The Lagos State Police Command has arrested four individuals over an alleged visa scam that defrauded more than 100 Nigerians of ₦500 million.
The suspects identified as Blessing Wefsutu (27), Chineye Christian (36), Archibong Udeme Ifereke (23), and Maurine Peter (25) were apprehended by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID).
They are said to be staff of an educational consultancy firm based in Ago Okota, Lagos, where the fraudulent activities reportedly took place.
According to a statement by Police spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, the suspects lured victims with false promises of securing Canadian and Australian work visas.
The case, initially reported at the Ago Okota Division, was later transferred to the SCID for further investigation.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects fraudulently obtained ₦500 million from over 100 unsuspecting victims,” Hundeyin said.
READ ALSO: Court Frees Fayose, Says EFCC Failed To Link Him To Money Laundering
The Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, urged members of the public to verify the authenticity of travel and recruitment agencies before engaging in any visa-related transactions.
“Residents must exercise due diligence to avoid falling victim to such scams. The Command remains committed to pursuing justice and protecting residents from fraudsters and other criminal elements,” Jimoh stated.
Further investigations revealed that the syndicate has additional accomplices who are currently on the run.
The police assured that efforts are ongoing to apprehend them and bring all perpetrators to justice.
Bournemouth have completed the £25m signing of Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
The Serb, who joined Chelsea from New England Revolution in a £14m deal in 2023, spent last season on loan at French club Strasbourg.
The 25-year-old was named player of the season as Strasbourg secured a Europa Conference League spot by finishing seventh in Ligue 1.
Petrovic is Bournemouth’s third signing of the summer and joins on a five-year contract.
“I came to Bournemouth because I want to grow and I want to play at the best level,” said Petrovic.
“Together with this club, with these facilities, I think we can achieve it. I want to help the team get the results, improve every day and be a better player.”
Petrovic, who has seven Serbia caps, made 23 Premier League appearances for Chelsea across two seasons.
He is likely to become Bournemouth’s first-choice goalkeeper after Kepa Arrizabalaga returned to Chelsea.
The item is described as one of the most prized possessions in Star Wars history and a prime piece of pop culture history
British actor David Prowse and American Mark Hamill fight with lightsabers on the set of Return of the Jedi(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
An original lightsaber used by iconic movie villain Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy is up for auction and is expected to cost over £1million.
Darth Vader’s main weapon – described by auctioneers as his “primary dueling lightsaber prop” – was used in the 1980 hit The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of the Jedi.
It is described as one of the most prized possessions from the iconic sci-fi trilogy and a prime piece of pop culture history and is extremely rare.
Having remained in the same private collection for decades, Propstore’s auction marks the first time this extraordinary artifact will be available to the public at auction in September.
The lightsaber was used during duels in the final acts of both films between Darth Vader, played by David Prowse, and Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. It was also used by the stunt performer and British Olympic fencer, Bob Anderson.
According to the auction house, genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy are rare with this “believed to be the only hero lightsaber prop from the original Star Wars trilogy with verifiable screen use ever to be offered at public auction”.
The lightsaber was made from a vintage British press camera flash handle with components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles and cosmetic wiring.(Image: Propstore / SWNS)
The estimate on the prop is $1-3million(£746,000 to £2,241,000) when it is sold at auction house Propstore’s “Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction: Los Angeles” event.
Brandon Alinger, chief operating officer at Propstore, said: “The lightsaber, or laser sword as it was initially called, was imagined by George Lucas as the perfect defensive weapon for a more sophisticated age.
“Nearly 50 years after the first Star Wars film, lightsabers are a universally recognised symbol of the world’s most beloved film franchise and are consistently ranked as the most iconic and memorable props of all time.
“They are the ‘ruby slippers’ of cinema’s modern era. Surviving genuine lightsaber props from the original trilogy of films are exceedingly rare, and Propstore is honoured to present this historic artefact in our September sale.
“It is a grail-level piece, worthy of the finest collections in the world. This lightsaber is simply everything you want it to be – one of the most significant Star Wars artefacts ever. One of the most significant cinema artefacts ever.”
The lightsaber was made from a vintage British press camera flash handle with components such as plastic grips, calculator bubbles and cosmetic wiring.
It was modified with a wooden rod which was used as a blade during the choreographed fight scenes, making the physical on-camera duelling possible and allowing visual effects artists to add a hand-animated glow for the final shots.
Ahead of the auction, the prop will go on tour and visit London, Beverly Hills and New York throughout August before the live auction takes place in Los Angeles this September.
Molly-Mae Hague has been gushing over her family break with Tommy Fury and it seems Bambi’s mum has returned to the city with a new sense of style – which has left fans in awe
Jessica Sansome and Liam Ryder Digital Production Editor
Moly-Mae Hague has turned heads once again(Image: Neil Mockford, FilmMagic via Getty Images)
Molly-Mae Hague has surprised fans in a new social media post following a recent family holiday. The influencer turned entrepreneur expressed her joy at returning to Manchester following a getaway with beau Tommy Fury and his family.
Influencer Molly-Mae has been busy mending her romance with ex-fiancé Tommy, having revealed they were getting back together in the second instalment of her Prime Video series, ‘Behind It All’, back in May. In the sixth episode of her documentary series, Molly-Mae opened up about her relationship, which she believes is “worth saving”, following Tommy’s admission that his drinking was the root cause of their surprising split last summer.
Molly-Mae voiced her concerns about rushing things with Tommy, preferring to take “things slow”. She remarked: “I love Tommy so much and I love our family so much that I’m willing to ride the wave. And that’s not something that everyone wants to do, but it’s something that I’m willing to do because I want my family. He’s just really different these days.”
Molly-Mae stunned fans via her recent posts on Instagram(Image: Instagram/Molly-Mae Hague (@mollymae))
The Love Island pair have both opened up on Tommy’s difficulties with alcohol, admitting it was the main reason for their shock break-up last year.
Molly-Mae added: “Obviously, he knows it’s the drink. He’s not drank now for what, four months?
“I don’t think the drink’s gone away forever. Do I think that drink could still be a problem for us, potentially?
“Yeah, but I think the break-up showed Tommy that I’m serious. He’s just really different these days.”
The pair have been spotted soaking up some downtime with Tommy’s half-brother, Tyson, his wife Paris, and their brood of seven. They recently set off for a refreshing long weekend on the Isle of Man, sharing their escapades across social media.
Molly-Mae graced her Instagram stories with several adorable pictures. Among them was a charming black and white photo of herself cradling her two-year-old daughter, Bambi, as well as a snap of Tommy behind the wheel, cruising under the island’s sunny skies.
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One image captured Molly-Mae pushing little Bambi’s pram, while another showed the toddler mingling with two of her cousins, Tyson and Paris’ daughters.
As their idyllic getaway drew to a close, Molly-Mae posted a touching picture of the sunset over the sea from their boat ride home.
It featured Bambi giving a cheeky glance at her dad while they both enjoyed ice creams, accompanied by a simple globe emoji in the caption.
Continuing her updates, she took to her Instagram Story once more, striking a pose in a crisp white vest top matched with dark green Adidas joggers and heels, announcing “back to the city”.
Molly-Mae didn’t stop there; she also uploaded the images to her main Instagram feed, addressing her multitude of followers with the caption: “Coffee first. Always.”
The comments section was full of praise for Molly-Mae. One fan praised her sense of style, writing: “The only girl I know that could wear adidas with heels and make it work!”
Another gushed: “The ultimate cool girl.” A third said: “Never would have put those shoes with those trousers but dammm it EATS.”
Maltese champions Hamrun Spartans reached the second qualifying round of the Uefa Champions League for the first time on Tuesday – but they did it the hard way in a tie that went to extra time and then featured 28 penalties in a shootout.
The Spartans went into the second leg 2-0 down to Lithuanian champions Zalgiris but scored twice in six first-half minutes to draw level.
Zalgiris had defender Vasilije Radenovic sent off in the 114th minute for a second bookable offence before the real drama of the evening ensued.
After a pair of misses, the teams were locked at 4-4 and the shootout went to sudden death.
Both goalkeepers – Spartans captain Henry Bonello and Zalgiris’ Carlos Olses – scored their penalties.
Zalgiris midfielder Ebenezer Ofori missed the crucial spot-kick, with Jovan Cadenovic scoring the winner to give Spartans a 11-10 victory.
Malta international Bonello, 36, became the hero for Spartans by saving two spot-kicks, while Olses saved one and four more penalties missed the target.
Where does it rank?
Opta says the biggest penalty shootout by score in a European competition is Belfast club Glentoran’s 14-13 defeat by Malta’s Gzira United in Conference League qualifying in July 2023, which also featured 28 spot-kicks.
That ranks just ahead of Ajax’s 13-12 penalty win over Panathinaikos to reach the Europa League qualifying play-off round in August 2024.
That shoot-out featured a remarkable 34 penalties.
Spartans and Zalgiris sit joint third on the list in terms of highest score but joint second in terms of number of penalties taken in a European competition.
The world record for a shootout is believed to be the 56 penalties taken by Israeli sides SC Dimona and Shimshon Tel Aviv in May 2024 in a semi-final promotion play-off, as both sides took 28 before SC Dimona prevailed 23-22.
Highest-scoring penalty shootouts in European competition (featuring 20+ successful spot-kicks)
1 Gzira United v Glentoran (14-13) – Conference League qualifying phase – 20 July 2023
2 Ajax v Panathinaikos (13-12) – Europa League qualifying phase – 15 August 2024
3= Shamrock Rovers v Ilves (12-11) – Europa League qualifying phase – 27 August 2020
3= Wisla Krakow v Spartak Trnava (12-11) – Conference League qualifying phase – 15 August 2024
5= Skonto Riga v Olimpija Ljubljana (11-10) – Champions League qualifying phase – 1 September 1993
5= IK Start v Drogheda United (11-10) – UEFA Cup qualifying phase – 24 August 2006
5= Villarreal v Manchester United (11-10) – Europa League final – 26 May 202
Wales goalkeeping great Wayne Hennessey has retired from playing.
The 38-year-old’s career lasted almost two decades, during which he played 109 times for Wales – a national record in his position – and was part of the side that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
Hennessey made his professional club debut in 2006 for Wolverhampton Wanderers, playing on loan for clubs including Bristol City, Stockport County and Yeovil Town, before permanent moves to Crystal Palace, Burnley and his final club Nottingham Forest.
Hennessey made just nine appearances for Forest after joining on a free transfer from Burnley in 2022, with a serious Achilles tendon injury at the end of the 2023-24 season curtailing his involvement.
Despite a lack of games, Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo still offered Hennessey a new short-term deal in January 2025 until the end of the season.
“I have amazing memories playing for both club and country,” Hennessey added.
“From my early days at Wolves, loans at Stockport and Yeovil, and my time with Crystal Palace, Burnley and Nottingham Forest, each club shaped me both on and off the field.
“Having been born and raised in north Wales, it was always my dream to play at the highest level. It was a privilege to play in the Premier League and for my country over 100 times.
“The summer of 2016 was the pinnacle of my career having made the FA Cup final with Palace and the semi-finals of the Euros with my beloved Wales.”
Hennessey made his senior international debut for Wales in a 2–2 friendly draw against New Zealand on 26 May 2007, with his final cap coming as a half-time substitute against Gibraltar in Wrexham in October 2023.
He was instrumental as Wales qualified for Euro 2016, the men’s side reaching their first major international tournament since the 1958 World Cup.
Hennessey missed their opening game of the tournament, a 2–1 victory over Slovakia, because of a back spasm, but started the remaining matches as Wales reached the semi-finals – famously beating Belgium 3-1 win in the quarters – before losing to Portugal.
He was also part of the sides that played at Euro 2020 and then the 2022 World Cup – although during the second group game against Iran, a 2-0 loss, Hennessey became just the third goalkeeper in World Cup history to be sent off, dismissed for a foul on Mehdi Taremi.
The loss of his veteran goalkeeper was another blow to then national boss Rob Page as Wales exited at the group stage.
There had been controversy earlier in Hennessey’s career, when in 2019 he was charged by the Football Association with making an offensive gesture after being pictured in an Instagram post making an alleged Nazi salute.
The charge was found not proven by an independent regulatory commission, with Hennessey saying any resemblance to the gesture was “absolutely coincidental” and that he did not know what a Nazi salute was, although the commission did say this was a “lamentable degree of ignorance”.
But Hennessey’s incident-packed career is now at an end, and he is the last one of the Wales side that started that Euro 2016 semi-final against Portugal to end his playing days.
“It has been an honour to play alongside and against some sensational players and working with some incredible managers, coaches, medical, media and support staff,” added Hennessey, who also thanked his family and agent for their backing.
“I also acknowledge the formidable bond of the goalkeepers’ union I’ve experienced throughout my career: working together day-to-day, supportive and encouraging regardless who starts.
