Ivanovic Bite: FA Slams 10-match Ban on Suarez

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been banned for 10 games by the Football Association for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. The incident happened during Sunday's 2-2 draw between the sides. The 26-year-old later apologised for biting the Chelsea defender and was fined by Liverpool on Monday.

The club, who have until Friday at 12:00 BST to appeal, said they were "shocked and disappointed" at the length of the suspension, reports the BBC.

Uruguay international Suarez had accepted the FA charge of violent conduct but claimed his ban should be three games, the standard punishment for violent conduct.

An FA statement read:  "A three-person independent regulatory commission today upheld the FA's claim that a suspension of three matches was clearly insufficient and the player will serve a further seven first-team matches in addition to the standard three. The suspension begins with immediate effect.

"The Liverpool forward had accepted a charge of violent conduct but had denied the FA's claim that the standard three-match sanction was insufficient for the offence.

"The incident was not seen by the match officials and has therefore been retrospectively reviewed.

"Suarez has until midday on Friday 26 April to appeal [against] the additional suspension, above the standard three matches."

The ban covers their final four games of this season, and the first six games of 2013-14.

Reds managing director Ian Ayre said: "Both the club and player are shocked and disappointed at the severity of today's independent regulatory commission decision.

"We await the written reasons tomorrow before making any further comment."

It is not the first time Suarez has been charged with such an offence. He was banned for seven games when he was at Ajax after biting PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal's shoulder during a match in November 2010.

During his time at Liverpool, he was also given an eight-match ban and £40,000 fine by the FA for racially abusing Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra in December 2011.

Suarez is on the six-man shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year award and PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor earlier said: "It would be embarrassing if he is named player of the year but we have got to deal with it and make sure he is player of the year not just in a footballing sense but as a human being as well and we will be trying to do that."

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker said on Twitter:   "Very strong punishment. Vital now that FA are consistently strong on all issues eg racism, abusing refs etc. Also this ridiculous, if the ref saw it they can't punish retrospectively nonsense, has to be addressed!"

British Couple Jailed for Attempting to Smuggle Nigerian Baby into UK

A British couple – Simon and Gladys Heap from Oxford – have been convicted by a UK court for attempting to pass off a Nigerian baby as their biological child in a bid to smuggle it into the UK. The couple was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and 250 hours of community service after pleading guilty on April 16, 2013.

Gladys aged 52 and her husband, 47, had entered Nigeria in July 2010 and had gone to the British High Commission in Lagos to apply for a British passport for the baby girl claiming Gladys had a baby just a few days after entering the country.

According to the British High Commission in Abuja, the staff at the High Commission were however suspicious.

"...DNA tests later confirmed that neither adult was related to the child. A birth certificate they had presented was also found to be fraudulent.  They flew home without the baby," the statement issued in Abuja yesterday said.

Although the statement was silent on how the couple came about the child, it implied that the child may have been purchased.

Following an investigation by a joint Border Force and Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), the couple was arrested and charged with facilitating a breach of immigration law.  They were sentenced by the Isleworth Crown Court.

The head of the Border Force at Heathrow, Mr. Marc Owen, described the case as shocking.  “Thanks to the close co-operation between Border Force, the Metropolitan Police and staff at the British High Commission they were stopped and we were able to bring them to justice,” he said.

The leader of the investigation team, Detective Inspector Kate Bridger, said the couple tried to circumvent the adoption system and deceive the authorities.

“A child should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold," she said, adding that the system is in place to protect children. The child has remained in Nigeria.

Heap, an expert on Nigeria, works with companies trying to forge international trade links. His wife is a nurse.

Heap has a BA in History from Cambridge University, an MA in African Studies from the University of London and a PhD in History from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He also studied History at Oxford University. 

He has previously worked as a researcher for child rights organisation, Plan International; a fellow at the University of Ibadan and is currently a senior researcher at the development agency Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Navy Launches Website on Crude Oil Theft

Nigerian Navy ship

The Nigerian Navy has launched a new website on crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in order to create channel through which information on how to curb the menace would be passed across to the citizenry, relevant stakeholders and concerned authorities. This was contained in a statement signed Wednesday by the Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Commodore Kabiru Aliyu.

Senate Opens Debate to Rename UNILAG Moshood Abiola University

Late MKO  Abiola

Barring any last minute hitches, the Senate will today commence the debate on the amendment of the University of Lagos Act, which provides for the establishment of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), to pave the way for the change of name of the institution to Moshood Abiola University, Lagos (MAULAG).

During the last Democracy Day celebration on May 29, President Goodluck Jonathan announced the decision of the federal government to rename UNILAG after the acclaimed winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election, the late MKO Abiola.

EXCLUSIVE: 15-year-Old Boy Drowns in Ikorodu River

Rescue efforts 

By Chiemelie Ezeobi

Weeks after the manager of Ikoyi Golf Club manager, Kolawole Ahmed and three others plunged into the Majidun River in Ikorodu, 15-year-old Fouad Feyisetan Owonifari, Tuesday drowned in yet another river in Ikorodu.

The deceased who was a student of Ikosi High School, Ketu, was said to have drowned at 10:30am at the Oniyanri River, Owode Village, Ikorodu. It was gathered that the deceased had gone to swim with his brother when the currents swept him away before help could come.