Author: Lekan Adeyeye

A STUDENT identified simply as Taiwo, who was sitting the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), has been killed by a stray bullet allegedly fired by police officer in Ibadan, Oyo State. It was learnt that the incident occurred near Gbagi market in the Soka area of Ibadan on Monday. According to eyewitnesses, men of the Nigeria Police Force were in pursuit of individuals suspected to be internet fraudsters popularly known as Yahoo boys when a shot fired by one of the officers struck the student, who was reportedly in his father’s car, on his way to his…

FORMER Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has filed a no-case submission in response to the N6.9bn fraud charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos heard the no-case submission and subsequently reserved a ruling on it. Fayose was represented by a former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), while Olalekan Ojo (SAN) reprsented Spotless Investment Limited joined as the second defendant. The EFCC through its lawyer, Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), pressed 11 counts, bordering on stealing and money laundering, against Fayose and the firm. At…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested 120 individuals suspected of internet fraud in Lagos State. According to a statement posted on Monday via the official X handle of the commission, operatives from the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 carried out the coordinated operation across various locations in the state. The operation led to the recovery of 26 exotic vehicles, alongside luxury jewelry, mobile phones, laptops, and several incriminating documents. Among those arrested were 95 males and 25 females, all apprehended based on credible intelligence and sustained surveillance concerning their alleged involvement in cyber-related crimes. The anti-graft agency noted…

A TWO-STOREY building under construction collapsed, yesterday, on Ishaga Road, opposite the Central Mosque in the Idi Araba area of Mushin, Lagos State. One body was recovered from the rubble, while three persons were rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention. The cause of the collapse could not be ascertained, but concerns were raised about the structural integrity of the building and potential safety lapses. Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with debris scattered across the road and dust filling the air. One eyewitness, Justine Madueke, said: “I was passing by when I heard a loud noise,…

THE Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in ward 5, Ifon, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nelson Adepoyigi who was kidnapped at his residence in Ifon few days ago, has been reportedly killed by his abductors. The kidnappers, however, set free two individuals who reportedly took five million naira and food items to them as ransom to secure of Adepoyigi’s release. The kidnappers had initially demanded ₦100 million but after negotiations, reduced it to ₦5 million with foodstuffs. They also captured two persons who took the ransom and demanded a fresh ransom of ₦30 million to secure the…

THE kidnapping of the Ward 5 Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ose Local Council Area of Ondo State, Nelson Adepoyigi, has taken a dark turn following the seizure of two individuals delivering a ransom for his release. Following the fresh twist of events, the abductors now demand an additional N30 million to release Adepoyigi and the two bearers of the ransom, Bayode Loco and Isimeri, of the N5 million ransom earlier negotiated with the kidnappers. Adepoyigi was abducted around 10:00 pm on Monday outside his residence in Ifon, where the gunmen assaulted him before forcibly taking him…

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, immediate past Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, and his counterparts from Lagos and Oyo States, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Seyi Makinde, respectively, were among the dignitaries who bade farewell to the late Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo. Adebanjo was buried on Saturday at Isanya Ogbo in Odogbolu Local Government Area of Ogun State. A lawyer, politician, and statesman, Adebanjo was one of the last surviving associates of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He died in Lagos on February 14,…

NO fewer than 73 persons lost their lives while 393 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in road crashes along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway between January and March. Figures obtained from a Federal Road Safety Corps report sighted by this newspaper revealed that 1,271 people were involved in the 175 crashes recorded on the busy highway within the three months. According to the document, January recorded the highest number of crashes, while February had the highest fatalities. Among crashes recorded within January and March on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway include a fatal crash around Ayetoro claiming nine lives in February; a lone…

OPERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered a major drug cartel operating under the cover of an 80-room hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos, seizing illicit substances valued at over N1bn during a raid. NDLEA agents, between Friday, April 25, and Saturday, April 26, stormed the five-storey hotel, operating as The Hook Hotel, Caesar Hotel, and Caesar Lounge at 16 Waziri Ibrahim Street. A statement on Sunday by the NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi said the raid led to the recovery of 589 bags of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis weighing 417.3 kilograms and worth N1,042,500,000 in…

THE Oyo State Police Command has uncovered a human trafficking ring in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. In a major operation, the police rescued 83 individuals and a child from a house in the Orogun area of the city, where they had allegedly been held for an undisclosed period. Preliminary reports suggest that the victims, believed to be nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo, were lured to Nigeria under the pretence of being offered employment opportunities. There are also claims that the perpetrators extorted significant sums of money, reportedly in dollars, from the victims’ parents and relatives as part…

THE Ogun State Police Command says it has arrested three people suspected of being in possession of human parts in the Itoju area of the state capital. The state police public relations officer, Omolola Odutol, confirmed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta, the state capital. “On April 22, 2025, at about 0800hrs operatives of the Ogun State Police Command, through its SWAT unit, acted on credible intelligence and apprehended one Sunday Akintobi (male, 36 years), a resident of Itoku area in Abeokuta, suspected of trading in human body parts,” she said “Further investigation led to the arrest of two…

FIVE people have been rescued so far from the rubble of a building collapse in Lagos on Saturday. The building said to house a local restaurant on Oremeta Street in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos, collapsed at about 8 am. While speaking with journalists at the scene of the collapse, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Permanent Secretary, Damilola Oke-Osanyitolu, said searchers would “Get to ground zero” for other victims still buried under the rubble. Although there were fears that some may have lost their lives to the incident, our correspondent could not confirm as of the time of…

A FORMER governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has dismissed the widely discussed coalition of opposition political parties aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, describing it as a waste of time. Fayose, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday monitored by News Point Nigeria, said no prominent Nigerian is part of the coalition talk. “Their coalition is a dead horse ab initio. Tell me one positive person, well respected Nigerians that has given his voice in support of this…

THE Police Force Ondo State Command has dismissed as false a report claiming that a vehicle in the convoy of the First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, was responsible for the death of a nine-year-old girl in Akure on Thursday. This newspaper reports that the first lady was in Ondo State to launch the Renewed Hope Initiative Health Programme and to distribute 10,000 professional kits. comprising Crocs and scrubs, to midwives in the South-West zone. In a statement, the command’s spokesperson, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, clarified that the claim, published by an online reporters, was entirely baseless and misleading. “The attention of…

GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Tuesday said he has the capacity to occupy the highest political office in the land. Makinde, a second-term governor and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made this known on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme monitored by News Point Nigeria. According to him, the 2027 elections would be between Nigerians and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC); and not a contest between the PDP and the APC. Makinde said, “I don’t have any doubt that I have the capacity to occupy the highest office in this land and I have what it…

THE Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, has paid homage to the newly crowned Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, at his palace in Oyo Town. The minister, who was accompanied by her Special Assistant on Sub-national Development and Engagement, Abiola Abdulkareem Jagunlabi, affirmed the Federal Government’s steadfast support for traditional institutions as vital custodians of Nigeria’s cultural identity and national pride. She, however, congratulated Oba Owoade on his ascension to the revered throne, highlighting the historical significance of the Alaafin stool as one of the most enduring symbols of Yoruba civilisation and leadership. Musawa…

THE Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) in Ekiti State, Professor Abayomi Sunday Fasina, has been suspended following allegations of sexual harassment brought against him by a senior female university official, Engr. Folasade Adebayo. The suspension, which takes effect immediately, followed the intervention of the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who reportedly expressed strong dissatisfaction with the initial recommendation of the university’s Governing Council Committee exonerating Prof. Fasina. Sources disclosed that the committee had advised that Engr. Adebayo apologise to the popular Vice-Chancellor, allegedly ignoring her claims of sexual misconduct. “The minister was very angry with the decision…

AMIDST ongoing controversy trailing talks of mergers and coalitions ahead of the 2027 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum says the party is not prepared to join any coalition or merger. The resolution was made in a communique issued at the end of the Forum’s meeting held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, on Monday. After the meeting which lasted about six hours behind closed doors, the Chairman of the Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, who read the communique clarified that rather, the PDP remains open to welcoming individuals, parties, and groups committed to rescuing…

A TRAGIC turn has followed Friday’s explosion at a CCTV equipment store on Kodesho Street in Ikeja, Lagos, as one of the five injured victims has now been confirmed dead. The explosion, which erupted shortly after 6:30 p.m. along the busy corridor that links up Computer Village, one of West Africa’s largest tech markets, sent shockwaves through the commercial community, with traders and commuters scrambling for safety as smoke and panic filled the air. Now, barely 48 hours later, one of the victims has died from critical injuries sustained in the blast. A fellow shop owner who requested anonymity due…

BARELY 24 hours after a market fire destroyed goods and property worth millions of naira in Ibadan, the Oyo state Capital, another fire disaster has been recorded. This time, a petrol tanker exploded at the Tollgate end of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway of the state capital leaving the destruction of property worth millions of naira in its wake. The explosion reportedly started around 3 pm along Lead City University Road with business owners and car owners within the vicinity suffering huge losses. The Manager of Oyo State Fire Service, Akinyinka Akinyemi, who confirmed the incident noted that the combined efforts of…