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A former queen of the Ooni of Ife, Naomi Silekunola, has applauded the dismissal of criminal charges against her and two others over a stampede incident in Ibadan, Oyo State, which led to the death of 35 children.

She, however, says her heart still grieves over the tragedy.

PUNCH Online reports that the Oyo State Government had in December 2024 filed murder charges against the ex-queen, popular broadcaster Oriyomi Hamzat and the Principal of Islamic High School in Bashorun, Abdullahi Fasasi.

The defendants spent nearly a month at Agodi Correctional Centre in Ibadan and spent Christmas and New Year’s Day in custody before they were released on bail.

At the Thursday proceedings, the Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, applied to withdraw the charges before an Oyo State High Court.

Following the application, the judge, Justice B.K. Olawoyin struck out the case and dismissed the murder charges.

Reacting to the ruling in a post via her Instagram handle on Thursday, Silekunola stated that she had been silent on the matter due to a court order but expressed relief at the outcome.

She wrote, “As a woman and a mother who for many years has been a passionate lover and advocate of children, my heart bleeds and goes out to the bereaved families whose children lost their lives in the event of December 18, 2024, which was intended for good but later ended up in a sad experience for us all.

“My prayer is for God to comfort the families and rest the souls of the children who lost their lives in the unfortunate occurrence. May the Lord restore their joy and grant each of them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

She appreciated the Oyo State Government for acting in good faith and also expressed gratitude to her family, religious leaders, and supporters for the love and prayers she received during her ordeal.

“Through God, in His infinite mercies today, the charges against us were withdrawn after a compassionate consideration from the Oyo State Government, having considered our intention and our attitude towards all that has happened.

“Though we feel relieved by the outcome of today’s court proceeding, my heart and the hearts of everyone directly affected still grieve the loss. I pray for our healing and ask for your prayers also.

“I have received love so pure, so genuine, with no iota of discrimination and prejudice… My dearest nuclear and extended family, my spiritual daddies and mummies, my loving ardent followers and fans spread across the globe, my friends, volunteers, and partners of Wings. Indeed, eniyan laso mi! You all prayed for me, on me, and with me. Ha! Thank you!! I couldn’t believe my ears and my eyes.”

The suspended senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, on Friday, secured a court injunction barring the Independent National Electoral Commission from accepting the recall petition from her constituency.

The push to recall the lawmaker intensified on Thursday, with more groups in her constituency throwing their weight behind the process.

The move comes on the heel of her suspension from the Red Chamber, after a dispute with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, over seating arrangements.

On Wednesday, constituents began the process for her recall but INEC denied knowledge of the process.

The Federal High Court sitting at Lokoja on Thursday, however, granted an interim injunction restraining INEC from receiving or acting on any petition seeking to recall her pending the determination of the motion.

The court granted the application following an ex-parte application for interim injunction supported by an affidavit of extreme urgency along with other court processes sworn to by Anebe Jacob Ogirima for himself and four others who are registered voters and constituents of Kogi Central Senatorial District.

 

The application was moved by Smart Nwachimere of West-Idahosa, SAN & Co.

 

The case was adjourned to May 6, 2025 for a report of service and further mention.

 

The order read, “That an interim injunction is granted restraining the defendant, staff, agents, privies or assigns from receiving, accepting or acting in any way whatsoever on any purported petitions submitted to the defendant by any person or persons whatsoever, containing fictitious signatures and names of purported members of the said district and conducting any referendum to initiate a recall process of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as senator pending the determination of the motion.

 

“That the enrolled order of this honourable court alongside the Motion on notice be served on the defendant/Respondent pending the determination of the substantive suit. That the return date shall be the 6th day of May 2025 for report of service and further mention.”

A member of the House of Representatives, Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, has expressed support for the declaration of emergency rule in Rivers State.

The lawmaker representing Ogbomoso North, South and Orire Federal Constituency described it “as a necessary step to restore order amid the escalating political crisis in the state.”

This was contained in a statement issued on Friday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Alao-Akala said, “The declaration of emergency rule in Rivers is in order, considering the current state of affairs in the state. It is important that we do everything possible to restore sanity and protect the interests of the people.

“The political crisis in that state has worsened in recent weeks, with tensions rising between key political stakeholders. This has led to concerns about a breakdown in law and order, prompting the Federal Government to consider the emergency rule as a last resort to contain the situation.”

The Chairman of the House Committee on Youth in Parliament stated that emergency rule should not be viewed as a long-term solution to the political crisis in the state.

He, however, asserted that it is the best course of action to prevent anarchy and safeguard residents from political fallout.

“The Youth in Parliament stands for democracy and good governance. However, when democracy is threatened by internal wranglings, it is the duty of the authorities to step in and restore stability. The people of Rivers deserve peace, and if emergency rule is what will guarantee that, then it is justified,” he stressed.

PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu had, on Tuesday, declared a state of emergency in Rivers State and suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, as well as members of the House of State House of Assembly for six months.

The President then appointed Vice Admiral Ibok-ete Ibas (retd) as the Sole Administrator for the state.

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has called for overhauling of outdated curricula in Nigerian Universities.

Kalu, while delivering his convocation lecture to mark the 37th convocation and 50th anniversary of the University Of Calabar on Thursday, revealed that with the use of Artificial Intelligence, most Nigerian courses are becoming obsolete and cannot be linked to problem-solving in line with modern realities.

The lawmaker emphasized that Nigerian Universities must rise up to its challenges and prioritise the introduction of tech skills such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, and data analysis.

He said, “The challenge beyond us is clear, our universities must go beyond theory to practical impact, bringing the gown into the town and now into cyberspace where knowledge is applied.”

“Universities should stop teaching students courses and curriculums that cannot transform them into problem solvers. There is so much emphasis on CGPA, and it is not based on GPA, it is based on problem-solving.

“Outdated teaching methods fail to empower students for future challenges. The true major of education is its true impact on the town. How many university projects directly tackle local challenges like health care, water access, food security or transportation? Our research should move away from theories and offer tangible solutions while graduates must be equipped to address real issues from policy refinements to policy transportation.

“Law faculties must adopt blockchains. Engineering students should embrace robotics when the gown mirrors the town’s needs, and productivity follows when we bridge the gap between academia and society university can drive national progress while contributing to global knowledge.

“We must translate theories into problem-solving, we should leverage technology and reform our curriculum. ”

Benjamin called on impactful learning on the path of University lecturers to students whom he described as future leaders who would shape the country’s policies, decisions, and laws in years ahead.

Ebira indigenes have condemned claims that the recall process against the lawmaker representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, was not backed by the majority of the electorate in the district.

The indigenes, drawn from the five local government areas of Kogi Central, reiterated their commitment to the recall, stating that the embarrassment caused by the embattled senator had taken an “international dimension.”

This position was contained in a statement on Thursday, jointly signed by the President and Secretary of the Kogi Central Elites Forum, Alhaji Ibrahim Ibrahim and Prince Akerejola Johnson of Ogori/Magongo LGA, respectively.

The constituents urged Nigerians to dismiss what they described as “deliberate mischief” by Akpoti-Uduaghan’s camp, which suggested that people were deceived into supporting the recall exercise.

“No one is sponsoring this recall. Our people are largely united on this cause. From the history of Ebiras, you know we cannot be deceived. What she has done has been mainly propaganda. Even some of us that supported her on social media then are no longer with her. We cannot trade the integrity of the state and Nigeria for a Senator’s selfish, juvenile tendencies.

“A matter as simple as not taking an assigned seat in the Senate should not be one that would warrant a ‘sexual harassment’ national embarrassment of this nature, especially where all evidence point to blackmail. This is not who we are as Ebiras,” the statement read.

Addressing concerns about the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) stance on the recall process, the group clarified that the electoral body’s role had been misrepresented.

INEC has no official role until after this signature collection phase. We are the ones that are doing the recall, the petitioners. We have to ensure that the required threshold is met before formally presenting it for verification. This is where INEC comes in,” they explained.

They urged the public to disregard “mischievous interpretations” of the recall process, stressing that politicians would always frame events to suit their interests.

“For us as Ebira people, we are determined to bring Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan back home. While she is at home, she may learn the rudiments of representing her constituents better.

“Ordinarily, we would never have allowed anyone to intimidate our daughter if she was on her right. But in this particular instance, she disrespected the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which has clear rules and went on to introduce slants that have never been heard of in the history of the Senate.

“We investigated and we know the truth. Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan should come home and learn the art of law-making. It is not about content creation like many people have said,” the statement concluded.

The National Assembly has been engulfed in controversy following allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio after Akpoti-Uduaghan was penalized for refusing to adhere to Senate rules.

Senator Samuel Anyanwu.

The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party, its acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and members of the National Disciplinary Committee led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Tom Ikimi from expelling Senator Samuel Anyanwu from the party.

Justice Y. Halilu, in an order dated March 20, and exclusively obtained by The PUNCH on Friday, issued the directive after hearing Motion Ex-parte M/3951/2025, filed on March 17, 2025, along with an affidavit of urgency. The court also listened to the arguments of Anyanwu’s counsel, K.C. O Njemanze, and M. L. Young-Arney.

As reported exclusively by The PUNCH on March 13, the National Disciplinary Committee, led by the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, recommended the expulsion of Senator Samuel Anyanwu, a loyalist of ex-Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, from the PDP.

In a letter signed by Ikimi on March 10 and received by the PDP acting National Chairman on March 11, the NDC stated that, despite being given an opportunity, Anyanwu failed to deny or defend himself against the petition filed by the Young Generation Caucus.

Ikimi committee’s report read in part “Having listened to the petitioners and the evidence led, including the oral testimonies of Hon. Afolabi Adekanbi and Dr Alex Adum, we find that the respondent, Senator Samuel Anyawu, was engaged in anti-party activities contrary to the provisions of Article 58 (1)(f) of the PDP Constitution 2017 and conduct likely to disrupt the peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of the business of the party contrary to provisions of Article 58(1)(h) of the PDP Constitution 2017, by inviting security agents and other persons and thugs to interfere in the ordinary business of the party at the Headquarters of the party, at Wadata Plaza, Plot 1970, Michael Opara Street, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja., particularly 29th January and 1st February 2025.

“The NDC recommends to the National Executive Committee of the PDP as follows: Expulsion of the Respondent i.e. Senator Samuel Anyawu, as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.”

Consequently, the High Court in Abuja issued an interim injunction, restraining Damagum, the PDP, Ikimi, and other disciplinary committee members from accepting, acting on, or implementing the National Disciplinary Committee’s findings, decision, or recommendations until the Motion on Notice for an Interlocutory Injunction is heard and decided.

The order read in part, “An Order of Interim Injunction restraining the Damagum and PDP their officers, agents and or servants from in whatsoever manner accepting, acting on, implementing and or giving effect to the findings, decision and or recommendation of the National Disciplinary Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (headed by the Ikimi with Senator Abdullahi Idris Uka, Eyitayo Jegede SAN as members) made on 10th March, 2025 pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction, is hereby granted.

“An order of interim injunction restraining the Damagum and PDP, including the National Disciplinary Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, their officers, agents and or servants howsoever or whatsoever manner from suspending and or expelling the Anyanwu as a member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party or taking actions or steps adverse or prejudicial to or likely to be adverse or prejudicial to the Anyanwu’s membership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction, is hereby granted.”

The motion on notice has been adjourned for hearing on April 7.