DUTCH REFEREE ROB DIEPERINK DIES WEEKS AFTER REMOVAL FROM WORLD CUP OFFICIATING LIST. (PHOTO).

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 Dutch referee Rob Dieperink dies weeks after removal from World Cup officiating list Dutch referee Rob Dieperink has died at the age of 38, weeks after FIFA removed him from its list of officials for the World Cup. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) confirmed his death in a statement, saying it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the news. His cause of death has not been disclosed. Dieperink was arrested in April by the Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom following a report of an alleged sexual assault involving a teenage boy in London. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers responded on April 9 to a report of sexual assault at an address in Croydon and arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of the offence. Police later said that after reviewing available evidence, including CCTV footage and digital devices, the investigation had concluded that “the evidential threshold had not been met” and no further action would be taken. Following the investigation, FIFA co...

‘IT’S CONSTITUTIONAL,’ WOMEN PROTEST IN SUPPORT OF RIVERS EMERGENCY RULE. (PHOTO).


  ‘It’s Constitutional,’ women protest in support of Rivers Emergency Rule


The political crisis in Rivers has taken a new turn as a coalition of women groups stormed the streets of Port Harcourt in support of the emergency rule in the oil-rich state.  The women who were dressed in white marched from the Garrison Flyover to the Isaac Boro Cark and were seen carrying placards with inscriptions such as “State of Emergency is Constitutional”, “We Don’t Want Fubara,” among others.


They were led by a former Commissioner for Social Welfare in Rivers, Ifeyinwa Aguma, who is an ally of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike. The protesters threw their weight behind Ibok-Ette Ibas, who President Bola Tinubu appointed as the administrator of the state. They urged him to continue his good work in the state. Monday’s protest is coming on the heels of last week’s women’s demonstration in favour of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who was suspended by Tinubu owing to the political crisis in the state.


Last month, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State, owing to the unending political crisis in the state. He suspended Governor Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and the members of the House of Assembly for six months. Citing “security reports,” in the wake of two pipeline explosions in the state, Tinubu said the declaration of a state of emergency was “inevitably compelling”. “By this declaration,” Tinubu said, “the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Mrs Ngozi Odu, and all elected members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State are hereby suspended for an initial period of six months.


He appointed Ibas to supervise the affairs of the state pending the resolution of the crisis in a move that has continued to sharply divide opinions across the country. But on Monday, the women protesters backed the president, describing his action as constitutional. The governors of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have, however, rejected the declaration and have headed to the court to challenge the imposition.

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