A 32-year-old man, Olumide Yerokun has been docked in an Iyaganku Magistrate’s Court, Ibadan, for allegedly parading himself Ayo Olu (Esq), a lawyer.

Yerokun, whose address was not provided was arraigned in court on Friday.

He was charged with impersonation and obtaining money under false pretence.

However, he pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecutor, Insp Sikiru Opaleye told the court that the Yerokun allegedly committed the offence on June 5, at about 6. 25 p.m, at Jericho, Eleyele area, Ibadan.

He alleged that the defendant with intent to defraud falsely represented himself as lawyer Ayo Olu (Esq).

Opaleye alleged that also on June 3, the defendant fraudulently represented himself as a solicitor to PA Opadiran and served quit notice on Mrs Idayat Akapo and two others, while fraudulently presenting himself as a lawyer.

He alleged that the Yerokun represented himself as a legal practitioner by preparing, signing and serving statutory notice.

The Prosecutor further alleged that sometimes in December 2023, at about 12. 30 p.m at Adepoju street, Ibadan, Yerokun did present himself as a legal Practioner to PA Opadiran.

He alleged that the Yerokun fraudulently obtained the sum of N25, 000 from Mrs Akapo as a legal fee for preparation of Tenancy agreement.

He said the offences contravened Sections 484 and 419 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

The Magistrate, Mrs Olabisi Ogunkanmi granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000 with two reliable sureties in like sum.

She thereafter adjourned the case until Aug. 14, for hearing.

Mrs Folasade Aladeniyi, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Ibadan chapter, Mrs Folasade Aladeniyi appeared with some members of the branch on the said case.

Reacting to the incident, the Chairman, Anti- Touting and Ethics Committee of NBA, Ibadan, Mr Segun Popoola, said the association seriously frowns at such acts.

Popoola warned that the association will not fail to ensure the Prosecution of anyone who is found guilty of such acts. (NAN)

The 5,937 soldiers that recently passed out from the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, Kaduna State, will be deployed to fight banditry, cattle rustling and related crimes, Chief of Army of Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has said.

Lagbaja disclosed this during the passing-out parade for the 86 regular recruit intake of the Depot Nigeria Army, in Zaria, yesterday.

The COAS, who was the Special Guest of Honour and Reviewing Officer, for the passing out parade, added that the new men would form part of the solution to numerous security challenges bedevilling the country.

“The fresh products passing out today will form part of the solution to the challenge of insurgency in the North-east, banditry and cattle rustling in the North-west.

“They will fight the farmers/herders’ clashes in the North-central, secessionist agitation and cultism in the South-east, militancy, and vandalism of critical national assets and infrastructure in the South-south and south-west.”

The COAS noted that the training was a continuous process in the military, adding that the Nigerian Army has put in place post-depot training packages to help the soldiers master the array of weapons and equipment.

This, according to him, will enable the soldiers to become more efficient in the art of war.

He said that the army was improving on the existing welfare packages to enable the soldiers to cater for their medical, recreational, and educational needs to ease career fulfillment.

While congratulating the 5,937 recruits, the COAS said that the life of a soldier was a life of sacrifice to his country, allegiance to defend, and, if need be, sacrifice his life for the people.

“Sacrifice to go wherever you are ordered to, by land, sea or air; sacrifice to relegate personal comfort and assume a duty to the country as a primary concern,’’ he said.

He said that by becoming a soldier, one had accepted the highest call to duty any Nigerian could take up.

He added that as soldiers, they had joined the unique league of exceptional Nigerians who had elected to abide by the requirements of exceptional discipline, loyalty, integrity, and dedication to duty.

Lagbaja, therefore, charged them not to disappoint the Nigerian Army and the country’s expectations of them.

He commended and congratulated the commandant and instructors of Depot NA for the successful training and graduation of the recruits.

The Army boss assured the commandant of the Army headquarters’ support towards realising the training objectives of the institution.

The Ministry of Solid Minerals Development on Saturday vowed to revoke the titles of owners of licensed land that are being used for illegal mining operations.

The government said this in response to development at a mining site located in Shirley Niger State which had swallowed over 50 miners during the collapse.

Weeks after the Shiroro incident was reported, another site Bazakwoi, Adunu Community, in the Paikoro Local Government Area in Niger state was reported to have collapsed on Thursday, June 13, 2024, resulting in the death of three men.

Responding to the frequent occurrences in the state, the Minister of Solid Minerals Dele Alake in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, said preliminary investigations showed that the collapsed mine was in the area under Exploration Licence 43113 of Jurassic Mines Limited in Adunu Village, Paikoro Local Government Area, Niger State.

He said, “At the time of the visit, work had stopped at the site, and only onlookers were seen. The coordinates of the site were taken, and officials returned to Minna at about 8.30 pm.

“The owners of the company were contacted by phone, but they claimed ignorance of happenings on the site. They were then summoned to the office in the state capital.

“Owners of licenced units of land mined by illegal miners will lose their titles”.

The statement noted that the men killed in the accident had since been buried.

The minister further warned land title owners with mining licenses to desist from illegal operations, as those caught or found guilty would face the law.

Kogi, Ekiti and Kwara states have retained the position of states with the most expensive food items as food inflation rose to 40.66 per cent in May.

This was disclosed on Saturday in the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The statistics hub revealed that Nigeria’s inflation rate surged to 33.95 per cent in May 2024, up from 33.69 per cent reported in April 2024.

This shows a minimal 0.26 per cent point rise, suggesting a slower rate of price increase compared to the previous month which rose by 2.14 per cent.

The report said, “In May 2024, the headline inflation rate increased to 33.95 per cent relative to the April 2024 headline inflation rate which was 33.69 per cent. Looking at the movement, the May 2024 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.26 per cent points when compared to the April 2024 headline inflation rate.

“On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 11.54 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in May 2023, which was 22.41 per cent. This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in May 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year

“On the contrary, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in May 2024 was 2.14 per cent which was 0.15 per cent lower than the rate recorded in April 2024 (2.29th per cent). This means that in May 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is less than the rate of increase in the average price level in April 2024.”

The major contributing items to headline inflation in May 2024 include food and non-alcoholic beverages by 17.59 per cent, housing, water, and electricity, gas & other fuel contributed 5.68 per cent while clothing and footwear stood at 2.60 per cent.

Revealing the rate of increase in the country’s food inflation, NBS revealed that the May food inflation rate reached 40.66 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

The sharp rise in food prices has been attributed to a range of factors affecting various food categories.

The items contributing most to this inflation include Semovita, Oatflake, Yam flour pre-packaged, Garri, Bean, Irish Potatoes, Yam, and Water Yam, amongst others.

Food inflation on a Year-on-Year basis was highest in Kogi (46.32 per cent), Ekiti (44.94 per cent), Kwara (44.66 per cent), while Adamawa (31.72 per cent), Bauchi (34.35 per cent) and Borno (34.74 per cent), recorded the slowest rise.

Subsequently, on a Month-on-Month basis, food inflation was highest in Gombe (4.88 per cent), Kano (4.68 per cent), and Bayelsa (3.62 per cent), while Ondo (0.02 per cent), Yobe (0.95 per cent) and Adamawa (1.02 per cent) recorded the slowest rise.

The Nigeria Labour Congress said the government must accede to its demands on minimum wage based on practical realities in the country.

The NLC also faulted a statement by President Bola Tinubu during a meeting with some governors and members of the National Assembly on the occasion of the nation’s 25th Democracy Day anniversary.

Tinubu had said that the government would only be able to pay its workers what the country can afford.

“Senate president, deputy senate president, you will get a notice from me if I have changed my mind on minimum wage. We are going to do it — what Nigeria can afford, what you can afford, what I can afford. They ask you to cut your coat according to your size if you have size at all,” Tinubu had said.

But in his reaction, the spokesperson of the NLC, Benson Upah, in an interview with our correspondent, described the president’s statement as a contradiction of his promise to pay a living wage.

“This will be in breach of his promise to pay a living wage which is superior to a minimum wage. Moreover, there is unanimity of opinion that government accede to the demand of Labour based on practical realities,” he stated.

Disagreements between the government, Labour, and the Organised Private Sector have continued to brew over the new minimum wage.

During his nationwide broadcast to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Nigeria’s democracy on Wednesday, June 12, Tinubu announced that a consensus had been reached on the long-debated new minimum wage between the Federal Government and the Organised Labour.

In the national broadcast, the President revealed that an executive bill would soon be sent to the National Assembly to formalise the new minimum wage agreement.

He stated, “In this spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with Organised Labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next five years or less.”

However, in a swift reaction, the Organised Labour stated that it had not reached any agreement with the Federal Government Tripartite Committee on the new minimum wage as claimed by the President.

In a statement on Wednesday, the acting President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Adewale Adeyanju, said there was no agreement reached by the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage when negotiations ended on Friday, June 7, 2024.

Adeyanju stated that at the last meetings, the demand remained N250,000 from the Organised Labour and that anything to the contrary won’t be accepted. He said, “Our demand remains N250,000 only, and we have not been given any compelling reasons to change this position which we consider a great concession by Nigerian workers during the tripartite negotiation process.

“We are, therefore, surprised at the submission of Mr President over a supposed agreement. We believe that he may have been misled into believing that there was an agreement with the NLC and TUC. There was none and we must let the President, Nigerians, and other national stakeholders understand this immediately to avoid a mix-up in the ongoing conversation around the national minimum wage.”

However, the state governors have vehemently opposed the offers and demands so far made by the Federal Government, OPS, and Organised Labour on the new minimum wage.

Speaking under their umbrella forum, the governors had maintained that compelling them to pay the minimum wage proposed by both the Federal Government and Labour would have adverse consequences on their delivery of critical infrastructural projects for their states.

Rwanda head coach, Thorsten Frannk Splitter, says he will be relying on Gernot Rohr for essential information to claim the scalp of the Super Eagles in their 2026 World Cup CAF Qualifying Group C match day 5 fixture on March 17, 2025, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

After four rounds of matches, Rwanda are surprisingly topping the group with seven points, the same as South Africa in second place due to an inferior goal difference, and the East Africans can now fancy their chances at maiden World Cup qualification by adding Nigeria to their conquest list.

Rohr led Benin to a historic 2-1 win over Nigeria at Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, on June 10, and Splitter feels the Franco-German, who coached Nigeria for almost six years before being appointed by Benin, is the right man to advise him on how to beat Nigeria.

“I am very sure we (me and Gernot Rohr) will have a phone call before; it may be two or three, and if he can tell me something, I will be stupid not to take it. For that, we will try to be in contact; if possible, we can help each other; for sure, we will do it,” the Belgian tactician told Brila FM on Saturday.

Rohr was carried shoulder-high by Cheetahs players after Jodel Dossou scored on 37 minutes to cancel out Raphael Onyedika’s 27th-minute opener for Nigeria, and Steve Mounié scored the decider three minutes into added time of the first half to give Benin their first victory against their illustrious neighbours in Ivory Coast.

Nigeria are stuck in fifth spot on the log with miserly three points in for matches, and the three-time African champions will look to revive qualification hopes when the series resumes early next year, which will see them host Zimbabwe on March 24 on the back of the Rwanda trip.

This will be under a new coach following the resignation of Finidi George on Saturday, June 15, shortly after the Nigeria Football Federation announced its decision to hire an expatriate technical adviser to boss him.

Operatives of the Abia State Police Command have rescued three abducted children from their abductors in Anambra and Delta States.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, adding that the rescue mission led to the arrest of five suspects, including a Reverend Sister.

The statement read, “On May 10, 2024, the Abia State Police Command received a report that three male children, namely: Gideon Osinachi (eight years old), Obioma Divine Osinachi (six years old), and Israel Osinachi (four years old), were abducted by an unknown cyclist from Amoba Okoro village in Ikwuanno LGA of Abia State.

“The children were taken away by the cyclist who was hired by their grandmother to take them to their home after the children had visited her.”

It added that Obioma was later rescued on May 21 at Ekwulobia in Anambra State, and Gideon was rescued at Nkpor in Anambra State on May 23.

Israel was reported to have been rescued in Warri, Delta State, on June 13.

“We are happy to announce that all three children have been rescued and reunited with their family,” it added. 

The statement added that during the period of investigation and rescue efforts which lasted from May 10 to June 13, four female suspects and one male suspect were arrested in connection with the crime.

It read, “The suspects were arrested variously at Amawbia and Nkpor in Anambra State, as well as Warri in Delta State. They include Reverend Sister Pauline Alozie (female), Chizoba DJ (female), Glory Umuna (female), Mrs. Georgina Nonye Okoye (female), and Philip Ibe (male). They are in custody and will be charged in court very soon.”

In the statement, the command appreciated the collaboration of various stakeholders towards the rescue of the children.

PUNCH reported in April that the Ebonyi State Police Command  dismantled a child abduction ring, culminating in the rescue of six kidnapped children.

A former Education Minister, Oby Ezekwesili, on Saturday, berated the extravagant lifestyle of Nigeria’s President, Governors and National Assembly members in the country.

Recall the president had said in his Democracy Day speech that the N62,000 proposed was negotiated in good faith.

However Ezekwesili on a Saturday In a post on X formerly twitter, said their financial extravagance was a provocative approach and an insult to citizens.

Ezekwesili who is also the Founder of the School of Politics, Policy, and Governance (SPPG) said, “It appears like the latest hobby of the #nassnigeria and the #NGRPresident and #NigeriaGov is to engage in the serial provocation of hard-pressed citizens who are barely managing to keep heads above water in this crisis-economy.

“In a season of famine and leanness when public officials should set the example of fiscal prudence, the sensibilities of our citizens are daily assaulted with the self-indulgent lives of politicians- many of whom were in fact not credibly elected into office.

“As they say in my place, ‘use your tongue to count your teeth’ because a day shall soon come when at the rate you’re all going with public resources, ‘water go totally pass garri’. He who has ears…..”.

She added, “This democracy belongs to the Nigerian People and not to an insignificant percentage of our population known as politicians.

“One day soon, the people will stare down at you all that think Nigeria exists to give you a luxurious life at the expense of the country.

“The tone deafness towards the pain and anger in this land is not normal and can never sustain. That’s for sure”.

Nigeria's inflation rate increased to 33.95% in May, driven primarily by surging prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Saturday. This marks a slight rise from April's inflation rate of 33.69%.

"Comparing month-over-month data, the headline inflation rate in May 2024 increased by 0.26 percentage points from April 2024," stated the NBS. "Year-over-year, the headline inflation rate was 11.54 percentage points higher than the 22.41% recorded in May 2023."

The report further highlighted that on a month-to-month basis, May's headline inflation rate was 2.14%, a slight decrease from April's 2.29%. This indicates that while prices are still rising, the pace of increase slowed compared to the previous month.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages were the top contributors to headline inflation, accounting for 17.59%. Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels followed with 5.68%, while clothing and footwear (2.60%), transport (2.21%), and furnishings, household equipment, and maintenance (1.71%) rounded out the top five contributors.

The NBS reported that urban inflation rose to 36.34% in May, up 12.61 percentage points from 23.74% in May 2023. Month-to-month, urban inflation was 2.35% in May, down 0.32 percentage points from April’s 2.67%.

Rural inflation was reported at 31.82% year-over-year in May, an increase of 10.63 percentage points from the 21.19% recorded in May 2023.

Food inflation specifically soared to 40.66% in May, up from 24.82% in the same month last year—a rise of 15.84 percentage points. The NBS attributed this increase to higher prices of staple foods such as semovita, oatflake, yam flour, garri, beans, Irish potatoes, yam, water yam, palm oil, vegetable oil, stockfish, mudfish, crayfish, beef head, live chicken, pork head, and bush meat.

On a month-to-month basis, food inflation was 2.28% in May, down from 2.50% in April.

Businessman and socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, recently granted an interview to BBC Igbo, where he spoke about the insecurity in the South-East region of the country where he hails from. According to him, that was what led to his relocation to Lagos State NAOMI CHIMA brings excerpts

What can be blamed for the killings and insecurity in the South-East?

It is jealousy and envy that caused everything that is happening in the South-East. If you say you do not like a particular government, do you go and kill your brother because of that? No! You should rather wait for when it is time for election, then you can vote that person out. You should not about hating or killing your brother, because you don’t like him, or because he is supporting a particular government, or the police. How can you kill your brother, because he is a policeman or a soldier? In a state without the police and military, who will maintain peace and order there?

Why did you relocate your business to Lagos State from Owerri (Imo State)?

I left the South-East, and relocated to Lagos State because some of our wealthy Igbo brothers are now scared of coming home. Usually, whenever they came home, my business was always flourishing. That is because those who live in Owerri usually buy just beer and little champagne. But, when the big boys who live in Lagos and Abuja come home during the weekends, they usually buy lots of drinks; and I will ultimately make so much money.

For instance, after Christmas in those days when business was booming in the South-East, after every Christmas sale, I would usually buy a new car or start a new business (because of the huge profit recorded). But, business has now become so slow. And, just like the Igbo saying, you will have to move around with your wares to be able to make sales. That was why I packed my bags and relocated.

It is also a way of bringing the things that those who travel home come to enjoy at my place in Owerri here to them in Lagos State.

How has the rising insecurity in the South-East affected the drive of Igbo people?

All the bad Igbo people and kidnappers who are working to spoil Igboland are just foolish. In the area of real estate, things are no longer how they used to be. Before we started having insecurity issues in the South-East, people like Kennedy Okonkwo, the billionaire founder and CEO of Nedcomoaks Limited; and socialite, Emeka Okonkwo, aka E-Money, had mansions in their hometown, and that caused a lot of competition among us. Everyone was ‘pushed’, and there was a hunger in our hearts to go home and erect those kinds of edifice in our father’s compound. The Igbos like competition; we are each other’s inspiration.

What is the impact of the situation on the wealthy people who usually visit their hometowns?

What these evil people have succeeded in doing is to make sure that we no longer see the wealthy people at home (in the South-East).  When they see a wealthy person, they would kill him, and say he was a bad person. And, that has caused wealthy people to stay away from home. This has caused hunger in the land. There is great hunger in the South-East now.

What is your advice to people in the Diaspora on how to curb the tension in the South-East?

My appeal to my brothers (in the Diaspora) is this, “Let us not forget our home. We cannot run away from the evil people; they should run from us instead. You people should be coming home”. And, to our brothers at home, “You people are expected to protect the home, because it is the rat inside the house that tells the one in the bush or outside that there is fish in the kitchen”. So, it is some of those at home who burn down their brothers’ houses because of envy. We know that some people are not good, just like it is everywhere; even outside the country. But, it is something we should treat and approach with wisdom. It is not something that requires us to carry guns and machetes.

Our heritage is getting destroyed. We have our own culture, but we cannot project it from afar.

What are some of the things that used to make going home interesting?

Sometime ago, in my village, there was a festival called ‘Ofeke Day’, observed on January 1. It was the most interesting festival at that time. But, things like that no longer exist. We need to come together, and agree to bring the South-East back. There are a lot of great things in the South-East. You can imagine that people now host traditional marriages in event centres in Lagos State, or Owerri town. Is that good?  When there is a funeral, the dead would be buried like a thief, in a hurry, and the people will run to somewhere safe for the reception. That is not how we used to live. Before, whenever the corpse of a popular or wealthy person was coming home, there would be a lot of festivities, including gunshot salutes, and masquerade parades, with so much excitement. But, those days are gone and dead. We are gradually losing our heritage and culture.

What approach do you think can end these problems?

Let us go back to our roots and repair our states. Whatever is spoilt can be repaired. We should stop running, because running will not help us. Rather, running will spoil everything completely.