The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has refuted claims of lack of integrity and transparency levelled against the commission’s boss, Ola Olukoyede, by a columnist Steve Osuji.
In a statement, EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale said Osuji’s allegations against the EFCC and Olukoyede were worrisome and unjustifiable.
Oyewale said, “More worrisome was his attack on Olukoyede for no justifiable reason. Allegations of lack of transparency, accountability and integrity deficit are wild and clearly off the mark.
“The question is: in what way has Olukoyede fallen short? Is it by insisting that the right things should always be done? By moving the nation’s anti-graft war forward radically and unprecedentedly?
“By bringing forth a preventive framework to tackle corruption and reaping bountiful gains for the nation?
“By recovering the globally-acclaimed 753 duplexes and other apartments, which are proceeds of fraudulent dealings for the nation?
“By launching the EFCC into a global map of accomplished anti-graft agencies? By handling 50,000 case files in one year?
“By embarking on a courageous internal cleansing system and other progressive initiatives to deepen and strengthen the anti-corruption fight?
“It is cowardly and uncharitable for any columnist to hide under vague and opaque cover to splash mud on Ola Olukoyede, arguably one of the finest breed of anti-graft czars around the world.”
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Olukoyede said the EFCC has never failed to submit its annual report to the National Assembly every September as it is statutorily required.
“Equally preposterous are claims of re-looting of assets by officers of the Commission. For the purpose of clarification, the Commission does not recover monetary assets into its covers and the non-monetary assets that are recovered are disposed of following clear pronouncements by court and proceeds paid into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account account in the Central Bank in line with provisions of the Proceeds of Crime ( Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
Liam Gallagher has hinted things may not be running as smoothly as first thought as he made a cheeky dig at brother Noel on stage as fans at home slammed the gig’s atmosphere
Liam Gallagher made a very cheeky dig at brother Noel(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
Liam Gallagher took aim at brother Noel for the first time on their Oasis reunion tour as fans at home have hit out at the crowd. The Gallagher brothers have returned to their beloved Manchester for a series of sold-out shows at Heaton Park.
80,000 fans have flocked to the venue to watch Oasis reunite for the first time in decades. They made their epic comeback in Cardiff last weekend, marking the start of their huge world tour.
However, it seems tension may already be brewing between the siblings despite putting their feud behind them. As he launched into Rock N Roll star, Liam quipped: “Listen up beautiful people this is going to be our last song.
“Thanks for sticking with us. I know we are difficult, but you wanna try being in the band.” Despite the subtle dig, many fans at home were more worried about the crowd.
Liam and Noel walked on stage hand in hand again(Image: William Lailey / SWNS)
The thousands of Oasis fans at Heaton Park have come under criticism from those tuning into live streams at home. One fan fumed: “The crowd is mental, mental for not enjoying the show.”
Another added: “This crowd wasted their money on the tickets.” Someone else commented: “Cardiff crowd definitely was better. well seemed it.” A fourth wrote: “thought the crowd would be mental here.”
“More people stood around talking no appreciating what a great song probably all waiting for Wonderwall,” shared another. A fan fumed: “Wtf shouldn’t be able to hear people’s convos at an oasis homecoming gig.” Someone else hit out: “Fake fans,” and another spat: “Noasis would have better atmosphere.”
It seems Liam and Noel are doing everything they can to make sure they get through their world tour as smoothly as possible. They have been spotted leaving Cardiff’s stadium separately and are reportedly staying in different hotels.
However, the same can’t be said for their children who have been at the shows. Liam and Noel’s kids have proved their dads differences won’t carry on into the next generation as they have been enjoying the huge gigs together.
Tickets were seriously hard to come by, with some fans forking out hundreds to secure their spot. Those without tickets have gathered outside Heaton Park to try hear the huge hits from the band.
However, it seemed other wanted to try their luck at getting in without and ticket but were quickly warned by police. Manchester Evening News reporter Chris Slater said: “I’ve been told a dispersal order is in place and officers are taking details and ordering anyone suspected of trying to sneak in to leave the area. If don’t they can then be arrested.”
Warnings have also been issued by show bosses for this weekend as 80,000 plus music fans descend on Liam and Noel Gallagher’s hometown for each sold-out performance. The forecast has bucked the usual unpredictable weather during outdoor events, with hot weather sweeping the UK.
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Bosses have relaxed their usual rules at Heaton Park and have encouraged fans to take water, suncream and hats into the venue. Although taking food and drink into the venue is strictly prohibited, those attending can, instead, take a collapsible 500ml water bottle.
READ MORE: Oasis have released new tickets for UK tour – how to buy yours if you missed out
Wigan Warriors scored 30 unanswered points as they came from 10-0 down at half-time to beat Huddersfield Giants at The Brick Community Stadium.
Tui Lolohea and Jason Gagai gave the Giants hope of a first away win at Wigan for six years with first-half tries.
But Wigan roared back after the break, touching down five times through Christian Wade, Jake Wardle’s double, Tyler Dupree and Junior Nsemba.
The result means they remain second in Super League, with the Giants 11th despite a brave performance.
Lolohea stunned Wigan inside five minutes, chasing down Matt Frawley’s uncontested high kick before turning to touch down, with Flanagan converting for the extras.
Wigan’s disjointed defence cost them again when Frawley was halted just shy of the line, the Giants recycled the ball and Lolohea found Gagai in space to cross.
Warriors’ first-half misery was compounded when Jay Field danced through the Giants defence, only to pass forward to Liam Farrell as what looked a certain try went begging.
Harry Smith’s quick feet then looked to have finally unlocked the Huddersfield defence with half-time looming, but the video referee deemed Patrick Mago interfered from an offside position.
Wade finally hauled Wigan back into the game after a strong start to the second half, with Smith and Field combining for the former England rugby union player to cross, before Keighran converted from a tight angle.
Just moments later, Wardle put the finishing touches to a wonderful Wigan try as they wiped out Huddersfield’s lead. He crossed on the left after Smith’s huge, switching kick on the other flank and Keighran kicked to give the hosts the lead.
Wigan were now in full control and, on 65 minutes, Wardle scored again, this time a perfectly constructed try from right to left, leaving Gagai exposed and making it an easy score. Once again, Keighran converted.
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Amy Lofthouse
BBC Sport senior journalist at Wimbledon
Wimbledon 2025
Dates: 30 June-13 July Venue: All England Club
When Wimbledon finalist Amanda Anisimova took a break from tennis to prioritise her mental health, many said she would not make it back to the top of the sport.
Now, preparing for a first Grand Slam final, she can reflect positively on that decision.
“It goes to show that it is possible,” said the 23-year-old American, who takes on Poland’s Iga Swiatek on Centre Court on Saturday (16:00 BST).
“Me being able to prove that you can get back to the top if you prioritise yourself – that’s been incredibly special to me.”
Anisimova stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Wimbledon final, with her previous best performance at a major coming in 2019 when she reached the French Open semi-finals as a 17-year-old.
Two years ago, things looked quite different for Anisimova. Struggling with her mental health and burnout, she found it “unbearable” to be at tennis tournaments.
She did not touch a racquet for months. She took holidays, saw friends and family, attended her university in person for a semester, and stayed away from tennis until the itch returned.
“I learned a lot about myself, my interests off the court and just taking some time to breathe and live a normal life for a bit,” she said before her semi-final win at the All England Club.
With an 11-month season, players go from hotel room to hotel room around the world in a push for points and prize money.
That goes alongside the psychological impact of trying to break a losing streak, the pressure of trying to win a Grand Slam and abusive messages on social media.
Matteo Berrettini, who has spent three years battling injuries, said it was a “heavy” feeling to be on court, while world number three Alexander Zverev said he was “lacking joy” both inside and outside of tennis and had “never felt this empty before”.
Andrey Rublev has been open about his struggles, telling the Guardian in January that he worked with a psychologist to stop feeling “that crazy anxiety and stress of not understanding what to do with my life”.
He also has a new perspective. At one point, winning a Grand Slam was everything to Rublev. Now, he says he knows it would not change his life at all – but he also knows how difficult it is to give yourself space away from the sport.
“In the end, tennis is just the trigger point. It’s something inside of you that you need to face,” Rublev said.
Reuters
Five-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz said in a Netflix documentary that his biggest fear was that tennis would become an “obligation”.
The relentless pursuit of success, the determination to clinch that long-awaited Grand Slam or to snap a losing streak against a particular player becomes a part of someone’s personality, and they can find it difficult to know where tennis ends and they begin.
Alcaraz makes a concerted effort to enjoy himself on and off the court. It is not unusual to see him laughing after an amazing point – even when he was struggling against Fabio Fognini in the Wimbledon first round, he still managed to smile at his opponent’s ridiculous shot-making.
He has also spoken about how mentally refreshing his trips to Ibiza have been, even if his team did not want him to go after his 2024 French Open triumph.
“It’s about having fun playing tennis, have fun stepping on the court and not thinking about the result,” the Spaniard said.
Australian Open champion Madison Keys has spoken about how therapy helped her gain perspective.
The American previously worked with sports psychologists, but said focusing on sport “was not as helpful as I needed it to be”.
“From a pretty young age, our identity becomes very wrapped up in being a tennis player,” Keys said.
“That’s great but when you have tough weeks, months and years on tour, that can take a toll on how you think about yourself as a person.
“Being able to dive into that and figure out how to separate the two and know that you’re not just a tennis player, you’re a full person that has all of these other really great attributes and interests, was a really important piece for me.
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Sabalenka worked with a therapist for five years before deciding she was ready to “take responsibility”, describing herself as “my own psychologist”.
She talks openly with her team, saying: “We can talk about whatever. I know they’re not going to judge me.
“They’re not going to blame me. They just going to accept it, and we are going to work through.”
Anisimova says her break was “a necessary thing” and put her on the trajectory she is on today.
Since returning to the tour, she has won the biggest title of her career at the WTA 1,000 event in Doha and broken into the world’s top 10.
She will now look to go one step further and lift the Venus Rosewater Dish on Saturday.
“When I took my break, a lot of people told me that you would never make it to the top again if you take so much time away from the game,” she said.
“That was a little hard to digest because I did want to come back and still achieve a lot and win a Grand Slam one day.
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Rapper and singer Sean Kingston was supposed to be sentenced today after the Beautiful Girls singer was found guilty verdict of wire fraud with his mother Janice Turner
Singer and rapper Sean Kingston has been sentenced after being found guilty of wire fraud(Image: Getty Images)
Singer Sean Kingston has had his sentencing postponed after being found guilty of wire fraud earlier this year, along with his mother Janice Turner. The musician was supposed to find out his verdict today (July 11) but he’ll now have to wait a little longer.
Sean did not have a lawyer present and requested more time in order to find an attorney. The judge granted him his request and has scheduled a new court date for August 28, according to NCB 6 South Florida. The publication also stated that Sean thanked the judge and also spoke out on behalf of his mother, in order to give her more time to find a legal representative.
Sean and his mother Janice Turner were found guilty following a trial in March this year(Image: FilmMagic)
Janice Turner’s sentencing is currently scheduled for July 31. The case involved the pair falsely claiming to pay for luxury items, including cars, jewellery, and other high-value goods, by pretending to make bank transfers that were never processed.
They managed to fraudulently acquire over $1 million worth of goods and money. The pair’s trial took place from March 24 to March 28 in Broward County, Florida, and concluded with the jury deliberating for approximately three and a half hours before reaching their verdict, according to reports.
They convicted them of conspiracy and multiple counts of wire fraud. The charges involved defrauding a car dealership out of $160,000 (£123,000) for a Cadillac Escalade, stealing nearly $500,000 (£386,000) worth of jewellery, and obtaining other goods like a custom bed valued at $86,000 (£66,000) without paying for them.
Since the trial, the 35-year-old has been under house arrest with an electronic tag and had to pay a bond to be released from jail, while his mother Janice has remained in federal custody.
This isn’t the first time Sean or Janice have faced trouble with the law after she had previously been convicted of bank fraud back in 2006 and served almost 18 months in prison.
The singer shot to fame in 2007(Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Kingston was already on probation for a previous crime when he was arrested in this case.
Sean rose to fame due to his 2007 debut single Beautiful Girls, which reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the time.
He then went on to release a number of singles including Fire Burning, Eenie Meenie and Letting Go (Dutty Love), and has collaborated with artists including Justin Bieber, Soulja Boy and Sean Paul.
