Category: News

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the President of Calvary Faith Evangelical Ministry International (CFEM), Prophet David Olorunleke, has called on Nigerians to pray fervently so as to avoid the mistake made in 2015 during the presidential polls.

“The costly mistake that Nigerians made in 2015 is about to be repeated in 2023. Christians and well-meaning Nigerians must stand their ground and ensure that the right leaders are elected into office in the interest of the people.

“I warned Nigerians in 2015 that if they rejected Goodluck Jonathan, they would suffer hard; you can see what has been happening in the country since then.

“We should not wait until things go wrong in 2023 and start praying in 2024. If our leaders in the Church do not ensure the right leaders, especially with the proposed direct primaries, nobody should be bitter in 2024.”

He urged Nigerians, especially the youths to collaborate and ensure good leaders are elected from the Presidency to the local government level to reduce “hardship and pains” among Nigeri

Yoruba Nation: Ilana Omo Oodua Passes Vote of Confidence on Professor Banji Akintoye-led Leadership, mocks Nigerian Government, Says “Light has Triumphed Over Darkness In Yoruba Land.

The apex leadership of the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide, has passed an impeccable Vote of Confidence on its Leader, Professor Banji Akintoye.

Ilana Omo Oodua is currently leading a peaceful agitation for the actualisation of Yoruba Nation away from Nigeria.

In a statement signed by its expanded executive members within and beyond the Shores of Yoruba Land, Ilana Omo Oodua said the group was formed in August 2020 mainly by Professor Banji Akintoye and some of his ideological children to promote the peaceful agitation for the actualisation of Yoruba Nation, stating that “those who are currently rocking the boat came to join the movement after its take off and were accepted in order to have a large support base for the Yoruba Self-Determination struggle”.

Mocking the Nigerian Government on the failed attempt to kill the agitation for Yoruba Nation, Ilana Omo Oodua said “the ill-fated attempt to dismantle the Akintoye led leadership yesterday Thursday 18th November, 2021 by the agents of the Nigerian Government” is the beginning of another era for the Yoruba redemption agenda.

“We, the apex leadership of Ilana Omo Oodua (IOO), wish to inform the Yoruba people within and beyond the horizon of Yoruba Land that our leader, Professor Banji Akintoye, is leading us well, thus, we pass a Vote of Confidence his leadership.

“We also want to use this opportunity to inform the Nigerian Government that her agents within our rank have failed on the errands they were sent. The Yoruba people have resolved to stand by their leader and the struggle. It is no retreat, no surrender.

“To God be the glory, we are pleased to say that light has triumphed over darkness in our struggle. The beginning of a new era has started. We are now reinventing, retooling and re-invigorating our movement for the emancipation of the Yoruba people.

“Once again, we the expanded executive members of Ilana Omo Oodua all over the world declare our unflinching support for our leader and father, Professor Banji Akintoye. We want to assure the Yoruba people that we are solidly behind Akintoye at all time.”

“For the sake of history and posterity, we unanimously reject and condemn the actions of our elsewhere Deputy Chairman, Otunba Folasade Olukoya and three others who staged a failed coup within our struggle yesterday on behalf of the Nigerian Government. Otunba Folasade Olukoya merely entertained her Pay Masters. Therefore, her opinion does NOT represent the opinion of members of ILANA OMO OODUA WORLDWIDE.

“Lastly, we recognize the importance of Oloye Sunday Adeyemo Igboho and his roles in the Yoruba SELF-DETERMINATION MOVEMENT, and we restate our solidarity with him.

E-Signed

1. Professor Wale Adeniran – Chairman, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide
2. Prof. Ade Kukoyi – Leader, Ilana Think-Thank Group
3. Alhaji Ali Oyedeji – Chairman, Elders Advisory Council, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide
4. Dr. Kayode Akinwande – Deputy General Secretary, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide
5. Engr. Muda Ogunsola – Diaspora Secretary, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide
6. Dr. Gbenga Adeyeye – Diaspora Coordinator, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide
7. Mr. Maxwell Adeleye – Communications Secretary, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide
8. Dr. Adejuwon Akinsola – Director of Empowerment Initiatives, Ilana Omo Oodua Worldwide
9. Pastor Ayodele Praise – Ekiti State Coordinator
10. Prince Ade Adefisoye – Lagos State Coordinator
11. Mr. Adekanola Desmond – Osun State Coordinator
12. Omo Oba Kazeem Onikeke – Oyo State Coordinator
13. Comrade Bankole Adeniyi – Ondo State Coordinator
14. Princess Tanimowo Okusaga – Ilana Women Wing
15. Mr. Isaiah Teju – Ex-officio Canada
16. Ms Egbinlade Adebola – Chairman, Canada Chapter
17. Mr. Uthman Ikosiola Salam – Ilana USA
18. Omo Oba Adejoke – Ilana Western USA
19. Mr. Seun Aribilola – Chairman, Ilana Omo Oodua, United States

The Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Folasade Tinubu-Ojo has placed the Otto Modern Market, Oyingbo, Lagos State, on lock and key for the past two weeks, SaharaReporters has learnt.

Folashade, who is the daughter of National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, reportedly locked the gate to the plaza over complaints of trading in an untidy environment.

The traders were pleading with Folashade to reopen the premises and allow for the continuation of trading activities while calling for the scrapping of the imposed N5million fine.

Renowned Muslim preacher, Sheikh (Dr.) Ahmad Gumi has established a school for herdsmen inside a Kaduna forest, insisting that the provision of infrastructures to herdsmen in their remote locations could help in curbing their violent ideologies.

He said insecurity in Nigeria, particularly banditry can become a thing of the past, as bandits are ready to drop their arms if opportunities like education and other basic amenities are provided for them at the grassroots.

He named the school Sheikh Uthman Bin Fodio Centre, located at Kagarko Grazing Reserve near Kohoto Village in Kaduna state.

The school was built by Sheikh Gumi funded Mosque Foundation Limited, Kaduna.

“If the centre which is designed to educate the herdsmen is replicated everywhere in the Country, Nigerians will live in peace.

“Instead of spending billions on military hardware to fight the bandits, Nigeria should spend much money on schools and teachers. I have spoken with the bandits and they have expressed willingness to drop their arms and embrace peace if their children can be given education and other social amenities.

“What motivated me to start this project was to solve the insecurity problem we have from the root because every crime has its perpetrators and perpetrators are drawn from a pool so we want to go there and dry the pool and we found out that education is the best cure.

“If they are educated, they will not be doing what they are doing. So, we say we must take education to the grassroots and we embarked on the project to also be an example for others, local government, state and federal and rich individuals even cooperative societies to come together and make sure that we are directed across the forest to know what we can do to carter for nomads; it does not cost much, very little and it will help to educate them and we will live peacefully with them.

“What we have here is a centre containing six classrooms that can be used for primary, secondary schools and at various times you can teach all categories at all times and the place will be engaged for 24 hours because the herdsmen usually take their cattle out by 10am…

Lead agitator for self-determination for Yoruba ethnic group, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, insists he has not committed any offence to warrant trial by the Beninese government.

Speaking exclusively with Sunday News Agency through his lead counsel, Chief Yomi Alliyu (SAN), at the weekend, Igboho noted that the Beninese government was only acting on Nigeria’s directive.
This came as the agitator spends his 117th day in Benin prison today.

Igboho had been arrested on Monday, July 19, 2021, by the International Criminal Police Organisation at the Cadjèhoun Airport in Cotonou, the Republic of Benin on his way to Germany.

He had apparently fled Nigeria after a bloody raid on his Soka residence in Ibadan, Oyo State by the Department of State Service (DSS) which accused him of stockpiling arms.

The following Thursday, July 21, he was arraigned before the Cour D’Appel De Cotonou which adjourned the case till the following Monday when it further adjourned indefinitely on the grounds that it was investigating the case against the activist.

The court ordered that he should be remanded in a facility in the country pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Meanwhile, there were speculations that the Federal Government was making moves to extradite him to Nigeria to face terrorism charges.

But the Federal Government, through The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami, said, last week, that it was not opposed to political solution to the Igboho case and that of the IPoB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, currently being tried in an Abuja court for terrorism.

Alliyu told News Agency yesterday following the prolonged resumption of the case against the activist in the Benin court: “lgboho is still in Cotonou, he is not facing any trial as far as Nigeria is concerned.

“He is not facing any trial. Nigeria is dictating whatever they want Cotonou to do. “But that’s not withstanding, he is not facing any trial. He has not committed any offence. He went to Cotonou with ECOWAS passport and he is not facing any trial there.

“As I usually say, Cotonou is Nigeria’s 37th state. When they sneeze in Nigeria, they catch cold in Cotonou. Igboho has not committed any offence that will make him to face any trial in Cotonou.
“He can be in Cotonou as long as he wishes on ECOWAS protocol. So he has no trial in Cotonou.”

Also, speaking on the trial of lgboho, the apex leader of the umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, Professor Banji Akintoye, said the judiciary system in Benin Republic is different from the one we practice in Nigeria, saying an investigative judge remanded him.

Akintoye, speaking through his Communication Manager, Maxwell

Adeleye, said: “Here in Nigeria, it is the police, EFCC or DSS that investigate and take matters to court but, over there, they have a judge that investigates after the police must have leveled their own allegation.
“The judge will now investigate and table his findings before a judge that will do the trial.

“l am quoting what Ibrahim Salami, one of his (Igboho) lawyers over there said. Then the trial judge will table his ruling before another judge who will give judgment.
“So the investigative judge said he is still investigating and the court remanded him.

“But we know that the Nigerian government is the one behind it. We all know Benin Republic is the 37th state of Nigeria and they rely so much on Nigeria on trade.
“Ninety percent of the people who do business in Cotonou, if properly investigated, they are there because of Nigerians.

“Benin is trying not to lose trade while protecting Igboho but we want to commend their courage of the government of Benin Republic not to handover Sunday Igboho to the Nigerian government illegally.

“Immediately Igboho was arrested, a helicopter was already there to fly him to Nigeria but the Benin government refused.
“So as I speak to you now, there is no allegation against Igboho, it is only on paper. It is a paper allegation.
“No formal charge, no request for extradition from the Nigerian government against Igboho.

“Igboho is not being remanded over the case of threat to Nigeria.
“It is about the reason why he is in their country, to know if he is in the country to cause unrest or something.

“That’s what they are investigating, we thought by October everything will be resolved but we are now in November. I’m very sure very soon we will record victory in his case.

“I don’t have much to say about that but what we can say is that the Nigerian government is the one attacking and harassing Benin Republic to release Igboho to them”.

Speaking on the Yoruba nation agitation, the octogenarian politician said: “The struggle continues, the awareness is already there, everyone knows that the Yoruba people have made it known officially that we want to leave Nigeria.

“Before, it was the Biafran people that people know, but now the Yoruba people are officially known for the Yoruba nation.

“What the Nigerian government is doing through the likes of Malami, they are the ones now doing publicity for us.

“We know their propaganda, it is just that we can’t be discussing our own strategies on the pages of newspapers but the Yoruba nation struggle is still very much on”.

Also, the spokesman for Igboho, Mr. Olayomi Koiki, said there was never a time the agitation for Yoruba nation was down played.

Koiki said: “We will never be deterred or derailed. Agitation for Yoruba nation is still on course.
“All Yoruba leaders are working day and night on the agitation, but I will not tell you exactly our next line of action. We will surprise everybody.

“We will keep our cards close to our chests till the appropriate time comes to make our plans known to the public. It’s not about engaging in rallies again.”

In a related development, Adeleye said Akintoye is fine and resting in Benin Republic.
“I want to tell you that Prof. Akintoye is okay, only that he is an old man. He will be 87 in February 2022, so he needs to take it easy.

“We need him more and those of us who are his lieutenants even envy his strength. He holds meeting from 7am sometime till 1am the following day. That’s the kind of leader we have.
“He is fine where he is, it is just that he needs rest, so he is resting and refreshing for the betterment of the Yoruba people.

“As per those who say he is leading a movement and he is not even in the country, Tinubu, Fayemi, Soyinka, Enahoro and the rest led the struggle against Abacha regime while on exile and it was even from Europe and America, not Benin Republic.

“Prof Akintoye is close to us, he is in Benin Republic which is just 45minutes drive to Nigeria

About 1500 cows were killed in an air strike at Fulani herdsmen settlement locations in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.

Daily trust gathered that a fighter jet launched an air strike at a Fulani herdsmen settlement around Kashinbila and Tor Donga areas on Wednesday and Thursday in which about 1500 cattle were killed.

The air strike, it was learnt, occurred at about 11am and 4pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

A victim, Sadu Saidu, told Daily Trust that he lost about 120 cows while his brother Sale lost 105 to the air strike.

“We are about to lead our herds to grazing area when we heard the sound of an approaching aircraft and it came with fire.

“We all ran for our lives and took cover under big trees and within minutes we countered about 700 cows dead and that was the first strike,” Sadu said.

He said the same aircraft came the following day for another air raid of the two settlements killing 750 cattle.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami Monday says the ministry of justice should be “allocated” funds from recovered loot to finance “recovery operations” of the ministry.

“Presently, we are making efforts to ensure that we are allocated some cost of collection from recovered funds to finance our recovery operations,” Mr Malami said.

More funding will enable recovery of “large sums of illicit money stashed abroad,” Mr Malami told House of Representatives Committee on Justice, while defending his ministry’s proposed 2022 budget on Monday.

He further said “The justice sector as presently constituted is bedevilled by funding inadequacies, too much for our comfort.

“Lamentably, however, practically all the parastatals under the purview of the federal ministry of justice are in dire need of funding.

“For me, this is as dangerous as it is disturbing because funding gaps in the face of competing challenges could endanger the effective administration of justice, and cause an unwarranted travesty of justice,” he added.

Mr Malami’s request for allocation of fund from recovered loot comes amid calls for accountability and transparency in the management of recovered loots and assets.

In August, 36 state governments sued the federal government for illegal diversion of over N1.8 trillion recovered loot, also alleging the diversion of N450 billion worth of non-cash assets by the federal government

A construction labourer at the Ikoyi high-rising building that collapsed days ago, William Nwachukwu after surviving the incident is now faced greater challenges.
William lived in the ill-fated building is homeless and faced with starvation. He has no money, cloths, no mobile phone, food and no relation living in Lagos.

He said that he was sleeping and was woken up by vibrations from the crumbling building and he jumped for safety from the 4th floor.

He confirmed that the Lagos state officials met him and asked how he was and he told them that he is fine. They promised to come to see him which they never did.

It is disheartening that the Lagos state government did not see the need to take this 19 year old to the hospital and engaging a Post-trauma expert to manage his mental health.
The single thought that about 20-30 people he work with day and night are all buried in a rubble will be too hard for him to handle.
Leaving him floating homeless at this time exposes the insensitivity and irresponsibility of the Lagos state Govt officials.

Instead of seeing the building collapse site as a new “Mecca”, Nigerians should channel their efforts in rehabilitating the survivors.

Sources close to the family told SaharaReporters that the wife, who had just flown in from the United States, tried gaining access to her husband’s apartment along Mosley Road, Ikoyi but she was denied access by some of Osibona’s brothers.

The relations of Femi Osibona, owner of the 21-storey building that collapsed in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, are currently in a messy fight over the personal property of the deceased, SaharaReporters has learnt.

Sources close to the family told SaharaReporters that the wife, who had just flown in from the United States, tried gaining access to her husband’s apartment along Mosley Road, Ikoyi but she was denied access by some of Osibona’s brothers.

SaharaReporters learnt that Mrs Osibona who had four children for the late Femi is presently in a fight-to-finish with the brothers who are laying claim to the deceased’s array of exotic cars, bank account details and other assets.

The family allegedly denied the wife access to the deceased’s apartment because there were bundles of money, keys to expensive vehicles and others in the house.

SaharaReporters was told that the two family factions came with Mobile Police Officers (MOPOL) after which they were all locked out by residents of the building who are neighbours of the deceased.

One of the sources said, “The brothers and wife of Femi Osibona are fighting over access to bank details of the deceased and keys to expensive vehicles. This is despite the fact that the man has a wife and four kids. The body is yet to be buried; they are already fighting over his property. His wife was at the site yesterday, shouting at his brothers. I think there are loads of cash in the house.

“Femi’s brothers have stopped his wife and daughter from getting into his apartment. It is such a mess that money has become the root of all this evil. The brother asked the wife to go and stay at the hotel and she claimed she has no money to go there.”

Another source said, “The woman came to the house with MOPOL; the family also engaged the services of MOPOL. On each side, there were about twenty people shouting on one another. When it was already midnight, we chased every one of them out of the house. They were outside till midnight shouting, swearing, boasting and threatening. Instead of mourning, these people were fighting over assets. They have also engaged popular lawyer, Olisa Agbakoba, on the matter.”

SaharaReporters had during the week reported that the Chief Executive Officer of Fourscore Homes Limited, Femi Osibona, was confirmed dead and recovered from the rubble of the collapsed structure after about four days.

The body of Osibona was discovered among others during the rescue operation on Thursday.

There had been concerns over the whereabouts of Osibona, Wale Bob-Oseni, his friend, and others trapped in the building.

Bob-Oseni, who was to catch a flight to the US, briefly made a detour to see the project at the invitation of the developer but did not walk out alive.

On Monday, the building located on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos collapsed with a yet-to-be-ascertained number of persons still trapped beneath the rubble. The death toll currently stands at over 40 persons.

Emergency workers had evacuated more than nine persons alive from the debris of the fallen building.

According to Highbrow Living Magazine, the collapsed property, comprising four-bedroom maisonettes, flats, duplex and penthouses, was 65 per cent sold out.

The price range for the apartment is also said to be between $1.2 million and $5 million.

The structure was said to be 80 per cent completed and was billed to be concluded .

The Nigerian Bar Association has continued to fume over the invasion of the Abuja home of Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili, by agents of the Federal Government last week.

The President of the NBA, Olumide Akpata, at a special press briefing in Lagos on Friday, described the operation as egregious and the gathering of an ominous cloud over the judiciary, saying it was reminiscent of how operatives of the Department of State Services in 2016 raided the homes of seven judges and how a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen (retd.), was “illegally removed from office,” ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Apata vowed that the NBA would stop at nothing to ensure that those behind the latest operation were unmasked and punished, to put a stop to “the assault on the judiciary.”

He said the NBA would not accept the flurry of denials by the Attorney General of the Federal and security agencies that they knew nothing about the operation.

He said the NBA also rejected the panel being set up by the AGF to investigate the matter because the AGF himself has a case to answer and he could not be a judge in his own case.

He, therefore, called on the President, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to set up an independent panel to unravel the actors behind the invasion of Justice Odili’s home.

Akpata said, “We are calling on the President, the head of the executive government arm of government, to set up an independent panel of inquiry, to look into this assault on the judiciary, which is another arm of government because there is a dark cloud hanging and all fingers are pointing at the executive as being behind this action.

“It behoves Mr President to step in immediately, to set up this panel of inquiry, which, at the minimum, will have a judicial officer and the NBA involved so that we can get to the bottom of this issue and ask: who gave that instruction?”

Akpata said the NBA would also do its own housekeeping, vowing that, “In the event that we find that any lawyer was involved in this unfortunate incident, that lawyer will be subjected to our disciplinary mechanisms and that lawyer will definitely face the music.”

The NBA President said, “We note that the Attorney General of the Federation has reportedly agreed to make himself available for investigation. This is consistent with the position of the National Executive Council of the NBA, to the effect that the Attorney General definitely has questions to answer. However, he cannot subject himself to a panel that he sets up. This is why the panel to be set up by the President is very necessary.

“If the Attorney General is found culpable, then as a lawyer, we will take him before the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee and the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee; because if indeed, he is found to have given the directives that led to the invasion of the home of the Justice of the Supreme Court, then he is not fit to hold the office he occupies presently and continue to be the recipient of the privileges the profession has accorded to him.”

Asked by a journalist if the NBA has the power to discipline the AGF, Akpata added, “There is a mechanism, and that is for us to bring him before the LDPC and what does the LPDC do? What is the ultimate sanction, amongst others? He can be stopped from practising law. What does the LPPC do, amongst others? The LPPC can strip him of the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria and also the Body of Benchers can reconsider his life membership of that body. So, without mincing words, those are the steps that the NBA can take.”

The NBA President said action was also being taken against the Abuja magistrate, Emmanuel Iyanna, who issued the search warrant leading to the invasion of Justice Odili’s home.

“Questions must be asked of the quality and sufficiency of the materials placed before His Worship before issuing the search warrant in the first place. The NBA National Executive Council believes that even on a cursory reading of the materials placed before His Worship, there is a prima facie evidence that the search warrant ought not to have been issued in the circumstance,” he said.