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‘You showed great maturity’ — sports minister receives Super Eagles at Abuja airport

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John Enoh, minister of sports development, has commended the Super Eagles for their composure “in spite the provocations” in Libya.

The Super Eagles players were held at the Al Abaq Airport since Sunday evening upon arrival in Libya for the second leg of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match, following their 1-0 victory in Uyo, Akwa Ibom on Friday.

 

After over 16 hours of delay, the team departed Libya and arrived at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano on Monday evening, and flew to Abuja.

 

Receiving the team at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, the minister expressed his admiration for their calm response.

 

“The entire country is aware of all you’ve gone through. The entire country has been awake since last night praying that you come back safely. What was important to us is your safe return to the country; nothing else mattered,” Enoh said.

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“Let me thank all of you for the great show of maturity in spite of what took place — in spite of the provocations.

“We’ve seen all the pictures — the manner in which you were treated and how you tried to see whether you could even find some rest in the airport. How you were stopped from even leaving the airport.

 

“In spite of all of that, you remained calm and mature. That is the spirit that is typically Nigerian.”

The minister also revealed that discussions had been held with officials from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the situation.

 

“We’ve had discussions with the various levels and leaders of CAF in terms of what has happened and what took place,” he added.

Earlier, President Bola Tinubu condemned the “inhumane treatment” of the Nigerian team by Libyan authorities, while calling on CAF to take action and prevent future occurrence.

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The Federal Government has also summoned the Libyan envoy to Nigeria over the matter.

 

Yusuf Tuggar, minister of foreign affairs, confirmed the development on Monday at the State House.

 

Meanwhile, CAF has revealed that it has launched an investigation into the “disturbing” incident.

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Arsenal win EPL title after 22 years

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Arsenal are English Premier League (EPL) champions after Manchester City failed to win at Bournemouth.

Pep Guardiola’s Man City drew 1-1 with Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium to hand Arsenal an unassailable four-point lead with just one match remaining to the end of the season.

The Gunners win the EPL title for the first time in 22 years, since the legendary Invincible side won it in the 2003/04 season.

In the club’s 100th season without relegation from the EPL, the club will celebrate its centenary participation with a league title won on the back of a record 28 EPL wins that surpassed the 26 wins recorded by the Invincibles. The defence prevented opponents from registering a shot on target in six matches, equaling a 23-year league record, and also scored a record 17 goals from corner kicks.

Mikel Arteta’s tough side has led the table for most of the season before a late mini-collapse, and Man City’s late surge in form nearly threatened their title ambition for a second season in a row.

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City’s late resurgence, however, was initially stunned by Everton in early May and completely collapsed against Bournemouth.

Guardiola’s side visited the Vitality Stadium aware that any result other than a victory would seal Arsenal’s title. But they lacked the execution for the mission after falling to a wonderful strike from Junior Kroupi in the first half.

City were only kept in the game by Bournemouth’s profligacy in front of goal. When Erling Haaland’s equaliser was squeezed home in the eleventh hour of the game, even the most faithful City supporter knew it was too little, too late.

Arsenal and Arteta secured the league earlier than they would have predicted, giving City a prodigious title run-in.

The league triumph is Arteta’s second major title with the North London club since joining in December 2019, adding to the English FA Cup trophy won within six months of his tenure in May 2020.

The 44-year-old Spaniard wins his fourth title overall and can win his fifth — and third major trophy — with victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League final next weekend.

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WrestleMania 42: Nigerian wrestler Oba Femi beats 10-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar

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Nigerian professional wrestler, Isaac Odugbesan, popularly known as Oba Femi, defeated 10-time WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, on his WrestleMania debut on Sunday.

The clash, one of the headline matches at WrestleMania 42, ended on a dramatic note as the 27-year-old Nigerian overpowered the veteran.

Lesnar left his wrestling gear in the ring after the match — a gesture widely regarded in professional wrestling as a sign of retirement.

Oba Femi, also known as “The Ruler,” is a former NXT champion and has spent just three months on WWE’s main roster.

The contest began with both wrestlers testing each other’s strength before Lesnar briefly seized control with a series of offensive moves.

However, Femi absorbed the pressure and responded with a dominant display, shifting momentum in his favour.

Lesnar delivered an F5, but Femi quickly recovered, hitting a chokeslam before finishing the contest with his “Fall From Grace” sit-out powerbomb for the pinfall victory.

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The bout quickly became a major talking point on social media, with fans reacting to the upset win.

Femi, a former shot put athlete, is a two-time NXT Champion and a one-time NXT North American Champion.

Born in Lagos, Odugbesan competed in track and field during his school years before signing with WWE in 2021 through its NIL programme.

He went on to win the 2023 NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament and the 2024 Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

During the WrestleMania Sunday post-show, Femi sent a message to Roman Reigns, popularly known as the “Original Tribal Chief,” drawing a loud reaction from fans as he hinted at a possible title challenge before the end of the year.

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BREAKING: CAF overturns Afcon final result, declares Morocco winner

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The Confederation of African Football (Caf) has overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and declare MOROCCO the winner of the title.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.

Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.

However, that result has now been overturned by CAF.

A statement by the African Football’s Governing Body said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.

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