Controversial Nigerian activist, Martins Otse aka Verydarkman, has finally been released from police detention in Abuja.

His release was facilitated after several days of legal intervention and public advocacy, as confirmed by Deji Adeyanju, on Sunday.

Verydarkman, 27, found himself in police custody over allegations of cyberbullying, with former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore highlighting the case as an example of the police’s misuse of power, purportedly under the influence of prominent individuals aiming to suppress dissent.

Deji Adeyanju took to the social media platform X to announce the release, expressing gratitude to all who supported the effort, including Sowore and the legal team representing Verydarkman.

He emphasized the collective effort that contributed to securing the critic’s freedom after a contentious five-day period.

He wrote, “After five days of back and forth, we have secured VDM’s release. Thank you to everyone that made this happen especially Sowore, Kefiano & VDM’s wonderful lawyers.”

This incident marks the second arrest of Verydarkman within the year, following an earlier incident in January where he was detained after a complaint by actress Tonto Dikeh.

He was accused of making derogatory comments related to the late Nigerian singer Mohbad’s case, involving Dikeh and her colleague Iyabo Ojo, which he termed as ‘chasing clout’ following the singer’s death.

Abosede Adeyemo, the mother of the late singer Ilerioluwa Aloba, also known as Mohbad, has stated that the DNA test she and Mohbad's father wish to conduct on the late singer's son, Liam Aloba, is a private family matter and not the concern of Nigerians.

In an interview with Punch, Ms Abosede said; ‘’I asked him to conduct the DNA test before now. There is nothing that concerns Nigerians with the DNA issue. It's a family issue. It was his father that publicized the issue.

"I insisted on it from the onset. It was his father that publicized it. Omowunmi is his daughter in-law and they were in good terms before then. I don't know why he couldn't tell her politely to conduct the DNA test. Did Mohbad say he was not the owner of the child?

"When he had the boy, Josy was the one that said it is Liam that will be the one to buy his, Josy's coffin. Now he is calling the same child a Bastard. My child is not a bastard''

The distraught mum said she will indeed get justice for her child but she will not do it with the different intention the late singer's father has.

"Nigerians know the truth. How can we bring family issues into Justice for Mohbad? Was my quarrel with you part of Justice for Mohbad? Can't you see how wicked you are?''

She said she told Mohbad's father not to bury him on September 25 when he died as she believed he wasn't dead but that his dad refused to listen.

"How can you Jose(Mohbad's father) be a threat to Liam? Has he forgotten the hereafter? I begged him to forgive Wunmi if she offended him and sort the issue at hand. How can a good father demanding justice for his child be behaving like this? Jose has forgotten the hereafter and the fact that we shall all go to where Mohbad is someday. He destroyed his life and I don't want him to ruin my other children's lives.

"Jose is using Mohbad's death to make money but he wil meet his doom soon''

Watch a video of Mohbad’s mother speaking below…

Oluwafemi Idris, a Nigerian Islamic cleric, has been arrested by police operatives in Ondo State after being caught with fresh human parts in the state.

The Idrisc was nabbed alongside two other suspects identified as Samuel Kutelu and Babatunde Kayode in the Akoko axis of the northern senatorial district of the state.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, the suspects were apprehended following an intel received over the ritualistic activities of the cleric.

The PPRO disclosed that, upon a raid of the cleric’s residence, police operatives discovered a grim collection of human body parts in his possession. The recovered items included human hands, three kidneys, three hearts, a spine, and a tongue.

The police spokesperson added that detectives are on the trail of a fleeing suspect, whom Idris claimed supplied the human parts as well as three human heads, which he had earlier supplied.

Odunlami-Omisanya, however, stressed that the identities of the suspects and the particular location of the arrested will be revealed in due course in order not to jeopardise ongoing investigations.

“The police got intel from a reliable source in January 2024 that one Idris, popularly known as Alfa in his area, kept human parts in his house and intended to use them for ritual purposes.

“The police swung into action and apprehended the suspect. A search was conducted in his house at Akoko, and the following human parts were found in his possession: human hands, three kidneys, three hearts, a spine, and a tongue.

“The suspect claimed he is an Islamic cleric, and some of the human parts were supplied by his friend, an Alhaji, who is also a cleric, and one Samuel Kutelu, while he supplied one Babatunde Kayode (an Oluawo) with three human heads.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna has suspended Maryam Suleiman, its women leader, for criticising Uba Sani, govenor of the state.

Suleiman’s suspension was contained in a letter dated March 31, and signed by Ali Maishago, and Zakkah Bassahuwa, APC chairman, and secretary of Badarawa/Malali ward, respectively.

The ward executive committee said Suleiman was suspended over “gross misconduct” and for allegedly defaming the character of the state governor.

BACKGROUND

While speaking during a town hall meeting in Kaduna, on Saturday, Sani said he inherited a debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion and 115 contractual liabilities from the administration of Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of the state.

He said his government is unable to pay workers’ salaries due to the inherited debt, adding that the debt burden is eating deep into the state’s coffers.

Reacting in a video, the APC women leader, who is an ally of el-Rufai, criticised the govenor over his remarks, urging him to desist from blaming his predecessor.

‘SHE’S UNDER SUSPENSION PENDING INVESTIGATION’

The APC ward executive said the women leader’s suspension subsists until further investigation is conducted by “constituted authority”.

“The Badarawa/Malal/ Ward APC Executive Committee after due deliberations and careful examinations on the viral video clip released on 30th March 2024, via social networks: Facebook, WhatsApp, and Tiktok which is against the constitution of our dear party, APC as stated in article 21.2 (v),” the letter reads.

“In view of the above, below are the gross misconducts where the subsequent suspension relied upon:

“Defamation of character of His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State Malam Uba Sani.

“Unauthorized publicity of the party dispute that discredited the personality of the Executive Governor of Kaduna State.

“Furthermore, from today Sunday 31 of March 2024, the leadership of APC Badarawa/Malali Ward unanimously resolved to suspend Hajiya Maryam Suleiman (Mai Rusau) from the Party pending further investigation on the matter from the constituted authority.”

Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna central, says he was insulted for rejecting the $350 million World Bank loan request by the government of Kaduna under Nasir El-Rufai.

Sani spoke in an interview with journalists on Sunday.

On March 30, Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, disclosed that the state is heavily indebted and unable to pay salaries.

Reacting to the governor’s statement on the huge debt profile of the state, Sani said if his advice had been heeded, Kaduna would not have found itself in the present predicament.

In 2018, Sani and two other senators from Kaduna state — Suleiman Hunkuyi, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Kaduna north senatorial zone; and Danjuma Laah of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna south-central senatorial zone — rejected moves by El-Rufai to take a $350 million World Bank loan.

Sani and Hunkuyi eventually lost their bids for re-election and were replaced by Uba Sani and Suleiman Kwari who lobbied for the approval of the loan.

Eventually, the senate rejected the loan request by the Kaduna state government, following stiff opposition by the three senators from Kaduna state.

At the time, Sani was the chairman of the committee on local and foreign debt — the senate panel that rejected the loan.

In May 2018, El-Rufai, while flagging off a campaign for local government elections in Kaduna, angrily rained curses and insults on Sani, Hunkuyi and Laah for rejecting the loan and called on the people to “shave their beards and heads whenever they come to Kaduna”.

Despite the opposition, El-Rufai confirmed the approval of the loan in 2019, explaining that he had backed up the loan request with pictures of rundown schools.

“The hour of reckoning has come for every citizen of the state,” Sani said, reacting to the current fiscal challenges in Kaduna.

“I was insulted for saying no to that loan. The hour of reckoning is here to every person in Kaduna state.

“Just like the way Lot (in the Bible) warned people, prophets of the past warned people, but they refused to hear and then you see pedition and affliction.

“In the same way, I warned the people of this state, but they were told that the money will bring paradise — land of milk and honey.

“Today, you can see the problems at hand as far as that loan was concerned.

“If you look at what I said about this state, there has never been any of my predictions that has not come to pass.

“Today the state is strangulated because of that money which we couldn’t pay.

“We borrowed $350 million when the naira was N400 to the dollar and we are going to pay when the naira is what it is today.”

The ex-senator said if people had heeded what he had said and “understood me and agreed with me, we couldn’t have been where we are today”.

Olukayode Ajulo, attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Ondo, has appointed 273 lawyers as aides.

The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) made the announcement in a statement released on Saturday.

The commissioner said the aides are honorary and technical advisers.

“Upon assuming the position of Honourable Attorney General of Ondo State, a total of 273 lawyers, comprising both seasoned professionals and junior colleagues, eagerly presented a multitude of ideas to lend their support to me in serving the government and people of Ondo State,” the statement reads.

“I have graciously appointed all the 273 lawyers, dividing them into two categories: Honorary Advisers and Technical Advisers to the Honorable Attorney General & Commissioner of Justice of Ondo State.”

Ajulo said the terms of engagement for the advisers are “remarkably innovative”, adding that they will enhance excellence and ethical legal services to Ondo state.

He said the names of the appointees will be revealed soon, noting that they are lawyers who have “distinguished themselves” in law practice, government, academia, and social work, among others.

“They will provide invaluable guidance to reinforce the vision of the Office of the Attorney-General of Ondo State to be the best public law office in Nigeria,” Ajulo said.

The state attorney-general listed his eight-point agenda to include access to justice, justice sector reform, uniform law enforcement, law officers welfare, obedience to court order, adherence to executive order and rule of law, and protection of women, children and persons with disability.

At least six new governors have collectively increased their domestic debts by N109.21 billion within six months (June-December 2023) since they assumed office.

This is based on TheCable Index analysis of states’ domestic debt profile data published by the Debt Management Office (DMO) for June and  December 2023, respectively.

The six states are Katsina, Niger, Rivers, Zamfara, Plateau, and Cross Rivers.

Under the leadership of Siminalayi Fubara, the domestic debt profile of Rivers surged from N225.51 billion to N232.58 billion. This, according to the data, increased the state’s debt by N7.7 billion or 3 percent within the six months under review.

The DMO said Umar Radda, governor of Kastina, borrowed about N36.94 billion (59 percent increase) between December and June 2023, as the state’s debt moved from N62.37 billion to N99.31 billion.

Also, Umar Bago, governor of Niger, accumulated a debt of N17.85 billion — indicating a 15 percent domestic debt increase from N121.95 billion to N139.80 billion in six months.

Similarly, in Zamfara, Dauda Lawal, the state governor, was said to have borrowed N14.26 billion in the review period, sending the state’s domestic debt to N110.57 billion — from N96.31 billion.

According to the data, Caleb Mutfwang, Plateau governor, increased the state’s debt from N157.62 billion to N173.93 billion between June and December last year — up by N16.31 billion or 10 percent.

The DMO said it recorded an 8 percent increase in the domestic debt profile of Cross River after Edet Otu, the state governor, borrowed the sum of N16.15 billion — moving the debt burden from N204.05 billion to N220.20 billion in six months.

STATES THAT DECREASED THEIR DOMESTIC DEBT BY N119 BILLION

Meanwhile, further analysis shows that 11 states reduced their domestic debts.

The states — Delta, Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Sokoto, Kaduna, Taraba, Enugu, Jigawa, Benue, and Kebbi — collectively reduced their debt by N119.96 billion.

Sheriff Oborevwori, governor of Delta, reduced the state’s domestic debt from N465.40 billion to N373.41 billion, representing a decrease of N91.99 billion.

Francis Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi, cut the domestic debt of the state from N76.14 billion to N70.44 billion — down by N6.30 billion.

The debt office said Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom also reduced the state’s domestic debt stock by N9.10 billion, which fell from N199.58 billion in June to N190.48 billion in December. 

Alex Otti, governor of Abia, reduced the state’s debt from N142.47 billion to N138.64 billion (a decline of N3.83 billion).

On his part, Ahmad Aliyu, the governor of Sokoto, made a reduction of a decline of N2.46 billion as the state’s domestic debt crashed from N91.68 billion to N89.22 billion.

For Kaduna state, the governor, Uba Sani, moved the state’s domestic debt from N87.28 billion to N85.52 billion — down by N2.24 billion.

Agbu Kefas, governor of Taraba reduced the domestic debt from N83.13 billion in June to N81.33 billion in December, a 2 percent cut or N2.20 billion.

In addition, Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, also reduced the state domestic debt from N93.20 billion to N92.21 billion – down by 1 percent or N99 million.

Umar Namadi, governor of Jigawa, cut the domestic debt of the state from N43.13 billion to N42.76 billion, recording adecreas of -1 percent to N37 million.

The DMO said Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, also made an effort to reduce the domestic debt of the state from N187.18 billion in June to N186.94 billion in December — a decrease of -0.1 percent or N24 million in six months.

Nasir Idris, governor of Kebbi, also attempted to reduce the state’s debt which moved from N60.94 billion in June to N60.69 billion in December 2023, recording a decrease of N25 million.

STATES WITH INCREASED FOREIGN DEBT

In addition, states such as Ebonyi ($37.54 million), Kaduna ($17.69 million), Kano ($6.6 million), Niger ($1.27 million), Plateau ($831,008), Sokoto ($499,472), Taraba ($1.51 million), Cross River ($59.95 million), and Zamfara ($655,563) borrowed a total of $124.54 million from external sources like World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) within the six-month period.

Using the official exchange rate as at December 31, 2023, the total foreign debt by these states stood at N111.24 billion.

According to the DMO, the total domestic debt for all 36 states and FCT stood at N5.86 trillion, while foreign debt was $42.49 billion at the end of last year.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu had assured that his administration would not continue with the massive borrowings of the previous government to fund its expenditures.

In 2023, state governors got the most Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations in at least seven years.

The rise in FAAC allocations to the three tiers of government, especially the states, followed the removal of the subsidy on petrol and currency reforms by the Tinubu administration. The reforms have reportedly led to a 40 percent boost in income.

TheCable Inex analysis of the 2023 FAAC monthly allocations showed that the subnational and local government councils got the highest allocation of N627.73 billion in September, followed by N610.5 billion in December, N555.75 billion in August, N533 billion in November, N514 billion in July, and N497.97 billion in October.

The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah has said the recruitment of vigilantes, hunters and others to fight banditry and terrorism has a high tendency of weakening the Nigerian Army’s professionalism and ethics.

Kukah said this in his Easter message on Sunday. He urged the Nigerian government to show how it intends to put the country on a path of national healing.

The priest said for over 60 years, Nigerian leaders have resembled guys in a drunken haze, stumbling and fumbling for their way home.

The statement reads in part: “Our leaders chose the feast rather than the fast. We are today reaping what we sowed yesterday. For over 60 years, our leaders have looked like men in a drunken stupor, staggering, stumbling and fumbling, slurring in speech, with blurred visions searching for the way home.

“The corruption of the years of a life of immoral and sordid debauchery has spread like cancer destroying all our vital organs. The result is a state of a hangover that has left our nation comatose.

“Notwithstanding, Easter is a time to further reflect on the road not taken. It is a time to see if this Golgotha of pain can lead us to the new dawn of the resurrection. Nigeria can and Nigeria will be great again. Let us ride this tide together in hope.”

He urged the government to “design a more comprehensive and wide-ranging method of recruitment that is transparent as a means of generating patriotism and reversing the ugly face of feudalism and prebendalism”.

“There is a need for clarity over questions of the who, what, when, and how national set goals are to be attained and who can be held accountable,” he said.

The bishop added, “Second, the notion of rejigging the security architecture is a hackneyed cliché that is now at best, an oxymoron. It is difficult to fathom our current situation regarding the ubiquity of the military in our national life.

“It is impossible to explain how we can say we are in a civilian democracy with the military literally looking like an Army of occupation with an octopus-sean spread across all 36 states and Abuja.

“This has very serious consequences both for its professionalism, its integrity and perceived role in protecting society. No other person than the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, who recently referred to the military as facing the dilemma of what he called ‘see finish.’ It is now difficult to say whether the persistence of insecurity is a cause or a consequence of military ubiquity.

“Trillions of naira continue to go into bottomless pits with little measurable benefits. Our military’s professionalism cannot be diluted by the recruitment of hunters, vigilante groups, and other unprofessional and untrained groups.”

Kukah argued that “this is not sustainable because it leaves the military open to ridicule and perceptions of surrender”.

“Fighting insecurity is now an enterprise. I believe our security men and women can defeat these criminals in a matter of months. All we hear and see are fingers pointing to the top. No, this must end,” he said.

He said Nigerians need to see a “relentless and implacable plan to end this menace with a definite deadline for bringing these terrorists to their knees, no matter what it will take”.

“Give our people back their farms and develop a comprehensive agricultural plan to put our country back on the path of honour and human dignity,” he added.

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has asked the embattled national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, to resign for allegedly not managing the crisis in the party well.

The CNPP gave the advice in a statement yesterday by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade James Ezema, while reacting to the unfolding twists to the leadership tussle in the party.

It also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for resisting what it described as obvious pressure to use its officials to endorse the outcome of the recent “contentious fractional national convention” of the party.

“In view of the obvious lack of internal democracy in most of the political parties in Nigeria, INEC has done well for the sake of advancing our democracy by resisting obvious pressure to use its officials to endorse the outcome of the recent contentious national convention organised by a faction of the party.

“Therefore, we call on Barrister Julius Abure to make himself the hero in the crisis by tendering his immediate resignation as the national chairman of the party.

“Nigeria is supposed to be a liberal democracy, where inclusive representation, rule of law, and protection of the rights and liberties of individuals within the political parties must be encouraged by all democrats and democratic institutions.

“It was against this backdrop of the lack of inclusivity that characterised the build up to the convention held in Anambra State, making it contrary to the Federal High Court’s judgment of Friday, July 23, 2021, which ordered parties in the Labour Party leadership tussle “to maintain status quo ante bellum in order not to disturb the rest of the matter pending further order of the court,” Ezema said.

But the party’s national publicity secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, declined comment when contacted to speak on the matter.

Benue state governor, Hyacinth Alia, said he has not borrowed any any money since he was inuagurated on May 29, 2023.

Reacting to a newspaper report which alleged that 13 new state governors, including Benue, collectively borrowed N226.8bn from both domestic and external financiers, between the period of June and December, 2023.

Governor Alia, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Kulas Tersoo, said: “We want to state emphatically that, the government of Rev.Fr. Alia has not borrowed any money from either Domestic or External sources.

“All debts mentioned in the said report were incurred before May 29, 2023, and not after Governor Hyacinth Alia led administration took over office.

“Let it be known that the government of Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia is skeptical of borrowings, and will only do so when and if it becomes necessary and it is in the interest of the Benue people, especially to fund critical projects.

“We challenge the newspaper reporter to be more investigative in his reports, providing accurate facts, which is a key component of journalism practice.”