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Rafael Nadal blasted French Open umpire Carlos Ramos on Sunday for treating him like a “machine” and suggested he was being unfairly targeted in an effort to speed up play.
Nadal reached a record-equalling 11th Roland Garros quarter-final with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 win over Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut.
But his joy at matching Roger Federer’s mark for last-eight appearances in Paris was overshadowed by an astonishing broadside at Ramos.
The umpire had warned the 31-year-old in the first set for slow play and again in the third before deciding to dock Nadal a first serve.
“If you want to play well, you have to let players breathe a little. We’re not machines that cannot think. That’s my viewpoint,” said Nadal, who repeatedly falls foul of the rule which stipulates a maximum 25 seconds between points.
“What else can I say? I’m telling you this with some sadness, because I don’t want to have any problems.
Rafael Nadal
“But this umpire is, I think, trying, in a certain way, to look for my faults, my errors.”
The 14-time major winner believes that some umpires are stricter than others who may afford a player more leeway especially in the red-hot atmosphere of a Grand Slam.
“Theoretically the umpires are here to analyze the match and they are not here to use the stopwatch, otherwise we should have a stopwatch on the court,” added Nadal, warming to his theme.
“That’s the whole point. Some dictate things or give their calls in a certain way. Other umpires have different styles.”
Despite a career-long habit of over-stepping the time allowance — a situation not helped by his idiosyncratic plucking at his shorts and smoothing of his eyebrows — Nadal insisted he will not change.
“I told him that he will have to give me many warnings, because if I have not yet grabbed my towel, that he’s going to give me a warning,” he added.
Vanquished opponent Bautista Agut backed Nadal in his spat with Ramos.
“Rafa and I need to play a lot of points. We need to run around a lot. Having the pressure of the umpires is something we don’t really need,” said the 29-year-old.
“I don’t think I really agree with that rule.”
The fall-out with Ramos meant that Nadal’s smooth progress to the last eight became a sideshow.
He has dropped just 20 games in four rounds so far, just one more than he lost at the same stage in 2012, as he attempts to become the first player to win the same Slam 10 times.
Nadal will face fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta who stunned fifth-seeded Milos Raonic 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 8-6.
Carreno Busta, the 20th seed, will be playing in his first Slam quarter-final at the age of 25.
But he did it the hard way, needing seven match points to seal victory over the Canadian after 4hr 17min on Court One.
Algeria announced on Sunday the arrest of three suspected Islamists who confessed to planting a home-made bomb that reportedly killed two soldiers patrolling near the border with Tunisia.
“Members of the National Guard arrested three backers of terrorist groups on June 3 at Tebessa,” about 550 kilometres (340 miles) southeast of Algiers, the defence ministry said.
“They admitted to having planted the home-made bomb which exploded as a military patrol passed by” near Bir el-Ater, about 100 kilometres south of Tebessa and some 15 kilometres from the border.
It is the first official confirmation of the attack, which occurred at dawn on Saturday, but the ministry did not say if there were any casualties.
Security sources told AFP on Saturday that the blast killed two soldiers and wounded four.
Algerians had hoped that a 2005 peace and reconciliation charter would turn the page on a 1991-2002 civil war that cost 200,000 lives.
But Islamist groups remain active in the south and east, largely targeting security forces.
Three men with a white van and a stash of knives. Faced with such a simple and brutal plan for slaughter, there’s not much the world’s most sophisticated police and intelligence services can do.
Even monitoring suspected individuals can never absolutely guarantee they will be arrested before committing their grisly acts, if there is no sign that anything is imminent, experts and officials say.
“Low-tech attacks involving vehicles and knives have been on the increase recently as they are easily accessible and the most difficult for security services to stop,” said Alan Mendoza of Britain’s Henry Jackson Society.
He was speaking after Saturday night’s attack in central London which left seven dead after three knife-wielding men mowed down and stabbed revellers at the popular nightlife hub around London bridge.
“We will need further details before making a final assessment but this attack fits the pattern of recent ones in the West that have, at the very least, been inspired by groups like Islamic State,” said the HJS executive director.
Jihadist groups have for years been calling on their supporters to take up the fight where they live, using any means at their disposal, rather than travelling to Iraq or Syria to battle Western-backed forces there.
“The simpler the action is, the less operational preparation is needed, such as buying equipment, weapons and explosives, and the more complicated it is to detect them, because their behaviour is less suspicious,” Yves Trotignon, a former member of the French DGSE anti-terrorism agency told AFP.
“Counter-terrorism is prevention,” he said. “People are arrested when we have things against them, when we have reasons to believe that a crime is going to be committed. It’s possible when people are known, and watched, or when they appear suddenly on the radar because they are preparing something.
“But if this something is simply renting a van, no alarm goes off,” he said.
– ‘Learn to live with…’ –
The case of the young French jihadist Adel Kermiche illustrates the difficulty of knowing when a suspect being monitored is going to actually act: after being arrested in Turkey when he tried to get into Syria, he was released on condition he wear an electronic tag.
He still had the tag attached to his ankle when he took part in the July 2016 throat-slitting of an 85-year-old French priest in the small Normandy village of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, along with another young jihadist he met a short time earlier online.
To physically monitor a suspect 24 hours a day requests some 20 police officers. All suspected jihadist network members and their supporters cannot therefore ever be watched all the time.
And even if they were, how would you know when someone gets into a van if they planned to drive into the centre of London to mow down pedestrian or simply to do some shopping?
“All the intelligence in the world will not prevent this kind of attack,” French senator Nathalie Goulet, co-president of a committee probing the fight against jihadist networks, told AFP.
“You don’t have to resign yourselves. But you have to face reality: to make people believe that by banning Muslims or by closing mosques we will resolve the problem is a lie. On the contrary, that would feed the argument the Islamic State
“A guy who takes his car, ploughs it into people and stabs them…. Unfortunately we have to learn to live with that and everyone must take care to be vigilant.”
Faced with this kind of threat, speed of reaction is the most important, both by police and medical services which in London on Saturday were exemplary, said Trotignon.
“The response, on the ground, is to have teams which are pre-positioned and move in as rapidly as possible to limit casualties.
“On Saturday night in London, the three men were neutralised in eight minutes, which is remarkable.”
BY PETER DURU MAKURDI – All Progressive Congress, APC, has won all the 23 local government chairmanship seats in the council elections held Saturday in Benue state.
The party also won all the councilorship positions in the 276 wards of the state with some of the candidates returned unopposed.
Chairman of the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission, BSIEC Dr. John Tsuwa who announced the results off the election on Sunday at the headquarter of the commission in Makurdi said the election went without much hitches.
Tsuwa who declined to issue figures garnered by the various parties said, "the figures are not ready at the moment but the APC won all the available positions.”
He confirmed that eight political parties participated in the exercise including Accord Party, APC, PDP, SDP, ACB, PPP, LP and NNPP.
The chairman commended the parties, electorates, security agencies and officials of the commission for ensuring a smooth conduct of the exercise and further expressed happiness that no case of violence or snatching of ballot boxes were recorded in the exercise.
Enyimba International Football Club on Sunday at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar defeated Plateau United FC of Jos 1-0 in the ongoing Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).
Andrew Abalogu scored the lone goal of the Match Day 22 fixture in the 69th minute of the game for the Aba-based side to earn three points.
In an interview with newsmen after the match, the Head Coach of Enyimba, Gbenga Ogunbote, said his team deserved the three points because they played well.
"Calabar stadium has been our winning ground and we will continue to play hard in order to get our normal three points at home,'' he said.
The Head Coach of Plateau United, Kennedy Boboye, on his part also praised his team.
He told newsmen that his team played well even as they failed to utilise the goal scoring chances they had in the first half of the match.
The Kebbi state Governor, Atiku Bagudu has said that the All Progressives Congress, APC, party is a blessing to Nigeria. Gov. Bagudu gave the statement while receiving the former Kebbi State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chairman, Alhaji Bello Doya and 25,000 other members of the ruling party including key party stalwarts who decamped to the APC on Sunday.
Gov Bagudu, APC executives, and hundreds of supporters from the 21 local government areas of the state were on hand to receive the decampees, among whom were Alhaji Isah Muhammad Argungu, the former director general of the campaign organization of former Gov Saidu Dakingari and the 2015 PDP gubernatorial candidate, Gen. Bello Sarkin-Yaki(Rtd).
Others are three current PDP State House of Assembly members lead by Alhaji Muhammad Ismail, ten former local government council chairmen, as well as former local government party and ward chairmen.
Gov. Bagudu
No fewer than 160 former PDP councillors, businessmen and contractors, as well as women and youth groups decamped.
The State APC chairman, Alhaji Attahiru Maccido, said the decampees joined the party Willingly.
In his remarks Bagudu, promised to give equal opportunities to both the new and old members of the APC.
"APC is a blessing to Nigeria, it has become the party of all, in APC everybody is equal, all will be treated equally and fairly," he said.
Spokesman of the decampees, Argungu said their decision to decamp was informed by the achievement of the APC administration at both the state and federal levels.
Torrential rains and wind destroyed 1,000 makeshift homes in northeast Nigeria over the weekend, aggravating conditions for the thousands of people displaced by Boko Haram violence, the United Nations said.
At least 4,300 people have been affected by violent storms that swept the state of Borno, the heart of the eight-year jihadist insurrection, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) after assessing conditions in 44 camps for displaced people in the state.
“Rains are just beginning and they will last for 3 or 4 months,” Henry Kwenin, an emergency coordinator for the IOM told AFP.
“The number one priority is to reinforce the shelters, to build adequate drainage systems, and safe places in camps where people can gather in case of violent storms,” he added.
The storms came with powerful winds damaging precarious structures in Jere, Kaga, Konduga and Maiduguri, killing one person, said the IOM.
“It began with a sandstorm which lasted for an hour and was followed by a heavy downpour which continued for the next two hours,” said a resident of Pompomari, a district in Maiduguri.
“Our neighbourhood has little trees to break the wind and this makes our houses vulnerable to windstorms,” the resident added.
– ‘Still raining’ –
“It’s still raining as we speak. I can confirm that there are damages but I don’t have any information concerning human casualties,” said Abdulkadir Ibrahim, spokesperson for the national agency that handles emergencies NEMA.
The region has been devastated by eight years of conflict, with the majority of roads inaccessible for security reasons. “Communication is a big challenge,” said Kwenin.
The conflict between the army and Boko Haram jihadists has led to over 20,000 deaths and displacing 2.6 million people since 2009.
Several hundred thousand people have fled to the capital of the region Maiduguri.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 5.2 million people could need life-saving food aid in three northeast states from June to August.
But lack of funding is forcing aid agencies to cut feeding programmes in the northeast Nigeria, the UN said last month, warning of growing pressure on resources as refugees return.
The World Food Programme has said nearly two million people were living on the brink of famine in the remote region.
Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, has restated the commitment of the Future Assured Programme to the wellbeing of women and children.President Buhari being welcomed by his wife Aisha, daughter Zahra and other family members shortly after he arrived in State House after a medical vacation in London on 10th March 2017
She made this commitment through the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Dr. Hajo Sani, at the just concluded World Village Festival in Helsinki, Finland, according to a statement by Mr. Suleiman Haruna, Director of Information to the Wife of the President, in Abuja , Sunday.
Dr. Sani, "The very poor health outcomes for women and children in Nigeria at the beginning of the present administration provided more than enough justification for such a high-level commitment, and two years down the line, having reached hundreds of thousands of women and children through empowerment, health screenings against killer diseases, de-worming exercises, nutrition and vitamin supplementation, we can safely say that we are making a difference."
She described, the Get Involved Initiative of Mrs. Buhari, as a very successful intervention, which has generated a lot of goodwill among national and international players to address the issue of nutrition, in pregnant mothers and young children, including those in displaced persons camps.
In her remarks, Mrs. Fatima Hassan, Executive Director of the Africans and African Europeans Association (AFAES), had in the invitation letter, explained that "Future Assured received special invitation to the event in recognition of its outstanding work in human development, specifically the health and empowerment of women and children as well as its activities on internally displaced persons."
Mr. Meijo Mikkanen, Secretary, Africans and African Europeans Associations (AFAES) in his response, commended Nigeria's anti-corruption fight and expressed optimism that Nigeria would work with the Universal Peace Foundation to make better gains in that regard, saying "to uphold and practice righteousness and noble responsible lifestyle in corrupted circumstances is challenging indeed."
He said that success in this area would not only be rewarding but even liberating for Nigerians. He commended wife of the President's effort to improve the living conditions for women and children with the hope that Nigeria would make a difference in that regard.
He called for improved working relations between Nigeria and Finland.
The programme was organized by the Finland's Development Agency KEPA with a view to promoting global sustainable development using the exemplary models of strong social welfare as achieved in all Nordic countries.
Some of the Key persons at the discussion were Mr. Abayomi Magbagbeola, General Secretary Nigeria-Finish Association, Mrs. Jane Ada Ndem, Head of Mission at the Embassy of Nigeria in Stockholm, and Dr. Kingsley Akinroye, Honorary Consul of Finland in Nigeria. E N D
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, Sunday, condemned, in strong terms, the terror attacks on London, the United Kingdom.A police officer escorts members of the public, wrapped in foil blankets, towards The Shard in London on June 4, 2017, following a terror attack. Forty-eight people have been taken to hospital after a terror attack in central London in which six people died, the London Ambulance Service said Sunday. / AFP PHOTO
The condemnation was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande.
Prof. Osinbajo called for greater global collaboration with a view to eliminating extremist ideologies from the world.
The statement reads in full, "Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, strongly condemns the sickening atrocity perpetrated by a misguided and cowardly group of terrorists who attacked innocent persons in the London Bridge area on Saturday night.
"Prof Osinbajo states that Nigeria stands with the government and people of the United Kingdom and extend our condolences to the families of the victims.
"The Acting President notes that the latest attack in the U.K. reinforces the need for the global community to act with greater vigour to overcome the extremist ideologies which underpin terrorism."
The senator representing Bayelsa East constituency, Sen. Ben Murray Bruce, has said that he had figured out and understood the problems facing and militating against the power sector, thus marshals them out for fellow members to understand. According to him “As the chairman of privatization, I think I understand the problem we have with the power sector.
“We have the Gencos, we have the distribution line and we have the Discos. “These companies were privatized a few years ago on the premise that they will charge cost reflective tariffs to make it profitable. “Those who privatized the sector I assume did not imagine the Niara will be devalued from 160 to 500, 380,400. he said”
Wild jubilation followed the end to a three week war between Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose and oil marketers in the state as the two parties reached pact and sheath swords after a peace meeting brokered by Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at the government House in Oshogbo yesterday evening.
According to a release by Fayose’s Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, a communique from the peace meeting signed governors, Fayose, Aregbesola, NUPENG, General Secretary, Joseph Ogbebor, IPMAN, Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Debo Ahmed and PTD NUPENG, National Vice Chairman, Comrade Solomon Kilanko, , state the resolutions on the two state government and oil marketers as follows: ”
An ad hoc committee be constituted to fashion out in clear terms the conditions and guidelines for the establishment and operations of filling stations in Ekiti State;
“The committee comprising representatives of Ekiti State Government and oil and gas stakeholders shall commence work on Wednesday 7th June, 2017; “In the spirit of reconciliation, Ekiti State Government agreed to pleas for reversal of the revocation of some Certificates of Occupancy of landed properties on which filling stations are built, except the ones on waterways, canals and where there is no justification for such revocation;
“In that same spirit, the government agreed to stop further demolitions pending the outcome of the committee's report; and
Consequently, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and other related oil and gas unions hereby suspend the industrial action embarked upon by their members, with immediate effect.”
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Legal Matters, Dr. Bilkisu Saidu has dismissed recent social media campaign about alleged anti-Islamic slant in appointments made by and in the office of the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, again decided to interact with the crowd who waited on the street of Calabar to welcome him during his visit to Calabar to continue the Niger Delta dialogue and MSME Clinics launch in Calabar. 1st June 2017
Dr. Saidu who described the charges of nepotism as "laughable, untrue, unfair and should not be taken seriously," said that on the contrary that senior appointments even in the office of the vice-president had Muslims in the ascendancy.
Dr. Saidu, a former law lecturer at the Usmanu Dan Fodiyo University Sokoto before her appointment in the Office of the Vice President, spoke in an interview programme on BBC Hausa Radio on Sunday. Transcripts of the interview were made available from her office.
"If you are talking about religion, the most senior official or position in the Office of the Vice President apart from the Vice President himself, is the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President and the name of the person occupying that office is Abdulrahman Ipaye, and he is a Muslim.''
“The positions following the Chief of Staff's in the order of hierarchy are the Special Advisers in the Office of the Vice President. Here there are three Special Advisers and two out of the three Special Advisers are Muslims, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and Barrister Mariam Uwais from Kano State,'' she added.
Noting that a cursory look at the other senior positions in the Vice President's office indicate that religious consideration was never a factor in the appointment of the officers, she said “If you look at the remaining senior positions in that office, most of them are in the hands of Muslims from the north.''
“For instance, the person in charge of Protocol (i.e. the Director of Protocol) is Ambassador Abdullahi Gwary from Yobe State; those in charge of welfare and health in the office of the Vice President are mostly Muslims and from the north.
“Worthy of note are the stewards, those who serve the Vice President's meals, they are mostly Muslims, so what do the critics mean when they talk about religion.''
Concluding she said, “when people lack what to use or have exhausted all avenues to speak evil against perceived opponents or ridicule the good works that they are doing, they resort to use of religion or other means possible to damage the image and reputation of that opponent.''
The visiting Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Mrs Retno Marsudi, has announced her government's growing interest in promoting mutually beneficial economic relations with Nigeria.
Marsudi, who led a Delegation to an Indonesia-Nigeria Business Forum in Lagos, said that there had been a decline in bilateral trade between both countries in the last five years.
"Nigeria and Indonesia are currently among the four countries that have the quality for strong growth and provide high returns for investors.
"But, the value of our bilateral trade between 2012 and 2016 is on the decline.
"This decline is taking place, despite the fact that our two countries are the largest and most growing economies in our continents.
"I came to Nigeria with one intention, and that is how best Nigeria and Indonesia should strengthen their economic cooperation. We want closer economic ties with Nigeria,'' she said.
Marsudi said that her government was prepared to enhance its economic relations with African countries, especially with Nigeria, in the years ahead.
According to her, Nigeria and Indonesia currently have the resources and energies to enhance their areas of cooperation.
She also said that it was imperative for both countries to transform their political and economic relations to one that was mutually beneficial.
The minister also disclosed her government's plan to create the enabling environment for smooth business and Investments between Nigerians and Indonesians.
The Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Harry Purwanto, said that the time had come for both countries to work together in promoting initiatives that would bring prosperity to their people.
Purwanto said that what Nigeria and Indonesia urgently needed, was enhanced and balanced economic relations.
"As the Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, i attach great importance to people-to-people interactions to make our relations mutually beneficial.
"We need to have more enhanced and balanced economic relations,'' he said.
The Ambassador, who said that Nigeria was a good place for business and Investment, added that the minister and her delegation were in Lagos, to deepen trade between both countries.
The Acting Director General of NAFDAC, Mrs Yetunde Oni, who described Nigeria as a "valuable partner'' to Indonesia, said that Nigeria looked forward to more Indonesian companies in Nigeria.
Oni, however, said that it was imperative for Indonesian companies to be conscious of NAFDAC's regulations and control laws.
She added that her agency was involved in promoting the Federal Government of Nigeria's Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.
The Senate on Sunday condemned the recent demolition of Breeze 99.9 FM, a private radio station based in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital.
Sen. Suleiman Adokwe, Chairman, Senate Committee on National Orientation and Information, who led other senators to the demolished structure, described the development as "saddening and unfortunate".
Senate chamber
Newsmen report that the Nasarawa Urban Development Board pulled down the building on May 20, citing alleged violation of land approval laws.
It also claimed that its action became necessary because the station's facilities posed a health hazard to residents living close to it.
The management of the outfit has, however, rejected such claims, and accused government of hitting the station "for political reasons".
The station's Executive Director, Dr. Nawani Aboki, told newsmen recently that government was angry that the media outfit had consistently given voices to all shades of opinions, especially since state government workers went on strike.
Adokwe said that the visit was to commiserate with the outfit's management, relay the Senate's condemnation of the demolition, and demonstrate support and solidarity.
"We condemn this action in its totality. It is reprehensible. It is uncalled for and undemocratic. That is why we are here. This trend should not be accepted in a democratic setting," he said.
Adokwe said that he was particularly shocked at the speed with which the demolition took place.
"The demolition was too sudden; it is an illegality that failed to follow due process as stipulated by the constitution of the country with regards to demolition, reclaiming of land and related issues.
"We expect the Nasarawa State Government to promote private enterprises like this. Government ought to promote and support investors, instead of destroying their structures and facilities. This must not continue.
"Information should be disseminated to people without any hindrance. Destroying a harmless radio station is denying the people the right to freedom of information
"There are sufficient laws to take care of illegal broadcasting. The constitution is very clear on the procedures. Adequate notices are issued and where there are compensations to be made, they are made," he said.
The Senator advised the Nasarawa State Government to stop gagging the press, and stressed the need to allow the opposition to co-exist, thrive and express themselves in accordance with the law.
"A citizen of the state set up an enterprise that offered employment. The least government can do is to encourage the individual to expand Breeze FM as a pride of the state, and not to truncate the effort of a young investor.
"Suppressing the enterprising skills of young men is abominable. Nasarawa State belongs to everybody. It should not be a place where some people are treated like strangers. No one will accept that," he said.
The countries of West Africa's Sahel region are requesting 50 million euros (56 million dollars) from the European Union to help set up a multinational force to take on Islamist militant groups, Mali's military chief said Saturday.
The vast, arid zone has in recent years become a breeding ground for jihadist groups, some linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State, in some European nations, particularly France.
There is fear that the development could destroy Europe if left unchecked.
Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Mauritania, the so-called G5 Sahel countries, have proposed a regional task force designed to tackle the cross-border threat.
Implementation of the plan has lagged, partly due to funding obstacles.
"The council of ministers of the G5 Sahel countries is making a request to the European Union to financially support the deployment and functioning of the G5 Sahel Joint Force," Gen. Didier Dacko of Mali said on Saturday.
He was speaking at a meeting in Mali's capital Bamako between G5 Sahel military chiefs, EU diplomats and officers from France's regional anti-militant force, Operation Barkhane, aimed to map out what areas required assistance.
Sahel foreign ministers were due to meet on Sunday.
In 2016, the group proposed establishing special units, each composed of around 100 well-trained soldiers, capable of responding quickly to shifting threats, which would be deployed in areas where jihadist groups are known to operate.
They would complement the efforts of regular armed forces, UN peacekeepers in Mali and Operation Barkhane, which has around 4,000 French troops deployed across the five Sahel countries.
France spearheaded a 2013 military intervention that successfully drove back militants who had seized Mali's desert north a year earlier.
However, militants continue to attack local security forces, UN peacekeepers and civilian targets across the region.
New French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Mali on his first trip outside of Europe in May, has reaffirmed Paris's commitment to the region and called on Germany and other European nations to ramp up military and development aid.
French soldiers killed about 20 Islamist militants in Mali on Friday, France's defence ministry said.
The announcement came a day after several French soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in a mortar attack claimed by al Qaeda's local affiliate on a UN peacekeeping camp in Mali's north.
Just minutes before Saturday’s terror attack in London, pubs were crammed with revellers enjoying a balmy night out in a trendy part of the city, many of them watching the Champions League final on big screens.
And then terror struck yet again at London’s heart as a van smashed into pedestrians before its occupants went on a stabbing rampage, bringing bloodshed to the streets of the British capital.
Within minutes, six people had been killed and three attackers shot dead by armed police. Dozens more were wounded.
People enjoying their evening out near the River Thames told of how their night became a nightmare in seconds as they witnessed the attack unfold.
– ‘I saw her bounce up in the air’ –
First, a white van veered wildly into pedestrians crossing London Bridge, with those who managed to avoid the attack rushing to aid those who were hit.
The van deliberately swerved into groups of people at speed, eyewitnesses said.
“I saw this van going left and right, left and right, trying to catch as many people as he could,” Alessandro told BBC radio.
“There were five or six people that we tried to help, they were young people.”
Mark, another witness, was in the middle of London Bridge, taking pictures of Tower Bridge downstream.
“It was swerving from side to side. I could see it hitting people,” he said of the van.
“It hit one person about 20 foot (six metres) in the air. Poor girl. I just saw her bounce up in the air.
“There must have been about five or six people on the ground, they must have been seriously injured,” he told BBC radio.
London resident Dee, 26, said she was sure it was a terror attack as the van careered southwards over London Bridge.
“And then there was a man with a knife, he was running, he came down the stairs and went to a bar,” she told AFP.
After the van crashed right by Southwark Cathedral, the stabbing spree began, with the attackers descending into Borough Market, a popular area of trendy bars and eateries on the south side of the bridge.
Taxi driver Chris told LBC radio he saw men brandishing long knives emerging from the van.
“Three men got out with long blades, 12 inches (30 centimetres) long and went randomly… stabbing people.”
Witness Eric saw the trio get out of the van and thought they were going to help those who had been hit.
However, they were “kicking them, punching them, and took out knives. It was a rampage.”
They then ran towards Borough Market with a shout of “this is for Allah”.
– Bleeding from the mouth –
Alex Shellum, who was in The Mudlark pub near London Bridge said he saw a young woman stagger in.
“She was bleeding heavily from the neck and from her mouth,” he said.
“It appeared to myself and to my friends that her throat had been cut,” he told the BBC.
Police held people inside bars and restaurants for their own safety, telling them to get under the tables.
They were later asked to leave with their hands on their heads.
Frightened people were led away as police officers screamed at them to run. Many were in tears, with friends supporting each other along the road.
Roads were closed off and stations evacuated as police shouted at people to flee the scene.
Three attackers wearing hoax suicide vests caused mayhem, repeatedly stabbing one of the first police officers on the scene.
Within eight minutes of the first calls to the emergency services, the three assailants were fatally shot by armed police.
– Blood on chef’s uniform –
Gerard Kavanar, 46, who lives by Tower Bridge, said: “There was lot of chefs in white costumes, one had blood on his shoulder”.
Police boats scanned the Thames in the dark while helicopters circled overhead and streets were cordoned off, AFP reporters said.
An emergency response helicopter landed on London Bridge, while emergency service workers rushed people on trolleys to waiting ambulances, AFP photographers saw.
Members of the public were seen leaving the scene wrapped in foil emergency blankets while armed police patrolled the scene.
Debris could be seen on the bridge where people had fled.
Several people on Twitter offered their homes for anyone left stranded by the attack.
Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has promised that the Senate will look into the high interest rate charged by banks in the country.
"It is likely that we will debate it this week," Saraki said during an interactive session with journalists on Sunday in Ilorin.
According to him, the high interest rate is not good for the economy as the nation eases out of recession and targets growth.
"This week we will debate it, have a round table discussion with the Central Bank of Nigeria and other commercial banks and talk frankly to ourselves," he said.
According to Saraki, it is not fair for the banking sector to be making astronomical profit while companies lose money and retrench workers. "Hopefully, with the stability of the foreign exchange, we can now begin to address the issue of interest rate.
"There is no business that can make money if you are borrowing at 28 percent, it cannot work," Saraki added.
Bukola Saraki
He said the Senate would engage financial institutions to arrive at an affordable interest rate, adding, "if they refuse, the Senate may come up with legislation to peg the interest rate."
According to him, the banks are charging high interest rate because they have tied their assets in government securities and are getting 18 to 19 percent.
"They will tell you they are doing business, but in any business, there must be social responsibility.
"I promise Nigerians that we will find a solution to the high interest rate," Saraki assured.
The Senate president also said the upper chamber may limit the amount banks can put in government securities and channel the rest to areas like the real sector.
Saraki also expressed concern over the status of local governments in the country, saying virtually all local councils lacked the required finances to carry out their statutory obligations.
He said that to reduce the burden of responsibilities on local councils, the Senate may transfer the responsibility of funding primary education to states.
"I am of the view that we should look at how state governments take over primary education.
"This is an arm of government that cannot meet its constitutional obligations and you now put a very important one under it.
"Ninety Five percent of local governments depend on state governments' support to pay workers salaries," Saraki added.
He noted that the Constitution Review Committee of the Senate may grant autonomy to the local government in the country.
The Senate president, however, believed that granting autonomy to local governments may not solve their problems.
He stressed that the main issue was that of inadequate funding which must be addressed to allow local governments function effectively
Chelsea attacker Eden Hazard has revealed he would consider a move to Real Madrid if the Champions League winners were to make an approach.
Chelsea’s Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 3, 2016. AFP
The Belgium international was pivotal in Chelsea’s successful 2016-17 campaign, scoring 16 goals in 36 Premier League outings to help them to the title.
His awesome showing has reignited speculation that Madrid are interested in bringing the 26-year-old to Santiago Bernabeu and Hazard is not denying it.
“Of course, I would consider it if Madrid made an offer,” Hazard told reporters.
“I am keen to win trophies. It would be great to win the Champions League. But Chelsea’s goal is to win the Champions League as well. Honestly, I do not know what will happen.
“I only know that I still have a contract with Chelsea for three seasons and that we just had an amazing 2016-17 campaign. We want to continue on this path and want to build on this in the Champions League.
“I am feeling very well at Chelsea. But you never know what will happen.
“I have not met with the board yet to discuss a new deal. I have two games with Belgium coming up first and I am off on my holiday after that. I want to think about football as little as possible.”
… as Aregbesola restates need for police restructuring
The Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Foluso Adebanjo, has commended the Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola for his administration's commitment to the security of lives and property of the citizens and residents of Osun.
Adebanjo, who was accompanied by two Deputy Commissioners of Police in the state for a courtesy call on the Governor at the Government House in Osogbo commended the efforts of Aregbesola at making the state one with the lowest crime rate in Nigeria.
The visit was part of the DIG's routine security assessment, evaluation and sensitisation of the officers and men of the State and Zonal Commands of the Nigeria Police Force in the zone on the need to uphold professionalism, efficiency and discipline in the course of duty.
The Police boss also lauded Osun Government for giving the Force necessary support and cooperation in its bid to maintaining laws and order.
Describing Osun as one of the states with lowest crime rate in Nigeria, Adebanjo said the Force has been monitoring the records of the state in the last few years, saying, apart from the atmosphere of peace, the state is witnessing massive development of infrastructure.
Gov. Rauf Aregbesola
He therefore sought for executive support to enhance policing and as well free the state and Nigeria from crime and criminality.
According to him, “Nigeria Police Force is always in support of development. We have seen the developmental strides of Governor Aregbesola’s administration in the state of Osun.
“Let me add to it, Osun has one of the lowest crime rates in Nigeria. We cherish this feat and we know that the tempo would be sustained.
“We have been monitoring events in the state even from Abuja and we know that the state has never relented in its efforts to security consciousness.
“As part of our visit is to appreciate Mr. Governor for being supportive of officers and men of the command just as we equally commend the good people of Osun for their spirit of cooperation openly demonstrated to Police in the state.
“On our part, we shall continue to live up to expectation of Nigerian people in ensuring a safe atmosphere for all to live. We will not rest on our oars to ensure that our nation is free from crimes of all nature," he said.
In his response, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola advocated for the decentralisation of Police through a proper restructuring and reform to ensure effective zonal management, control and operation of the Police organisation in Nigeria.
He said Nigeria has grown beyond a centralised policing, saying the devolution of power must be encouraged in the Nigeria Police Force to strengthen the sector for greater productivity.
He said the restructuring of the police and the devolution of its control would go a long way to foster improvement in the system, promoting moral integrity and discipline in the affairs of all police officers and men.
Aregbesola held that, since police remains a civil security organisation, the decentralisation of the system will increase the efficiency and proficiency of the Nigeria Police.
The governor asserted that the complexity and diverse nature of policing in Nigeria has become worrisome, a thing which he said requires urgent restructuring to promote effective zonal and state’s control of its administration and management.
According to him, “The essence of human urbanisation and socialisation is security. Therefore, it is a duty not only for government but also the people to support security agencies especially the police.
“Since the first obligation and responsibility of government remains security and maintenance of law and order, therefore, it behoves on any serious government to prioritise and guarantee the security of lives and property of the citizenry.
“So, there can't be civil service or public service without adequate security just as development lies on the security status of any society. All the social and physical infrastructures of any society could be measured by the level of security therein.
“This justifies that there wouldn’t be any iota of development in an unrest, unsecured, volatile and troubled society. And whenever one want any tangible development, thus, one must accord respect and support to security agencies especially the police.
“It is a duty to support the police and it is in view of this that I strongly clamour for a restructuring of the Nigeria Police to enhance effectiveness and raise the standard of dedication and high sense of commitment to professional ethics, values and conducts.
“It is a misnomer in a society like Nigeria for Commissioner of Police in a state to be directly answerable to Inspector General of Police in spite the fact that there is zonal Assistant Inspector General of Police in the zone to which such state emanates.
“Ideally, CP should be answerable to zonal commander (AIG), while its the duty of AIG to be responsible to IG. This would sanitise the system and instill the spirit of commitment and dedication into the system.
“There is need to federate Police Force. Police must restructure its structure in such a way that would enhance effective zonal structure and management.
“We need to make Zonal Command effective and this can only be achieved through restructuring.
“I am a strong advocate of federalisation of Police Force. We need to devolve the control of Police in such a way that the cumbersome shouldered by the Inspector General of Police would be reduced.
“So, it is high time we go back to drawing board and map out policies that would strengthen high sense of professionalism, effectiveness and proficiency in the Police Force because the unitary structure has become obsolete to a nation like Nigeria”, Aregbesola stressed
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