Gianluigi Donnarumma and his then-pregnant girlfriend suffered a terrifying break-in in Paris in 2023, a court was told.

The Man City goalkeeper and Alessia Elefante, whom he has since married and had a child with, were hit, bound and threatened with a knife after robbers broke into their flat.

The incident took place in Avenue Montaigne, one of Paris’ most famous and luxurious streets, with Donnarumma and his partner asleep at the time.

The keeper, 27, was then at PSG, and a Paris criminal court is currently conducting a two-day hearing about the ordeal.

Donnarumma is not expected to give evidence but a witness statement from him shed further light on what went on.

Court documents revealed how Donnarumma was woken by a man saying ‘shh’, before he was hit in the face with a knuckle duster and threatened with a knife.

The man then said: ‘The watches, the watches’.

As per court documents, Donnarumma replied: ‘I showed him the one on the dressing table, an Audemars Piguet.’ Those watches can have a value worth up to hundreds of thousands of euros.

His partner told investigators that she was also woken up by the thieves who attacked her and shouted: ‘The money, the watches.’

She subsequently gave them a Cartier watch, jewellery and €2,000 (£1718) in cash.

Elefante was then accosted for the code to a safe. However, she revealed she didn’t know it and said it was empty anyway.

‘They got angry thinking that I was lying,’ she told investigators. ‘They pulled me by the hair and one of them hit me on the thighs. I said I was pregnant but they continued.’

Donnarumma did then give them the code to the safe, but as Elefante had warned, there was nothing in there.

The court was told that the robbers left with keys to a Mercedes and a Lamborghini, cash, watches and luxury handbags.

Police also added that the four robbers managed to get into the flat by using a ladder to climb onto the roof, before they lowered themselves onto the balcony and broke in through windows.

Two individuals that are already in prison – Ilyas Kherbouch, a 21-year-old with at least 11 criminal convictions, and Khyan Mamouni – are accused of masterminding and ordering the robbery from their cells. They both deny the charges.

Kherbouch, who escaped from jail in March and spent 13 days on the run, caused a stir at the opening of the trial.

This came when he insulted and threatened police officers when they told his brother to leave the court.

‘Come here, you,’ he told them. ‘What are you going to do?’

When warned that he could be expelled from the courtroom, he replied: ‘I couldn’t care less. I don’t want to be present at the trial. I don’t give a s***.’

Two of the robbers, who were under the age of 18 when the incident happened, have already been given jail sentences of three and four years respectively at a children’s court.

Another defendant Moktar Diop, 24, admitted to taking part but is not accused of resorting to violence, while a fourth suspect died by suicide in 2024. He had previously admitted to being involved but told investigators he had come under pressure from his accomplices.

Donnarumma and his partner’s lawyers said previously that they were ‘still profoundly shocked’.

The trial continues.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has threatened to ground academic activities in public universities across the country if the Federal Government and state governments fail to meet the union’s demands.

The threat is contained in a statement by the union’s president, Christopher Piwuna, on Friday.

The union stated that it could reactivate the strike “without any further notice” due to the failure of the government to complete the implementation of the December 2025 agreement.

Other demands include the non-remittance of billions of naira deducted from lecturers’ salaries.

The new development came amid an emergency meeting of the union’s National Executive Council held at the University of Abuja.

According to ASUU, the December 2025 agreement followed more than eight years of negotiations and struggles but had not been fully implemented by the Federal Government and several state governments.

“Unless immediate and concrete steps are taken to fully and comprehensively address issues bordering on the welfare and well-being of Nigerian academics, ASUU-NEC will not accept any blame for calling out its members on a nationwide strike action within the shortest time possible,” the union warned.

The Federal Government has begun the process of removing criminal penalties for attempted suicide after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the position of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on the issue.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, who disclosed this in Abuja at the 2026 World Suicide Prevention Day commemoration, said the matter would now be forwarded to the National Assembly for the necessary legislative process.

Salako, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Daju Kachollom, described the proposed reform as both a legal and public health measure, arguing that people experiencing mental health crises need support rather than punishment.

“A person experiencing a mental health crisis should be met with care, support and appropriate intervention, rather than punishment.

“Removing the fear of criminal sanctions can help reduce stigma, encourage help-seeking and create greater opportunities for timely intervention,” Salako said.

The minister, however, stressed that decriminalisation alone would not be enough to prevent suicide, noting that the government would continue to strengthen mental health services and expand community-based support.

He said the government would also focus on early identification and intervention while encouraging more open conversations about mental health.

Salako cited the National Mental Health Act 2021, National Mental Health Policy 2023 and National Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework 2023–2030 as key policy instruments guiding Nigeria’s response to suicide and mental health challenges.

He also said the National Task Force on the Decriminalisation of Attempted Suicide had consulted policymakers and other stakeholders as part of efforts to advance the reform.

Speaking on Nigeria’s mental health data, the National Coordinator, Mental Health Programme, Dr Tunde Ojo, acknowledged gaps in available statistics on suicide and attempted suicide.

Ojo said the ministry was using surveys and other data-gathering methods to produce more accurate and verifiable national statistics within the next year.

The National Coordinator, National Action for Suicide Prevention, Dr Ade Bash, also reaffirmed the ministry’s plans to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare and strengthen community-based interventions.

Stakeholders at the event welcomed the Federal Government’s decision and pledged continued support for the legislative process, as well as efforts to strengthen suicide prevention and mental healthcare in Nigeria.