Ijebu-Ode residents have peacefully protested in opposition to the Ogun State government’s decision to halt the selection process for alleged irregularities in the area’s selection process for a new traditional ruler.
The protest came after the selection process for a new Ijebuland was suspended.
The demonstrators marched through major streets in the ancient town while carrying placards with inscriptions urging a free, fair, and transparent selection process under the auspices of Ijebu Sons and Daughters and Ijebu-Ode Progressive Youths.
The Chairman, Dare Alebiosu, addressed the crowd at the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Secretariat.
The chairman explained to the protesters that the Ogun State Government had no preference for a candidate and that the suspension was only intended to ensure strict compliance with the law.
Awujale: Ogun LG Stops the Selection Process
He claimed that the government isn’t concerned with the identity of the Awujale in the end. The selection process was made to ensure fairness and transparency.
He praised the protesters’ peaceful behavior and assured them that the selection process that would eventually lead to the creation of a new Awujale would soon resume. It would also reflect the people’s wishes and aspirations.  ,
A resident of the town Babatunde Salami said the demonstration was meant to send a clear message to the rulers to act responsibly.
The Awujale stool is regarded highly in Yoruba, Nigeria, and even beyond. We want the right rulers to make their choice for our nation. he stated
He continued, “We are here to demand that all laws be followed.” We don’t want moneybags to sabotage the process and make it pointless.
The protesters also urged contestants to receive equal treatment, noting that the traditional title should not be used as a justification for disqualification.
“We’ve heard bribery allegations against both the selection process and the contestants. Anyone found guilty must be punished by the government. We don’t want the procedure to be compromised, as it could lead to pointless litigation.
In addition, the Alagemos in Ijebuland have backed the Ogun State Government’s actions to ensure a smooth selection process.
The kingmakers should now sit down and go over the process in full transparency, according to the Funsengbuwa Ruling House.
Ijebu-Ode residents have peacefully protested in opposition to the Ogun State government’s decision to halt the selection process for alleged irregularities in the area’s selection process for a new traditional ruler.
The protest came after the selection process for a new Ijebuland was suspended.
The demonstrators marched through major streets in the ancient town while carrying placards with inscriptions urging a free, fair, and transparent selection process under the auspices of Ijebu Sons and Daughters and Ijebu-Ode Progressive Youths.
The Chairman, Dare Alebiosu, addressed the crowd at the Ijebu-Ode Local Government Secretariat.
The chairman explained to the protesters that the Ogun State Government had no preference for a candidate and that the suspension was only intended to ensure strict compliance with the law.
Awujale: Ogun LG Stops the Selection Process
He claimed that the government isn’t concerned with the identity of the Awujale in the end. The selection process was made to ensure fairness and transparency.
He praised the protesters’ peaceful behavior and assured them that the selection process that would eventually lead to the creation of a new Awujale would soon resume. It would also reflect the people’s wishes and aspirations.  ,
A resident of the town Babatunde Salami said the demonstration was meant to send a clear message to the rulers to act responsibly.
The Awujale stool is regarded highly in Yoruba, Nigeria, and even beyond. We want the right rulers to make their choice for our nation. he stated
He continued, “We are here to demand that all laws be followed.” We don’t want moneybags to sabotage the process and make it pointless.
The protesters also urged contestants to receive equal treatment, noting that the traditional title should not be used as a justification for disqualification.
“We’ve heard bribery allegations against both the selection process and the contestants. Anyone found guilty must be punished by the government. We don’t want the procedure to be compromised, as it could lead to pointless litigation.
In addition, the Alagemos in Ijebuland have backed the Ogun State Government’s actions to ensure a smooth selection process.
The kingmakers should now sit down and go over the process in full transparency, according to the Funsengbuwa Ruling House.
When Aston Villa‘s public address announcer reads out the teams at home games, Emiliano Martinez is introduced as the world’s number one.
Villa herald Martinez as the World Cup winner he is. Twice he has won the Yashin Trophy, which is awarded to the world’s best goalkeeper.
But since his failure to land a move to Manchester United at the end of the summer transfer window, the Argentina international has faced more scrutiny.
That may seem curious – after all, Villa are third in the Premier League and in the Europa League last 16.
But crucial mistakes have cost Villa as they look to maintain their surprise title challenge.
Missed Old Trafford move leaves questions
Martinez is arguably not as imperious as he once was. But it is difficult to pinpoint exactly why.
A World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, having joined Villa for £17m in 2020, he has been one of the club’s best performers.
This season, though, the cracks have begun to show – for which it is easy to blame his failed move to United.
An emotional Martinez appeared to be saying goodbye after Villa’s final home game of last season, against Tottenham in May.
Villa were open to letting him leave, looking at Brentford’s Mark Flekken among others, but then Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim lost the battle to bring him to Old Trafford.
United’s data suggested Senne Lammens was going to be one of Europe’s best, that although he was not good as Martinez now, signing the Belgian made more sense, financially and for the future.
They wanted to spend money in attacking areas – signing Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbuemo – with Amorim overruled on a move for Martinez as Lammens joined from Royal Antwerp instead.
On 31 August, the day before the transfer deadline, Martinez was left out for a 3-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace. When asked about Martinez’s whereabouts, head coach Unai Emery repeated the name of stand-in keeper Marco Bizot several times.
He returned after the international break for a 0-0 draw at Everton on 13 September – with Emery calling him “the best goalkeeper in the world”, and one who had a “massive” commitment to Villa.
But has Martinez been as consistent this season?
There has been more than one late withdrawal from a game – including two following the warm-ups before matches against Brighton and Feyenoord.
He has saved 76.1% of the shots he has faced this season – the most in the league – and is fifth on Opta’s ‘goals prevented’ stats list with 17.
He has made 55 saves – the 12th-highest total of any Premier League goalkeeper this season. His ‘expected goals on target conceded’ tally – which measures the likelihood of an on-target shot resulting in a goal – is 20.85.
Villa have conceded 25 this season, but eight of those have been with Bizot in goal so Martinez’s stats should not be worrying.
It is the three mistakes leading to a goal – the highest in the league – which will gnaw away, though.
The most obvious was his error at Anfield in November, gifting the ball to Mohamed Salah to score, and giving Liverpool a platform for a 2-0 win.
Yet, Villa went on to win their next 11 games, before losing 4-1 to Arsenal on 30 December, when Martinez again faced scrutiny.
He spilled the ball under pressure from Gabriel from a corner, allowing the defender to score, although Villa argued the goal should have been disallowed for a high elbow by the Arsenal man.
Last Sunday’s his mistake, failing to catch or clear Dwight McNeil’s shot, contributed to Thierno Barry’s winner for Everton.
He missed Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League win at Fenerbahce with a calf injury, with Bizot keeping his fifth clean sheet in 11 games this season.
Dutchman Bizot, signed from Brest in the summer, is 34 and not a long-term replacement for Martinez.
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‘It’s a confidence position’
Martinez has made 234 appearances for Villa, with who he is contracted until 2029.
He has had a tough season – something former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson sympathises with.
“You’re the first one to know that you’re not playing well,” he said.
“It’s a confidence position. You have to give out the persona of somebody who’s hugely confident and very calm in that team environment, regardless of what’s going on inside.
“You’re probably a mess inside – which sometimes goalkeepers who lack confidence are when they go on to a field. You know what’s what’s going on inside your body.
“But you cannot give that image up anywhere inside the stadium. It’s difficult to explain because it’s a very lonely position at times. Sometimes you see the ball and it’s the size of a beach ball. Sometimes you see the ball and it’s the size of a golf ball.”
Martinez remains Emery’s number one – with some kind of resolution coming in the summer.
“I just think it’s been running its course for a while now. The speculation has never gone away,” Robinson told BBC Sport.
“They weren’t in a good place, but the lure of Manchester United for him at that time seemed like it was going to happen.
“It just seems this season the focus has been diverted slightly, away from Aston Villa.
“I’m not so sure he is as settled as he was. There may have been a little drop off.
As part of a wider American push to collaborate with African militaries to fight Islamic State-linked militants, the US military is increasing its supply of weapons and intelligence with Nigeria, according to Africom’s deputy commander.
According to Lieutenant General John Brennan, the Pentagon has maintained communication with military bases in Burkinabe, Niger, and Mali, which are under the junta.
The US military is becoming “more aggressive” in pursuing IS-linked targets on the continent as a result of Washington’s diplomatic pressure on Nigeria over jihadist violence there.
On January 24, 2026, US Army Lieutenant General John Brennan, the United States Africa Command’s deputy commander since April 2024, poses for a portrait in Abuja. Photo by Light Oriye Tamunotonye / AFP
We’ve gotten a lot more aggressive and are working with partners to target, primarily ISIS, according to Brennan, who spoke on the heels of a US-Nigeria security meeting last week in the country’s capital.
The problem set is linked from Somalia to Nigeria, according to the statement. So we’re attempting to disassemble it before giving partners the information they require,” he continued.
More enabling partners have been involved, and less restrictions have been placed on them, making it easier for them to gain more success.
About a month after the US announced surprise strikes on IS-linked targets in northwest Nigeria, the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group met last week.
diplomatic conflict
After the joint strikes, both militaries appear eager to work together again, but Washington’s diplomatic pressure is weighing in on the matter, which Trump claims led to a number of Christians being killed in Nigeria.
Abuja and independent analysts refute the long-standing religious right in the US to frame Nigeria’s numerous, intertwining conflicts.
At the Joint Working Group meeting in Abuja, Allison Hooker, the State Department’s number three, pressed the Nigerian government to “protect Christians” in a speech that neglected to mention the Muslim victims of armed groups.
The north of Africa’s most populous nation is roughly evenly divided between a predominantly Muslim and largely Christian south. Religious and ethnic identity are still a hot topic in a nation that has experienced sectarian violence throughout its history, despite the fact that millions of people live peacefully alongside one another.
According to Brennan, US intelligence would not only be used to defend Christians.
He added that, in the wake of the US’s recent airstrikes in northwestern Sokoto state, American support will continue to be focused on sharing intelligence to support Nigerian airstrikes there and the northeast, where a jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram and rival breakaway ISWAP have raged since 2009.
He called ISWAP, or Islamic State West Africa, “our most alarming group.”
In recent months, some have questioned whether air support alone can stop armed groups that thrive in rural poverty and state collapse. However, analysts have been tracking US intelligence flights over the country.
Read more: Police Surveillance Truck Bringing Suspect Explosives to Oyo
Still work with AES militia members?
According to Brennan, continuing US-Nigerian cooperation will entail “the entire gamut of Intel sharing, sharing… tactics, techniques, and procedures,” as well as enabling them to acquire more equipment.
According to Brennan, the initial strikes targeted militants who were typically active in neighboring Niger and affiliated with the Islamic State Sahel Province.
Analysts worry that ISSP will spread to coastal West African nations like Nigeria as it is a result of the Sahel’s influence.
Local and international journalists were unable to confirm the casualties of those strikes, which has so far been undetermined.
Nigerian information minister Mohammed Idris questioned their effectiveness last week, saying that work was still being done.
In the Sahel, Brennan said more broadly that “we still work” with the junta-led Burkinabe, Mali, and Niger, which have largely rejected the West and distanced themselves from their neighbors.
Since coups that threw civilian governments in the three countries between 2020 and 2023, security cooperation has been hampered.
He claimed that we have actually shared information with some of them to attack important terrorist targets. Even though it’s not a formal agreement, we still communicate with our military partners throughout the Sahelian states.
After the ruling junta forced its troops out of Niger, Brennan added, the US is not attempting to replace its bases there.
He cited the abandoned US drone operations in Agadez as saying, “We’re not in the market to build a drone base anywhere.”
We are much more focused on arriving in the right place at the right time than departing. None of the Western African nations are willing to host us for a long-term base.
As part of a wider American push to collaborate with African militaries to fight Islamic State-linked militants, the US military is increasing its supply of weapons and intelligence with Nigeria, according to Africom’s deputy commander.
According to Lieutenant General John Brennan, the Pentagon has maintained communication with military bases in Burkinabe, Niger, and Mali, which are under the junta.
The US military is becoming “more aggressive” in pursuing IS-linked targets on the continent as a result of Washington’s diplomatic pressure on Nigeria over jihadist violence there.
On January 24, 2026, US Army Lieutenant General John Brennan, the United States Africa Command’s deputy commander since April 2024, poses for a portrait in Abuja. Photo by Light Oriye Tamunotonye / AFP
We’ve gotten a lot more aggressive and are working with partners to target, primarily ISIS, according to Brennan, who spoke on the heels of a US-Nigeria security meeting last week in the country’s capital.
The problem set is linked from Somalia to Nigeria, according to the statement. So we’re attempting to disassemble it before giving partners the information they require,” he continued.
More enabling partners have been involved, and less restrictions have been placed on them, making it easier for them to gain more success.
About a month after the US announced surprise strikes on IS-linked targets in northwest Nigeria, the US-Nigeria Joint Working Group met last week.
diplomatic conflict
After the joint strikes, both militaries appear eager to work together again, but Washington’s diplomatic pressure is weighing in on the matter, which Trump claims led to a number of Christians being killed in Nigeria.
Abuja and independent analysts refute the long-standing religious right in the US to frame Nigeria’s numerous, intertwining conflicts.
At the Joint Working Group meeting in Abuja, Allison Hooker, the State Department’s number three, pressed the Nigerian government to “protect Christians” in a speech that neglected to mention the Muslim victims of armed groups.
The north of Africa’s most populous nation is roughly evenly divided between a predominantly Muslim and largely Christian south. Religious and ethnic identity are still a hot topic in a nation that has experienced sectarian violence throughout its history, despite the fact that millions of people live peacefully alongside one another.
According to Brennan, US intelligence would not only be used to defend Christians.
He added that, in the wake of the US’s recent airstrikes in northwestern Sokoto state, American support will continue to be focused on sharing intelligence to support Nigerian airstrikes there and the northeast, where a jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram and rival breakaway ISWAP have raged since 2009.
He called ISWAP, or Islamic State West Africa, “our most alarming group.”
In recent months, some have questioned whether air support alone can stop armed groups that thrive in rural poverty and state collapse. However, analysts have been tracking US intelligence flights over the country.
Read more: Police Surveillance Truck Bringing Suspect Explosives to Oyo
Still work with AES militia members?
According to Brennan, continuing US-Nigerian cooperation will entail “the entire gamut of Intel sharing, sharing… tactics, techniques, and procedures,” as well as enabling them to acquire more equipment.
According to Brennan, the initial strikes targeted militants who were typically active in neighboring Niger and affiliated with the Islamic State Sahel Province.
Analysts worry that ISSP will spread to coastal West African nations like Nigeria as it is a result of the Sahel’s influence.
Local and international journalists were unable to confirm the casualties of those strikes, which has so far been undetermined.
Nigerian information minister Mohammed Idris questioned their effectiveness last week, saying that work was still being done.
In the Sahel, Brennan said more broadly that “we still work” with the junta-led Burkinabe, Mali, and Niger, which have largely rejected the West and distanced themselves from their neighbors.
Since coups that threw civilian governments in the three countries between 2020 and 2023, security cooperation has been hampered.
He claimed that we have actually shared information with some of them to attack important terrorist targets. Even though it’s not a formal agreement, we still communicate with our military partners throughout the Sahelian states.
After the ruling junta forced its troops out of Niger, Brennan added, the US is not attempting to replace its bases there.
He cited the abandoned US drone operations in Agadez as saying, “We’re not in the market to build a drone base anywhere.”
We are much more focused on arriving in the right place at the right time than departing. None of the Western African nations are willing to host us for a long-term base.
Sunday’s win at Arsenal was another unbelievable result for Manchester United and I was hugely impressed with the way they got it.
Just like in last weekend’s Manchester derby, ultimately this victory came down to the fact that their big players are turning up for them now. For example, when you go down the spine of the United team at Emirates Stadium, they all looked like the players we know they are.
Harry Maguire was brilliant at the back, then you had Casemiro in the middle of the park, using all his experience. Bruno Fernandes, back in his favourite position as a number 10, was outstanding, and up front Bryan Mbeumo was a goal threat, but also able to hold the ball up, and scared people with his pace and energy.
United scored two brilliant goals, but their victory did not rely on outstanding individual performances or moments.
‘United’s players are in a formation that suits them’
People will naturally compare this United performance to what we saw from the same players under Ruben Amorim at the end of his time in charge, and it felt like we were watching a different team.
There is an element of motivation and communication from Carrick that will have helped his players, of course, but the key for me was that they all looked really comfortable with the way the team was set up.
As I explained on Match of the Day, they look happier – their body language is good and they all want the ball – they all trust each other with the ball too, and there is visibly much more confidence.
I can understand why. It sounds quite simplistic but something that is not always talked about as much as it should be after a display and result like this, is the difference it makes when you put players in a formation that suits them, which they understand.
Here it was a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 shape with Fernandes as a 10 behind Mbeumo. Amad Diallo and Patrick Dorgu were both willing to get back, because they have played as wing-backs and have done that defensive role before.
That meant United were sometimes a back six when they had to be – but even then Diallo and Dorgu still knew they were wingers when their team had the ball.
Everyone knew their jobs, with Fernandes dropping in and helping Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro, who were screening the back four nicely.
1 day ago
1 day ago
‘Going 1-0 down shifted United into gear’
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To win at the Emirates, both sides of your game have to be more than just good – you have to be excellent with the ball and without it.
You have to be really good defensively – organised and drilled – so everyone, collectively, knows when to sit in and focus just on stopping Arsenal from playing.
But, also, you have to be ready when you get your chance on the ball and get forward too – whether it be on a counter or by building an attack with sustained possession – and then when you get up the pitch you have got to carry a threat.
United achieved all of this, right from the start of the game. They caused problems for Arsenal because they didn’t just stay deep – they tried to have a press, which is brave at the Emirates, but it worked.
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Arsenal had actually started the game really confidently in many ways, and dominated possession and territory. When they went 1-0 up I thought that would give them complete control but it actually shifted United into gear.
Suddenly they played with a bit more freedom and took a few more risks – and, with the help of Arsenal, they got back into the game.
From the moment Mbeumo equalised, United looked really confident. They went in at half-time with their belief enhanced because of the 1-1 scoreline, then Dorgu goes and scores a wonder goal after the break and all of a sudden they have got something to hang on to, and they are able to play on the counter a bit more.
At that point I think Arsenal helped them again, by making four substitutes at once so soon after going behind, which struck me as a bit of a panic move by Mikel Arteta.
The home fans wanted a change because they wanted some fresh impetus to turn the game around, but among the players who came off was Martin Odegaard, who was looking quite sharp, and Gabriel Jesus, who had done some really good things. I felt making all those substitutions at once meant Arsenal lost some of their rhythm and momentum.
It’s a risk that all those who come on at the same time will have an impact. Arteta might feel it was one worth taking – one of his subs, Mikel Merino, did equalise from a corner – but at that point, United were still playing pretty well, and we know how good Arsenal always are at set-pieces.
At 2-2, with six minutes of the 90 to go, you think a point for both teams is not a bad result but United’s belief was still there in abundance, and so was their quality on the break.
A pivotal point in Arsenal’s season?
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Even when they were 1-0 up against United, I was saying I’d never seen this Arsenal team make so many mistakes.
Their lack of composure was unexpected because even in games like this, where they are maybe not free-flowing in attack, they still usually look in control.
Here, that control was missing.
I would put some of that down to the pressure they are feeling in trying to win the title, because I’ve seen myself how maintaining your composure is really difficult for even the best players when the rewards are so high.
I only really had one chance of winning the title when I was at Liverpool, in the 2001-02 season, and you could feel each game becoming bigger and bigger for everyone, the closer we got to the finish line.
We had never really dealt with that kind of pressure before, and we struggled to cope and finished runners-up, seven points behind Arsenal, in the end.
That can happen to any team on a given day, especially at home with the expectation around Arsenal at the moment because of their record at the Emirates. The problem is if it happens repeatedly.
Arsenal have only taken two points from their past three games but are still four points clear at the top and we are nearly in February. They would definitely have taken that at the start of the season.
They have also got some wonderful players, they are a powerful, physical side with so much strength in depth, and also have far more experience of this situation now.
That’s why my belief is that we will see a positive reaction this time.
Yes, United showed Arsenal are fallible and the best defence in the Premier League can make mistakes and give you chances. But let’s put it in perspective, this was their first home defeat of the season.
This was the first time I’ve seen them look vulnerable and that doesn’t mean this is going to set the tone for the rest of the campaign, or that they will crumble from here.
That’s still the question that will be asked of them in the media this week. Everyone is going to say, ‘are they going to bottle it?’.
But I don’t think they will.
They just needed a kick up the backside, and they certainly got one of those from United.
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