Atiku must explain why Nigerians should vote for PDP after 16 years of failure — Tinubu All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has reacted to the emergence of Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 presidential election.
In a statement Sunday morning , Mr Tinubu, congratulated Atiku for his victory at the keenly contested primary and praised his political experience and patriotism.
He however threw a challenge at the former vice president, saying he and his party will have to explain why Nigerians should give them “another opportunity, after squandering 16 years at the central government, without much to show”.
“Nigerians are yet to forget the national ruin and mismanagement of our country for 16 years by successive PDP administration and this bad memory will dog the campaign of the PDP Candidate,” Mr Tinubu said via the statement by the Director, Media and Communication of his campaign organisation, Bayo Onanuga. The former Lagos governor also said he was looking forward to squaring up with Atiku “as a worthy opponent in the coming presidential election”.
Mr Tinubu is a frontline presidential aspirant on the platform of the ruling APC which will hold its primary next week. With the PDP picking its candidate from the North which has more registered voters than the south, it remains unclear if the APC will be bold enough to nominate Mr Tinubu from the south as its flagbearer for the election. Via Premium Times
After 20 Years, Pastor Confesses To ‘Adultery’ Before His Congregation Says He Took A Woman’s Virginity At 16.
An Indiana pastor stood before his congregation Sunday with a “confession,“ telling those assembled at New Life Christian Church and World Outreach in Warsaw he had committed “adultery” nearly 20 years ago. But moments later, a woman and her husband replaced the pastor on stage to tell a different story: She was 16 years old when she said the pastor took her virginity on his office floor.
“You did things to my teenage body that had never and should have never been done,” the woman said, according to a video shared to social media. Her remarks came after the pastor, John Lowe II, concluded the worship portion of the service by asking for “forgiveness.”
“I committed adultery. It was nearly 20 years ago. It continued far too long. It involved one person and there’s been no other,” he said.
Lowe added: “I’ve been asked why did I wait so long to deal with it. The answer there is no good answer. I told myself for years, silence served to protect everyone.”
The pastor, who was met with applause when he introduced himself and following his disclosure, told the congregation he would be “stepping aside.” Following the applause, the woman stepped up with her partner. “If you love us, please let us talk,” the partner requested.
“For 27 years I lived in prison it was not 20 years,” the woman said. She said she had lied all that time to protect the pastor and his family, struggling with suicidal thoughts and “not realizing what had been truly done to me.” She said her older brother approached her two weeks earlier to address “what he had seen as a teenager, that bothered him all these years.” She said it wasn’t until then that she realized she had been victimized.
“I was just 16 when you took my virginity on your office floor. Do you remember that? I know you do,” she said directly to Lowe. “I could give story after story to what you did to me.”
She said she tried to talk to someone at the time, but those around the pastor covered it up. No one ever offered counseling, she said.
Her husband added that the relationship had gone on for nine years. “It’s not just adultery; it’s another level when it’s a teenager,” he said.
Lowe briefly addressed the congregation again. Some people shouted questions at him. “It was wrong,” Lowe said. “… I can’t make it right.” “If I could go back and redo it all I would,” he said. “It’s been 20 years, I guess it doesn’t count for anything.”
A number of people then surrounded him to pray. The woman and her husband walked down a church aisle toward the back.
Lowe did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
A statement from New Life Christian Church and World Outreach said Lowe resigned on Monday. “To all concerned, please be assured that, until now, none of this was disclosed to or known by any of the staff, ministers or personnel of New Life,” the statement said. The “long-held secret” was revealed when the woman, who has attended the church for years, “came forward and disclosed the relationship to various people within the church.”
A Japanese man has spent the sum of £12,500 to become a dog.
The man who goes by Toko transformed himself into a collie with the help of bespoke costume makers.
He received his dog costume last month and has been sharing videos of himself performing tricks such as fetch and playing ping pong with his paw.
His videos also show him rolling over on command like a dog.
In one of his first clips, he explains via a clipboard: “I became a rough collie because I wanted to be an animal. From now on I’m thinking of uploading videos at my own pace.
According to Japanese media, Toko ordered the “quadsuit” for £12,500 (2 million Yen) from Zeppet which makes sculptures for movies, TV shows.
His videos have generated mixed reactions.
While many hailed him for living out his dream as a dog, others called him creepy.
“What a weird way to spend money! looks so real, like a beautiful collie dog, very original! Greetings,” someone commented.
A ram has been sentenced to three years in jail after it reportedly head-butted a woman to death.
The ram allegedly launched an attack on Adhieu Chaping, 45, and struck her in the chest multiple times before she died over the weekend.
As part of the punishment, the ram will have to spend time behind bars at a military camp after it was sentenced by traditional leaders in South Sudan.
It comes after the victim’s family were told they would receive five cows from the ram owner as a part of compensation for her death.
“The ram attacked by hitting her ribs and the old woman died immediately,” Police major Elijah Mabor told Sudan’s Eye Radio.
“So this is what happened in Rumbek East in a place called Akuel Yol.
“Our role as police is to provide safety and separate fights. The ram was apprehended and currently under custody at a Police Station of Maleng Agok Payam.”
Authorities confirmed the two families have agreed that the owner will give the family of the deceased cows based on local understanding put in place by community elders, reports Ghanawish.
The owner of the ram has since been identified as Duony Manyang Dhal.
According to County administrator Paul Adhong Majak, the owner and the victim’s family are related and neighbours.
It has been reported that the ram will be gifted to Chaping’s family once it is released from prison, under local law.
The families have had to sign a contract to formalise the agreement with cops, in which community leaders were present as witnesses.
A metro Atlanta church is mourning the loss of a pastor killed by a man she was reportedly trying to help.
The body of Marita Harrell, 57, was discovered last Wednesday when law enforcement responded to a homicide call near the 1600 block of Coffee Road, according to the DeKalb County Police Department.
Officers found Harrell dead at the scene. The following day, police arrested 27-year-old Christopher Griggs, according to reports.
Investigators told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Griggs stabbed Harrell while she was ministering to him at his home.
According to warrants cited by a local CBS affiliate, Griggs stabbed Harrell with a large kitchen knife and set her on fire in his Atlanta home. Police say Griggs then left Harrell’s body on the side of the road, where it was later discovered.
A search of the Dekalb County inmate database found Griggs was previously jailed for domestic violence and other charges.
Harrell served as the senior pastor at Connections at Metropolitan church, according to her bio on the church’s website.
A statement from Connections at Metropolitan in response to Harrell’s death reads:
“On behalf of the congregation we would like to thank everyone for the outpour of love, support and prayers. All of your kind words are very much appreciated during this time. Your continued prayers are appreciated!”
The church described itself as a “multi-cultural, multi-generational, body of believers, connected to its community through partnerships, programs, and ministries that connect people to Christ.”
“appears [Harrell] died at the hand of one she was helping.” “Marita was a friend and a shining light among us. I pray for her family, her church, and all who loved her,” Haupert-Johnson said. “I am grateful that the Lord she represented so well was with her in all things and accompanied her to her eternal home. May His Spirit comfort those of us who remain.”
Rivertown UMC, where Harrell served as pastor from 2016 to 2018, mourned her loss on Facebook. “I know the love Rivertown has for her, and the love she has for Rivertown. We are asked to be in prayer, especially for her husband and daughters. Please keep the entire family in your prayers,” the post reads.
“May God’s comforting arms envelop her family, friends, and loved ones.” Harrell moved to Atlanta from Chicago over 30 years ago. She worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper for 22 years. She graduated from Candler School of Theology at Emory University in May 2014.
She is survived by her husband Antonio and daughters Marae and Alyse.
Umu nnem, Ndi Anambra! You employed me to lead the process of building a livable and prosperous homeland. After swearing-in on the 17th March, 2022, I worked for 8 hours and 45 minutes that day and have kept working hard every day to make you proud. A lot is ongoing, and we will report to you in due course. However, we recognized from the first minute that restoring peace and security will be foundational to our larger agenda as a people. We devoted several paragraphs in our inaugural speech to underscore the grave security challenges we inherited (with the deadly criminal gangs largely in occupation of 8 local governments). You may recall that I was attacked by so called “unknown gunmen” while addressing youths at a rally in March 2021 leaving three policemen dead, and indeed hardly any candidate could campaign freely in the seven local governments of the south senatorial zone in 2021. I knew the grave situation, and determined to confront it. I met with the state security council for three and half hours on the first day and there was the consensus to deploy both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches.
While the security agencies have been doing their best with limited resources, we are convinced that sustainable peace and security cannot be achieved without the cooperation and solidarity of the people. Consequently, we went to work to mobilize our people and address the wider socio-economic and legacy issues fueling agitations and insecurity.
We consulted and collaborated with the South East Joint Body of Bishops and traditional rulers; issuing joint statements, with the Joint body of bishops organizing prayers sessions in the entire South East on 4th April, 2022, with the goal of ending the Sit-at-home and ensuring an enduring peace and security in the South East;
We organized Anambra Peace and Security Dialogue, with the leadership of the Christian denominations, town unions, traditional rulers, youth organizations, women, market, and transport unions, as well as political leaders and non-indigenes on XX with a Communique calling for an end to the Sit- at home—and peace and security in the South East on 2nd April, 2022;
We offered the Olive branch to all the armed youths in the forests to come out, surrender their guns and with the commitment that our government would help to retrain and empower them to contribute positively to our development. Our government has, in our proposed revised budget, provided handsomely for youth empowerment.
The official leadership of IPOB also repeatedly issued statements dissociating itself from the senseless and destructive Sit- at home on Mondays etc as well as the kidnappings and criminal actions of gangs in the state and the south east;
We set up the Truth, Justice and Peace Committee, with the goal of getting to the remote and immediate causes of the agitation and criminality, with a view to proffering systematic and lasting solutions;
We have severally again met with town union leaders and traditional rulers; landlords etc, all in the mobilization of the people for lasting peace and security;
True to our commitment to engage with ALL state and non-state actors relevant to the search for lasting peace and security, we visited Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and he reiterated that he never authorized the senseless Sit at Home, and absolved his organization, IPOB, from the crass criminality especially the barbaric enforcement of the Sit at home and the kidnappings and spilling of blood. Mazi Kanu expressed his willingness to personally address the press to charge his followers to keep the peace. Subsequently, his lawyer issued an official statement confirming this position and his associate also addressed the media in the same vein;
We have also had Town Hall meetings with Ndi Anambra in Lagos and Abuja, and our people are united in their condemnation of the criminality going on in the state and environs, and demonstrated their commitment to join hands with us in solving it.
The list of the public engagements is long (with even a longer list of backroom plans and actions).
Despite the above, the criminal gangs are unrelenting in their desperation to maintain their very lucrative criminal enterprise and expand their other agenda of domination. When the security agencies rooted them out of two of their numerous camps, their reprisals were to burn down the secretariats of two local governments and attack police stations, police and soldiers. Routinely they kidnap for ransom, rape, and murder their victims as well as burn houses and properties. They relish in shooting soft targets, including recently a poor woman frying akara in front of her house on a Monday. Over the past one week, Ndi Anambra and indeed the nation have been treated to the gory stories of the kidnapping and subsequent beheading of Hon Okechukwu Okoye (member of the State House of Assembly) and his aide, Cyril Chiegboka (both from my community, Isuofia) as well as the brutal murder Mrs Harirat Jubril from Adamawa state and her four children and three other northerners. Anambra people have been in shock. This is not who we are. Our deepest condolences are with the families of the various victims. We are working round the clock with the security agencies and the perpetrators must be brought to book.
Let us be very clear. These criminals causing mayhem in Anambra, albeit of disparate groups and gangs, are Igbos (dominantly from other South East states) whose real objective is lucrative criminality and foisting their idolatrous religion on the region. Unfortunately, every criminal gang (including cult groups) claims to be a “liberation movement”, making it difficult to differentiate between any genuine agitators from criminals. Unfortunately also, the criminals now dominate the space. Anambra is the prime target because that is the most lucrative location for kidnapping for ransom in the South East. With their immense propaganda machine funded largely by their sponsors abroad, they have tried everything to indoctrinate the people with all kinds of false emotive narratives, and divert attention from their real objectives. They claim to be “fighting for the people”, and yet randomly kill the same people, destroying their livelihood, and stopping their children from going to school. What has agitation to do with kidnappings including kidnapping of priests of God, invasion of churches and tabernacles including desecration of the Alters of God? Why is it that everywhere they gather and in every camp they operate, there is a Deity/idol to which they routinely offer blood in sacrifice? From accounts of those kidnapped and later freed the stench of dead bodies in the camps cry up to heaven. We see videos of them and their idol worship; we note their threats to priests and bishops, including threatening to take over some churches?
The truth is that this tiny minority (certainly far less than 0.1% of us), is bent upon challenging the foundation of the things that make us who we are: Enterprise: We are known for our enterprise but these people are bent on killing our businesses by the forceful Sit at home; kidnapping for ransom; forceful taxation of communities, businesses, and individuals; etc;
Christianity: The people of the South East, especially Anambra, are predominantly Christians. But with this gang, idolatry is back with vengeance. They forcefully try to convert people, especially the young ones to idolatry by initiating them into cults, swearing oaths to their Deities, etc with the promise of invincibility. Consequently, these youths join them as members and informants.
Desecration of our culture: Spilling of the blood of the innocent is considered an abomination by our culture and by our Christian religion. We understand that they kill and harvest human organs for rituals and human sacrifice in their so called camps. With their new religion of idolatry and deadly weapons which they use to kill at random, they have tried to create a culture of fear and silence. More recently, the people have begun to question their propaganda, motive and means and they know that they have lost the sympathy of the people. That explains why they desperately tried to ignite a national inter-ethnic crisis by killing some innocent northerners who have lived peacefully in our state for decades to divert attention from their criminality and then seek to re-brand themselves as “defenders of the people”. They have failed, and will continue to fail. Millions of our people live in the North and other parts of Nigeria, and Anambra people are known for their uncommon hospitality. In most homes in Anambra, non-indigenes live happily as tenants or as landlords, pursuing their legitimate businesses and this won’t change. We pride ourselves as the Light of the Nation, and Anambra will continue to be a land of opportunity for every Nigerian as well as non-Nigerians. We will continue to work hard with security agencies to ensure security of life and property in our state. Umu nnem, Ndi Anambra! The hour has come for us to step up our game, and take back our state. The tiny but vicious gangs that have invaded our state and terrorize us are mostly in eight local governments in Anambra and three neighboring local governments in Imo State. They are in our forests, communities, and houses owned by individuals. They don’t come from the air, and hence are not “unknown” gunmen. They are known. You know them, but are either too scared to speak up or out of indifference. But for how long will you be silent while our people continue to be killed in the most cruel and barbaric manner? It is because we have remained ambivalent, opting to sit on the fence rather than take a stand against an obvious evil, that has made a minor sore to fester so cancerously. The hour has now come, and we must rise up to take our destiny in our hands. Everyone, indeed, everyone has a role to play. While we continue to commit Anambra unto the hands of God, we as a people must rise up to clean and cleanse our land. The security agencies will continue to do their part, but we the people, must proclaim that Enough is Enough and demonstrate full ownership. Consequently, as complementary measures to the efforts of the security agencies, our government has decided on the following immediate steps:
Once again, we are releasing several telephone numbers for the public to report any criminality or suspicious conducts. These phone numbers are managed in my office (in strictest confidentiality). Call us, or text (SMS or WhatsApp), and we will respond expeditiously. The phone numbers are: 09017280990 07039896429 09167514891 09076237441 09168041120 08093175528 08124153139
In addition to the N10 million cash reward we placed on those who gruesomely murdered Hon Okechukwu Okoye and his aide, we are also offering a cash reward of AT LEAST One Million (N1,000,000) to anyone who provides useful information leading to the arrest of any of the leaders or members of these criminal gangs including those who support them financially or in kind, and all those enforcing the illegal Sit-at-Home order, or anyone involved in the kidnapping, murder, and arson, or access to the camps where the criminals operate from. The bounty will depend upon the profile of the criminal: their leaders will attract higher amounts. Similar bounty will be paid to anyone who gives information about anyone or location where hard drugs (especially “Mkpulu mmili”) are manufactured in the state. The State Government hereby assures any informant of confidentiality in this process and would not disclose your identities or contact.
With effect from tomorrow, Friday, 26th May, 2022, a 6pm to 6am curfew is hereby placed on motorcycles (okada), tricycles (keke), and shuttle buses in Aguata, Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Ogbaru, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Governments until further notice. Until further notice also, motorcycles, keke and shuttle buses are banned from operating in these local governments on Mondays until the Sit-at-Home completely stops. The youths of every community in the zone are hereby enjoined to assist the security agencies in the implementation of this policy and are mandated to seize any such motorcycle or tricycle on the spot. Local Vigilantes should report such motorcycles or tricycles (keke) immediately, and they will be confiscated by government and the owner prosecuted. The Okada, Keke, and shuttle bus union leaders must take responsibility to report their members who are involved in criminal activities. We shall review this after two weeks, and if members of these unions continue to be involved in criminal activities, the government will have no choice but to either disband the Unions and/or ban them out rightly in the state.
No part of Anambra State (house, bush or forest) shall be used as camps for these criminals. Anyone with a gun in a camp is considered a criminal in Anambra State, and the government and people will work with security agencies to flush them out. The State Government shall pursuant to its powers under the Land Use Act revoke and acquire any land found to be harboring these criminals, for public purpose. Henceforth, every community is required to provide information on any part of their land occupied by these criminals as camps. If the community fails to do so, the government will take over such land.
All communities are hereby charged to take over their communities completely and through the leadership of their Town Unions and Traditional Rulers give weekly security reports (submitted every Friday) to the State Government on the state of security in their communities. The cooperation of the youths in that regard is now imperative. I charge the vigilantes of each community to rise to the occasion and contend with these criminals in your locality whether they are in your bush or the houses in your community. The State Government expects the report of any progress made in this regard and shall support and reward you accordingly.
Any buildings found to be harboring these kidnappers and murderers who have laid siege on our State will, as provided by Criminal Code (Amendment No.3) Law 2013, be forfeited to the State Government. To that extent, all landlords are hereby directed to proceed on “Operation Know Your Tenant” by keeping appropriate records of their tenants and report anyone suspected of being involved in criminal activities. Each community leadership must keep full register of all tenants in their communities, their occupation, etc and keep an eye on their activities. The State Government shall as an emergency measure, disband the leadership of any community which fails to report criminal activities in their communities or immediately respond to the requests contained in this address.
All market leaders and stakeholders are hereby charged to join the communities in taking back their territory and monitor the activities in their markets. They are all required to return weekly security reports to the State Government.
Everybody who either in person or through telephone calls demands cash support or ransom from anyone in furtherance of any criminal activities or groups should immediately be reported to the government via the telephone lines provided.
All transporters, i.e, bus drivers, shuttle drivers, tricycle (keke) and motorcycle (okada) riders must immediately report any suspicious passengers. Because it has come to the knowledge of the State Government that over 80% of transport operators use fake plate numbers and identities, all transport operators must henceforth re-register their vehicles, tricycles and motorcycles with their valid means of identification and their biometrics captured. This exercise shall immediately be commenced and anyone who defaults in doing that after four weeks from today would be treated as a suspect and adequate measures taken against him or her.
All hotels are directed to obtain the means of identification of their guests and keep an inventory of all guests in their hotels. The management of the hotels should immediately report any suspicious persons or group of persons checking into or converging in their hotels. Immediate sanctions would attend any dereliction in that regard, including possibly shutting down or demolition of such hotels.
All fuel stations are hereby directed to, within 4 weeks from today, place surveillance cameras in their stations and keep the records generated by those cameras in order to assist the State Government, when required, in tracking these criminals who inevitably fuel their vehicles at fuel stations.
Finally, let me urge our people to remain calm. This season shall pass. The God of Anambra assures that we shall overcome the forces of darkness. Indeed, this tough beginning foretells of a more glorious future. We thank all the stakeholders in the Anambra project, and particularly thank the security agencies for their determination and sacrifice. We enjoin our religious leaders to continue to lift up the state in prayers and to also mobilize our people as they fight evil in our land. Together, we shall take back our state and make it the true Light of the Nation.
God bless you all, God bless Anambra State, God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria
President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele from his job, according to Intel region.
It was revealed that he may have been sacked in the early hours of Wednesday May 25.
His sack may not be unconnected to his ambition to succeed Buhari at the end of his tenure in 2023.
While there is nothing wrong with being ambitious with a presidential dream, Emefiele however flouted so many laws by declaring his interest to occupy the highest seat of power as a political appointee and wanted to remain as CBN governor without resigning his position to pursue his ambition.
After a public outcry by well meaning Nigerians, calling for his resignation shortly after a group of some faceless farmers purchased the N100m form of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for him and feigning ignorance of it, Emefiele would later approach a Federal High Court in Abuja to prevent the country’s electoral body Independent National Electoral Commission and the board of CBN rom disqualifying him from running for president.
Having failed to get the court to give judgment in his favour, Emefiele approached a Delta State High Court that eventually granted him his wish.
But in a curious twist, he withdrew the suit he filed against INEC and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
His exact reasons for withdrawing the suit remain unclear, but his counsel however explained that he prayed the court to discontinue the suit and make an order striking it out.
Buhari in response to the expression of interest by his appointees had ordered the resignation of every one of his cabinet members interested in vying for political offices in 2023.
Some of his appointees obeyed the order, many including the Godwin Emefiele failed to resign. Some who put in their resignation letters, withdrew them.
Tragedy As Lagos Pupil Vomits And Dies After He Was Allegedly Flogged By His Teacher Over Homework
The victim’s father, Akinola Amidu, claimed that the 12-year-old JSS2 student was flogged by a teacher at school for not completing his assignment on Thursday, May 12, 2022
Emmanuel Amidu, a junior student of Simple Faith Schools, Agbara, Lagos State, has lost his life after he was allegedly flogged by his teacher.
Amidu died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Surulere.
The victim’s father, Akinola Amidu, claimed that the 12-year-old JSS2 student was flogged by a teacher at school for not completing his assignment on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
He said his son started vomiting shortly after the beating and was rushed to a hospital, where he gave up the ghost on Friday, May 13, 2022.
The father alleged that the school management was covering up his son’s death and protecting the mathematics teacher, one Steven, who flogged Emmanuel and the rest of the class for failing to do their homework, Punch reports.
He said: “I was at home that Thursday because I was on leave. I recall that Emmanuel asked me for money to buy a new exercise book and I gave him N500 to buy the book and give the remaining change to his sister.
“Later that day, I was called by the management of the school that Emmanuel was vomiting. Meanwhile, this was a boy who left home without any health issue. I had to go to the school and we moved him to a hospital.
“I later learnt that the whole thing started after their class teacher, Mr Steven, beat the whole of his class for not completing their mathematics assignment.
“Emmanuel was actually using my phone torchlight to do his assignment a day before, but I had to collect the phone from him and his sister because I needed to be in contact with the office. We had issues with our electricity at home.
“It was at LUTH that I lost my son. Meanwhile, the management of the school quickly ran to the Morogbo Police Station at Agbara to report that my son died from vomiting.
“How can somebody just die from vomiting if nothing triggers it? The management of the school is trying to protect the teacher.”
Akinola, 45, demanded the arrest and prosecution of the teacher, as he urged the state government and the police to give the family justice.
Emmanuel’s 13-year-old sister, Rachael, told the publication that her brother vomited after he was beaten.
She said: “I was called by our English teacher that my brother was not feeling fine and he did not eat and had been sleeping.
“His friend told me that they were beaten for not doing their sums in mathematics and after that he was just sleeping and vomiting.”
The school Principal, Adetayo Akanji, told Punch: “I was there when Emmanuel died on Friday and it was unfortunate that it happened this way. Yes, Steven flogged the whole class for not doing their sums, but not with the intention to hurt them.
“Some hours after that, he (Emmanuel) placed his head on his desk and he started vomiting, after which water was poured on his head.
“When he started to vomit, the proprietor called me and we took the boy to the hospital. In fact, the father joined us when he was taken to LUTH where he and I were running around to get prescribed drugs for him. But before we came back, he had given up. Our school reported the matter at the Morogbo Police Station.”
Despite several arrests and the avowed continuous clampdown on suspected cultists by the Ogun State Police Command, an ugly scenario was again created in the state capital on Tuesday, May 24 as two sworn arch cult rivals, ‘Eiye and Aiye’ engaged each other in a supremacy battle.
In the course of the melee that caused pandemonium at the war zone in Ijaye, a distress call was made to the state Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, who dispatched the command’s Special Anti-cultist Squad (SAS) to scene.
Behold, according to a statement issued by the command’s spokesman (PPRO), DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, on sighting the ACP Bolanle Muritala-led SAS operatives, “some of the hoodlums scampered in different directions, to escape arrest, while some engaged the policemen with dangerous weapons”.
Invariably, seven of the hoodlums were arrested.
Oyeyemi gave the identities of the culprits as Kazeem Ogundairo (a.k.a NEPA); Nasiru Idris (a.k.a Aloma); Ayo Joshua (a.k.a Terry G); Damilare Shogbamu (a.k.a Dhray); Bisiriyu Ibrahim Owoyele; Labulo Jamiu (a.k.a Jay Boy) and Olaitan Taiwo.
The CP has, however, restated that the clampdown on cultists in the state would not be handled with kid’s gloves, saying “it would be a continuous operation, to check their nefarious activities across the state”.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on May 24, 2022, arrived at the Maitama, Abuja home of a former governor of Imo state, Senator Rochas Okorocha, to effect his arrest.
The move followed the refusal of the former governor to honour invitations after jumping the administrative bail earlier granted him by the Commission.
EFCC had on January 24, 2022 filed a 17-count criminal charge bordering on diversion of public funds and properties to the tune of N2.9billion against Okorocha.
The case was assigned to Honourable Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja but attempts to arraign Senator Okorocha were twice stalled owing to the absence of the ex-governor who evaded service of processes.
At the last adjourned date, March 28th, 2022, Justice Ekwo before adjourning until May 30th, 2022, had warned that it was “the last adjournment I shall grant in this matter”.
In the circumstances, the Commission is left with no option than to effect the arrest of Senator Okorocha and bring him to trial.
Peak News 
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