1m from him in order to endorse his plan to stage what he calls the oldest boxers fight in Nigeria.

“When Bash Alli released his video and open letter to the President, with the sole aim to defame and destroy my reputation and integrity, some friends and associates advised that I totally ignore him and his blackmail gambit. They believe that I will validate and bring him to the limelight by responding to Bash Alli and his vile campaign of calumny.

“After a deep reflection, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that to ignore him will be a profound mistake. My reason for this is twofold. First, the perception in the public domain is that those in the public service are either thieves or kleptomaniacs who mindlessly pillage our Commonwealth. This assumption, no matter how widely held, is not true.

“Despite our challenges as a nation, there are men and women who continue to serve our country with honesty, integrity, and patriotism. I am one of such.”

The minister added that ignoring Alli will further embolden and enable him to continue in his usual trajectory without consequences.

He said, “Bash Alli’s allegation that I demanded ‘another $1m’ as if I had received a first tranche of $1m from him, or perhaps any of my predecessors had done so, is a manufactured lie from the pit of hell. At no point in time did I demand any form of gratification from Bash Alli.”

The minister added that Alli was desperate to meet him upon his resumption in office but he was cautioned by his staff.

He said, “Let me be clear. Bash Alli desperately wanted to meet me in my very early days as Minister of Sports Development when I had hardly settled down on the job.

” In the deluge of his desperate attempts, I decided to meet him against the advice of the ministry staff, who were familiar with his character and antics. Against their advice, I decided to meet him out of respect for his age and based on the open-door policy with which I am currently leading the ministry.

“Bash Alli’s plan to stage his boxing fight in Nigeria has a long history spanning almost two decades. To achieve this personal aspiration, he has deployed all manner of strategies, including naked blackmail and underhand tactics in his desperate effort to arm-twist the Federal Government to spend upwards of $50m to stage his fight.

“Successive Ministers of Sports have rightly told him that his plan to stage this fight is not the responsibility of the government but a business that the private sector should execute.

“In concluding this statement, I sincerely believe that, in spite of our numerous challenges, our country still has a soul. Our humanity will be irretrievably destroyed the day we lose our soul. Bash Alli’s desperate and unprovoked withering attack on me is an attack on decency, honesty, and integrity. The move to clear my name has just started, and there will be no let up until I achieve this sacred mission.

Today, with a heavy heart and a deep sense of duty to the people of Oyo State, Aare Abisoye Fagade, a staunch advocate for justice and a revered pillar of the All Progressives Congress (APC), raises his voice in resolute condemnation of the egregious assault on democracy orchestrated by Governor Seyi Makinde.

As the heartbeat of democracy in Nigeria, Oyo State has been dealt a grievous blow by Governor Makinde’s calculated campaign of electoral subterfuge. Withholding election materials across the state, Governor Makinde has callously deprived our beloved citizens of their fundamental right to participate in free and fair elections, a right that lies at the very core of our democratic ethos.

But this is not merely an attack on the mechanics of an election; it is an attack on the soul of Oyo State, on the hopes and aspirations of its people, and on the principles of justice and equality that we hold dear. Governor Makinde’s actions betray a callous disregard for the sanctity of the ballot box and a cynical determination to silence the voices of the people.

In this moment of trial, Aare Abisoye Fagade stands shoulder to shoulder with the resilient sons and daughters of Oyo State, united in our determination to defend our democratic heritage against those who would seek to defile it. He calls upon all patriots, regardless of political affiliation, to join him in condemning Governor Makinde’s assault on democracy and in demanding accountability for this shameful betrayal of trust.

Let us stand together as one, Oyo State, in defense of our democracy, in defense of our future, and in defense of the principles that bind us together as a people. For it is only by standing firm in the face of tyranny that we can ensure a brighter tomorrow for generations yet unborn.