Author: Lekan Adeyeye

TWO people have been reportedly killed in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital by gunmen numbering three in the early hour of Monday, while two others sustained bullet injuries. The incident has been confirmed by the public relations officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, in a statement. She explained that the incident occurred at around 12:30a.m in the parking lots of Diamond Dumplings, GRA, Abeokuta. “Three armed men in an unregistered black Toyota Hilux confronted the occupants of a black Mercedes Benz GLE 350 with a DLA license plate, demanding the car keys,” she stated. “The assailants opened…

THE Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has banned the Western Nigeria Security Network codenamed Amotekun and Vigilante Corps from participating in the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State. The ban directive was contained in a statement on Sunday by the Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi made available to News Point Nigeria. He said the IG ordered the deployment of officers from various specialised units, including the Special Intervention Squad, Police Mobile Force, Counter-Terrorism Unit, Special Protection Unit, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, and K-9 Unit among others. The police boss also ordered that aerial patrols be conducted with police helicopters,…

AHEAD of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State, political parties and candidates contesting in the election on Friday signed Peace Accord. The peace accord, which is at the instance of the National Peace Committee(NPC), was signed at the International Culture and Events Centre in Akure, the state capital. The Chairman, National Peace Committee (NPC), Retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar, appealed to all the stakeholders to ensure the election is conducted peacefully. He also urged the party leaders and candidates to accept the outcome of the election as long as it was adjudged to be free, fair and credible. His…

AN Unidentified driver of a commercial bus has set himself and an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) on fire while trying to evade arrest. The driver also set his bus on fire out of anger. The incident created a heavy traffic on the Oshodi-Apapa expressway on Tuesday. It was learnt that both the driver, his conductor as well as the LASTMA official sustained severe burns in the process. The LASTMA officials were reportedly on an endorsement duty when the incident occurred around noon on Tuesday. Adebayo Taofiq, Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, who…

A MARKET in Ajah in the Lekki area of Lagos State has been gutted by fire which destroyed properties and goods worth millions of naira. The fire was said to have started around 9pm on Sunday, with several shops and stores affected. The  Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA),  Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement said the agency, in collaboration with the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Services, swung into action to contain the fire. He added that preliminary investigation showed that no casualties were recorded. “On arrival of the Shark Response Team at the incident scene…

TEN persons were killed while seven others were injured in a building collapse in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Thursday morning. A statement from the Oyo State Fire Services Agency disclosed that the incident happened at 2am at Jegeda Oluloyo area in Ibadan in Ona Ara Local Government Area of the state. The statement added that while 10 persons were recovered from the debris, seven persons were rescued alive, adding that rescue efforts are reported to be ongoing as of the time of filing this report. The statement read, “The Oyo State Fire Services Agency received a distressed call…

As Kekere-Ekun Declares Zero Tolerance For Conflicting Court Orders SCORES of lawyers under the aegis of Ekiti Lawyers Vanguard for Transparency have petitioned the Chairman of the National Judicial Council, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, against Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja over his alleged controversial rulings and other misconducts. The legal practitioners further accused Nwite of bias and desecration of the hallowed temple of justice with what they described as unjust conducts, maintaining that the judge’s actions were capable of bringing Nigeria to great disrepute if they are not curbed. The lawyers claimed that Justice Nwite’s alleged…

THE Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has announced the suspension of former governor and ex-Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, over allegations of anti-party activities. The suspension, which takes immediate effect, is pending the outcome of disciplinary proceedings initiated by the state’s party leadership. The decision followed a request from the Ilesa East Local Government APC Executive Committee, which petitioned the state party chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, to take action against Aregbesola, citing his alleged involvement in actions that undermined the APC. The committee, in a letter, accused Aregbesola of promoting factionalism and colluding with opposition parties, among other…

A GROUP of youths in Ondo State have stormed the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Maitama, Abuja over the removal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Oluwatoyin Babalola in the state. The governorship election is slated to be held on November 16, 2024, across the state. A viral video on X showed the youths carrying drums and placards, singing and dancing while demanding the reinstatement of the REC. This is as the Independent National Electoral Commission announced that 55,859 Permanent Voter Cards were collected in the state ahead of the Ondo governorship election. INEC, in a…

CHAIRMAN of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC), Babatunde Osibodu, says the commission has budgeted over N2billion for the conduct of the November 16 council poll in the state. Osibodu said the commission planned over N 1billion for transportation on the election day, while more than N200million will be spent to print of the voter register from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He spoke on Tuesday in Abeokuta while featuring on the “Media Parliament”, an interactive programme organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Ogun Council. The Chairman blamed the humongous budget on constant fuel price hike,…

DEMONSTRATORS gathered at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on Sunday to mark the fourth anniversary of the #EndSARS protest. The memorial was to remember those who lost their lives during the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in October 2020. The youths were said to have gathered around 8:30 am at the toll gate with several banners and placards. They demanded the full implementation of the reports submitted by various judicial panels of inquiry set up after the 2020 protests. However, reports emerged that police operatives dispersed the demonstrators and arrested some of them. A human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong,…

THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says its operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos have arrested a Thailand returnee, Oguejiofor Nnaemeka Simonpeter, for importing 13.30 kilograms of heroin worth over N3.192 billion. This is just as operatives of the NDLEA at at three seaports intercepted large consignments of opioids with a combined monetary value of N22.7 billion. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, and made available to Channels Television on Sunday. He said that Oguejiofor was arrested on Monday 7th October 2024 while attempting to smuggle the illicit drug…

A COUNCILLORSHIP candidate in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun has been shot dead by gunmen around the popular Oke Ilewo area of the state capital. Adeleke Adeyinka from Ward 15 was a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the forthcoming local government elections slated for the 16th of November, 2024. According to eyewitnesses, the assailants came in a tinted glass car, shot him, and later hit him with a stone before driving away from the scene of the incident. Police authorities in the state say efforts are ongoing to arrest the suspects. “The incident was reported…

ONDO State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has sacked one of his political aides, the Special Assistant on Forestry (Central Senatorial District), Adeboye Taofiq Ewenla, with immediate effect. The sack was contained in a statement on Wednesday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan. “This followed allegations of bribery and intimidation levelled against Mr. Ewenla by some timber merchants in the state,” he said. “Governor Aiyedatiwa also ordered a probe into the activities of those saddled with the responsibility of managing forest reserves in the State. “A replacement for Mr. Ewenla will be announced in due course. The Governor…

ONDO State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the distribution of the non-sensitive election materials for the November 16, off-cycle governorship election in the state. The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the state, Oluwatoyin Babalola stated this at a media briefing in Akure on Saturday on the preparation of the commission for the election. Babalola noted that a large percentage of the non-sensitive election materials for the November 16, 2024 poll have been received. She revealed that the non-sensitive election materials received have been distributed to the 18 local government areas of the state. According to her,…

THE Federal Government has constituted a working group on the Review of the Laws of the Federation. The essential mandate of this group is simply to review the country’s laws and propose laws that will support the development of all aspects of national life. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), disclosed this at a ceremony which was part of activities marking the commencement of the 2024/2025 New Legal Year. “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is aware of the concerns about the status of our laws and the urgent need to review the Laws…

PROTESTERS took to the streets of Osogbo, Osun State, on Tuesday, demanding immediate action from the government. The demonstration, organized by the Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Citizens and supported by members of the Take it Back Movement, drew a significant security presence. The protest kicked off at Freedom Park, with protesters chanting anti-government songs and calling for an end to the economic hardship that has left many Nigerians struggling. The march was closely monitored by a large contingent of security operatives, including personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Drug…

PROTESTERS, on Tuesday morning, gathered at the Ikeja Underbridge in Lagos State as the country marks the 2024 Independence Day. The protest, however, is being closely monitored by a large contingent of security personnel, including policemen, officials of the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Corps, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. Leading the team of policemen at the protest ground is the state Commissioner of Police, Olanrewaju Ishola. The protesters are currently chanting solidarity songs, displaying placards bearing inscriptions such as “Reverse electricity tariff now, “End all attacks on democratic rights”, “Reduce petrol price to N197 per litre; end scarcity”, and…

A 35-YEAR-OLD zoo worker at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Babaji Daule, has been mauled to death by a lion. It was gathered that the incident was caused by an act of negligence by the handler,a native of Bauchi State. Confirming the incident in a statement, the spokesperson of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said the Chief Security Officer of Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library informed the divisional police officer of the incident. “A deadly incident involving a wild animal attack has been reported by the Area Commander metro. On September 28, 2024, at about 7:40 hrs the Chief…

BARELY 16 months after he was arrested and convicted for ingesting 93 pellets of cocaine, a 48-year-old businessman Christian Ogbuji has been intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja Lagos. A statement by the Director, Media & Advocacy NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, said he was arrested for importing 817 wraps of the same Class A drug weighing 19.40 kilograms with an estimated street value of ₦4,656bn. Ogbuji was first arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, on Wednesday 10th May 2023 upon arrival from Uganda…