Author: Lekan Adeyeye

TROUBLE broke out during the annual new yam festival of the Ibule-Soro community in the Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo State. The ceremony was disrupted by sporadic gunshots. The crisis was said to have been sparked off by the dispute between the supporters and opposers of the town’s monarch, Oba Oluleke Ogunlade, whose selection process is being challenged in court. The king had fixed the new yam festival on August 25 to coincide with the first anniversary of his coronation. However, this did not go down well with some of the indigenes who believed there was a particular date…

THE Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde has denied taking part in the ₦570bn hardship grant claimed to have been given to the state governments by the Federal Government. President Bola Tinubu while addressing Nigerians in a broadcast during the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests against hunger and hardship, said the government has disbursed ₦570bn to the 36 states. Tunubu also said that Nigeria spends ₦2tn monthly to import Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil, otherwise known as diesel. He disclosed that ₦9.1tn was accumulated as total fiscal revenue to the Federal Government’s coffers during the first half…

THE “Giant of Africa” Nigeria, ranked 9th among top African investment destinations, with Seychelles and Mauritius topping the list. According to bloomberg, the report assessed 31 nations on the continent, evaluated economic performance, market accessibility, investment climate, and social and human development. Nigeria, along with Ghana and Kenya, is considered an emerging market with significant growth potential. ‘’In addition, there are a number of emerging markets with significant growth potential, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. Despite facing challenges such as political instability and infrastructural deficits, these countries offer substantial opportunities due to their large and youthful populations, improving business climates,…

THE Chairman of the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria, Gbenga Adebayo, has stated that more than 30 million phone lines are not properly linked to a National Identification Number and remain at risk of disconnection. He said these lines are mainly in car trackers, MiFi units, WiFi devices, and Point of Sale machines “The numbers are staggering. We are looking at potentially over 30 million SIM cards, including those in various digital devices, that have not been properly linked to the NIN. Many of these SIMs are in car trackers, POS machines, MiFis, WiFis, and many other devices…

POLICEMEN tear-gassed defiant #EndBadGovernance protesters at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos on Thursday morning. THE Lekki Tollgate, now symbolic for civil demonstrations following the #EndSARS nationwide protests against police brutality in 2020, was initially deserted on Thursday morning as protesters marched against hunger and hardship in different parts of Nigeria. However, around 11 am, protesters emerged at the Lekki Tollgate bearing placards with different inscriptions that conveyed their dissatisfaction against the current administration of President Bola Tinubu. Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters lamented the hunger in the country and urged the government to do something as quickly as possible. “We…

THE Gubernatorial candidate of Young Progressive Party, YPP, Ondo State, John Akinmurele has described the planned August 1st nationwide protest as a prelude to ballot revolution in the state. Akinmurele made the remark in a press statement by the Director, Media and Publicity, Akinmurele/Obe Givernorship Campaign Organisation, Dotun Ojon, on Monday. According to the statement, for the people of Ondo State, this protest is a prelude to the ballot revolution that will shape the future of the state in the November 16th governorship election. “We stand in solidarity with all Nigerians demanding an end to economic hardship, hunger, hyperinflation, corruption,…

PRESIDENTIAL Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in last year’s general elections, Peter Obi, has thrown his weight behind the planned nationwide protest over the current economic hardship. Some youths are planning a nationwide protest between August 1 and 15 against the rising cost of living and economic hardship. Speaking on Sunday after a meeting with Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, Obi, however, said protesters must carry out the act within the ambit of the law. He also charged security agencies to be law-abiding, saying protest is allowed globally. The former Anambra governor said: “Within the Nigerian constitution, protest…

FIVE workers died when a building under construction collapsed on Thursday at 13, Wilson Mba Street, Arowojobe Estate, Maryland, Lagos. The building under construction collapsed at 3:49am on Thursday in the Maryland area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) boss, Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed the development in a statement. The emergency responder said five persons, all adult males, were rescued alive from the building collapse site. “The Agency responded to the above incident and discovered that a set of three terraces under construction had collapsed. “Search and rescue operations began immediately. Five adult males were recovered…

AFTER many years of wearing the toga of invincibility, the overall head of the Mushin, Lagos drug cartel, 57-year-old Alhaji Sulaiman Jimoh (alias Olowoidiogede, populary known as Temo), has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at his enclave after an initial resistance from him and his horde of hoodlums. Authorities reveal that in the last two years, the NDLEA had intercepted large consignments of illicit drugs worth billions of naira owned by Temo but he has remained largely evasive while a few encounters with him and his armed gangs in his Mushin enclave had…

THE Federal Government has arraigned a senior Immigration officer, Akomolafe Gbenga Michael, serving at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Ikeja in Lagos. He was arraigned alongside three others before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on a nine-count charge of alleged conspiracy, unlawful possession, import, and dealing in the prohibited substances. He was specifically alleged to have been involved in trafficking 8 kilograms of Methamphetamine and 7.60 kilograms of Cannabis Sativa, also known as marijuana. Others arraigned on the alleged offences alongside the Immigration officer are; Babatunde Micheal Olufemi said to be a staff of…

GUNMEN suspected to be kidnappers have killed two commuters and kidnapped five others along the Ifon-Owo Highway in Ondo State. News Point Nigeria gathered that the driver of the commercial vehicle and a female passenger were shot dead at the scene of the incident on Friday evening. Five other passengers, including two Corps member, were taken away by the gunmen. However, two of the victims managed to escape, with varying degrees of wounds. One of the locals revealed that the fully loaded commercial vehicle was coming from Anambra State heading for Owo and Akure in Ondo State when the gunmen…

GOVERNOR Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has presented a staff of office to Oba Akinloye Owolabi Olakulehin as the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland and said his ascension is a testament to Ibadan’s enduring and resilient spirit. “I, Engr Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, in exercise of the powers conferred upon me by Sections 1 and 2, Subsections 20 of the Oyo State Chiefs Law, Cap 28, Volume 1 Laws of Oyo State, Nigeria, hereby present the staff of office, ratifying the appointment of Oba Owolabi Olakulehin as the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland,” the governor said at the…

GUNMEN on Tuesday abducted a former Deputy Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti (EKSU), Professor Femi Olaofe, in his residence at Housing Estate, Ado- Ekiti, Ekiti State capital. Olaofe, a native of Are-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area, is a Professor of Industrial Chemistry, who recently retired from the Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti. An Eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, revealed that Professor Olaofe returned to Ado Ekiti on Monday after a short visit to Lagos, where he had gone to see his children. “We saw him on Monday when he returned from his trip to Lagos. We greeted and…

TWO people, a mother, and her seven-year-old daughter, have been killed in a gas explosion at Ebute Road, Ibafo area of Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State. Police authorities in Ogun State identified the deceased mother as 40-year-old Rafiat Sheriff. The spokesperson of the command Omolola Odutola said Rafiat had instructed her daughter to cook their dinner when the incident occurred. “The incident occurred last night when the mother told her seven-year-old daughter to cook. The girl was attempting to light up the gas cylinder when the entire house went up in flames,” the police said on Sunday.…

SUSPECTED bandits have attacked operatives of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, otherwise known as Amotekun Corps, in the Igoba community, near Akure in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State. The bandits launched the attack on the Amotekun operatives while the latter were enforcing the anti-open grazing law operational in the state. The spokesperson for the Amotekun Corps in the state, Jimoh Adeniken, confirmed the attack in a statement on Saturday. He said the officers were acting on complaints from farmers in the Igoba and Osi communities over constant destruction of their farms. It was gathered that one…

THE Oyo State Government has declared Monday, July 8, 2024, a work-free day in commemoration of the Islamic New Year, Hijrah 1446AH. In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade, the state government acknowledged the significance of Hijrah in the lives of its Muslim residents. “Monday, July 8, 2024, has been declared a work-free day to mark the Hijrah, which signifies Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD,” Oyelade said. The commissioner emphasised that this day is a gesture of respect and solidarity with the Muslim community. He called on all residents to…

THREE Indians and one Nigerian have been released following an abduction by gunmen along the Sagamu/ Ilishan expressway three days ago. “Information reaching me right now confirmed a kidnapping incident between the Area Command and Ilisan City Gate, a resident was reportedly shot in the knee and is receiving medical attention at Babcock Teaching Hospital. Other victims were taken into the bush,” he said. He also mentioned discussing the incident with the Sagamu Area Commander, however, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State Police command, Omolola Odutola, later said it was just one driver that was abducted. However, in another…

ABOUT twenty travellers have been reportedly abducted by gunmen on the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode Expressway.  The travellers were on Sunday ambushed around the Sagamu area command of the Nigeria Police Forces and Ilishan township. While the Police Public Relations Officer in the state Omolola Odutola said the report was not true, a resident and chairman of the Ilishan Development Council, Wemmy Osude, said a victim was shot in the knee during the incident. He confirmed that one of the victims, a resident of Ilisan Remo, is receiving medical treatment at Babcock University Teaching Hospital after being shot on the kneel by the suspected…

THE Ogun state government has confirmed 25 cases of Cholera in seven local government areas of the state, with one casualty from Ijebu North local government in the Ogun East Senatorial district of the state. The state commissioner for health, Dr Tomi Coker, gave the figure in Abeokuta, the state capital during a press briefing held at the Olusegun Osoba press centre in the state capital. She said free surveillance and emergency treatment have been activated in all 20 local government areas of the state. She identified Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Obafemi/ Owode, Ijebu North, Ado, Odo/ OTA local government…

GUNMEN have kidnapped a pregnant woman, simply identified as Mrs Ogunbunmi, in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital. Mrs Ogunbunmi, who is due for delivery, was said to have left her home in Oke Lantoro, to the state Hospital, Ijaiye, Abeokuta. It was gathered that her husband, Ogunbunmi Lateef, said he had received a WhatsApp message notifying him of his wife’s kidnap by the abductors. Confirming the incident, yesterday in a terse statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola said the suspected abduction had been reported to the command. She said: “One Ogunbunmi Lateef of Oke Lantoro, Abeokuta reported that his…