Following the arrest of some three members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) who were involved in the capturing of suspected kidnap kingpin, Iskilu Wakilu, civil right lawyer, Dr. Kayode Ajulo has urged the police to release the arrested individuals.
Saying the arrest was an unfortunate development in the first place, Ajulo urged the police to release the OPC men without any further delay.
Speaking through his aide, Wole Adepoju, the Mayegun Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba said the issue at hand is such a sensitive one and therefore must be treated as such.
Ajulo said complains about Wakilu’s activities in Ibarapa area of Oyo state have been so rife that it was expected the police would have done something about it but nothing seemed to be coming forth. He further said it was regrettable that the police would now turn against the OPC operatives who made the job of the police easy by turning in the alleged kidnap kingpin.
Also, he said the police ought to have recognized fact that the arrested men were not acting in isolation but as members of an age long sectional group saddled with responsibility of defending integrity of Yorubaland and as a matter of exigency, backed by the sons and daughters of Yoruba land to ensure that pockets of insecurity being witnessed in the South West doesn’t degenerate further than it is. He argued that it is better Wakilu was apprehended and handed over to the police, rather than being killed outrightly. He therefore said the arrest of the OPC men by the police is fittingly and unwittingly sending wrong signal to the populace.
Ajulo added that, by extant law, citizen arrest is lawful as anyone having reasonable suspicion can arrest a suspect and within reasonable time hand such suspect over to the authority.
On a final note, while the former national secretary of Labour Party urged the police to free the detained OPC members, he advised that the police should hence desist from action that may make it appear to be partisan in a matter that involves two or more ethnicity as this, as it could cast a stain on its image.
Mass kidnappings of children in Nigeria have been making global headlines recently and this has been hard to watch for a young woman who was abducted in an infamous attack on a school in Chibok.
Naomi Adamu is quiet. As she talks she rarely makes eye contact, keeping her voice low and steady.
Upon meeting her, few would suspect she survived one of the most harrowing experiences a young woman could go through. But her timid demeanour belies an extraordinary strength of character.
Naomi, 24 at the time of the attack, was the oldest of more than 270 students from the Chibok Government Secondary School for Girls abducted by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in April 2014.
Her classmates referred to her as Maman Mu, Our Mother. Her education had been interrupted by health problems as a child.
She is now the main protagonist in a new book on the so-called “Chibok girls”.
The book explores the girls’ time in captivity in detail, and shows how the social media campaign that made them famous also made it harder to secure their release. Their fame had made them precious commodities, too valuable to let go.
During the three years she spent with Boko Haram, Naomi refused to bow down to pressure to marry one of their fighters, or convert to Islam.
Instead she and another classmate wrote secret diaries in textbooks they were given to write Islamic verses. She kept them hidden in a makeshift pouch tied to her leg.
“We decided that we should write down our stories,” she tells me, “so that if one of us got to escape, we could let people know what happened to us”.
She shows me one of the diaries, a lined text book with a fraying cover. In it is a letter to her dad, written just before Christmas of the year they were kidnapped.
“Dear my lovely dad, I miss you so much in this moment.
“Dad, I want to see you, I’m so worried about you and mum and the rest of the people at home.
“I wasn’t aware that this could happen to me, none of us who Boko Haram kidnapped realised that. By the Grace of God dad, I miss you so much.
“I want you to help me in prayer all the time so that I will defeat the devil each time he comes to torment me. So dad, I will like to stop here.
“I miss you so much. Goodbye have a nice day.
“Your lovely daughter, Naomi Adamu. Wish you a merry Christmas.”
Besides being separated from their loved ones and not knowing how they were doing or if they were even alive, the girls suffered many hardships.
They were moved frequently to avoid detection by the myriad armed forces looking for them, including the Nigerian military, foreign mercenaries and American drones.
Apart from a brief period in the town of Gwoza, captured by Boko Haram in late 2014, they spent most of their time in camps in the Sambisa forest, the group’s main hiding place.
“It was a very difficult time for us in Sambisa,” Naomi explains, “there was no food, no water. We even had to use soil to clean ourselves up when we were on our periods.”
Senior Boko Haram militants were constantly trying to get Naomi to marry one of their fighters. They believed seeing her get married would help convince the younger girls to follow her lead.
Every time she refused she would be beaten brutally and threatened with death.
When I ask how she knew she would not be killed for refusing to obey her captors, Naomi says she was not ready to get married.
Her insubordination led her and others to be introduced to the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau. But during the meeting he made a surprising revelation.
“Shekau told us that he didn’t abduct us to marry us off, but because he wanted to put pressure on the government to release his men who were in detention.”
The discovery strengthened her resolve and soon there were other rebellions.
When the militants kept her and some of the more stubborn students apart from their peers, depriving the weaker girls of food in order to force them to marry, Naomi and her friends smuggled food to them.
They sang hymns in front of their guards, quietly at first, then more boldly. Most of the kidnapped students were Christians. They wrote down their favourite Bible verses and prayers in their diaries.
She was eventually freed in 2017 along with 81 other girls, following years of painstaking negotiations between a small team of Nigerian volunteers and a Swiss diplomat.
At the time she thought Boko Haram was on its last legs.
“I didn’t think Boko Haram would still be active today because when we left there, they were splitting into two groups, so we thought they were over. Some of them were in Sambisa, whilst some were Kangaroua.”
But the social media campaign to free the girls, led by celebrities including the US first lady at the time, Michelle Obama, had propelled them to fame and shown Boko Haram how valuable school children were as captives.
When Serena Williams battled Simona Halep in the women’s final at Wimbledon on July 13, 2019, looking on from center court was Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton seated next to Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle.
When not focused on the back-and-forth on the grass, the two were seen smiling and engaged in conversation. The image of the two beaming royals — one a seasoned vet and the other, still navigating her way through the family firm — made international headlines because the outing followed a spate of negative stories accusing Markle of making Duchess Kate cry during a dramatic family rift.
The match, and those images of a seemingly friendly pair, became a subject of conversation Sunday night during Oprah Winfrey’s bombshell CBS special, Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special. Markle countered the many tabloid claims by saying she ended up in tears after Duchess Kate got upset over dresses for the flower girls at Prince Harry and Markle’s 2018 nuptials.
“That’s when everything changed,” Markle said, claiming that after the bad press made its way into the world, the Palace’s communications team did nothing to protect her from what she said was a false narrative. “A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something with the flower girl dresses. It made me cry and it really hurt my feelings. In the context of everything going on, it didn’t make sense to not just be doing whatever else was doing was to be supportive.”
But what about that day at Wimbledon, Winfrey asked? She wanted to know whether Duchess Kate was embracing her or being helpful as she was finding her way in this new royal reality, especially at an event like Wimbledon when Markle was supporting a champion on the court. Though Winfrey didn’t mention Williams by name, she said “your friend” to Markle as it’s widely known that the two are close friends. Williams even attended Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. Markle said that while everyone welcomed her, “it’s nothing like what it looks like.”
After the two-hour special aired, Williams took to Instagram to show support for “my selfless friend” Markle. “She teaches me every day what it means to be truly noble. Her words illustrate the pain and cruelty she’s experienced,” read the post. “I know firsthand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us. We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal.”
During her interview, Markle told Winfrey that after experiencing racism, intense tabloid scrutiny and negative headlines, and a lack of protection from the institution’s publicity arm, she was plagued by thoughts of suicide. At her breaking point, Markle told Prince Harry she was having thoughts of self-harm and she hoped to check into a facility but was told that was not possible by Palace officials.
“I want Meghan’s daughter, my daughter and your daughter to live in a society that is driven by respect,” Williams said of Markle, now expecting a baby girl to join the couple’s son Archie. “Keep in your memory the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control. Against such things, there is no law.”
Williams was not the only celebrity to speak out following the interview which was trending on Twitter and will deliver much discourse in the days to come as it airs in England Monday night. Winfrey is also appearing Monday morning opposite longtime friend Gayle King on CBS This Morning to show new clips that didn’t make Sunday’s final cut.
Amanda Gorman, the inauguration poet who became an overnight sensation, also shared words with her 1.5 million followers on Twitter. “Meghan was living the life Diana should have, if only those around her had been as brave as she was,” Gorman said, in reference to Prince Harry’s late mother. “Meghan isn’t living a life without pain, but a life without prison. This isn’t Meghan’s princess ‘happy’ ending. But sometimes change, the decisions that bring us the most hurt, aren’t about happiness but healing.”
MacKenzie Scott, one of the richest women in the world, is off the market. The very private billionaire, who divorced Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after 25 years of marriage, has quietly wed Seattle teacher Dan Jewett, according to a blog post from the groom.
It’s unclear when the newlyweds tied the knot; Scott could not be reached for comment. The news trickled out Saturday after Jewett posted on Scott’s Giving Pledge page, and was first reported in the Wall Street Journal.
“I have been a teacher for the majority of my life, as well as a grateful student of the generosity of those around me,” he wrote. “This has meant doing my best to follow their example by passing on resources of all kinds — from time, to energy, to material possessions — when I have had them to give. And now, in a stroke of happy coincidence, I am married to one of the most generous and kind people I know — and joining her in a commitment to pass on an enormous financial wealth to serve others.”
Scott, 50, received $36 billion when her divorce was finalized two years ago. The fortune has grown to an estimated $53 billion, most of which the novelist and philanthropist has pledged to give away. Scott’s personal wealth has grown significantly during the pandemic, along with Amazon’s share price. “This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling,” she wrote in a Medium post in December. “Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires.”
She apparently met Jewett through Seattle’s Lakeside School, where her children attend classes and Jewett taught high school science. The elite private school for grades 5-12 boasts Bill Gates as an alumni.
Scott shared the happy news on her author bio on Amazon’s website: “She lives in Seattle with her four children and her husband, Dan.”
In a gracious note, Bezos (who also owns The Washington Post) seems genuinely thrilled for his ex-wife: “Dan is such a great guy, and I’m happy and excited for the both of them,” he said in a statement.
It also appears that Jewett’s days in the classroom are over. In his posting, Jewett said he and Scott “are united in that understanding and in our excitement for all we have to learn from so many people working in service of others. With that as a foundation, I join with the kindest and most thoughtful person I know in making this pledge, grateful for the exceptional privilege it will be to partner in giving away assets with the potential to do so much good when shared.”
The UN says it has not received any evidence from the United Arab Emirates that Dubai’s Princess Latifa is still alive, a fortnight after seeking proof. The United Nations Human Rights Office asked for evidence that the daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum was still alive after a video shot by the princess was broadcast by the BBC.
“We raised our concerns about the situation in light of the disturbing video evidence that emerged this week,” Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at the time.
“We have asked for a proof of life – we have asked for further information.”
In the video, Princess Latifa, now 35-years-old, said she was being held captive in a “villa jail” in Dubai and that she feared for her life.
A spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Rupert Colville said: ”We’ve held discussions with representatives of the UAE government here in Geneva, but I don’t have any particular progress to report.”
He said that proof of life of the princess had “not yet” been received.
In February, a statement sent by the United Arab Emirates embassy in London from Princess Latifa’s family insisted she was “being cared for at home.”
Also in February, a handwritten letter from 2019, which was only given to police by the princesses friends last month, was revealed.
In the letter, Princess Latifa urged British police to reinvestigate the disappearance of her sister, Shamsa, who was was kidnapped on the orders of their father after fleeing the family’s estate in Surrey over two decades ago.
The letter, which was received by Cambridgeshire Constabulary, said: “All I ask of you is to please give attention on her case because it could get her freedom … your help and attention on her case could free her. She has strong links to England … she really loves England, all of her fondest memories are of her time there.”
It is understood Shamsa fled the family’s Longcross Estate in Surrey. Shamsa was forcibly taken, flown by helicopter to France and by private jet back to Dubai.
Hiding in the shadows and doing things under the cover of his easy going nature, Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa has set his state alight with his work. 365-plus days in office and the former Senator representing Bayelsa Central is still a son of miracles. Indeed, who else could have gotten so much done in so few days?
He is neither stiff-necked, needlessly ceremonious, nor likely to peg an award for taking office shots or blaring his many good deeds. Diri is not that sort of man. Where one finds him is where he prefers to be: at work, thinking up ways to polish the fortunes of his Bayelsa people. Not afraid, not dawdling, not denting his work table with an anxious head.
So much executed, so little praise sought! In the beginning, the assumption – based on his phenomenal mode of obtaining the gubernatorial chair – was that he would laze about, or commandeer new projects and abandon old ones. But old ginger is spicier, as experienced minds can tell that Diri is no slouch.
From the projects of the past administration to those he approved of himself, the Miracle Governor has left nothing unturned. It is to the merit of this boundless sense of propriety that some formerly-ongoing projects have been completed and commissioned; that some formerly-derelict constructions are currently underway and nearing completion.
Is the completion of the water project in Ovom Town, Yenagoa LGA, not deserving of a glass raised to Governor Diri in salute? How about the Kaiama Referral Hospital; or the state-of-the-art Incinerator at the Bayelsa Medical University Complex; or the Imiringi Community Bridge in Ogbia LGA — all, aside the Ovom Water Project, were commissioned on the same day!
What about the ongoing projects? The complex to harbour Radio Bayelsa, Niger Delta TV and New Waves Newspaper is underway. So is the construction of the Elebele Community Bridge (Ogbia LGA), and the Igbedi Road in Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA that stretches 4.5km.
Then there are the ‘deserted’ roads (from the past administration) that Diri has taken up: Glory Drive Road from Igbogene to Onopa; Igbogene to Elebele/AIT Outer Ring Road; Sagbama-Ekeremor Road; Yenagoa-Oporoma Road; Isaac Boro Express Road; and several others.
To think that Governor Diri was recently accused of taking a laissez-faire approach to his duties!
That Bayelsans can rest easy for the next three years is an occasion for satisfaction, and something the rest of Nigeria can look forward to discovering in their own State Governors.
Veteran Nigerian comedian, Alibaba, has taken to social media to debunk rumours that his marriage to Mary Akpobome has hit the rocks. Born Atunyota Alleluya Akporobomerere, the legendary comedian got married to his wife in 2006.
While reacting to the news of his marital crisis, the funny man posted a cosy picture with his wife, fondly called Mummy Mary, smiling and captioned it, “We have gotten calls and messages about the status of our marriage. We are still married and we thank everyone who sent messages and were concerned about the rumour which started because I was not home during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“There was no need to explain to everyone that I was in isolation. And we thank God I pulled through. We appreciate your best wishes.”
According to the news that made the legendary Nigerian comedian react, the humour merchant’s wife allegedly kicked him out of their home at Victoria Garden City over allegations of infidelity.
It was alleged that Alibaba’s wife hired a private investigator that helped discover her husband’s affair with a London-based lover with whom he also fathered a child.
It was further rumoured that Mrs Alibaba was not unaware of her husband’s reckless extra-marital affairs; however, she chose to look the other way hoping that respite would come sometime soon.
The online claims further revealed that Mrs Akpobome confided in some of her associates that she knew what was playing out, saying catching her husband red-handed with another woman was unbearable and unforgivable.
Meanwhile, news had it that Alibaba had since relocated to his office somewhere in the high brow part of town after he was sent packing.
Residents have condemned the attempt by policemen from the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Team to arrest the Chairman, Peace Valley Zone, Magodo Phase II, Lagos State, Ayobami Olubiyi, on Wednesday 24th of February 2021.
We reliably gathered that no fewer than six policemen, allegedly mobilised by one Timi Popoola, laid siege to Olubiyi’s residence around 6am, but their efforts became futile when some residents in the zone and others intervened.
Olubiyi said despite explaining to Popoola that the estate was strictly for residential purpose, he allegedly shunned the warnings and converted a building to an hotel.
He said, “Mr Timi Popoola bought a property in the estate early in 2020 and we reached out to him to know what he was doing with the property, but he refused to open up to us. We also told him to register with us because of security concerns, but he never shown any concern. When our financial secretary asked him to fulfil his obligations to the estate, he (Popoola) threatened him and we reported the incident at the police headquarters in Ikeja, where he was invited, but he didn’t show up.
“We also escalated it to Alagbon for intervention, but surprisingly, we got a letter last week inviting me to Abuja for harassment, molestation and threat to life. I have never met Popoola, so how could I have threatened his life? When the police came today, they demanded to see me, but I was not at home. When the police kept insisting that they wanted to see me, neighbours, who observed what was going on, mobilised against them.
“The place is a hotel and the Lagos State Government has sealed it off twice, but he broke the seal. He has been advertising the hotel online.”
While condemning the action of the police, the Chairman, Magodo Residents’ Association, Phase II, Bajo Osinubi, said the state government designed Magodo as wholly residential, adding that Popoola was using the office of the IG to oppress people so as to continue running the hotel against the decision of the government.
“We don’t want hotels in Magodo, but this man (Popoola) went to a zone that is very small and started renovating a building. During the renovation, his neighbours approached him to inquire about his plans and he told them that he wanted to live in the building. But after the renovation, residents in the zone started seeing strange faces entering the house. They also went online to do further findings and discovered that he had turned the house into a hotel.
“The estate management petitioned the state government and the place was partially sealed off, but he proceeded to inform the Inspector-General of Police. We are surprised that the police invited Olubiyi to Abuja for a case that happened in Magodo, Lagos. Plans were already on for Olubiyi to meet with the IG monitoring unit at the annex in Lagos on Monday, but because he couldn’t make it, six policemen attached to the unit laid siege to his house around 6am Wednesday 24th of February 2021 to arrest him.”
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said “The IGP Monitoring Unit is from the office of the IG, so it’s proper we notify the Force PRO to look into this and react. I will inform him accordingly.”
The Force Public Relations Officer, Frank Mba, had yet to respond to calls and a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report
– Olota of Otta honours Speaker with traditional title
– Says Obasa’s leadership of the Assembly has benefitted Awori people in Lagos
The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa, has urged traditional rulers in the Southwestern part of Nigeria to continue to protect the culture and tradition of the people of the zone by constantly speaking the Yoruba language.
Speaker Obasa made the plea on Tuesday at the palace of the Olota of Otta, His Royal Majesty, Prof Adeyemi Obalanlege, where he was honoured with the traditional title of Jagunmolu Taiyese of Otta Awori kingdom.
While thanking the Olota for the honour, Obasa commended the monarch for propagating the Yoruba tradition saying this had reflected in the way the monarch and the Olota-in-council spoke Yoruba language all through the event.
“Beyond your educational status, you still limited yourself to our own mother-tongue. I have been to many palaces and have always maintained that the royal fathers should always distinguish our culture before anyone and in any place.
“How do we do this? It is by using our mother-tongue to communicate with whosoever the visitor is, no matter the status and wherever he comes from. That is one of the sure ways we can propagate and preserve our custom and tradition.
The Speaker noted that the need to preserve the language, custom and culture of the Yoruba race resulted in the decision of the Lagos State House of Assembly to carry out plenary activities in the native language on Thursdays.
He said the House reasoned that promoting the language during plenary would help more residents understand some of the laws that guide their daily activities.
“We have also agreed that all the laws passed by the House would now be translated into Yoruba for the benefit of those we are representing.
“When Christianity was introduced to Nigerians, their holy book was translated into Yoruba. The holy book of the Muslims has also been translated into Yoruba for more people to understand,” the Speaker said.
He urged parents to speak the language at home as, according to him, understanding one’s native language does not hinder one from being able to speak English fluently.
Earlier, the Olota had praised the Speaker for the successes his leadership of the Lagos Assembly had registered saying the activities of the House had also positively impacted on the Awori people in the state.
The traditional ruler urged the Speaker to see and take Otta as his second home.
The unsavoury incidents being sponsored by some unscrupulous state actors involving the former Governor of Imo State, Sen. Rochas Okorocha in recent times show a hint at some parties’ thought who see him as a threat to their supposed caliphate. Indeed, it has proven right the Elders’ words which postulate that ‘uneasy lies the head that wears the crown’.
However, the Sage’s head still feels uneasy despite leaving office.
Does that still mean Okorocha wears the crown, holds the ace or the nitwits are scared of losing their hegemony to who God has chosen to make Imo prosper again?
This unwarranted battle began after the current Administration was sworn in on 15th January, 2020. It was a public knowledge that the Sage was a constant emotional backup when Uzodinma was struggling for his mandate after the 9th March, 2019 governorship election. Okorocha was among the foremost political figures to congratulate him when he finally triumphed at the Supreme Court. It is now bemusing that this same Governor is having no one to pick as a foe apart from Rochas Okorocha, the man who has been in his shoes and can offer him Fatherly counsel considering how well he fared after occupying the seat for eight years.
Prior to this, there have been silent battles fought underneath but the latest showed how low the current administration’s moral has sunk. In my part of the world, the prince does not fight like slaves. You can’t be at the helms of affair and still be ‘terrorising’ your subjects. As a child of necessity, Imolites expect more lease of life from Uzodinma than the current drama that is playing out.
Sen. Rochas Okorocha went to Royal Spring Palm Hotel in the company of his two sons-in-law on 19th February after Governor Hope Uzodinma illegally sealed the hotel.
His intent was simply to inquire the reason behind the sealing and take due protocol as a law-abiding, serving Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Unfortunately, Chinansa Nwaneri, the Special Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodinma on Special Duties and Eric Uwakwe saw no need for peace as they led a pool of miscreants and abused public office by using the state’s police for their personal gain. The gadgets and equipment necessary for the smooth running of the Resorts were all carted away by the opposing forces. They also attacked Okorocha and his crew violently without provocation
As at now, Uzo Anwuka, one of Okorocha’s sons-in-law is currently receiving treatment after being shot at on the spot where the state sponsored violence took place while Okorocha, a serving Senator representing Imo West is currently apprehended, detained and was only released on the order of the Presidency. Just wondering, if the hired thugs had murdered the distinguished senator in the process of that needless fracas, what side of history would Governor Hope Uzodinma be?
Prior to this, Okorocha has silently suffered series of blackmail and name-calling along with destruction of properties belonging to him and his family. This hostility is not unconnected to the influence which he can pull in the state when the 2023 Presidential election come knocking.
However, a threat to life is totally uncalled for as Okorocha’s Camp can never engage in do-or-die politics. Destroying the legacy you have built with your sweat is not an option in modern democracy.
It must be mentioned that armed thugs attacked Okorocha’s residence at Akachi three days before he went to the sealed hotel belonging to his wife, Nneoma Rochas in Owerri.
It should further be stated here that before this ugly incident, the demolition of the hospital complex belonging to the Okorocha’s family had sent many Imolites to the unemployment market and this is quite disheartening in view of the current state of the nation’s economy.
Irrespective of what anyone may think, it is highly condemnable that a former Governor and sitting Senator could be treated this way by those who see political power as the beginning and end of life.
It is therefore important to call on the general public and Mr. President to ensure the safety of all citizens and curb the abuse of office. The safety of Okorocha is very crucial to political stability of Imo State and any further attack will be regarded as a deliberate assassination attempt upon which proper actions will be taken.
By Smart Oluwole Apejoye- Public Affairs Commentator and Advocate of Good Governance
