Evesworld Blog

A bullion van driver has confessed to conveying the N1.219bn, which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alleged was delivered to the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, in the build-up to the June 2014 governorship election in the state, which Fayose won. Fayose is being investigated by the EFCC for allegedly receiving the N1.219bn through the Office of the National Security Adviser for his campaign in 2014, an amount said to be part of the N4.7bn allegedly diverted from the ONSA under Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.). EFCC investigations had revealed that the N4.7bn was paid into a bank account of Sylvan McNamara, a company in which the sons of a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, are said to be directors. About N1.219bn was allegedly flown to Akure on a private plane during the build-up to the Ekiti State governorship election. Fayose was alleged to have received the N1.219bn through his bosom friend, Abiodun Agbel

The All Progressives Congress member representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Dino Melaye, on Thursday said he called Senator Oluremi Tinubu a stupid woman on the floor of the Senate during an executive session because she also referred to him as a dog and a thug. Melaye, who addressed parliamentary reporters in the National Assembly, however, denied using vulgar words against Oluremi, the wife of the leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu. He vowed not to apologise to Tinubu for allegedly assaulting his wife even as he said that the APC leader could not determine his future political career because the politician was not God. Melaye said, “…I did not use any insolent, abusive, degrading or mannerless language. So, there was no reaction from any of our colleagues as regards my presentation. After I spoke, so many other senators spoke and I did not mention the name of any senator while I was making my presentation. “Unfortunately, Senator Olu

Two lovers, Emem Asuquo and Olugbenga Yakubu, have been remanded in prison by a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court sitting on Lagos Island for alleged public disturbance. They were arraigned on Wednesday on four counts of assault and conduct likely to cause breach of the peace before Magistrate A.A. Adefulire. PUNCH Metro learnt that an altercation broke out after 31-year-old Asuquo insisted that Yakubu, 51, use a condom before having sex with her, but he reportedly declined the request. PUNCH Metro learnt that Yakubu, while driving along the Lekki-Epe Expressway at about 7pm on July 6, had offered Asuquo, who was going towards Lakowe in Ibeju-Lekki, a ride. They were said to have exchanged phone numbers and promised to meet each other later in the night. Yakubu, a civil servant, was said to have picked up the hairdresser at her home in Ajah around 2am the next day and took her to his house on Adeyinka Oyekan Street, Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah. “On gett

 Scores of women on the platform of Oyo State Market Women Traders Association yesterday sent a passionate appeal to Governor Abiola Ajimobi and the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), begging the parties to resolve the crisis between them. Addressing reporters at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, the Iyaloja of Ibadanland, Chief Labake Lawal, who led the elderly women, noted that “as concerned mothers, we decided to rise up and meet the feuding parties with pleas to ensure the state return to normalcy”. Other women leaders, who spoke at the conference, included the leader of Cateen Owners Association, Chief Iya-dunni Lawal; Leader of Pepper Sellers Association Mrs. Mutilade Adedeji, Iyaloja of Bodija Market Alhaja Sikiratu Adebayo; Leader of Hair-dressers in Ibadan Chief Esther Olaleke, Chief Wuraola Asake Diasi and other women leaders. Mrs. Lawal said it was high time the two parties returned to the negotiati

Despite the United State government saying that it had no fraud information against the wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has insisted that the wife of the President was mentioned in the Halliburton scandal. Reacting to the freezing of his Zenith Bank account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Fayose, last week, alleged that Aisha was involved in the scandal. He said, “There was a judgment against the wife of the President, where she wired $170,000 to Jefferson that was convicted in the Halliburton scandal. If she wants to deny that, we will publish it in the newspapers,” he had said. Slighted by the statement, the President’s wife, through her counsel, Mary Ekpere & Co., had written a letter dated June 22, 2016, to the governor demanding a retraction of the statement. She threatened a legal action if the retraction was not made within five days. The acting Public Affairs Officer, United

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has berated the lawmaker representing Kogi-West senatorial district, Senator Dino Melaye, for allegedly threatening to attack Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu. Also, two senators from Lagos State,  Olugbenga Ashafa and Solomon Adeola on Wednesday, condemned the alleged verbal assault on their colleague, Oluremi Tinubu, by  Melaye, during an executive session within the Senate chamber on Tuesday. Melaye was said to have annoyed the senator by allegedly using unparliamentary languages on her during a heated debate at the closed session. Melaye, who denied the allegations, was said to have threatened to beat up his Lagos counterpart during a closed session at the Senate on Tuesday. However, the APC said in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, that if it was true that Melaye issued the threat, then he needed mental check-up. The statement

President Muahmmadu Buhari on Wednesday said that the era of free and easy money in the country had gone for good. Bahari made this known when he inaugurated road and drainage projects in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State. He said, “As the people of the state are aware the change agenda was central issue of our 2015 electioneering campaign. “Since this administration’s assumption of office in May 2015, the journey to fix the country and restore the hope of the common man in the Nigerian project has begun in earnest. “You have all agreed to join me and work as agents of change, the challenge before all of us therefore is translating the change into reality. “I, therefore, wish to call on every one to think closely about the Nigerian situation. “There is no easy money to throw around, we must go back to farming, livestock rearing so that we could develop the industries. “We must put our hands on deck to ensure success of our mission in engi

THE gruesome killing of a female evangelist, Eunice Elisha, in Abuja on Saturday is the latest episode in an ongoing escalation of sectarian hatred in Nigeria. It raises real fears that Islamist fanatics and their sponsors are spreading their murderous tentacles from the Northern states to the Federal Capital Territory. Their jihad is made easier because successive governments have abdicated their responsibility to make every part of the country safe for Nigerians of all faiths or punish offenders. The case of the late Elisha is pathetic. Waylaid during her usual early morning evangelism routine by suspected criminals, with their twisted creed of hate and bigotry, the 42-year-old mother of seven was stabbed multiple times and left to bleed to death. We are shocked and outraged by this gruesome murder. Although the police have yet to conclude their investigations, there are already very strong indications that she was murdered by Muslim fanatics, who had reportedly

An officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Lagos State Command, Peter Ofulue, has been abducted by gunmen in the Owutu, Ikorodu area of the state. PUNCH Metro learnt that Ofulue was abducted on Sunday in his apartment while he was cleaning his car and in preparation for church. Our correspondent gathered that Ofulue, who is attached to the NIS passport office in Ikoyi, Lagos, had earlier been abducted on Monday, July 4, while going to the office.   The NIS officer was, however, released on Wednesday, July 6, after the gunmen dispossessed him of his phones and money. Our correspondent was told that the gunmen had reached out to the family members for a ransom of N30m which could not be paid before he was freed. The gunmen, who were believed to have come from a creek in the neighbouring Ishawo area, reportedly returned to his residence on Sunday and whisked him away again. The matter was said to have been reported at the Owutu Police Division. The

An Egor Chief Magistrates’ Court in Benin, Edo State, has sentenced one Lucky Idahosa to 14 years’ imprisonment for raping his 17-year-old daughter for alleged money ritual. Earlier, Idahosa had been arraigned on one count of rape. The police prosecutor, Osaretin Ogiehon, told the court that the 40-year-old committed the offence sometime in June 2016. Ogiehon explained that Idahosa raped his daughter on Upper S and T Barracks Street, Off Uselu-Lagos Road in Benin. Ogiehon also told the court that the offence contravened Section 358 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 48, Vol. II, Law of the defunct Bendel State of Nigeria, 1976, as applicable in Edo State. The victim informed the court that her father made her unconscious before committing the crime. She added that her father threatened to deal with her if she told anyone about the rape. Idahosa pleaded guilty to the offence, saying he was under pressure to rape his daughter for money ritual. However,

A suspected oil thief, Chemede Anre, has confessed to his involvement in illegal oil bunkering, saying his mother introduced him to the crime. The 19-year-old fisherman was paraded on Wednesday along with five other accomplices  – Ibrahim Kwenu, 23; Savig Videjon, 20; Celestine Soru, 20; Simon Posu, 22, and 21-year-old Lekan Wesu – at the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Ikeja. Anre told PUNCH Metro that his mother took him to one Savie, the mastermind of the crime, when he could no longer cater to his wife and child. He added that he was compelled to join Savie because he was not catching enough fish due to drought. PUNCH Metro gathered that the suspects were apprehended on Friday around the Topo, Badagry area of Lagos, by the anti-vandal squad of the corps. They were said to be ferrying 86 drums of petrol, suspected to have been siphoned from vandalised pipelines of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,

The Lagos State Police Command has launched a manhunt for one Kehinde Lawal for allegedly killing a technician, Mutiu Edunjobi, in the Isheri area of the state. PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect stabbed the father of two in the neck with a sharp object during Ogun festival in the area. Our correspondent gathered that the festival was organised by one Friday, aka Ipodo , a popular youth leader in the community. It was learnt that during the event, 34-year-old Mutiu, who was a close friend of Friday, allegedly stepped on Kehinde’s toes, which led to an argument. While the victim was walking away from the argument, the suspect allegedly stabbed him in the neck. He was said to have held on to his assailant to fight back, but soon fell after losing much blood. He was rushed to a private hospital where he died. A relative of the victim, Ayuba Edunjobi, said the incident happened on Sunday in Edum compound, the venue of the festival. He said, “Mutiu

A Reverend Father with a Catholic diocese in Anambra State (names withheld), who was allegedly burnt by a cooking gas fire in a lover’s house at Allen Avenue, Awka, has been,reportedly, flown abroad for treatment. A source said the priest was flown abroad to cover traces. Our source, who pleaded anonymity, said the lover died in the inferno while the Reverend Father sustained high degree of burnt. “Your inquiry isn’t exactly false. His (Reverend Father’s) relative is a friend and he did not say anything different from your proposed report,” the source said. It was gathered that the priest was relaxing in a one-room apartment of the alleged girlfriend (who was identified as a student of a university in the state) on the fateful day when the incident occurred. “The girl died on the spot, but the priest was hurriedly smuggled away and we now hear that they have flown him abroad, apparently to cover traces. Are there no hospitals in Nigeria? “I have

A serial rapist in Ibeshe, Ikorodu, Lagos State, is on the run after allegedly raping a 60-year-old woman, identified simply as Francisca. After raping the sexagenarian, the armed assailant reportedly stabbed her in the cheek and brutalised her 10-year-old daughter, Marvellous, when she wanted to raise the alarm. PUNCH Metro learnt that the rapist broke the girl’s lower jaw and blinded her right eye, leaving her and the mother for dead. The victims were said to have been rushed by some neighbours to a hospital, from where Marvellous was later referred to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Yaba. It was gathered that the suspect, whose name had yet to be ascertained, had entered into the victims’ apartment around 2.30am on Saturday through the window. He was said to be an accomplice of one Badoo , who was recently arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for the same crime. A resident of the area, who identified himself only as Daniel, sai

The Bauchi State Police Command says it has arrested a 25-year-old man, Maikudi Mohammed, for being in possession of the head of his child. In a statement on Monday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bauchi State Police Command, Haruna Mohammed, said the suspect was arrested in Misau town in the Misau Local Government Area, following intelligence report that he was in possession of his son’s head. The statement said the suspect wrapped the son’s head in a cloth. It added that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect and his accomplice, one Damina Mohammed, went to a cemetery in Galambi village and unearthed the corpse of the boy. The police said the head was to be sold to a customer, who fled the community after the suspects were arrested. The statement said, “On July 7, 2016, at about 3pm, following intelligence report, one Maikudi Mohammed, of Galambi village was arrested with a suspected human head wrapped inside a cloth by police d

A 500-level undergraduate of the University of Lagos, Odusami Matthew, has died after slumping at the Biobaku Hostel.   PUNCH Metro learnt that Matthew, a student at the Estate Management Department, was playing football with some of his friends on Friday when he slumped. He was reportedly rushed to the school’s medical centre where he was confirmed dead on arrival. Our correspondent was told that the remains of the student had been deposited at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba.  When our correspondent visited the hostel on Monday, one of the residents confirmed that the incident happened around 4pm. He said, “He stayed in this hostel. Around 4pm, he decided to play football with some of his friends. He was not tackled neither was he with the ball when he collapsed. “Nobody understood what went wrong with him. He was rushed to the medical centre, but he died on the way. It’s really a shock to us.” A colleague of the victim, who

Some gunmen have abducted a director of account in the office of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, Thomas Otuyemi, in the Epe area of the state. PUNCH Metro learnt that Otuyemi, 60, was abducted by the gunmen alongside his son, whose name had yet to be known, on Saturday. It was gathered that the gunmen, who came from the creeks in the Epe area, took father and son away to an unknown location. A source at the state government secretariat in Alausa said the abduction got to the knowledge of the government on Sunday. “Most of us got to know about the abduction on Sunday. The location of the abductors has yet to be known. “But the police promised to do a good job. It is not also known whether the abductors have communicated with the family,” the source said. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the abduction. She added that the police were on the trail of the kidnappers and that the director would soon

The parents of eight babies found dead in a house in southern Germany went on trial in Coburg on Tuesday. The mother is standing trial for the murder of four of her children while the father is in court for aiding and abetting her crimes. The infant bodies were discovered in November wrapped up in towels and plastic bags at the family home in Wallenfels in the state of Bavaria. The prosecution accused the mother of the premeditated murder of four of the children. Report says it is not clear if the other four children had survived the birth and were viable. According to the prosecution, the parents did not want to live with the burden of additional children. The couple, who separated before the bodies were found, has three living children together.

There was confusion on the Lagos Island on Friday when about 50 hoodlums, mostly teenagers, invaded five streets, where they killed a resident, Ade Busari, and looted several shops. Our correspondent gathered that the hoodlums were armed with daggers and machetes during the attack. It was learnt that Busari was killed around 2pm while going for an Islamic prayer. Our correspondent, who visited the area on Saturday, gathered that the affected streets were Massey, Oke Popo, Odunfa, Onala and Smith streets. Busari was reportedly killed on Odunfa Street. PUNCH Metro gathered that the men, who were said to have mobilised from another part of the Lagos Island, vandalised vehicles parked by the roadside. Policemen from the Adeniji Adele division and operatives of the Rapid Response Squad were said to have attempted to curtail the attack. A resident on Odunfa Street, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that Busari, who was ma

A 14-year-old girl, Faith (pseudonym), from Delta State has said that when her uncle brought her to Lagos State three years ago, little did she know she would end up as his sex slave. Faith said she was excited to follow her mother’s brother, Chigozie Bright, to Lagos in 2013 after she was assured of obtaining quality education in Lagos.  The victim, whose mother lives in Mali, added that the 27-year-old uncle, had sex with her four times in a week between 2013 and 2016, saying the police saved her randy uncle. The minor, who claimed her uncle always threatened her to keep the act secret, said she summoned courage and confided in one of her schoolmates. The friend was said to have advised her to report the case to the police at the Isokoko division which led to Bright’s arrest. The victim told the police that Bright had initially sent her to work for a woman as a housemaid but later took her to Aguda, Surulere, to live with him. She said, “My uncle br