A Lagos State community, Ajegunle, will take centre stage in Nigeria’s growing mixed martial arts scene on Saturday (today) as 22 fighters clash at the ‘Battle Of The Hood’ event organised by Akalaka Spirit Of The Warrior.
The Honourable Lukman Oluomo Sports Arena in Awodi Ora will host 11 explosive bouts across multiple weight divisions, with heavyweight giants Kabiru ‘Hulk’ Adediran and Atiti Fidelis headlining the main card.
The tournament will feature six fights in the men’s lightweight and light heavyweight divisions, while female fighters will compete in three flyweight category bouts.
At Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in and face-off, CEO of Akalaka Spirit Of The Warrior, Dr Ebere Bernard, explained the significance of bringing the event to Ajegunle.
“This community is a leading hotbed for grassroots sports development in Nigeria,” he told The PUNCH.
Bernard, who also serves as the director of youth development in the Nigeria Mixed Martial Federation, revealed broader ambitions behind the tournament.
“We’re driven to use MMA as a tool to combat some social vices prevalent amongst youths in the society,” he added.
The event has garnered significant international interest, with broadcasts scheduled to reach over 35 countries across Africa and beyond.
Adediran, regarded as one of Nigeria’s most intimidating heavyweight fighters, will face a stern test against Fidelis in what promises to be a thrilling main event showdown.
The tournament format adds extra stakes for competitors, who must win their initial bouts to progress through their respective divisions.
Today’s fights mark another significant step in Nigeria’s developing MMA scene, with Ajegunle, famous for its football talents, now positioning itself as a breeding ground for combat sports.
The Bauchi State Government, with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund and other development partners, have commenced the 2025 polio immunisation campaign in the state.
Speaking during the unveiling at Tirwun community in the Bauchi metropolis on Friday, the State Executive Chairman, Primary Healthcare Development Board, Rilwanu Mohammed, explained that the campaign aimed to vaccinate all children under five years old in the state.
According to Mohammed, special attention would be given to zero-dose children, who are those children who have not received any vaccination before.
Mohammed explained that Bauchi state received a total of 2.5 million doses of Novel Oral Polio vaccine, NOPV, for the exercise, saying the state engaged the services of 160 monitors, including CSOs that will ensure the smooth success of the polio vaccination exercise.
He stated that all the health stakeholders in the state as well as the UNICEF’s Chief of Bauchi Field Office would be on special monitoring exercise in three Local Government Areas of Ganjuwa, Bauchi and Ningi where there were zero doses of polio immunisation to ensure absolute compliance.
Mohammed said, “We are moving with the security, the DSS, the police, with armoured vehicles to ensure compliance. We are not doing this exercise like we used to do it before, where we will be begging and pleading.
“This time around, it will be compulsory that all children must be vaccinated, and anybody who refuses to cooperate will be arrested. So much work has been done by UNICEF, WHO and the state government that has provided counterpart funding to support this exercise and other social mobilisation.
“Why are we worried that we have non-compliance in some quarters? It’s because we don’t want to miss any child. We will also use the security in areas where there is insecurity to ensure that every child is vaccinated.”
On her part, the Chief of UNICEF’s Bauchi Field Office, Nuzhat Rafique, said that UNICEF is committed to supporting the state in the polio vaccination to ensure that every child is immunised.
She assured that more development partners were supporting the exercise this time around to ensure that there was total compliance during the exercise.
Represented by the UNICEF Head of Social Behaviour Change Specialist, Eki George, Rafique said, “The fight against polio is not over yet in the state. All fathers should give consent to their wives for their children to be vaccinated.
“As a buildup to this flag-off, we provided support to the state to ensure that this campaign runs smoothly for us in Bauchi, which is our focus. We are working with the state to ensure that every concerned parent is reached no matter where the child is.”
Also speaking, the District Head of Tirwun community, Ahmad Muhammad, lauded UNICEF and other partners for supporting the state in ensuring that every child is vaccinated during the exercise.
He further called on all the traditional rulers to participate actively during the monitoring to ensure compliance.
The House of Representatives Committee on Basic Examination Bodies has assured the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board of its readiness to assist in addressing the challenges militating against the conduct of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination across the country.
The Chairman of the Committee, Oboku Oforji, made the promise during an oversight exercise to monitor the ongoing UTME in some centres within the Federal Capital Territory, on Friday.
A statement issued by the media unit of the committee on Saturday quoted Oforji as describing UTME as a vehicle used by young Nigerians in their journey to self-discovery.
“To me and the committee, we are very proud of what JAMB is doing. Seeing what they are doing today gives us hope for our country,” Oforji said.
Oforji, however, noted a few challenges at some of the centres, particularly the absence of basic amenities such as air conditioning and first aid services.
This is just as the Committee identified some challenges, including poorly ventilated halls and the lack of medical personnel on standby to handle possible emergencies.
“Some of the halls were too compact, and candidates were seen fanning themselves because of poor ventilation. We frown at the absence of nurses and inadequate first aid facilities in some centres, especially those hosting up to 250 candidates,” he added.
That said, the Peoples Democratic Party lawmaker also raised concern over complaints about multiple payments and registration glitches made by candidates, assuring that such would be discussed at a stakeholders’ meeting very soon.
He noted that, despite the identified challenges, the candidates remained resilient and determined, as observed in all the centres visited by the Committee in the nation’s capital.
“You can see the zeal and commitment in our children. In spite of the uncomfortable conditions in some centres, their determination to succeed is commendable.
“They are making us proud. Seeing what they are doing today gives us hope in our country. We recall that our country is passing through serious challenges, but we are very proud of them and the level of their commitment and zeal.
“You can also see the interactive section, the rational issues they are raising, questions. One of them talked about multiple registration which attract multiple payment.
“The issues they have raised, we are going to take them up with the leadership of JAMB because we believe that JAMB is playing a very key role for our children to gain admission”, Oforji stressed.
No fewer than 50 houses have been destroyed following a devastating windstorm on Friday night in the Mahanga community in the Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
One of the community leaders, James Arthur, disclosed this to journalists in Lafia, the state capital, on Saturday.
He appealed to the state governor, Abdullahi Sule, the local government chairman and other political office holders to come to the urgent rescue of the community.
“We, the residents of Mahanga community in Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, are writing to bring to your attention the devastating impact of a severe windstorm that hit our community yesterday.
“The windstorm has caused damage to our homes, infrastructure and school, leaving many of us in dire need of assistance.
“We kindly appeal to the government and members of the public to provide emergency assistance to help us to enable us recover from this disaster.
“Your timely intervention would be greatly appreciated in providing relief materials, shelter, and support to our community,” he said.
The community leader added, “Over 50 houses were affected by the heavy windstorm, with roofs of many houses removed while others collapsed, leaving many households stranded.”
The Benue State Government has condemned recent comments by former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, describing them as “disturbingly insensitive” to the plight of victims affected by continued attacks in the state.
The response came through a statement issued on Saturday by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia, Sir Tersoo Kula.
Kula criticised Odinkalu for what he described as performative critique rather than genuine concern for the suffering of people in Benue.
Odinkalu had, in a post on April 23, 2025, via his official handle on X (formerly Twitter), accused Alia of misinforming the public about the identity of those behind the persistent attacks in the state.
Taking a swipe at the governor’s background as a Catholic priest, Odinkalu wrote: “The Governor of Benue State should return to the seminary or seek re-education.”
Odinkalu questioned the governor’s claim that the perpetrators of the recent massacres are “Hausa-speaking mercenaries from Mali,” pointing out the geographical and linguistic inconsistency.
“He says #BenueMassacres are the handiwork of Hausa speakers from Mali? Malians speak Bambara, Songhai, Malinke. Hausa speakers with French accent should be from Niger, not Mali,” he said.
The criticism came days after Alia publicly identified some of the attackers as Hausa-speaking mercenaries allegedly from Mali, a claim that has sparked debate and drawn criticism.
Responding, Kula stated: “It is quite disheartening to see personalities like Chidi Odinkalu, who should align in solidarity with the victims of these attacks, prefer to choose performative critique. This will take us away from the genuine issues befalling the people of Benue.”
He emphasised the dire situation in the state, saying: “Benue, with the appellation of the Food Basket of the Nation, is awfully bleeding from the dreadful wounds viciously inflicted as a result of relentless attacks by armed herders. Many innocent lives have been lost, and thousands of families have been displaced.”
Kula also highlighted Alia’s transparency about the challenges facing his administration, stating: “Gov. Alia has on various occasions openly acknowledged the limitations of his efforts in providing necessary support through logistics and manpower to federal security forces, which are evidently overstretched.”
The statement maintained that the governor has been consistent in identifying the perpetrators without resorting to ethnic stereotyping:
“Governor Alia has consistently pointed out the active involvement of criminal elements among Fulani herdsmen, who have resorted to hiring mercenaries to aid in their land-grabbing ventures. He discerns the pitfalls of generalisation. Stereotyping a whole ethnic group does not generate solutions to the crisis at hand.”
Calling for unity and empathy, the Benue government stressed that attention should remain focused on solving the crisis and supporting victims:
“In the present unfortunate circumstances, what truly matters is the reality of the terrorist attacks on the natives of Benue State. Whether the perpetrators are Malians, Nigeriens, or come from elsewhere, the focus should be on empathy and solutions rather than on vindictive criticisms,” Kula said.
In a fresh post on his verified X handle, Odinkalu reacted to the statement from Kula, further criticising Governor Alia’s handling of the crisis. He accused the governor who is also a Catholic priest of failing in both moral and leadership responsibilities amid ongoing attacks in rural communities.
“Mr. Catholic Governor of Benue State has shown a remarkable lack of both will and nous on this existential crisis in the State,” Odinkalu tweeted.
“The victims understand his failure of pastoral capability or advertence. Last week, they stoned him and his convoy out of Ukum.”
He further alleged that rather than take responsibility, Alia deflected blame by inventing “phantom perpetrators”:
“Rather than learn lessons from that chastening experience, Mr. Catholic Governor of Benue State chose to invent phantom perpetrators, claiming they are ‘Hausa from Mali.’”
Odinkalu’s reference to the Ukum incident alludes to a recent confrontation in the Ukum Local Government Area, where the governor was reportedly pelted with stones by angry residents frustrated by the government’s perceived inaction in curbing the violence.
Referencing the funeral of the Pope, which was marked globally, Odinkalu said,” #OnThisDay of #PopeFuneral, Benue State Gov, Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic Priest, has no time to mourn the Pope. Instead, he’s sent out Tersoo Kula, his #Spox, to issue a cringeworthy statement protesting that I said he, Mr. Catholic Governor, needs re-education.”
He concluded by questioning Alia’s qualifications for both governance and priesthood: “If he cannot be bothered to re-examine his record on this issue, it may be time for Mr. Catholic Governor of Benue State to reconsider his governorship credentials. Sadly, on the current evidence, even his credentials for the pulpit or the altar may be open to question.”
Members of the Rivers State Caucus in the National Assembly have declared their support for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
They also called on those aspiring to contest for the country’s number one position in the next general election to shelve their ambitions, stating that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda remains the surest path to Nigeria’s prosperity and progress.
The caucus, comprising two Senators and seven members of the House of Representatives—all members of the Peoples Democratic Party —said their position is based on the visible successes of Tinubu’s agenda, which they described as “working and on course.”
The Rivers NASS caucus made the declaration in a statement they all signed, which was read to newsmen on their behalf by Senator Barry Mpigi in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
They also lauded Tinubu’s economic policies, saying they are aimed at repositioning the country’s ailing economy, among other achievements.
The statement reads: “We, the members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, comprising Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, extend our heartfelt gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his trust and confidence in our leader, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, following his appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. We are gladdened by the President’s public acknowledgement and commendation of the exceptional performance of the Minister of FCT, whom he described as the ‘Master of Infrastructure.’
“Now, having carefully reviewed the President’s economic policies which are targeted at repositioning our once moribund economy through his Renewed Hope Agenda, and taking into account the massive rot and decadence he inherited on the 29th of May, 2023—including our unenviable debt profile and the terrible inflationary figures occasioned by the printing of N22.7 trillion by the Central Bank of Nigeria through Ways and Means overdraft for the Federal Government between 2015 and 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“And the near-absence of critical infrastructure to support food production; we have come to the conclusion that the President’s economic plan is the surest way out of our country’s social and economic morass. Further, our assessment is firm that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is very much on track with already visible results and a credible basis that offers greater improvement in the economic wellbeing of Nigerians if given the necessary time. Still, we are convinced that the declining inflation figures, the substantial reduction in our foreign debt profile, and an IMF-backed promising growth figure all bode well for the economy in the years ahead.”
While thanking Tinubu for his “swift” intervention in the political crisis in Rivers State, they said the President’s action “has set the process of peace in motion, even as we pray and hope to see a clear path to an enduring peace built on sincerity of purpose.”
The NASS Rivers Caucus reminded that in 2023, “we worked assiduously under the leadership of Nyesom Wike for the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And we were victorious in that assignment.”
The statement further added: “As members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, we declare unequivocally our unconditional resolve to work again for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027.
“As legislators who are closest to the people, we shall begin the mother of all mobilizations of our people to repeat in greater measure what we did in 2023 in order to re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Finally, we call on all Nigerians to support the consolidation of the Renewed Hope Agenda as the surest panacea for the prosperity and progress of Nigeria.
“And, in this connection, we appeal to would-be presidential candidates, especially those with desperate and never-ending presidential ambitions, to jettison such ambition and rally round our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) in 2027.”
The nine Rivers caucus members are Senator Barry Mpigi, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, Solomon Bob, Hon. Felix Nwaeke, Hon. Kelechi Nwogu, Cyril Hart, Victor Obuzor, and Blessing Amadi.
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly at Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday, their aides said, marking their first encounter since a disastrous White House clash as the US president pushes the Ukrainian to make a peace deal with Russia.
Trump was rubbing shoulders with dozens of world leaders at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome keen to bend his ear on the tariffs he has unleashed and other subjects.
But it was the meeting with Zelensky that drew the most interest as the US leader pushes the Ukrainian to make a peace deal with Russia.
The two leaders met briefly on the sidelines of the funeral before it started, a spokesman for the Ukrainian presidency said.
The meeting took place and is already over,” Zelensky’s spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov told journalists without providing further detail.
White House communications director Steven Cheung also confirmed the meeting occured, calling it “a very productive discussion” and saying more details would follow.
Trump and Zelensky, both accompanied by their wives, sat in the front row of the funeral in St Peter’s Square but were separated by nearly a dozen leaders. Zelensky glanced Trump’s way but they were not seen to meet in public.
Both sides had kept the prospects of a meeting vague ahead of the funeral with Trump saying only it was “possible”.
Tensions have been high since Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Zelensky in the Oval Office on February 28, calling him ungrateful for the billions of dollars of US military assistance given since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
• Blame game –
Trump, while calling on President Vladimir Putin to stop Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, has recently blamed Zelensky for the war and the continuing bloodshed.
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, triggering a conflict not seen in Europe for decades.
Trump has also pushed Zelensky to accept previously unpalatable concessions such as acknowledging that Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014, will remain in Russian hands under any deal to stop the conflict.
Arriving in Rome late Friday, Trump pushed for the Russian and Ukrainian leaders to meet after what he said was progress in talks.
“They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off’,” he posted on his Truth Social platform.
“Most of the major points are agreed to,” he said.
Putin on Friday discussed the “possibility” of direct talks with Ukraine in a meeting with US envoy Steve Witkoff.
But Zelensky again rejected suggestions that Ukraine give up Crimea.
Witkoff’s meeting with Putin came just after a top Russian general was killed in a car bomb attack outside Moscow.
An increasingly frustrated Trump last week threatened to walk away from peace efforts if he does not see progress towards a ceasefire.
Trump last year promised to end the Ukraine war within 24 hours if elected president, though he said in a Time magazine interview this week that he was speaking “in jest”.
• Few meetings –
The US president, accompanied by his wife Melania, is making the first foreign trip of his second term.
It puts him centre-stage for a major diplomatic gathering with some 50 heads of state, including 10 reigning monarchs, and Britain’s Prince William.
Trump’s trip to Italy also comes after he rattled European allies by imposing sweeping tariffs, although he at least temporarily has backed down from the most severe measures.
The US president shook hands with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. He also greeted French President Emmanuel Macron, a close ally.
Other leaders also swarmed Trump after he arrived.
One person he did not meet: his predecessor Joe Biden. Trump has repeatedly disparaged Biden, a devout Catholic attending independently with wife Jill and sitting five rows behind his successor.
Previously, other presidents have taken their predecessors with them on Air Force One to papal funerals.
Official Vatican images showed Trump and Melania stopping by the closed coffin in St Peter’s Basilica after his motorcade had arrived at the Vatican.
Trump, in a dark blue suit and tie, and Melania, wearing a black veil, then took their seats in the front row for the service.
Trump earlier said any meetings would be quick and added: “Frankly it’s a little disrespectful to have meetings when you’re at the funeral of the pope.”
He is due to fly back to the United States later Saturday after just half a day in the Eternal City.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, on Friday, warned land expansionists, land grabbers and other trespassers to leave forcefully acquired Ibadan land without further delay in their own interests.
He gave this warning during an emergency meeting of Obas, Mogajis and Baales in the boundary areas of Ibadan in Oyo State and Iwo in Osun State, respectively, held at the Olubadan Palace, Oke-Aremo in Ibadan.
Reacting to the ongoing boundary disputes between the two ancient cities, Oba Olakulehin declared that the Oba River had been the boundary from time immemorial.
According to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gbenga Ayoade, in Ibadan, the state capital, on Saturday, the monarch spoke through the Ekerin Olubadan, Oba Hamidu Aji
bade.
Olakulehin said, “I seriously warn land expansionists, land grabbers and other trespassers to leave forcefully acquired Ibadan land without further delay in their own interests.
“The established fact that Ibadan people are lovers of peaceful co-existence and therefore accommodating should not be taken for granted or misinterpreted as cowardice. “Yiyo ekun bi t’ojo ko.”
He therefore admonished the Obas, Mogajis and Baales in the affected areas to protect their territorial integrity and ensure the ownership of land belonging to Ibadan is not compromised, adding that “Trespassers should be prepared to face the music.”
Olubadan further charged traditional title holders in Ibadan and Iwo boundary areas “to give maximum support to the Olubadan of Ibadanland as well as the State Government to ensure that the land forcefully and fraudulently taken over is reclaimed.”
Present at the meeting were Ekarun Balogun of Ibadanland, High Chief (Senator) Sharafadeen Ali, Obas, Mogajis and Baales among others.
PUNCH Online reports that the monarch recently warned compound heads, popularly known as Mogajis and village heads, also referred to as Baales, against land grabbings and insubordination to elders within their families.
He gave this warning on last Monday during the installation of nine compound and two village heads in his Palace at Oke-Aremo in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gbenga Ayoade, on Tuesday in Ibadan, further warned them to ensure that peace reigns supreme in their domains as no meaningful development can be achieved without peace.
The United States and Iran were expected to start haggling over details of a potential nuclear deal in Oman Saturday as they held their third round of talks in as many weeks.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are again leading the discussions, which this time include a technical-level meeting between experts from both sides.
The talks are aimed at striking a new deal that would stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons — an objective Tehran denies pursuing — in return for relief from crippling sanctions.
US President Donald Trump pulled out of an earlier multilateral nuclear deal during his first term in office.
Araghchi has expressed “cautious optimism”, saying this week: “If the sole demand by the US is for Iran to not possess nuclear weapons, this demand is achievable.”
But if Washington had “impractical or illogical demands, we will naturally encounter problems”, he added.
Michael Anton, the State Department’s head of policy planning, leads the US expert-level delegation, while deputy foreign ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi will lead Tehran’s, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
Iranian state TV reported that the talks started at around midday Omani time (0800 GMT).
Iran’s state news agency IRNA said that while only one day of talks was scheduled, “given that the negotiations have entered technical and expert-level discussions and the examination of details… (they) may be extended if necessary”.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran’s defence capabilities and missile programme were not part of the discussions.
“The question of defence capacities and the country’s missiles is not (on the agenda),” he told state TV.
Trump would ‘prefer deal’
Trump, in an interview published Friday by Time magazine, reiterated his threat of military action if a deal fell through.
But he added that he “would much prefer a deal than bombs being dropped”.
Baqaei said Friday that the new talks, like the previous rounds in Muscat and Rome oon the previous two Saturdays, would be mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.
The negotiations are the highest-level engagement between the long-time foes since 2018, when Trump withdrew from the landmark 2015 accord that gave Iran sanctions relief in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy of sanctions against Tehran.
In March, he wrote to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing talks, but also warning of potential military action if diplomacy failed.
On Tuesday, Washington announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s oil network — a move Tehran described as “hostile” ahead of Saturday’s talks.
Western nations, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons — an allegation Tehran has consistently denied.
Iran maintains its nuclear programme is strictly for peaceful purposes.
On Wednesday, UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi called on Iran to explain tunnels built near its Natanz nuclear site, seen in satellite imagery released by the Institute for Science and International Security.
The Washington-based think tank also noted construction of a new security perimeter.
“We’re asking them, what is this for? They are telling us, it’s none of your business,” Grossi told reporters.
Tehran had no immediate comment.
‘Non-negotiable’ right
In an interview released Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated Washington’s firm stance against Iran’s uranium enrichment.
“If Iran wants a civil nuclear programme, they can have one just like many other countries in the world have one: and that is they import enriched material,” he said on the Honestly podcast.
Iran currently enriches uranium up to 60 percent, far above the 3.67 percent limit imposed by the 2015 deal but still below the 90 percent threshold required for weapons-grade material.
Araghchi has previously called Iran’s right to enrich uranium “non-negotiable”.
He said in the text of a speech posted to X this week that Iran sought “to build at least 19 more reactors”.
Tehran recently sought to reopen dialogue with Britain, France and Germany — also signatories to the 2015 deal — holding several rounds of nuclear talks ahead of the US meetings.
Last week, Rubio urged the three European states to decide whether to trigger the “snapback” mechanism under the 2015 agreement, which would automatically reinstate UN sanctions on Iran over its non-compliance.
The option to use the mechanism expires in October.
Iran has warned that it could withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if the snapback is triggered.
A popular TikToker identified simply as ‘Disturbing’ has died during a live video on social media.
PUNCH Online learnt that the incident occurred on Thursday at his residence in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
A viral video seen by our correspondent showed the final moments of the content creator, who was visibly distressed.
In the video, he appeared to have suffered a seizure before he later collapsed on the spot.
The deceased, a popular cobbler and musician in the community, also bears the nickname ‘Buckle’.
He was also known to have been consistently involved in the Justice For Mohbad movement.
Reacting to his death, the wife of the deceased, identified simply as Omowunmi in a TikTok post seen by PUNCH Online, disclosed that the deceased hit his head on a stone the moment he collapsed.
Omowunmi stated that she was in the kitchen when neighbours called her attention to the incident.
According to her, efforts made to revive him were unsuccessful, as he passed away on Friday morning.
“Yesterday morning, my husband was on TikTok live video while I cooked his food in the kitchen. Suddenly, he had a seizure, fell down, and hit his head on a stone that was in front of him. Blood was coming out of his head. A young boy and some neighbours who were passing then saw him. They thought he had fainted so they started pouring water on him. The young boy ran inside and called me from the kitchen.
“When I got there, I told them to stop pouring water and that it was a seizure. We quickly rushed him to the hospital, where they placed him on oxygen. He passed away this morning,” she narrated.
She, however, noted that it was not the first time her late husband would be having seizures, as he had been on medications.
Omowunmi, who dismissed speculation of a spiritual attack, said the last time he had such a seizure was in February.
“The last time he had it was in February. I have never left him by himself because of this seizure. If I were cooking in the kitchen, I would have grabbed him when the seizure happened. To everyone saying it was a spiritual attack. It is a pure medical issue,” she clarified.
