THE Deputy Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Abayomi Akinruntan, has resigned his position after citing the need to align with the conventional arrangement of elective positions in the state. The resignation letter of the former deputy speaker representing Ilaje Constituency 1, who is the son of the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan, was read on the floor of the Assembly by the Clerk, Benjamin Jayeiola. Akinruntan, who was absent during the plenary, was elected as the deputy speaker of the Assembly in June 2023, a position he occupied until his resignation. The resignation letter read:…
Author: Lekan Adeyeye
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THE once-cordial relationship between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his long-time political protégé, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, appears to be fraying, and with no signs of reconciliation in sight, party stakeholders are becoming increasingly concerned. Though neither President Bola Tinubu nor Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has publicly acknowledged any rift between them, sources within the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the national, zonal, and state levels confirm that a subtle but widening gulf now separates the President and the Lagos governor. Efforts to intervene have been minimal, with some party leaders choosing to ignore the signs in the hope…
ONE of the 14 occupants trapped in the collapsed two-storey building along Obafemi Awolowo Road, Ota-Ona, in the Ikorodu Local Government Area of Lagos State has been confirmed dead. The building, which caved in on Tuesday, initially left 14 people trapped. As of the time of filing this report, 10 had been rescued, while three others remain unaccounted for. In an update to this newspaper, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that one of the four initially unaccounted-for occupants had been recovered dead from the rubble. While the cause of the collapse remains unclear, the Lagos State Fire and…
GUNMEN have struck again in Ondo State, kidnapping three members of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry in the Akure North Local Government Area of the State. The incident was said to have occurred on Monday evening while the churchgoers were returning from a Bible study session in the Kasemola area of the Ogbese community. A message from the leadership of the church announced the incident stating this: “Good morning, beloved. Kindly pray along with us. Three of our members were kidnapped yesterday after bible study at Kasemola inside the Ogbese axis.” The entire community is now gripped in fear as…
AN Ekiti State High Court in Ado Ekiti has sentenced Jayeoba Oluwafemi to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting his 14-year-old stepdaughter. The 56-year-old convict was arraigned before Justice Adekunle Adeleye on December 4, 2020, on a single charge of sexual assault. The charge stated that on October 26, 2020, at Ado Ekiti, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, the defendant sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl, contrary to Section 31 (2) of the Child’s Right Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012. In her testimony before the court, the survivor, who was a primary six pupil, said: “My mother…
FORMER Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atuku Abubakar shunned Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke to visit erstwhile Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola amid push for coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu. The Nation recalled Atiku, ex-presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi; ex-Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and other opposition stakeholders have proposed a coalition to unseat Tinubu in 2027. But the PDP Governors forum rejected coalition and any merger in 2027 noting they will only welcome any willing person or groups pleased to join the party. On Friday, Atiku shunned Adeleke by refusing to visit him first at either the Government…
AN Abeokuta High Court in Ogun state on Thursday sentenced two men to death by hanging, and one other to 21 years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder. The convicts, Wale Adedeji, Akeem Sulaimon, and Wahabi Idowu were found guilty and convicted on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery and attempted murder Delivering his judgment, Justice Olugboyega Ogunfowora, said the court was convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the accused persons committed the offences as charged. Ogunfowora, having found that the accused persons were guilty as charged, convicted the trio to 14 years each on count one…
OYO State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has reaffirmed his commitment to the Peoples Democratic Party, saying he has no intention of leaving the party despite recent defections and internal challenges. Speaking on Wednesday during the official inauguration of the newly elected PDP South West zonal executive members at the party’s zonal secretariat, Soji Adagunodo House, Old Ife Road, Ibadan, Makinde declared that the PDP would remain aligned with the masses and their aspirations. “People have been asking us as leaders of this party that a lot of people are decamping, even governors, and some others are threatening to decamp and all…
SECURITY has been beefed up at the Ilesa Correctional Facility after a rainstorm wreaked havoc leading to the collapse of the wall and escape of seven inmates. Authorities of the Nigerian Correctional Service confirmed the escape of the seven inmates. They were identified as John Michael (34yrs); Tobi Akin (19yrs); Eze Nweze (40yrs); Olalekan Ajofoyinbo (45yrs); Ninalowo Yusuf (28yrs); Matthew Ogunjimi (20yrs) and Kabiru Oyedun (39yrs). They placed N5m bounty on each on the escapees. The Nation observed that there was heavy security presence at the Correctional Facility in Ilesa when visited on Wednesday evening. Reacting to the development, the…
AN overnight rainfall on Tuesday has led to the escape of seven inmates from the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Ilesa, Osun State, after the facility’s old perimeter wall collapsed. According to the Nigerian Correctional Service, the breach occurred around 2:00am and was caused by the structural failure of the wall during the storm. The spokesperson for the NCoS, Umar Abubakar, in a statement, noted that authorities have since launched a manhunt to locate and return the escapees to custody. The Controller General of Corrections, Sylvester Ndidi Nwakuche, has ordered an immediate investigation into the incident. He assured the public…
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…