Augustine Eguavoen has stepped down as the interim coach of the Nigeria national team following the 1-0 defeat to Tunisia in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations round of 16 clash on Sunday.
Eguavoen had led the three-time champions to three straight wins against Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau.
However, they fell short against a Covid-stricken Tunisian team in the knockout stages.
“What happens next is that I’m the interim coach and Technical Director of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
“I will go back to my position and allow the NFF (to) make a decision on the way forward,” Eguavoen said after the match.
Eguavoen stepped in after Gernot Rohr was sacked last month.
However, the NFF announced Jose Peseiro as the new permanent coach before the AFCON kicked off.
The honour simultaneously held alongside the Command’s 2021 end of year get together.
Odumosu is the immediate past Lagos State Commissioner of Police.
He was elevated to the rank of AIG recently and decorated last Friday in Abuja by the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba.
As Lagos Police boss, Odumosu successfully degraded crimes and criminalities in the state deploying the best of military intelligence and tactics with strict adherence to human rights as well as freedom of expression.
The event, witnessed by the National Association of Online Security Reporters, NAOSRE, had an impressive attendance. It provided the opportunity to reward hard work as the 2021 Best Commissioner of Police award was presented to the new AIG by the President, Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Hajiya Hajjara Usman Alkali Baba.
He is billed to retire from the Police in few days.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been eliminated by Tunisia in the AFCON round of 16 at the Roumde Adija Stadium in Garoua, Cameroon.
Tunisia won the clash 1-0 to face Burkina Faso in the quarter finals.
The Super Eagles defeat came on a day they had promised President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians that they will make Nigeria proud at the tournament.
Mentioning two of the players, Kelechi Iheanacho and Moses Simon, by name, Buhari had urged the Super Eagles to continue making Nigerians happy, not only by winning the second round match, but to eventually lift the trophy.
“You’ve been doing Nigeria proud. You’ve been winning. Please keep on winning. The Federal Government is supporting you, and I say thank you to all the technical crew and the players.. Please keep doing the country proud,” Buhari had said.
The chances of Tunisia to progress to the next round of the African Cup of Nations was predicted to be narrow after twelve of the team players including the coach missed the clash against Nigeria.
The Eagles of Carthage qualified for the round of 16 after finishing as one of the four best losers in the group stage.
Meanwhile the Super Eagles led Group D with all three games won.
The last time both teams met was at the AFCON 2019 in Egypt where Nigeria beat them 1-0 in the third place match.
But the table turned against the Super Eagles who were seen as the tournament’s favourites.
Youssef Msakni opened the score sheet in the 47th minute with a surprise strike past Nigeria’s goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye.
Disaster came the way of the Super Eagles in the 64th minute following Alex Iwobi’s poor tackle.
VAR was consulted for a possible red for Iwobi which his yellow card was upgraded to a red.
The Super Eagles made several attempts, but were always denied by the Eagles of Carthage.
The Interim Coach of the Super Eagles Austin Eguavoen has barred the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, and other guests from the team’s dressing room during half-time breaks.
Eguavoen made the announcement at a press conference on Sunday.
He said the decision was taken to prevent the players from losing concentration.
Pinnick was in the Super Eagles’ dressing room at halftime to motivate them during the encounters against Egypt and Sudan.
But Eguavoen said the NFF President and other guests will no longer be allowed in Sunday’s Round of 16 clash against Tunisia.
The coach explained that the half-time break is needed for the players and coaches to discuss tactics.
He said, “We talked about timing and I am still talking about it. It’s our culture – motivation is good.
“Guests can have short discussions with the team at the restaurant and not inside the dressing room.
“Against Egypt was the only time when the NFF president and the Air Peace president came to see the team and it was five minutes.
“In the second and third games, no one came to see the team. I don’t think this will happen tomorrow (Sunday).”
Nigeria will on Sunday night play Tunisia in the round of 16 of the competition.
At least twelve key players in the Tunisia national football team will reportedly miss their African Cup of Nation, AFCON, match against Nigeria.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria and Carthage Eagles of Tunisia will meet in round 16 of the ongoing 2021 AFCON tournament on Sunday.
Tunisia head coach, Mondher Kebaier, according to reports will also be absent to see his squad battle three times AFCON winners at the Roumdje Adjia Stadium, Garoua, Cameroon, tomorrow.
The report which portrays a major setback for the Tunisian side was disclosed on Saturday at a pre-match briefing, Naija News reports.
It was gathered that the Tunisian camp was infiltrated with the dreaded COVID-19 disease.
Speaking at the press, Tunisia’s assistant coach, Jalal Al-Qadri, said at least 12 players in the Tunisian squad had tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the game against Nigeria.
Kebaier was also not present at today’s pre-match press conference, Naija News understands.
The key players that would be absent are Wahbi Khazri, the captain who scored twice in their 4-0 win over Mauritania, Aissa Laidouni, Dylan Bronn, Ghaylène Chaalali, Ellyes Skhiri, Anis Ben Slimane, Mohamed Romdhane, Ali Maâloul, Ben Hmida, Aymen Dahmen Yoann Touzgha and Issam Jebali.
Comoros are in trouble as two of their goalkeepers at the AFCON have tested positive for Covid-19.
The coach of the team Amir Abdou also tested positive for the virus.
“The coelacanth affected by the Covid with 12 positive cases, among them, the coach Amir abdou, our only two guardians: Moyadh Ousseini and Ali Ahamada (Ben Boina being injured),” the Football Federation of Comoros tweeted on Saturday.
Comoros will face Cameroon on Monday in the round of 16 of AFCON.
Cameroon have been impressive in the competition and they finished top of Group F with 7 points.
The indomitable lions of Cameroon’s Vincent Aboubakar is leading the score chart with 5 goals in the group stage.
Comoros have also been impressive, especially defeating four times AFCON champions Ghana 3-2 in the last game of Group C.
They finished the group stage as one of the best teams finishing third in their Groups.
The video posted at @fedcomfootball also revealed that midfielders Nakibou Aboubakari, Yacine Bourhane, striker Mohamed M’Changama and defenders Kassim Abdallah and Alexis Souahy have tested positive for Covid-19.
The team’s General Manager, El Hadad Hamidi said, “We are trying to do everything in our power to find alternative solutions but without the coach, without major players and especially without our only two goalkeepers who remained, the situation is quite complicated.”
Newslensng reports that the ogun state police command has released names of 31 youths involved in cyber crime fondly called ‘Yahoo Yahoo’.
In a memo obtained by this publication dated 19th of January, 2022, the full names of the suspected criminals was compiled and sign by ACP Yahaya Wakili.
This is coming after the state government declared war on cyber criminals during the launch of OP-MESA Yesterday. During the launch, Governor Dapo Abiodun revealed that Ogun state has the highest number of ‘Yahoo Yahoo boys’ and he is bent on making sure such menace comes to an end in Ogun state.
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyorchia Ayu, on Saturday led four former governors and members of the party’s National Working Committee to meet with ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
It was gathered that members of the main opposition party arrived at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, at about 12:25 pm.
Those in attendance include former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, former Governors, Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Donald Duke (Cross River).
The Deputy National Chairman of PDP (South), Taofeek Arapaja, and other party officials are in attendance.
Obasanjo was not at his residence, as of the time of the PDP member’s arrival, as he is attending the interdenominational service for the burial of the late Olowu of Owu, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu.
The former President later joined his guests and they went into a closed-door session.
Seriki Fulani in Ibarapaland, Alhaji Saliu Abdulkadir, who was evicted from his Igangan residence this day last year says the daring nature of Sunday Adeyemo, a Yoruba youth leader better known as Sunday Igboho, is why he is opposed to his release.
The evicted Sarkin Fulani who has relocated to Ilorin, Kwara State since the incident while speaking on the earlier quit notice issued by Igboho prior to his eviction, explained that he did not handle the eviction notice with levity. According to him, he got assurance from the Oyo state government after the quit notice but he was surprised that Igboho carried out his threat without anybody challenging him.
He told Daily Trust in a report published on Saturday: “For those seven days, the state government sent 14 police officers to us and they were guiding us but the police officers were overpowered by Sunday Igboho’s men. This is why I don’t support the call for the release of Igboho.
“I am sure he must be regretting his actions now. Any Nigerian can live in any part of the country and I have always said that there are criminals everywhere. There are criminals among Yoruba just like we have among the Fulani people. This is where we expected the government to come in and fish out those who are criminally minded.”
Abdulkadir said one year later, he still hoped that justice would be served and he would be compensated for the properties lost during the crisis.
Igboho is currently being detained in a prison facility in the Republic of Benin, after he was arrested with Ropo, his wife, at Cardinal Bernardin International Airport, Cotonou, while on his way to Germany in July 2021. He had been declared wanted by Nigerian authorities for his separatist activities.
Fighting raged for a third day Saturday between the Islamic State group and Kurdish forces in Syria after IS attacked a prison housing jihadists, in violence that has claimed over 70 lives, a monitor said.
The assault on the Ghwayran prison in the northern city of Hasakeh is one of IS’s most significant since its “caliphate” was declared defeated in Syria nearly three years ago.
“At least 28 members of the Kurdish security forces, five civilians and 45 members of IS have been killed” in the violence, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
IS launched the attack on Thursday night against the prison housing some 3,500 suspected members of the jihadist group, including some of its leaders, said the Observatory.
Hundreds of jihadist inmates had since been detained and around 10 were believed to have escaped, said the Observatory, a Britain-based monitor that relies on sources inside war-torn Syria for its information.
“The exceptional situation continues in and around the prison,” said Farhad Shami, spokesman for the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The fighting on Saturday morning was taking place north of the prison, he added.
The jihadist group said in a statement released by its Amaq news agency that its attack on the jail aimed to “free the prisoners”.
IS has carried out regular attacks against Kurdish and government targets in Syria since the rump of its once-sprawling proto-state was overrun on the banks of the Euphrates in March 2019.
Most of their guerrilla attacks have been against military targets and oil installations in remote areas, but the Hasakeh prison break could mark a new phase in the group’s resurgence.
The Kurdish authorities have long warned they do not have the capacity to hold, let alone put on trial, the thousands of IS fighters captured in years of operations.
According to Kurdish authorities, more than 50 nationalities are represented in a number of Kurdish-run prisons, where more than 12,000 IS suspects are now held.
The war in Syria broke out in 2011 and has since killed close to half a million people and spurred the largest conflict-induced displacement since World War II.
