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A member of the Yoruba Nation agitators, Adejumo Lateef, has died while in custody, officials of the Nigeria Correctional Services revealed on Wednesday, October 16.
Lateef, the 18th defendant in an ongoing trial, was part of a group facing charges in connection with the April 13, 2024 invasion of the Oyo State government Secretariat.
The suspects, under the aegis of Yoruba Nation Agitators, are accused of attempting to declare the sovereign Republic of Yoruba Nation (Oodua Republic) during the incident. The case, filed under suit number I/51c/2024, is being heard at the Fiat Court 3 of the Oyo State High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, presided over by Justice K. B. Olawoyin.
The 27 defendants, including the late Adejumo Lateef, face charges of conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful assembly, treasonable felony, and treason. Among those standing trial are Adeyemo Peter, Adeyemo Joseph, Amos Oluwaseyi Ogundeji, and Ayanwale Rofiat, along with others such as Fatoki Anthony, Murittala Abefe, and Ismaila Adepoju.
The charges stem from the events of April 13, 2024, and are punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
At Wednesday’s court session, the case could not proceed as planned due to the majority of the defendants lacking legal representation. Adebola Ogungbe represented the 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 12th defendants, while Toluwase Ogundeji stood in for the 15th defendant. Two additional lawyers, Yomi Ogunlola and S.A. Sanmi, volunteered to represent other unrepresented defendants.
However, the 6th, 23rd, and 24th defendants informed the court that they would contact their families to arrange legal representation. As a result, Justice Olawoyin adjourned the case to November 6, 8, and 13 for arraignment and further hearings.
The case is being prosecuted by a team from the Oyo State Government led by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr. S. O. Adeoye, along with Deputy DPP O. R. Yussuf, and other senior state counsels including S. A. Osuolale, Yisa Busari, and O. A. Bolarinwa.
The death of Adejumo Lateef in custody adds another layer of complexity to the already sensitive case involving the Yoruba Nation movement.
A notorious Nigerian human trafficker has been arrested by the Buduburam District Police in the Gomoa East District of the Central Region, Ghana after a decade on the police wanted list.
The accused nick-named Pu**y Mama, has allegedly trafficked over 3,000 victims across Africa.
According to a police report, the suspect, who identified as inters3x with both male and female genitalia, is allegedly involved in trafficking women and girls from Nigeria, Liberia, and Togo into Ghana for prostitution.
It was gathered that the women were forced into prostitution at popular venues, including hostels and nightclubs in Kasoa, Buduburam and nearby areas.
He was said to have lured the women with promises of lucrative jobs but later coerced them into prost!tution.
He had evaded arrest by Nigerian and Ghanaian police for 10 years due to alleged mystical powers.
According to police sources, the alleged human trafficker always disappeared before authorities could get to him.
However, luck eluded him during one of his operations.
While trafficking another set of young girls from Nigeria to Ghana for prostitution, he was arrested by a young female police officer.
He was subsequently arraigned before the Kasoa Ofaakor Circuit on Wednesday, October 9, 2024
The court, presided over by His Lordship Isaac Oheneba Kuffour, remanded the accused in police custody.
He is expected to reappear before the court on October 18, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Central Regional Chairman for the Nigerian Community, Sir Emmanuel Azubuike, who doubles as the Africa Coordinator for the International Human Rights Observatory, commended the police for their bravery.
Citing the numerous times the accused escaped from police custody over the years, he charged the Ghana Police Service and the Chief Justice to be vigilant so he doesn’t escape again.
![Man slumps and d!es after marathon s£x at guest house in Niger State [PHOTOS]](/media/k2/items/cache/b033818e9d65f65521e77f1429a09bb9_M.jpg?t=20241017_130734)
A yet-to-be identified man has slumped and d!ed after a marathon s@x with a woman at a guest house in Paiko, the headquarters of Paikoro Local Government Area of Niger State.
The guest house reportedly belongs to Paikoro LGA and is located within the Paiko popular market, where traders, who usually come from far places to lodge.
One of the traders, who preferred anonymity, said the incident happened in the night on Tuesday, October 15, after the deceased was done having s3x with the woman.
“The man was done having affairs with the lady and was putting on his trousers, as the lady narrated to us, when he suddenly slumped and d!ed,” the trader told Daily Trust.
"The lady has been arrested by the police while the corpse of the man was taken to IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna. We cannot trace his family because he had no phone or any means of identification on his body. This is the first time we are experiencing this in this market.”
The spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident
Below is a photo of the man so that his family members can identify him.
“An incident of a suspected sudden d@ath was reported at Paiko Div, that on 15/10/24 at about 2050hrs, a yet to be identified male adult visited the LGA lodge with a lady, and thereafter, he slumped and he was rushed to a nearby medical facility in Paiko where he was confirmed d3ad,” the PPRO stated.
“The incident is being investigated as a medical autopsy is being awaited. Effort is also ongoing to locate his relatives for necessary arrangements.”
Below is a photo of the yet-to-be identified man. Family members and friends should contact the police.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, has revealed the country’s fundamental determinant of foreign exchange rates.
Contrary to a general belief that the apex bank determines FX rates, Cardoso said that economic fundamentals drive the foreign exchange rate.
The CBN governor revealed this during his address at the launch of the Nigeria Development Update in Abuja on Thursday, October 17.
Cardoso stressed that he would adhere to traditional central banking principles.
“The CBN does not determine the exchange rate; it is determined by the fundamentals. The CBN will ensure that we adhere to that,” Cardoso noted.
The CBN Governor expressed confidence that strengthening collaboration with fiscal authorities would lead to more stability in the exchange rate.
He also highlighted efforts to increase foreign exchange inflows into the Nigerian economy, noting: “When we started, FX inflows were about $200 million, but through sheer determination, we now record $600 million.”
He further remarked on the positive shift in investor confidence, stating, “Before, many potential investors were on the sidelines. Now, it’s amazing to see how many have stepped forward to invest in Nigeria.”
In July, Nigeria’s Foreign Exchange (FX) reserves climbed to a peak of $34.7 billion based on figures from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s website.
Naija News reports that this marks a rise of $110 million from the day before, which stood at $34.5 billion.
The reserves have been on the rise from previous days, accumulating an increase of $316 million since July 1.
This surge can be attributed to various reasons, such as the recent uptick in oil prices, better remittances from the diaspora, and the Central Bank’s initiatives to stabilize the local currency.
Analysts see this rise in international currency holdings as beneficial for Nigeria’s economy, as it offers protection against external disturbances and bolsters the nation’s capacity to fulfil its financial commitments.
A recent assessment by Fitch Ratings has given a favourable outlook to Nigeria’s economic situation, highlighting major reforms that have brought back macroeconomic stability and improved the consistency and reliability of its policies.
The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has secured the conviction of six persons for offences bordering on internet fraud.
The convicts were sentenced by Justices Sulaiman Akanbi and Adebayo Yusuf of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin.
The convicts include Idris Muhammed, Temitope Mustapha, Oyekola Anthony, Sylvester Stephen, Timilehin Adeniyi and Olayiwola Abdulmalik.
Justice Akanbi sentenced Idris, Ismail, Oyekola and Anthony to different jail terms while the duo of Timilehin and Olayiwola were convicted by Justice Yusuf.
The charge against Idris reads: “That you, I DRIS Muhammed on or about the 13th day of July 2024 to 13th of August 2024 in Ilorin within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be one Dorthy Onanewlevel Palmer and fraudulently deceived one Lavergne Adriana Racheal to send $600 to you via cash app and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code.
The charge against Ismail reads: “That you, Ismail Temitope Mustapha (Alias: Myre Roddy) sometime between the year 2022 and 2023 within the Judicial division of the High Court, did cheat by personation, when you pretended to be one Myre Roddy vide Tik Tok account @roddy0s3 and induced one Ron Woldron to part with the gross sum of $500 vide apple gift cards; and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 321 of the Penal Code and punishable under Section 324 of the Penal Code.
The defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges.
Upon their pleas, the prosecution counsel, Andrew Akoja and Victoria Igodo tendered the extra-judicial statements of the defendants, items recovered from them at the point of arrest and monies that they benefited from the illegal activities, which the court admitted in evidence.
Consequently, Justice Akanbi sentenced Idris to two years imprisonment with an option of N100,000 and ordered the forfeiture of his iPhone 13, and the sum of $300 which he raised as restitution to the federal government.
Similarly, the court sentenced Ismail to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N100,000 while ordering the forfeiture of his iPhone 11 Promax and $300USD to the federal government.
Oyekola also bagged one year imprisonment on count one with an option of N100,000, two years imprisonment on count two with an option of N200,000 and two weeks community service on count three and a fine of N50,000.
The sum of $300 and N34,900 recovered from him have been ordered to be forfeited to the federal government.
In the same vein, the court sentenced Anthony to one year imprisonment with an option of N50,000 and ordered that the iPhone 12 and the sum of $25 which he benefited from the unlawful activities be forfeited to the federal government.
In a similar fashion, Justice Yusuf sentenced the duo of Timilehin and Olayiwola to six months imprisonment with an option of N200,000 each.
The convicts’ phones and the monies they brought as restitution were forfeited to the federal government.
Controversial crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky, has reacted to the 12-hour ultimatum by human rights lawyer Femi Falana and his son, singer Falz.
DAILY POST reports that Femi Falana and Falz, in a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, gave a 12-hour ultimatum to Bobrisky to retract his defamatory claim against them in an audio leaked by popular social media critic, VeryDarkMan.
In response to the ultimatum, Bobrisky, on Wednesday night, in a series of posts on his Instagram story, denied defaming Falana and Falz and also rejected their demand for retraction and public apology.
“In reply to the two letters in circulation from the law firm of the Falanas’, I like to state for the record and pending the official reply from my counsel, state for the avoidance of doubt that I, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, aka Bobrisky, did not publish any defamatory statements concerning the learned SAN, Falana and his son Falz.
“And that it is in the public domain pursuant to my solicitor’s letter dated 27th of September 2024 that I have denied any knowledge of what VeryDarkMan published.
“I stand by my express denial and advise whoever has been defamed to hold the publisher of the defamatory content. My fundamental rights to privacy of communications should be respected and protected.” [sic].
This comes a few days after the Lagos State High Court ordered VeryDarkMan to delete defamatory videos and comments targeting Falana and Falz within 21 days.
The matter has generated widespread controversy since VDM leaked the audio recordings of Bobrisky’s prison conversations in September 2024.
DAILY POST recalls that VeryDarkMan, on September 24, 2024, leaked a voice call recording of Bobrisky narrating how Falz contacted him while in jail to help him see a presidential pardon through his father.
The allegations include an alleged N15 million bribe paid to officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to drop money laundering charges against Bobrisky.
Also, the allegations also include the Nigerian Correctional Service, NCoS, receiving bribes to place Bobrisky in VIP custody instead of a standard prison cell.
Bobrisky was arrested for money laundering and Naira mutilation by the EFCC in April.
Following the dismissal of the money laundering charges against him by the Federal High Court in Lagos, Judge Abimbola Awogboro sentenced Bobrisky to six months imprisonment for Naira mutilation.
China has sentenced 15 persons to prison for their involvement in the collapse of a building that claimed dozens of lives and ignited public outcry over construction standards, state media reported on Thursday.
A commercial building in the central city of Changsha collapsed in April 2022, leaving more than 50 people dead and nine others wounded.
Authorities later said the structure was built illegally, triggering an outcry over corruption and laxity in the construction industry.
State broadcast station, CCTV said on Thursday that two courts in Changsha had issued sentences for 15 people implicated in the scandal.
They included 11 years in prison for a resident of the building, Wu Zhiyong, who was deemed to be partly responsible for the collapse.
Other jail sentences included 12 years in prison for the former deputy chief of a state-backed municipal water company found guilty of dereliction of duty and bribery.
A local structuring testing firm was fined one million yuan ($140,000) and several of its employees were jailed for providing documents that falsely declared the building to be safe.
The court ruled that Wu and others built the property despite having “no construction qualifications” and illegally rented it to catering and accommodation companies, CCTV reported.
“No effective rectification measures were taken” despite the discovery of major structural hazards, the broadcast station said.
It added that the incident “resulted in major casualties and serious economic losses”.
Building collapses are not uncommon in China due to weak safety standards and corruption among those tasked with enforcing them.
Six people were killed and 10 were injured when lightning strike caused a park pavilion to collapse in the eastern city of Changzhou in August.
Nigerian singer, Yinka Ayefele, and his wife, Temitope, have welcomed a baby girl.
The singer announced in a post via his Instagram page.
This comes months after they celebrated the birth of their triplets, consisting of two boys and a girl, in May 2024.
Ayefele has expressed appreciation to God, considering his current challenges after a spinal cord injury that left him reliant on a wheelchair.
He shared a beautiful photo of the newborn baby alongside her name.
See photo below:
Tragedy struck Thursday morning in Benin City, the Edo State Capital following the explosion of a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) powered vehicle at NIPCO filling station located at Aduwawa along the Benin-Auchi Expressway.
In a viral video making round on social media, the vehicle was vividly scattered while people around the vicinity ran for dear lives as the loud sound from the explosion created panic among residents in the vicinity.
Three persons were said to have sustained various degrees of injuries and have been rushed to a private hospital for medical attention.
The explosion is coming on the heels of safety concerns raised about the conversion of petrol-powered vehicles to CNG as advocated for by the Federal Government as a measure to lower the cost of transportation following the removal of fuel subsidy.
Details later…
In a developing case of a suspected kidnap ransom transaction in Delta State, a yet-to-be-identified Point of Sale operator has spoken out, claiming she was unaware of the criminal activities behind a 4 million Naira deposit into her account.
The operator was questioned in a video by the Public Relations Officer for Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, and published on his X page on Thursday as part of an investigation into a kidnapping incident.
The operator explained her side of the story, stating that she was contacted by a customer, Timothy Ogenechukwu, who had previously conducted smaller transactions with her.
“He has been doing transactions with me, maybe at times 5,000 or 2,000,” she told the police.
However, this time, the transaction was significantly larger—4 million Naira. According to her, Ogenechukwu did not provide any clear reason for the massive deposit.
“He only called me that morning and said I should check my account,” she added.
She claimed she had no prior knowledge that the money in question was related to criminal activity, specifically a ransom payment from a kidnapping victim.
“I didn’t know,” she said, emphasising that she thought it was another business transaction, similar to their past interactions.
However, she admitted to making a profit of 40,000 Naira from the transaction.
“My profit is 40,000,” she said.
During the interrogation, Edafe pressed her on the nature of her relationship with Timothy, questioning if she understood the implications of allowing large sums to be transferred through her account.
The officer highlighted that the funds originated from a victim who had been kidnapped and suggested that the PoS operator’s role in receiving and distributing the money could make her complicit in the crime.
The PPRO had earlier in the video warned that PoS operators should be mindful of who they do transactions with, especially if such transactions are relatively high.
He said, “I have been talking and educating people on social media, particularly PoS operators. Any person who wants to do transactions above 500,000 naira should go to the bank.
“Whenever you ask a PoS operator if you are receiving money too much that is unreasonably high, understand that there is an element of crime in it because they are supposed to go to the bank.”
More...
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, has disclosed that President Bola Tinubu sent his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to ask him to reconsider his decision to leave Nigeria following the election victory.
Vanguard reported in 2022 that after Tinubu announced his presidential bid in January, George threatened to leave the country.
His words: “I will move away from Nigeria. I’ll leave because he will be your representative on the international plane. Which investment will he bring here? I am not talking because I have any hatred for him.
“This is not the kind of person we can hand over this massive country to manage. He will be the greatest joke on the international plane. We should bother who should lead us.
“If by whatever chance he gets to the villa, I won’t be part of this country. And I am not joking. I can go to Ghana and be watching with binoculars from afar. You will see what will happen.”
Reflecting on the development, George, during an appearance on Arise TV on Wednesday, recounted how Gbajabiamila visited him with a message from Tinubu, urging him to reconsider his position.
“During the campaign period, I stated it and I meant it—that if by whatever measure Bola Tinubu wins this election, I was going to get out.
“Once they heard that, Tinubu sent his chief of staff, who is my little brother from Lagos State, Femi Gbajabiamila, to appeal to me.
“He came to say, ‘My boss said I should tell you, please be calm’. They knew they had wronged me. They said they were sorry.”
Speaking further, George stated that the crisis within the PDP emerged during the lead-up to the 2023 presidential election. He highlighted how internal tensions and disagreements intensified, urging aggrieved factions to sheathe their sword.
“The last convention, the presidential convention, was when everything started, and instead of arresting it, they were exacerbating it.
“With all that, you cannot have the chairman of the party and the presidential candidate from one side of the divide—they didn’t listen.”
He also recalled how he confronted Iyorchia Ayu, the former party chair, regarding his commitment to step down if a northern presidential candidate was nominated.
“Ayu made a public statement that peradventure the presidency comes from the north, he would resign. But when the results were announced, he said, ‘I have four years; I’m not going anywhere’.
“This is breach of trust! Of course, people would react to that. It’s against the party constitution to have the chairman of the party and the presidential candidate from the same zone — it is an anomaly.
“I want to appeal to the leaders of the various groups in the party that it is time to shelve your personal ambitions and let us rebuild the party.
“There is no organisation in the world without crisis, but the ability to rebuild the crisis is needed.
“This crisis didn’t start now; it started from the presidential convention and nobody was able to manage it.
“Atiku and Wike should calm down and let us go to the elders meeting where we would start this discussion, to trace this crisis back to that convention, because that was where everything started going in the wrong direction.”
Former Vice President of the Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, Bishop Thomas Aremu has clarified that he will remain a member of the church despite his recent retirement.
His statement comes in response to rumours suggesting that he and Bishop David Abioye, another former vice president were planning to retire from the church to establish their own ministries.
Speaking on Tuesday during his valedictory service at Winners Chapel, Bishop Aremu addressed the speculations, emphasizing that he has no intention of founding a new church.
However, he mentioned the possibility of teaching in other churches and said his messages would be consistent with the doctrines of the Living Faith Church.
“Even after retirement, I don’t have a church, and I cannot have a church because God has not infused me with the capacity to do so. This is my church; even after retirement, I shall remain in the Winners family.
I may be privileged to bless other churches that are not Winners, but there is nothing I’m going to teach them than what I have learnt in Winners.”.
“I will also be privileged to document some of the virtue and values God has invested in me for the upcoming generation. I will continue to practice liberty and charity to the poor, needy widows, orphans, and fatherless as God will enable me.”
Olisa Agbakoba, a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was not constitutionally established.
Agbakoba stated this in two separate letters dated October 14 and addressed to the senate and house of representatives.
The letters were addressed to Barau Jibrin, deputy senate president; and Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house — chairs of the senate and house committees on constitution review, respectively.
Agbakoba highlighted constitutional concerns regarding law enforcement agencies in the country, pointing out factors hindering the government’s efforts to eliminate corruption, as outlined in Section 13 of the 1999 Constitution.
In the letter to the deputy senate president, Agbakoba said: “I write to draw attention to certain constitutional issues on matters related to law enforcement agencies.
“As you are obviously aware, the fundamental objective of the government is to abolish corruption,” he said.
“But from my observation, there is no harmony amongst law enforcement agencies on corruption. They all appear to be working at cross purposes.
“This has been confirmed by the supreme court in so many cases.
“The supreme court has consistently sanctioned the EFCC for its conduct and questioned if the EFCC can in fact validly do what it does.
“I will go further to say that I very strongly believe the EFCC is unconstitutionally established.
“The powers under which it was established go beyond the powers of the national assembly. The EFCC is an unlawful organisation.
“I am very delighted to note that many states have finally taken it upon themselves to challenge the constitutionality of the EFCC.
“This will put to rest the question relating to the validity of the EFCC.
“Whilst we await the decision of the supreme court as the final court on the matter, I respectfully request that the Senate convene a public hearing to consider these constitutional issues.
“Such a hearing would provide an invaluable platform for stakeholders to discuss the reforms needed to strengthen Nigeria’s legal and institutional frameworks for law enforcement and anti-corruption.
“This will meet the stated and laudable objective of the government to abolish corruption as stated in Section 13 of the Constitution.”
The supreme court has fixed October 22 to hear a suit filed by the attorneys-general of 16 states of the federation.
The suit is challenging the constitutional powers of the national assembly to establish the EFCC and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the powers of these agencies to investigate and prosecute matters related to the misappropriation of state funds.
The EFCC was founded in 2003 during the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo.
The World Bank has urged Nigerians to support the ongoing economic reforms, warning that opposing or reversing them could have serious negative consequences for the country.
Speaking at the launch of the Nigeria Development Update (NDU) report in Abuja, the World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Dr. Ndiame Diop, emphasized that while the reforms may be challenging, they are crucial for the nation’s long-term stability.
Dr. Diop cautioned that rolling back these reforms would be detrimental, saying, “Reversing the reforms would spell doom for Nigeria.”
In the same vein, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, reiterated the importance of staying committed to the reforms. He stated, “Any effort that is not sustained will be a waste. Together with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, we’ve been discussing how to stay on course.”
Edun further explained that the government’s focus is on reducing inflation while ensuring investments flow into critical sectors such as industry, where jobs can be created. “We are prioritizing market pricing and sat down with labor unions to explain why we cannot afford to let this opportunity slip.”
On the removal of subsidies, Edun noted, “Every day without subsidies means more funds available for education, healthcare, and other essential expenditures.”
Also speaking, Central Bank Governor Mr. Olayemi Cardoso highlighted the importance of promoting exports in light of the exchange rate adjustments. “The moderation in the FX rate should make our goods more competitive for export and discourage the importation of unnecessary goods,” he said.