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Manchester City ignited the Premier League title race with a second-half blitz that sealed a 3-0 win against Chelsea as they closed the gap on leaders Arsenal on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s side produced a devastating spell immediately after half-time, with Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi scoring in the space of six minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Jeremy Doku wrapped up a statement victory to ensure City took advantage of Arsenal’s shock 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Second-placed City are now only six points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, setting up a seismic showdown against the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.

Having beaten Arsenal in the League Cup final and thrashed Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, City are hitting form at just the right time.

Their bid for a seventh English title under Guardiola appeared to be fading after successive draws with strugglers West Ham and Nottingham Forest in their previous two league matches.

A disjointed first half against Chelsea suggested City might waste a golden opportunity to pile pressure on Arsenal.

But Guardiola’s half-time team-talk had the desired effect and City can now target next weekend’s do-or-die visit from Mikel Arteta’s spluttering team.

If City win that blockbuster clash, they will be within three points of Arsenal, who blew substantial leads in the 2023 and 2024 title races, allowing Guardiola’s men to pip them to the trophy.

Arteta said the defeat to Bournemouth was a “punch in the face” and City’s success in west London was another body blow for the Spaniard.

City have won 29 of their 32 league games in the month of April in recent seasons, underlining their ability to thrive when the title pressure mounts.

After winning their first four league matches following Liam Rosenior’s arrival from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca, Chelsea have won just one of their last seven, losing three in a row to leave the Blues boss facing some difficult questions.

Chelsea, who haven’t beaten City since the 2021 Champions League final, were again without Enzo Fernandez after Rosenior’s controversial decision to drop the Argentine midfielder for hinting he might leave in the summer.

– Cherki sparkles –

Sixth-placed Chelsea looked subdued without Fernandez and they trail four points behind Liverpool in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish.

Lacking energy and cohesion in a sloppy start, City were fortunate not to fall behind when Marc Cucurella’s clinical finish was disallowed for a tight offside.

City also let Pedro Neto in far too easily for a stinging strike that forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to save at his near post.

It took City 35 minutes to mount an incisive raid as Bernardo Silva stretched to meet O’Reilly’s cross, but Robert Sanchez made a fine save from the midfielder’s close-range effort.

But City stepped up after the interval and O’Reilly made the breakthrough in the 51st minute.

Rayan Cherki whipped an in-swinging cross towards O’Reilly and the City left-back reprised his League Cup final heroics with another clinical header from close range.

Six minutes later, Cherki again showed the creative genius that has won over Guardiola despite some impetuous moments in his first season in Manchester.

The France playmaker glided past a gaggle of Chelsea players on the edge of the area before threading a sublime pass to Guehi, who looked more like a forward than a centre-back as he smashed a perfect strike into the far corner from 12 yards.

City benefitted from wretched Chelsea defending for their third goal in the 68th minute.

Sanchez rolled the ball to Moises Caicedo even though the Chelsea midfielder was surrounded by three City players and Doku pounced, racing into the area to drill home as Guardiola celebrated a priceless result.

Vanguard News

The post Man City thrash Chelsea 3-0 to close gap on leaders Arsenal appeared first on Vanguard News.

The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Dr Dennis Brutu Otuaro, has commended the Chairman of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, on the sustained peace and development in the Niger Delta and the entire Nigeria.  Otuaro described Tompolo as a foremost Niger Delta freedom fighter, […]

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The United States has praised Nigeria for a landmark mass terrorism trial that concluded this past week, in which 386 suspected militants linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) were convicted in just four days.

U.S. Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos posted the commendation on X on Sunday, stating: “The United States commends the Nigerian government for its strong commitment to expediting trials addressing terrorism and related crimes.

We welcome the convictions of 386 Islamist militants in cases that had previously faced significant delays in the courts, and we recognize this as an important step toward accountability and justice.” Boulos emphasised the importance of efficient and transparent judicial processes in tackling insecurity and strengthening public confidence in the legal system.

The trial, which marked the ninth phase of Nigeria’s mass terrorism trial exercise, commenced on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, and concluded on Friday, April 10.

Defendants were arraigned before 10 judges of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, despite the Easter vacation period that commenced on the same day.

A total of 508 defendants were brought before the courts. Of those, 386 were convicted and sentenced to various jail terms ranging from five years to life imprisonment based on the gravity of the charges and their courtroom confessions.

Eight defendants were discharged while two were acquitted. A batch of 112 suspects whose cases could not be concluded will be arraigned in the next phase scheduled for June 15 to 18, 2026.

Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, commended the ten Federal High Court judges for sacrificing their Easter holiday to serve in the special courts, calling their efforts a demonstration of commitment to justice and national security.

He also noted that Amnesty International, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission, and other civil society groups monitored the proceedings to ensure transparency and adherence to due process.

Beyond punishment, courts also ordered rehabilitation and de-radicalisation for many of the convicts, aimed at reintegrating them into society and preventing future violence.

The convictions mark a significant milestone in Nigeria’s long-running battle against insurgency in the northeast, which has displaced millions of people over the past decade.

U.S. Commends Nigeria For Convicting 386 ‘Islamist Militants’ is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has criticised supporters of Peter Obi, describing them as “monsters” and warning that they could undermine his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.

In a series of posts on X on Sunday, Dabiri-Erewa said the former Labour Party presidential candidate bears responsibility for the conduct of his supporters, popularly known as Obidients.

“@PeterObi has actually raised monsters. By God’s grace @officialABAT will win the 2027 elections. When it’s the turn of the south east and who knows, if the lot falls on him, I hope he knows that these obingos/ Obi-dients will ironically be his downfall. He needs to call them to order,” she wrote.

The NiDCOM chairman doubled down on her position in subsequent posts, insisting that the behaviour of Obi’s supporters could ultimately harm his political prospects if not addressed.

“They will eventually be Peter Obi’s downfall if he does not call them to order,” she added in response to another user’s comment.

Dabiri-Erewa also defended her decision to engage critics online, rejecting the notion that her role as a public official should prevent her from responding to attacks.

“This is my personal account. You can hack it again if you so wish. So because I’m a public official, I should keep quiet to Rada Rada rede rede of @PeterObi’s toxic obidients??” she wrote.

Her remarks followed the reactions of Obi’s supporters to her earlier post about her meeting with Nigerians in Silicon Valley, California.

“While in Silicon Valley, California, I met with incredible Nigerian professionals with a passion to contributing to Nigeria’s growth . I could not leave Silicon Valley without a ride in a driverless car .Special thanks to Kunle Adeyemo for the ride and the tour,” she tweeted.

The post Peter Obi raised monsters, Obidients will be his downfall - Abike Dabiri appeared first on Vanguard News.

Former President of the African Development Bank Group, Akinwumi Adesina, has declared that his service to Africa remains “a mission for life,” as he dedicated his…

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The Secretary, New Nigerian Peoples Party, Enugu State, and Chairman, Kwankwasiyya Northern Movement, Southeast, Hon Aliyu Adamu Kwankwaso, weekend, drummed support for a joint ticket of Mr Peter Obi and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso during the 2027 presidential election.

Aliyu, who spoke in Enugu, said Mr Obi should be the presidential candidate while Senator Kwankwaso should be his vice. According to him, the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians should be placed above personal reasons. THE WHISTLER reports that in 2023, Obi ran for the president under the Labour Party while Kwankwaso bore the flag of the NNPP. Both of them have joined the African Democratic Congress.

Hon Adamu said Obi and Kwankwaso share common ideologies that are capable of moving Nigeria to the next level. According to him, “The Kwankwasiyya Movement is built on ideology. This ideology is built around the youths and how to make a better society. You can attest to what I am saying from what is happening in Kano. Despite the incumbent governor decamping to the APP, the masses in Kano have shown that they are still with Senator Kwankwaso. We in NNPP have shown that we are with Kwankwaso.”

He said Obi and Kwankwaso did not work together during the 2023 election because of the political dynamics then. “No reasonable Nigerian should be happy that Kwankwaso and Obi were not able to work together in 2023. Politics they say is a game of interest. I recall that a committee was set up then, and we had many meetings with some stakeholders of then Labour Party. Kwankwaso was in for that discussion. Kwankwaso was still looking at the events in Kano then.

“Then Kwankwaso was of the belief that he had an edge over Peter Obi. But under the current situation, there must be sacrifices. I am of the support that Peter Obi should be the presidential candidate. The interest now is not about who will be the president or not, but how to rescue Nigeria. Both of them have now realised that they need to work together. A typical northerner has shown his support for Obi. The courtship between Obi and Kwankwaso is going to yield good fruits to Nigerians.”

He advised Nigerians to forget the past and put the interest of the country first. “If we are going to live in the past, we cannot achieve one Nigeria. The future is giving us a good sign. That a typical northerner is today shouting that Obi can be a better president should give us hope. This is the time to get things right in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.”

2027: Kwankwasiyya Faithful Declares Support For Obi Presidency is first published on The Whistler Newspaper

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