An Ekiti State High Court on Tuesday sentenced five persons to death by hanging for the offences of armed robbery and murder.
The five defendants were also sentenced to 21 years’ imprisonment each for the offences of conspiracy.
The defendants, Ojo Tope, Damilola Christopher, Joshua Adegoke, Aderopo Temitope and Oyedele Oluwatobi were tried and convicted for committing the offences of armed robbery, murder and conspiracy.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Julius Ajibare, who prosecuted the case on behalf of Ekiti State, had told the court, “The offences were committed by the defendants on the 18th August, 2021 at Agogo Street, Ilupeju Avenue, Odo Ado, Ado Ekiti.
“The defendants robbed Ajiboye Olajide, Lateef Temidayo Busari, and Akeem lsiaka of their money, laptop computers, mobile phones, and other valuables.
“In the process of the robbery, the five defendants also killed the street night guard, named Joseph Blessing.
“They were arrested and charged to court with the offences of conspiracy, murder and armed robbery contrary to Section 516A of the Criminal Code Law, Cap. C16, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012, Section 319 of the same law and Section 1 (2)( a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, Cap. R11, Laws of Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”
The DPP called four witnesses and tendered 13 exhibits to prove his case before the court.
The defendants were represented by Adeyinka Opaleke, and each of them gave evidence without calling additional witnesses.
Justice Olalekan Olatawura, in the judgment, held that the prosecution proved the counts of armed robbery, murder, and conspiracy against all five defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge consequently convicted all the defendants and sentenced them to death by hanging for armed robbery and murder, and 21 years imprisonment for conspiracy.
Legendary Juju musician, King Sunny Ade, has dismissed widespread speculations about his safety and whereabouts, declaring on Tuesday that he was neither missing nor kidnapped.
The music icon made this known in a live video shared by one of his wives, Mrs. Bose Olubo-Adegeye, following a social media storm ignited by his daughter, Damilola Adeniyi-Adegeye.
Damilola had on Monday, raised the alarm over her father’s whereabouts, accusing her stepbrother, Dayo, whom she described as KSA’s manager, of allegedly holding the veteran singer hostage and mismanaging his affairs.
In a flurry of social media posts, Damilola called for Dayo’s arrest, claiming he had been “stealing” from the musician and preventing access to him.
One of her posts read: “Dad told my brother that he wants to go home. Where is he? Where are his phones? He has not been online or picking up his calls. Where is he?”
Another stated: “I want Dayo (manager) apprehended. I want him to provide all the money they have been stealing from him. He has a UK visa, thinking he can run.”
However, speaking in the video on Tuesday, King Sunny Ade reassured fans that he was hale, hearty, and actively performing live music at events. He specifically mentioned performing at a show in Lekki, Lagos, over the weekend and noted that he was on his way to another performance.
“Nobody kidnapped me. I pray, as I don’t want anybody to kidnap me. I believe that the whole world is in love with me. This is me, King Sunny Ade. I have to thank God and you, my fans, for the concern. I have been doing my shows. I was at a show last Saturday at Lekki, Lagos. I am on my way to have a show, and I am coming back again to play in Lagos, as well. So, I have nothing to say other than to thank God and to thank you,” KSA said.
The singer also appreciated Nigerians and fans worldwide for their concern, noting that the confusion might have stemmed from some of his children not seeing him recently.
“I know my children are in love with me, and they want to see me. I didn’t go anywhere. This is me. I thank the children, too, for their concern as well.
“By God’s grace, enjoyment continues. I am still in music. Music is my life; it is my business, and I will continue to do it. I thank the whole world for loving me as usual,” he added.
The Labour Party in Delta State has tackled Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on the wasteful defection ceremony.
The National Vice Chairman South-South of the Labour Party, Chief Tony Ezeagwu, stated this on Tuesday while reacting to the defection of the entire Delta PDP members in Asaba, Delta State.
Ezeagwu stressed that LP will maintain a strong opposition in the state after the collapse of PDP into APC, describing the defection ceremony as a waste of Delta resources.
He said, “We are the only opposition in Delta State now, we just thanked God that the governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and his PDP members made the blunder by defecting to APC.
“As long as LP is concerned, we don’t have anything on the defection, but it is an advantage to us because, as it is today, before they finish their fighting in APC, we have gone very far.
He said there will definitely be a lot of infighting in their new party, as people from diverse backgrounds, including those who previously left the party due to internal disputes, are now returning to join the same group they once clashed with.
“And trust Nigerian politicians, no politicians have the interest of the people; it is personal interest, so as long as they are concerned, they are not going to put anybody into consideration, rather everybody will be fighting for what he or she will benefit.
“That’s exactly what you will see going on there. It is because of that particular interest, you will see that in the end, they will scatter more in the APC.
“Watch out, you will see that almost 80 per cent of them who moved now, will move back to other political parties. Let me not say precisely they are coming to join LP, because as it is, they have grounded PDP and it will be difficult for PDP to find it seat in Delta any longer.
“It is a complete waste of resources for Oborewori to spend such a huge amount of money to officially defect to APC,” said Ezeagwu
The LP leader further said there have been conversations about looting public funds in the past, yet they continue to loot and waste our money. He added that their move to the APC is simply to validate Adams Oshiomhole’s infamous remark: “As soon as you join APC, your sins are forgiven.” According to him, APC is just a shelter for them; that is why they have gone there.
The Indigenous Igbo Women Assembly, says, if the Chief of Defense Staff, General Christopher Musa is genuinely committed to the restoration of peace in the zone, he should ‘move his men to the bush to combat the killer herdsmen killing farmers and raping women and girls.’
The women made this known following recent advice by the CDS to the people of the South East against promoting the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network, particularly through social media.
The CDS, represented by Group Captain Ibrahim Bukar, during a recent engagement in Anambra State, had said that the spread of unverified information “not only endangers the region but also poses a threat to national unity and peace”, adding that “IPOB’s actions are detrimental not just to the South East, but to Nigeria as a whole,” and should not be supported in any form.
However, in a statement, IWA’s National President, Lolo Nneka Chimezie, challenged the CDS that IPOB is not a terrorist group, but a peaceful movement protesting the marginalisation and continued exclusion of the South East from the scheme of things in Nigeria, urging him to advise the federal government to listen to the agitations of IPOB and engage the group in dialogue with a view to addressing its genuine concerns, instead of resorting to propaganda to blackmail its members.
According to the statement made available to newsmen in Umuahia on Sunday, the women said, “We want to remind Gen. Musa that IPOB members are not terrorists but our children who are protesting the ill-treatment and marginalisation of the South East from the scheme of things in Nigeria. Since the civil war up till now, the South East has been grossly marginalized by the Nigerian State.
“From 1966 after the assassination of Gen. Aguiyironsi till date, no Igbo man has been President of Nigeria. Ndigbo have grossly been marginalized in political appointments by successive administrations in the country. They have been denied their rightful promotion especially those in the security agencies. And that’s part of the reasons Igbo youths are losing interest in military recruitment. They have refused to join the military and even the police because they hardly get promoted like their colleagues from other tribes”.
Expressing their concern further, the women asked, “Why is the federal government killing IPOB members but granting amnesty to bandits and mass murderers who have not stopped killing innocent citizens, including security agents? Why is the government killing our youths during peaceful protests, but allowing armed herdsmen on a killing spree to keep roaming our communities with guns?
“What is the rationale behind the constant release of captured terrorists who claim to have repented, while peaceful agitators like IPOB members are held in perpetual detention? Fulani herdsmen do not need AK-47s in the South East because there has never been any incident of cattle rustling in the region. For them to carry AK-47s about, shooting people shows they have an evil agenda because they don’t shoot and run, but shoot and stay.
“What IPOB is demanding is legitimate. It’s their right. Those causing mayhem in the zone are criminal elements and killer herdsmen. If the CDS truly loves the restoration of peace in the South East, let him advise the federal government to listen to IPOB and engage the youths in sincere dialogue and address their grievances.
“Gen. Musa should understand that the problem of the South East is not IPOB: our problem is the rampaging Fulani herdsmen busy displacing communities across the zone. If Gen. Musa wants to maintain peace and order in the South East, he should move his men to the bush to combat the killer herdsmen killing our farmers and raping our women and girls”.
IWA traced the genesis of the tension in the South East to the deployment of the military to the zone during a special military operation codenamed Python Dance, stating, “May we remind Gen. Musa that prior to the drafting and deployment of the military to the South East by President Muhammadu Buhari, we had absolute peace in Igbo land. South East was the most peaceful region in Nigeria before then.
“When the federal government abducted IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from Kenya, the problem became worse. IPOB members in protest declared a Monday sit-at-home protest but relaxed it after appeals from the elders. During President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a lot of them were shot and killed in Port Harcourt for celebrating Trump. Many were also killed in Onitsha and Aba for merely praying and carrying out peaceful protests.
The Igbo women also decried the continued migration of youths from the South East who are fleeing intimidation and humiliation by security operatives, especially at roadblocks and condemned reprisal attacks on innocent communities any time security agents come under attacks by criminals in South East, stating, “While the security operatives deployed to the South East were busy crushing our youths, criminals were busy spreading insecurity in the South East.
“There have been several attacks against security agencies in the North but how many Northern villages were sacked in the aftermath unlike here in the South East? Awo Idemiri and Eke Ututu market in Imo State were all attacked. These made our youths to migrate from the South East in their droves. What the security agents are doing is to systematically chase our youths away so that we will not have those to defend us when the rumoured jihad eventually starts.”
IWA further raised alarm over the influx of aliens in the South East and urged security agents to investigate their mission, stating, “There is an invasion of the South East by strange faces doing all sorts of menial jobs and surveying our land. These strange faces are not IPOB members. In some villages, some of these jobless wanderers outnumber the owners of the land. What’s the Nigerian Government doing that has not stopped these marauders who are moving about with guns and killing innocent citizens at will?
Igbo women, therefore, demanded the immediate dismantling of security roadblocks across the South East, which, they said, have become extortion points, causing traffic delays.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested a popular Lagos socialite, Emeka Okonkwo Daniel (a.k.a. E-Money), for allegedly abusing the Naira note.
Our correspondent gathered that he was arrested on Monday night at his residence in the Omole area of Lagos.
Sources within the commission on Tuesday said E-Money was arrested for allegedly spraying United States dollars, an act said to be in violation of the Foreign Exchange Act.
One of the sources said, “On Monday night, we arrested E-Money for Naira abuse and defacing foreign currencies. Specifically, he was alleged to have sprayed U.S. dollars, which is against the Foreign Exchange Act.
“He was arrested at his Omole, Lagos residence. Preliminary investigations are ongoing, and he will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.”
Another source who confirmed his arrest to our correspondent stated that E-Money is currently being flown to Abuja for questioning.
The source, who is not authorised to speak to the press, said, “Yes, he has been arrested and is being flown to Abuja as I speak, to face investigators on the issue.”
When contacted, EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale declined to comment on the matter.
Shade, the wife of billionaire businessman Razak Okoya, has revealed that she did not miss out on anything in life despite marrying her husband at the age of 21.
Okoya stated this during an interview with BBC Yoruba about her marriage on Sunday.
The socialite noted that she has no regrets about marrying an older man.
According to her, choosing to marry an elderly partner has not prevented her from experiencing any aspect of life.
She said, “My husband has been very generous to me and defends me everywhere. God said this is where I will be. We met each other, and he liked me.
“I’m happy in my marriage to him. He is far older than me, but I don’t think I ever missed out on anything because I didn’t marry a younger man. I remember when he expressed his interest in me – it was straightforward, and he got down to business by meeting my parents and doing the needful in no time.”
Shade, now 48 years old, married billionaire businessman Razak Okoya in 1999, at the age of 21.
Her husband, who is currently 85 years old, was already a prominent figure in Nigeria’s business landscape at the time of their union.
She confidently stated that she has never felt deprived or disadvantaged for not marrying a younger man.
Okoya shared more insight into her marital journey, expressing deep satisfaction and happiness, and affirming that her marriage has been fulfilling and rewarding.
The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, waded into the simmering public altercations over the boundary dispute between Osun and Oyo states.
A statement by the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Dotun Oyelade, in Ibadan, the state capital, said the government urged both sides of the divide to stop the back-and-forth blame game and allow the two governments to continue mature discussions on the resolution to the land dispute.
He said that the media feed on combustible materials such as this, and while unending hostile public statements feed the media nest, they are injurious and distracting to what the governors of the two states are doing.
Oyelade said, “The two governments believe that the protracted land dispute is not intractable and traditional institutions should not be a clog in the wheel of peaceful resolution.
“Governors Seyi Makinde and Ademola Adeleke are cooperating fully with the National Boundary Commission through their representatives and believe that an amicable solution will be arrived at soon.”
The National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Operations Office and other stakeholders on Monday received 203 vulnerable Nigerian returnees from Libya.
This was according to a statement shared on NEMA’s official X handle on Tuesday.
The agency, in the statement, noted that the returnees were received at the Murtala Muhamed International Airport, Cargo Terminal in Lagos.
It added that returnees arrived at the airport at 19:00hours aboard a Al Buraq Boeing chartered flight with registration number 5A-BAC.
The statement read, “The returnees comprised 50 males, 96 females, 29 Children and 28 infants. They (returnees) were offered necessary assistance by the International Organisation for Migration with the support of NEMA, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons Offices, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Department of State Services, the Port Health Services and the Nigeria Police Force.
“There were two medical cases, and the patients were transferred to New Ikeja Hospitals for treatment.
“After the mandatory profiling and biometric exercise, the returnees were moved to Igando Internally Displaced Persons resettlement centre for further reintegration programme.”
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday ordered businesswoman Aisha Achimugu to appear before it on Wednesday in connection with an ongoing investigation involving her.
Justice Emeka Nwite issued the directive after also ordering Achimugu to report to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Tuesday and subsequently appear in court on Wednesday in the company of EFCC officials.
The order followed an application filed by Achimugu’s counsel, Kehinde Ogunwumiju (SAN), seeking to prevent the EFCC from detaining or harassing Achimugu during her compliance with their investigation invitation.
Earlier, on April 11, Justice Nwite had directed the EFCC and five other security agencies to file their defences in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Achimugu. She is seeking protection from arrest and detention.
The security agencies named in the suit include the Nigeria Police Force; the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission; the Depertment of State Services; the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps; and the Nigerian Immigration Service.
Achimugu, an industrialist, filed an ex parte motion, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/626/2025 on April 3, listing the agencies as first to sixth respondents.
The EFCC alleges that Achimugu, through her company, Ocean Gate Engineering Oil and Gas Limited, acquired two oil blocks using funds not traceable to legitimate earnings, and that corrupt practices tainted the acquisition process. The investigation remains ongoing.
In response, Achimugu sought interim reliefs restraining the agencies from harassing, detaining, or violating her rights to freedom of movement, liberty, privacy, and property. She further alleged that her declaration as “wanted” by the EFCC on March 28 was unjustified and damaging to her reputation and professional standing.
At Monday’s hearing, Ogunwumiju informed the court that Achimugu would return to Nigeria on Tuesday to report to the EFCC by noon.
He urged the court to ensure she is protected from harassment, especially considering her role as the mother of a child with special needs.
EFCC counsel, Ekele Iheanacho, opposed the application, arguing that it was speculative and that Achimugu had previously breached administrative bail conditions by failing to honour invitations.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite directed the EFCC to continue its investigation while ensuring Achimugu’s appearance in court the next day.
“The applicant shall appear before the 4th respondent (EFCC) on April 29, 2025, as outlined in her affidavit. Upon her appearance, the respondent shall return with the applicant to this court on April 30, 2025, to report on the proceedings,” the judge ruled.
Representatives from the ICPC, DSS, EFCC, and NIS were present at the Monday session.
The Oyo State Police Command on Tuesday said that the video of the alleged invasion of the state by suspected Boko Haram currently circulating on social media was recycled.
The command’s spokesman, CSP Adewale Osifeso, stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Ibadan, the state capital.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a video clip is currently being circulated on social media alleging the arrest of suspected Boko Haram members who invaded the state along the Ibadan Expressway.
“The Police Command in Oyo wishes to address the recent circulation of misleading information on social media regarding a video that purportedly shows an attempted invasion of the state by Boko Haram elements intercepted along the Ibadan Express road.
“The video, which allegedly depicts articulated trucks filled with motorcycles and weapons, has been verified as a recycled clip from 2022,” he said.
Osifeso said the re-emergence of the video, particularly during a period of enhanced security in the state, suggests a deliberate attempt by certain individuals with malicious intent, seeking to spread falsehoods and incite fear and unrest.
“The command urges the public to remain vigilant and disregard such antics; we assure that this does not pose any current threat to the safety and security of the state.
“To further substantiate our claim regarding the video’s outdated nature, we note that the Divisional Crime Officer (DCO) at the Ilero Divisional Police Headquarters, DSP. Segun Adeyemo, who appeared briefly in the video, retired from the Nigeria Police Force in August 2024 after a long period of meritorious service,” he added.
Osifeso reaffirmed the command’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding all residents in the state.
He urged the public to avoid circulating outdated video content pertaining to issues that had been previously resolved and encouraged them to thoroughly verify any information before sharing on social media.
