Berlin Attack Suspect Anis Amri Killed In Milan

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Italian officials say the Berlin market attack suspect Anis Amri, has been shot dead by police in Milan.

The man was approached by police during a routine patrol in Milan on Friday morning.

Reports confirmed the fingerprints of the dead man matched those of the Tunisian suspect in the truck bombing in Berlin, which killed 12 people on Monday.

Germany has been on high alert after the attack which also left 49 people injured.

They had detained the driver, who security sources said is an Afghan or Pakistani asylum seeker who arrived in Germany in February.

Reports however said the man was known to the police for minor crimes, but not terror links.

“Our investigators are working on the assumption that the truck was deliberately steered into the crowd at the Christmas market…,” police had said on Twitter.

Separately, police arrested two people in the German city of Oberhausen on suspicion of planning an attack.

Hijacked Libyan Plane Lands In Malta

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A Libyan passenger plane with 118 people on board has been forced to land in Malta in what the Maltese prime minister called a “potential hijack situation”.

According to local media reports, the Airbus A 320 was flying inside Libya for airline Afriqiyah Airways, when it was diverted.

There were two hijackers involved, who threatened to bomb the plane, reports stated.

Maltese PM Joseph Muscat, said “security forces who were standing by Malta International Airport confirmed on Twitter that there had been an “unlawful interference” at the airport.

It then added that emergency teams had been dispatched.

Argentina End 2016 As Best Playing Nation

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Argentine will end the year on top of the world, leading the way in the final World Ranking of 2016 from neighbours, Brazil in second.

The Argentines therefore take the ‘Team of the Year’ title from Belgium, who they overtook at the summit in April 2016, and where they have stayed for the subsequent eight editions of the ranking.

In all, La Albiceleste, won 10 of their 15 games in 2016, losing three and drawing twice.

All other playing nations retained their spots in the top ten.

Alan Pardew Leaves As Crystal Palace Manager

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Crystal Palace have announced that Alan Pardew has been asked to step down as manager.

In a club statement, Palace chairman, Steve Parish said: “I would like to put on record our sincere gratitude for the tremendous service Alan has given us, both in his time here as manager and previously as a player.”

Palace have struggled this season and are currently 17th, having lost eight of their last 10 Premier League matches.

As to a replacement, Parish added that the club “are hoping to put someone in place as quickly as possible”.

Palace are next in action on Boxing Day, away to Watford.

In a brief statement on the Palace website, Pardew said: “I would just like to take the opportunity to thank everybody at Crystal Palace for their fantastic support. In particular a big thanks to the players who gave me absolutely everything and Steve Parish and his Board.

“Personally I have a lot of good feelings for this football Club and am sad that my time there has ended.

“I feel that I have a special bond with the club and hope that hasn’t been affected, I wish everybody associated with the Club the best of luck in the future including of course the fans who have been magnificent.

“There will be no further comment at the present time.”

Police Commence Investigation Into Attack On Governor El-Rufai’s Convoy

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The Kaduna state police command says it has commenced investigation to fish out the masterminds of an attack on the convoy of the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, when he visited the area.

On Tuesday, Mr El-Rufai in company of his deputy and top government officials were in Kafanachan to assess the level of destruction by protesters on Monday.

It was then that some youths attacked his convoy with stones and other dangerous weapons.

The protest which  was aimed at drawing attention of government to the constant killings of their people by suspected herdsmen, had led to the destruction of property as well as cars in the convoy, the command said.

This was inspite of the 24-hour curfew, imposed by the government in Kafanchan, after getting word of the planned violence.

Briefing newsmen in his office, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Agyole Abeh, announced that an investigation team headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, has been constituted and deployed to Kafanchan to identify the hoodlums and bring them to book.

Aregbesola Presents Osun 2017 Budget In Absentia

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For the second year running, the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, has failed to personally present the state budget before the House of Assembly.

A budget of 138.2 billion naira was formally placed before the lawmakers for perusal and approval by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Segun Olorunsogo, at the Osun State House of Assembly in Osogbo, southwest Nigeria.

The 2017 budget, tagged: “Budget of Recovery”, is over three billion naira less than the 2016 budget of over 141 billion naira.

Governor Aregbesola, however, sent a letter to the House announcing that the budget would have a capital and recurrent expenditure of 62 billion naira and 75.8 billion naira respectively.

He said that the state expects to fund the budget through recurrent revenue of 105 billion naira and capital receipts of 33 billion naira in the 2017 fiscal year.

On the implementation of the 2016 budget, the Governor admitted the poor implementation of past budgets, blaming it on global oil crisis and national economic gloom.

He said his administration’s failure in public finance management has been revealed through the poor performance of the budget of the outgoing fiscal year.

Although the budget was received by the Speaker of the Assembly, Najeem Salaam, the opposition in the House swiftly reacted to the poor implementation of the outgoing fiscal budget.

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Representative Dipo Eluwole, noted that the crisis in the education sector was a significant example of the failure of past budgets in the state.

Nigeria’s Investment Inflow Shrinks By $4.5bn

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The level of investment inflow into Nigeria declined to 3.57 billion dollars in the third quarter of 2016.

This represents a 4.51 billion dollars drop from the same period in 2015.

An analysis of the capital importation report released by the National Bureau of Statistics attributes the decline to the harsh economic climate.

A breakdown of the inflow reveals that the first quarter of this year saw an investment inflow of 710 million dollars, while the second and third quarters had 1.04 billion dollars and 1.82 billion dollars respectively.

The report also shows that the largest component of capital importation in the third quarter was portfolio investment, which attracted 1.52 billion dollars.

Gov. Udom Proposes N365bn As Akwa-Ibom 2017 Budget

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Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel has proposed a budget of 365.254 billion Naira for the 2017 fiscal year.

The Governor on Thursday presented the budget estimates to the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly for consideration and approval.

Presenting the budget estimate, Governor Emmanuel said that the budget, which is christened “Budget of Consolidation”, was aimed at fast tracking economic development in the state.

A breakdown of the amount shows that N193.9 billion is set aside for capital expenditure while N88.4 billion is for recurrent expenditure.

N82.8 billion is for consolidated revenue fund charges. The estimate is predicated on 35 dollars per barrel of crude oil and about 1 billion barrels per day production level.

Reviewing the performance of the 2016 budget, Governor Emmanuel noted that out of the N453 billion budgeted, the state government realized only N104 billion, representing 30% of its projection.

Works and transport takes the lion’s share of N94.6 billion; lands, housing and urban development takes N16 billion, health takes N5.7 billion, education takes N8.6 billion, and agriculture gets N6.8 billion.

Kogi Governor Proposes A Budget Of 174b Naira For 2017

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Kogi State Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello, has presented a budget of 174.851 billion Naira for 2017 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly in Lokoja, the state’s capital, for approval.

The Appropriation Bill tagged “Budget of New Direction” is aimed at addressing the problem of infrastructural development in the state, the Governor said while addressing the House.

Governor Bello had walked into the hallow chamber of the newly renovated Kogi State House of Assembly where lawmakers were already seated waiting.

The governor was accompanied by some of his aides at the presentation, the first since he assumed office in January 27 2015 as the 4th executive governor the state.

While presenting the budget estimate, Governor Bello stated that it was prepared in line with the domesticated national chart of account, medium term expenditure frame work/multi-year budget framework which outlines key initiatives, assumption and what was expected to be achieved by the key spending Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state.

”We have budgeted a total estimate recurrent revenue of 81.666 billion Naira, consisting of 32.181 billion Naira from internal sources, 35.309 billion Naira as states’ share from the Federation Account, 8.085 billion Naira revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT) 2.209 billion Naira will come from exchange differentials and 3.880 billion Naira from budget augmentation.

The governor said “the total budget outlay of 174.851 billion Naira estimate is divided into recurrent expenditure of 58.531 billion Naira representing 33.47% and capital expenditure of 166.320 billion Naira representing 66.53%”.

Fund available for recurrent expenditure in year 2017 stands at 81.666 billion Naira while estimated personnel cost for the period is 32.734 billion Naira. 25.797 billion Naira is overhead cost, giving total recurrent expenditure for the year 2017 to be 58.531 billion Naira.

Governor Bello noted that the implementation of the budget would accelerate the rate at which the state could build physical infrastructure and develop human capital in the state and deploy them.

according to him, the budget is designed to stimulate with equal importance including agriculture, water resources, environment, housing and support from women and youth empowerment.

The budget is an increase of 74.85% from the 99.998 billion Naira budgeted in 2016 out of which the current revenue was 63.127 billion Naira and capital receipt was 36.870 billion Naira.

Buhari Asks States To Pay Workers From Debt-Service Refunds

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President Muhammadu Buhari has requested state governors to pay at least 25% of the refunds made to them from excess deductions for external debt service, to be used to settle outstanding workers’ entitlements.

The President made the call as he approved the sum of 552.74 billion naira to be paid in batches to all the states that are owed.

However, the states are expected to receive 25% of their approved sums in the first instance before the week runs out. There are about 33 states in the bracket.

A statement by his spokesman, Mr Garba Shehu, revealed that the refunds arose following the claims by the states that they had been overcharged in deductions for external debt service between 1995 and 2002.

In a directive through the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, President Buhari said that the issue of workers’ benefits, particularly salary and pensions must not be allowed to continue as a national problem and should be tackled with all the urgency that can be summoned.

When he assumed office in 2015, the President declared an emergency over unpaid salaries after he discovered that 27 out of Nigeria’s 36 states had fallen behind in payments to their workers, in some cases for up to a year.

Following this, a bailout loan was issued to the states twice with a first batch of about 300 billion naira given to them in 2015 in the form of soft loans.

The administration also got the Debt Management Office (DMO) to restructure their commercial loans of over 660 billion naira and extend the life span of the loans.

Because this did not succeed in pulling many of the states out of distress, the Federal Government consequently gave out an additional 90 billion naira to 22 states in 2016, as yet another bailout loans under very stringent conditions.

President Buhari has expressed the opinion all the time that the payment of salaries and pensions must be given priority to save both serving and retired workers and their families from distress.

DSS Accuses Gov. Wike Of Plans To Disrupt Governance

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The Department of State Services (DSS) says it has uncovered a plot by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to disrupt machinery of governance in strategic Federal Government agencies.

In a statement signed by Tony Opuiyo, the DSS alleged that the governor planned to provoke a violent breach of peace in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Thursday, December 22, 2016 and beyond, especially during the yuletide.

They accused the Governor of having secured the services of a National Assembly staff to mobilize some hoodlums to execute the plan.

Part of the statement reads: “The aim of the plot is to cause mayhem, a complete breakdown of law and order and cast the security agencies and the Federal Government in bad light.

“It is also intended to divert public and international attention from the ongoing Police investigation into the unwholesome role played by the Governor and some of his cronies in the violence that trailed the re-run election in Rivers State which resulted in the gruesome murder of civilians including the beheading of DSP Mohammed Alkali and some of his colleagues as well as the brutalization of INEC staff who failed to do the bidding of the Governor.

“In furtherance of this plot, protesters are to besiege the National Human Rights Commission, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), National Assembly, the Nigerian Army and Police Headquarters as well as British High Commission, US Embassy and the UN Secretariat, Abuja; all in an effort to raise false alarm that Rivers State was under siege of security agencies during the elections.

“While the obvious aim is to draw public sympathy and international attention to spurious allegations of involvement of Federal agencies in violence during the last elections in Rivers State, the actual objective is really to trigger a round of violent action against the government and create opportunity for idlers to join the deceitful protest.

“Part of the orchestration is to provoke the security agencies and prompt them to take action against the protesters that could result in bloodletting.”

False And Baseless Alarm

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has described the statement by the DSS as a “false and baseless alarm”.

The Commissioner for Information and Communication in Rivers State, Dr. Austin Tam-George, in a swift reaction said: “It is an irresponsible scaremongering by an agency that seems bent on a mission to blackmail the governor of Rivers State, and bring the state government into disrepute.

“Governor Wike is a man of peace, and would never orchestrate disturbances in any part of the country.

“The Rivers State Government challenges the DSS to leave Governor Wike alone, and instead focus their operational attention on the Boko Haram insurgency that has killed over 70, 000 people, and displaced 6 million Nigerians , in the past six years.

“The government and people of Rivers State will never succumb to cheap blackmail by the DSS, or any federal agency by whatever name.”

No Amount Of Intimidation

The DSS had similarly vowed in the same statement that it “and in fact other security agencies, will not be cowed, or by any means allow any person or group of persons no matter how highly placed to subvert Nigeria’s statutory institutions meant to protect critical installations and law abiding citizens.

“In this regard, the Service also states in unequivocal terms that no amount of intimidation, grandstanding or outright manipulation of facts will be allowed to stop it and other agencies from conducting their duties as constitutionally mandated or concluding investigations into the Rivers State electoral violence.

“Finally, the Service wishes to restate its commitment to the protection of life and property in the FCT in particular and Nigeria in general.

“Consequently, it advises youths to resist the temptation of being lured by desperate politicians to undermine the government or engage in acts capable of causing a breakdown of law and order.

“It calls on all Abuja residents to go about their normal businesses as the Service is committed to ensuring that the full wrath of the law is brought against persons or group of persons who may threaten the peace and stability of the country.”

Police Boss Warns Officers Against Human Rights Abuse

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Police officers in Nigeria have been urged to respect rights of citizens while dealing with security challenges like civil disturbances, restiveness, kidnapping and militancy.

The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, made the demand in his speech at the graduation ceremony of officers at the Police Staff College in Jos, Plateau State.

In the speech delivered by commandant of the staff college, Dorothy Gimba, the police boss observed that the direction and method of policing were rapidly changing, making it imperative for training and re-training of officers in order to enhance their capacity for effective service delivery.

The representative of the IGP told the officers to respect rights of citizens even as they engage in their professional activities.

Over 120 police officers drawn from various commands and formations across Nigeria attended the Tactical Leadership and Command Course as well as the Advance Detective Course.

Forty-eight officers attended the Tactical Leadership and Command Course designed for officers of the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police who are mostly field commanders and top on the middle cadre management hierarchy of the force while 77 officers attended the Advance Detective Course which was for officers of the rank of Deputy Superintendents of police and Assistant Superintendents of Police with emphasis on the detection, prevention, investigation and prosecution of criminal offences.

The courses are meant to reposition officers in their managerial capacities and other aspects of training in modern trends of policing.

With the training received by the officers, much is expected in translating knowledge acquired in improved policing at their respective formations and impact positively on the force service delivery.

Oba Claims Supremacy Over Court Order, Threatens To Arrest Magistrate

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It appears the existing feud between two traditional monarchs in Iwo Land of Osun State that has led to an order by a Magistrate Court for the arrest of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, (Telu One) is taking a new dimension.

This is because the Oba Akanbi is threatening to issue what he termed “Traditional warrant of arrest” on magistrate Olusola Aluko of the Osogbo magistrate court who issued his bench warrant.‎

Magistrate Aluko had in the previous week, issued a warrant that would effect a force arrest of the monarch if he failed to appear before it to answer allegations against him by another monarch in the state, one of which was his involvement in fraudulent activities, which he called ‘Yahoo Yahoo’.

Supremacy Over Court Order

Though, Magistrate Aluko made good his threat on Tuesday when he finally ordered security agents to produce Oba Akanbi in court by force to answer to the criminal charges against him.

But Oba Akanbi told reporters in Osogbo that he would issue a “traditional warrant arrest” against the Magistrate, claiming supremacy over the court order.

The monarch, who denied the knowledge of the bench warrant of arrest against him, said he came to hear of it on the pages of newspapers.

The Iwo monarch also said he cautioned anyone against attempt to denigrate traditional institution, saying “as a king I too have traditional warrant of arrest I can invoke against the Magistrate.”

The Oluwo-Oke of Iwo-Oke, Oba Kadiri Oba Adeoye had approached the Magistrate Court, accusing Oba Akanbi, of concealing some facts about his past to the state government when he was installed as a first class monarch about a year ago.

The Oluwo described the court order as an insult against his throne, saying it was obvious that the judge was out to intimidate and harass him for “reasons best known to him and his sponsors.”

Envious Of My Selfless Service

The Oluwo, who insisted that he had no case to answer before the Magistrate Court, however said he had great respect for the judiciary and the law, adding that he would be ready to answer any serious charge preferred against him in any law court.

Claiming that the court had no jurisdiction over the case, Oba Akanbi accused Magistrate Aluko of “dancing to a tune dictated by a piper”.

He said: “Because somebody or some people somewhere do not like my guts they are making use of an available tool to do their bidding. But I don’t care and I want them to know I can not be intimidated and harassed by anybody. I got so many jobs to do for my people and I would not tolerate any distraction.

“They are certainly envious of my selfless service to the people of Iwo and its environs but that is their headache, not mine. They are desperate, using the idle hands and those without integrity to carry out their diabolical plans. Allah is the greatest and all of us are mere mortals.

“I don’t have any skeleton in my cupboard the detractors just want to drag the name of the Oluwo of Iwoland in the mud. I don’t even involve myself in land matters or sale of lands. I don’t even have a private house other than the palace. My utmost priority is the wellbeing of my people.

“I have spent my personal money to rehabilitate disused courts in Iwoland. I toil day and night for progress of my town. The magistrate and the Oba in question are being paid and sponsored by detractors and this is the price I’m paying for success and great fame”.

Oba Akanbi tasked traditional rulers not to sit back and see the insult on Oluwo as his only predicament but to speak up against it because of its implication on the traditional institution.

He thanked the administrations of President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Rauf Aregbesola for providing an environment of peace and justice, adding that if not for good government at both state and federal level,  bad elements within the judiciary would have continued to flourish.

Red Cross Trains SARS Personnel On International Standards Of Law Enforcement

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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held a two-day training programme on humanitarian principles and international standards of law enforcement for personnel of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

Also part of the training was the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Special Anti Robbery Squad. It held at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, between December 20 to 21.

The Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Department of Training, Sani Mohammed, while declaring open the training session, stressed the need for Police personnel to exhibit professionalism while carrying out their official duties in line with the relevant provisions in the Force Order and other Administrative Instructions.

The AIG reminded the trainees of the pivotal role they play in the administration of criminal justice. He urged the trainees to concentrate, learn, assimilate and put to use what they would be taught during the workshop.

The Chief facilitator of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr Pietro Tilli, emphasised the need to continue the existing cooperation between his organisation and the Nigeria Police Force, pointing out that the ICRC has been operating a mutual open door policy with the Force.

He further stated that the synergy had yielded positive results one of which was the training of 1,200 Police personnel in 2013 by the organisation.

The ICRC, according to him, is a humanitarian organisation which among other things provides succour to victims of armed conflicts and detainees across the world.

345 IDPs, Widows From Agatu Get Gifts From Benue First Lady

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The wife of the Benue State Governor, Mrs Eunice Ortom, has donated food items, clothes and cash gifts to 345 Internally Displaced Persons and widows from Agatu and 22 other local government areas for Christmas celebration.

The gesture, according to Mrs Ortom, is to lend a helping hand to displaced and indigent people who may not be able to afford food for their families due to their condition of displacement.

Mrs Ortom and women leaders from 22 local government areas had earlier met to discuss the conditions of the over 340 displaced women, widows and those living with disabilities.

She encouraged the women to be strong and explore every opportunity to add value to their lives.

She thereafter, announced the donation of the food items, wrappers and cash gifts.

After the meeting with the women leaders, Mrs Ortom made the official presentation of the items to the beneficiaries. One after the other, she presented the IDPs with bags of rice and wrappers.

The coordinator of the displaced women, widows and those living with physical challenges from Agatu, Mrs Deborah Inalegwu, thanked the First Lady for intervening in the lives of the vulnerable groups in the society and for reaching out to the needy during Christmas.

Most of the beneficiaries most have a shot at celebrating Christmas with their families, as they had lost their homes, farm produce and bread winners to the 2016 herdsmen attacks.

Malta plane hijack: Threats to blow up Libyan airliner

(CNN)   Two hijackers aboard a Libyan plane that was forced to land in Malta have threatened to blow up the aircraft with grenades, Maltese officials said. The hijackers, who took over the Afriqiyah Airways flight with 111 passengers on board, allowed a number of women and children to leave the plane.

Malta's armed forces were leading the negotiations with the hijackers, according to Etienne Saint John, a spokesman for Malta's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "They have grenades and are threatening to blow up the plane. No words on their demands yet," he told CNN.

"The foreign affairs ministry is waiting for the passenger manifest. The safety of the passengers is of the utmost importance."

The plane was on service from Sabha, a city in southwestern Libya, to the capital, Tripoli, on the country's northern coast. Live tracker FlightRadar24 said the aircraft was an Airbus A320.

The Afriqiyah Airways plane was carrying 111 passengers, including one infant, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted, while the French news agency AFP said an additional seven crew members were on board.

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It has been established that #Afriqiyah flight has 111 passengers on board. 82 males, 28 females, 1 infant.

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Women and children were being let off the aircraft, Malta's Prime Minister's Office said, while Television Malta showed images of the plane's door opening and of women walking down the staircase onto the tarmac.

The pictures also showed security personnel surrounding the plane.

While it is unclear who might be behind the hijacking, Sabha in Libya's south has been a center for political tribal violence.

According to the airport's website, several flights had been diverted to Catania-Fontanarossa Airport in Italy.

Outbound flights have been delayed.

Chelsea Agree To Sell Oscar To Shanghai SIPG

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Chelsea have agreed to sell Oscar to Chinese club Shanghai SIPG, for a fee of around £60 million.

The Brazil midfielder would leave Stamford Bridge when the transfer window opens at the start of January, 12 months after compatriot and former Blues team-mate Ramires, joined Jiangsu Suning.

Oscar arrived in London in 2012 and went on to win the English Premier League, Europa League and League Cup, during his four and a half year stay.

The 25 year old, has featured just 11 times since Antonio Conte was appointed, but the Blues manager said this month, he was sad to be losing a player who scored 38 goals in 203 appearances.

Abuja Joins The Digital Switch Over Train

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Nigeria’s journey to full transition from analogue to digital broadcasting appears to be gaining momentum as Abuja, the nation’s capital city, joins the moving train.

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory, now have access to 30 free-to-air channels, with nearly 70 per cent local content on their television sets, following the Digital Switch Over that took place on Thursday.

According to the federal government, six more states from each of the nation’s geo-political zones will be switched over in the coming months.

The President, represented by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, said the Federal Government was also determined to ensure a seamless roll-out of the DSO in all the states of the federation because of the multiplier effect of the benefits.

“Technology is transforming our lives and livelihoods daily, in new and more dramatic ways. Perhaps more important are the doors opened by digital transition”.

According to him, the the successful launch of the pilot scheme in Jos in April, has “clearly demonstrated the gains of Digital Switch Over.

“Let me restate for emphasis that this government is irreversibly committed to meeting the June 2017 deadline for the switch over in the West African sub-region and also to the roll-out of the DSO in all the states of the federation.

With this move, the Federal Government has made good on its initial plans to launch digital broadcasting in December.

Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, had earlier stated that the process of digitization would also provide over a million jobs for Nigerian youths within the next two years.

He further stated that digitization of broadcasting offers Nigeria a lot of opportunities with multi-faceted and very far-reaching benefits especially in the areas of economics, politics, education, entertainment, science and technology.

As recession bites harder, Nigerians turn to football betting

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Many adults and students in Ilorin have resorted to football betting as a way of surviving the

current economic recession in the country. The News Agency of Nigeria reporter observed this on Wednesday when he visited different betting centres in Ilorin.

NAN reports that both unemployed and workers have embraced various kinds of betting as an alternative to survive. A civil servant, Dayo Olaolu, told NAN that he was surviving on football betting as things were getting tougher every day. “I am not a gambler, but the situation in the country has forced me to it now as there is no alternative at the moment,” he said.

A fashion designer, Quadri Idris, said he had been trying his luck to win a bet to cater for his family’s needs as his business was no more thriving.

“Man must survive and I think the best way for this present situation is to gamble. I will not steal to survive as the situation at hand demands for alternative means,” he said.

Moses Olawale of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, said betting had been of help to him to sustain his academic pursuit.

Mr. Olawale said his parents could no longer cater for his academic pursuit which forced him to resort to betting as alternative.

“I am a very lucky person because I always win bet. I use the money I get from betting to finance my tuition as there is no one to assist except my parents,” Mr. Olawale said.

Felix John, one of the Managers of Bet9ja in Olunlade Area, Ilorin, confirmed that his betting business was witnessing high patronage by customers.

“We see pastors, bankers, teachers, students and even girls coming to play bet as alternative for livelihood,” he said.

Mohammed Ishola, the Manager at Bet 360, Amilegbe Area, Ilorin, said customers were coming in numbers to try their luck.

“I am shocked at the high rate of patronage these days. This centre is always overcrowded that you hardly see space to place your legs,” he said.

NAN reports that various betting houses are in town such as Bet9ja, Naira bet, Bet 360, Bet 1X2.