Former Arsenal academy goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo has been included in Nigeria’s Super Eagles squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, adding fresh competition to Eric Chelle’s goalkeeping department.

The 24-year-old’s call-up was confirmed on Monday after his club, Charlton Athletic, announced that he had been selected for Nigeria’s September fixtures against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Having enjoyed a perfect start to his international career with two clean sheets in two senior appearances, Okonkwo now faces his biggest test yet as the Super Eagles begin a high-stakes qualifying campaign.

Okonkwo’s early outings in Nigeria colours could hardly have gone better.

He made his senior debut in a 2-0 victory over Zimbabwe during the Unity Cup semi-final in London before keeping another clean sheet in the 3-0 final win against Jamaica just four days later.

The former Arsenal goalkeeper will compete with Stanley Nwabali, and Maduka Okoye, the experienced Udinese shot-stopper who remains a trusted option for Chelle.

The competition gives the coaching staff multiple quality choices as Nigeria looks to avoid another disappointing qualifying campaign following the Super Eagles’ failure to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Super Eagles will open their Group L campaign against Madagascar on September 25 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

Four days later, they will travel to face Guinea-Bissau in what promises to be another crucial encounter.

Nigeria’s route to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations is complicated by the presence of Tanzania, one of the tournament’s co-hosts. Although Tanzania have already secured automatic qualification, only one additional team from Group L will advance, increasing the importance of every fixture.

Former Leicester City and England striker Jamie Vardy has joined Burnley until the end of the season.

The 39-year-old, who is Leicester’s record Premier League scorer with 145 goals, departed for Cremonese in 2025.

Vardy left the Italian side in the summer and now joins the winless Clarets who are bottom of the Championship.

“This club has a proper footballing history and passionate fans who deserve a team that represents them and their town,” Vardy told the club website.

“I can’t wait to get going on the pitch and help the team move in the right direction.”

Vardy, who won 26 caps for England, scoring seven goals, spent 13 years at Leicester after signing from non-league Fleetwood Town in 2012.

He went on to score 200 goals in all competitions in 500 appearances.

Burnley, relegated from the Premier League last season, have made a poor start back in the second tier and have not won in five matches under new boss Nicky Hayen.

On Saturday they conceded two goals in the final 10 minutes to lose 2-1 at home to Bristol City.

“His experience and leadership will be invaluable to our squad, and we believe he can make a significant impact on our campaign,” Hayen added.

“Jamie has a proven track record, and we are looking forward to seeing him in a Claret shirt.”

No fewer than 3,083 Christians were killed and 3,193 abducted in attacks allegedly carried out by Islamic jihadist groups across Nigeria between January and August 2026, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, InterSociety, has said.

The organisation, in its latest report released in Enugu on Sunday, also alleged that at least 19,800 churches had been attacked or destroyed in Nigeria since July 2009, while 25 Catholic priests, pastors and other Christian clergy were killed, abducted or otherwise assaulted between January and August this year.

The report was signed by Emeka Umeagbalasi, criminologist and graduate of Security Studies, and Lead Researcher and Head of InterSociety Nigeria; Chidinma Evangeline Udegbunam, Barrister-at-Law and Head, Department of Campaign and Publicity; and Obianuju Joy Igboeli, Barrister-at-Law and Head, Department of Civil Liberties and Rule of Law.

According to the report, July and August alone accounted for 437 Christian deaths and 393 abductions.

InterSociety said its figures were compiled from primary and secondary sources, including accounts from residents, survivors and eyewitnesses in communities affected by the attacks.

It alleged that jihadist Fulani herdsmen and jihadist Fulani bandits accounted for about 90 per cent of the attacks recorded during the period.

The organisation said 138 Christians were killed and 180 abducted in August alone, with many of the attacks concentrated in Plateau and Benue states.

It said the August killings included scores of deaths recorded in Plateau, Benue, Adamawa and Kaduna states, while several abductions occurred in Kogi, Benue, Ondo, Imo, Edo, Enugu and other states.

InterSociety also claimed that about 70 per cent of the Christians abducted in August were from the South-East, particularly Igbo travellers using major interstate roads.

It cited the abduction of passengers travelling towards Lagos and Abuja in Kogi, Benue and Ondo states, as well as the kidnapping of Christian residents in Imo and Enugu states.

Among those it identified as victims were a 10-month-old baby and six other Christians abducted at Ndegwu in Imo State, as well as passengers and National Youth Service Corps members travelling through Kogi State.

The group said 120 of the estimated 180 Christians abducted in August were likely to have been Igbo.

InterSociety further claimed that at least 2,550 Christians were killed and 2,800 abducted between January and June 2026.

With the July and August figures added, it put the eight-month total at 3,083 deaths and 3,193 abductions.

The organisation said the attacks had also taken a heavy toll on Christian places of worship.

It estimated that the number of churches attacked or destroyed since July 2009 had risen from about 19,400 at the end of 2025 to 19,700 by June 2026 and approximately 19,800 by the end of August.

According to the report, at least 230 churches in parts of Taraba State had been attacked or destroyed between September 2025 and August 2026, while more than 100,000 Catholic parishioners were allegedly displaced.

It said about 200 Christian villages had also been sacked in the affected areas, forcing residents to flee their homes.

InterSociety said the situation had particularly affected the Catholic dioceses of Wukari and Jalingo, alleging that 16 priests had been forced to flee their pastoral duties and that at least eight parish houses had been razed.

It also cited the Universal Reformed Christian Church, NKST, which it said reported the loss of 5,987 members and 753 churches to attacks by armed Fulani groups in Benue State.

Similarly, the organisation recalled that the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria, EYN, had previously reported losing more than 8,600 members and hundreds of worship centres to Boko Haram attacks, particularly in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Taraba states.

InterSociety estimated that the number of EYN members killed in jihadist violence had subsequently risen to about 21,000, adding that the figures represented its assessment of religiously motivated violence and were based on its definition of jihadist attacks by groups it identified as Islamic extremist organisations.

It called on the Federal Government and security agencies to take urgent measures to protect vulnerable Christian communities, places of worship and travellers on major highways.

The organisation said its report covered attacks it considered religiously motivated and perpetrated by jihadist groups. It said the report also examined what it described as the alleged involvement of, or support by, armed state actors.