₦airaland Forum

Pastor Samson Farounbi, has told an Idi-Ogungun Customary Court, Agodi, in Ibadan, that the small size of his penis made his estranged wife to deny him sex for a long period.

Farounbi disclosed this on Monday when testifying before the court on a case of divorce he instituted against Tope Farounbi.

He had requested the court to end the 19-year-old union on the grounds of unrest of mind, threat to life and lack of respect for his family.

Narrating his ordeals, the Pastor said his wife, who was a fruit seller, used to return home at late hours every day and refused to have sex with him.

”There was a day I challenged her why she always return late and denying me sex.

”She confessed that the small size of my penis was responsible for keeping late outside and for refusing to have sex with her.

”She suggested to buy local herb for the treatment of my micro penis which cost N5,000 but I priced it down to N4,000.

”I got myself treated with the ‘Agbo'(local herb) but she still felt reluctance to allow me have access to her body,” he narrated.

The pastor further alleged that the defendant maltreated his mother when she was living with him and that the ill-treatment forced his aged mother to relocate to Ilesha where she died few months later.

He told the court that Tope used to curse every member of his family and always cursed his blood brothers when they visited him.

”My lord, she is a devil, always fighting people especially females, that come to my church for prayer, accusing me of flirting with them.

”We have never stayed beyond two years in every house I rented since we married 19 years ago due to her stubbornness and troublesome character.

”The five children of our union lack home training and always cursing me whenever I tried to correct any of the kids for doing wrong things.

”In fact, our first child has ran away from home now and I cannot even locate his whereabouts.

”I urge the court to separate us so that I can have peace of mind to do my pastoral work,” he pleaded.

In her defence, Tope denied all the allegations but urged the court to dissolve the marriage as requested by the plaintiff.

She accused her husband of womanising, saying he never care for her welfare but was in the habit of drinking alcohol.

The President of the court, Chief Mukaila Balogun and the two court assessors, Chief Wahab Popoola and Chief Alao Ganiyu, in their unanimous decision dissolved the marriage.

Balogun said the court was handicapped to settle the dispute between the parties because the couple had agreed to end the marriage.

He ordered that three kids that are males including the first born that ran away should be in the custody of the plaintiff while the remaining two daughters should remain with the defendant.

He further directed the plaintiff to pay N8,000 monthly allowance for the upkeep of the two kids in the defendant custody.

He admonished the parties to refrain from fomenting trouble or disturb public peace. (NAN)

by Kelvin Osa Okunbor




https://thenationonlineng.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IMG-20170731-WA0011-560x364.jpg


Federal Government on Monday appointed Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu as the new Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Until the recent appointment, the pilot with considerable industry experience was Director of Operstions, FAAN.

He replaces Saleh Dunoma , who had spent over three decades in the airport authority, before he was appointed many years ago.

Sources within the authority said the appointment has been received with mixed reactions from workers.


Yadudu entry according to industry watchers is another attempt by the outgoing Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika to entrench some interest in the sector.

Yadudu hails from Kano State, replacing Dunoma, who hails from Borno State.

READ ALSO: How to make airports effective, by experts
In a statement issued by Deputy Director Press and Oublic Affairs, Ministry of Transport, Aviation, James Odaudu, the appointment takes immediate effect.

The statement reads:” President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Captain Rabiu Hadudu as the new MD of FAAN.

Yadudu an ICAO / ACI accredited Airport Professional, holds professional certifications in Avionics, Airport Safety Management Systems, Airport Security Management, and others.

by Fredrick Nwabufo



There is nothing as fatal as a blow from a “consanguineal fist”. A cut from a “sibling” hurts deeper than that from a stranger. I have been inflicted severe cuts – caustic verbal attacks – by some Igbo persons for advocating a president of Igbo extraction in 2023. While some of them are irritated by the attention that I have been able to generate for the cause, a few others see the “advocacy” as a means of cutting deals for filthy lucre.

The fiercest opposition to the cause, “president of Igbo extraction in 2023”, has been the people for which it is championed – the Igbo. While some of my kinsmen argued that they want restructuring and not the presidency, a great number of them say that they only want to “secure Igbo-land economically, politically and security-wise.” But when you ask them, how they intend to actualise these “dreams”, they just let off inchoate pieces of babble. As a matter of fact, most of these objurgators are just fortune seekers pinning and angling to benefit from “anything Igbo.”

I recall when Ifeanyi Uba, senator-elect, Anambra South, was trying to make an inroad into the fold of the dominant party at the national assembly, he was brutally hacked down with vicious criticisms by his own people. I have reflected pensively on what the Igbo political agenda could be, but at every point I become sectioned with a brain gay. What do the Igbo really want?

I have written a couple of essays, expounding the reasons the Igbo deserve the 2023 presidency and why all Nigerians of dispassionate interest and untainted conscience must support the group in actualising this noble goal. I still believe, for the sake national cohesion, the southeast region deserves a shot at the presidency. But it appears they are not ready for it.

In my essay, ‘With Buhari’s 4+4, Igbo presidency in 2023 is now non-negotiable’, I wrote: “I believe healing will begin for Nigerians when political justice is seen to have been done to all. At that point we can build a country defiant to disunity. But political justice must be done to all to get to this stage.”

However, I failed to add: “Political justice must be demanded when it is not given”. How can justice be done to a people who have resigned to hopeless fate? How can a people who are stuck in political stasis be called to the table for negotiations? How can a people who are on the path of no certain destination be taken seriously?

Really, I was surprised at the reactions to the essay by most Nigerians from the north and the south-west. I have messages from reputable Nigerians across ethnic divides in my phone log, telling me that it will be grave injustice if the Igbo are schemed out of the 2023 presidential race. I remember one retired general asked at the end of his message to me, “But what is the southeast doing about the 2023 presidency?” I only responded with a “smiley OMG”. But the answer to that is, “nothing; just whining, blowing hot air, fantasising about restructuring and mouthing off about Biafra”.

Luck is when opportunity meets preparation. I can see the southwest positioning itself strategically and making the necessary noise and calculated connections for a 2023 presidential bid. I cannot begrudge a people who are resolute about what they want, and who are, most importantly, feisty about their destiny. The cake will certainly be taken by a fiercer cat; it will not be handed to a gutless kitten.

You can demand political justice when it is not given; injustice only persists because you allow it.

Armstrong Bakam , Bauchi


A member of the Bauchi State House of Assembly representing Lere/ Bula Constituency , Hon . Aminu Tukur , has finally left the All Progressives Congress.

Lere/ Bula Constituency is in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State .
Tukur , who has been an ardent critic of the outgoing Governor of Bauchi State , Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar since 2015 , has joined the Peoples Democratic Party.

He contested the primary for the Bauchi South Senatorial by - election , but when it was obvious that he would not get the APC ticket, he dumped the party for the Action Alliance .

After losing the Senatorial by - election , Tukur dumped the AA and returned to the APC .
The lawmaker had , at different interviews with newsmen, insisted that he was still in APC even though he has been an ally of Speaker Yakubu Dogara who had decamped to the PDP from the APC in the build - up to the 2019 general elections.

But less than two weeks to the May 29 inauguration of Bauchi Governor -Elect Bala Mohammed of the PDP , Tukur , who spoke in an interview with newsmen on Friday in Bauchi , said his allegiance was with the PDP .

When asked if he was still a member of the APC he said : “ That is a billion Naira question.
“ For those in Bauchi State who belong to the Buharists , I am one of them and I belong to that club .

“ But I have ceased to be a member for the fact that I have been failed woefully by the person of Mr . President .

“ I have decided to opt out of everything that has to do with him ( President Muhammadu Buhari) . So long as he is in the APC , I cease to be with him. ”

Asked if it will be right to say he has dumped the APC , he said “ Certainly , you can say it aloud . ”
Also, when asked if he was joining the Peoples Democratic Party which had won the governorship election in the state and will be taking over from the APC as the new ruling party, Tukur said he worked for the PDP and was entitled to benefit from the success of the party.

Tukur said : “ I have worked for the PDP from the President down to the very members of the House of Assembly in Bauchi State; so , where is my allegiance ?”

When asked if he has now joined the PDP , he reiterated, “ That was why I worked for ( Abubakar ) Atiku down to the member representing my Constituency .”

Arguably, there is no sitting governor in the country today that has endured a lengthy period of bad press more than the youthful governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

His traducers have also taken over a large chunk of the country’s volatile social media space to such an extent that an unsuspecting person who has no capacity to fact-check what the purveyors of the deliberate falsehood against him term his ‘sins’ against the people of the Confluence State would mistakenly think he is the devil they try to paint him.

In the last few weeks, there has been a sustained increase in the barrage of sinister publications against him and his government within the media space. At best, most of the publications are short on facts and high on innuendoes, acidic propaganda and outright falsehood, all meant to tarnish the rising profile of the upwardly mobile political leader.

The reason for the increase in the tempo of falsehood and intentional misinformation against his government is not far-fetched: another gubernatorial election is around the corner and he stands a pole chance of winning a record second term in office, the distractions from the opposition notwithstanding. In the minds of his political enemies, he must be stopped in his track before the main election. But can anyone cover the glory of moon?

Truth be told, aside the convoluted salary issue occasioned by the well-throughout staff verification exercise but poorly executed in the state which the Governor could have managed better at the inception of his administration had he shown more sensitivity and tact, he is shoulders ahead some of his governor colleagues when it comes to delivering the real dividends of democracy to the citizenry. Again, one can excuse the protracted staff verification exercise as a noble exercise undertaken in good faith.

The State used to be a hotbed of ghost workers where people take salaries into private pockets, where people draw salaries from state and local government, where those outside the state receive monthly salaries, where people falsified academic qualifications. Previous government overlooked this malignant tumour but dared not take action for fear of political backlash. Bello confronted the monster and the state is to a large extent purged of these ugly incidences of workers manipulation, age falsification, diaspora salary earners etc.

ordinarily, these actions by these unscrupulous persons would have amounted to gross violation of civil service rules and attendant summary dismissals but the magnanimity of the governor sufficed and the charges dropped thus leaving the state with accumulated burden of salary arrears.

Civil service is the engine room of any society, allowing its to be infested with perennial decay would be putting any state in sustained jeopardy that will spell doom for generation coming behind. The price must be paid, the pains must be endured so that the state can be great. Lending credence to the exercise, the chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress Kogi State Chapter, Com Onu Edoka hinted that if there is anything the staff verification exercise has fetched in Kogi state is the change of attitude among workers. No civil servant would ever doctor his certificate in whatever guise again, the system has been strengthened and it should be sustained. Regardless of the outcome of the exercise, Bello should be applauded for daring the monstrous decay in the civil service instead of leaving it to fester just like those before him!

The legal and enabling legislations embarked by the governor is something worthy of mention, for the first time, years after the creation of the state, the state has an enterprising agency that enables business opportunities and growth. It is also noteworthy that Kogi since its existence never had a road traffic law until now same way the state never had any law that regulates the explorations of its minerals resources until Bello made the law- little wonder the unrivalled license gifted to Dangote at Obajana. The revenue mobilization and harmonization law also boosted revenue collection drives and streamlined its collection to a centralized point as against the dubious variance practices where every ministries and agencies were working at cross-purposes.

Kogi stands in the threshold of history as one of the states that have moved its internally generated revenue from 300 million to one billion!
One can use the lens of common sense infer that Bello has been preoccupied more with foundation governance than the ephemeral approach of aesthetic governance. A state can only grow given her legal and foundational framework.

Before the advent of the current APC-led administration, Kogi was the hotbed of extremists, radicals and a safe haven for violent thugs of all hues and persuasions most of whom were on the payroll of some top politicians of that era. By the time their paymasters were dislodged from political power and there was no means of sustaining their fiefdom of thuggery again, they took to armed robbery, kidnapping and all kinds of industrial-scale crimes which invariably made the state a no-go-area for investors and other small scale businessmen.

Who would invest in a state where there is no security?
But, today, courtesy of the interventions and commitments of Governor Bello in ridding the state of crimes and criminals, Kogi State remains one of the most secure states in the country. How did this 360 degree turn around happen knowing what the magnitude of insecurity in the state was in the past? The Governor simply prioritized security and funded it heavily to the extent that he got sundry accolades from top security experts and operators across the country.

Security and peace remain a necessity for economic development to take place in society. Without the two critical elements in place, even the most shrewd of entrepreneurial activities will fail. There are no two ways about this. Without any whiff of an exaggeration, one can sleep and have his two eyes closed in Kogi at the moment. A trial will convince you more than what the writer here is trying to convey. Why not visit any part of the state and has a taste of what the administration is doing to fix the state security wise?

Beyond the cacophonous rooftop noise that Governor Yahaya Bello is doing nothing in Kogi State, the unassailable truth is that the state is currently witnessing an organic revolution in infrastructural facelift. Hinterlands that were hitherto without accessible roads for ages now have roads being constructed by the state government.

Except for his detractors still cocooned in ethnic irredentism whose stock-in-trade is to fan the embers of ethnic tension and tribal polarization, Kogi East senatorial district, home to the Igalas, is experiencing a massive uplift in essential social amenities such as quality road networks, provision of boreholes for water supply to the rural folks e.t.c. It is the same way in Kogi Central and West senatorial districts respectively.

Again, at the risk of being immodest, one may not be out of place to assert without equivocation that Governor Bello is perhaps the first governor in the state to have evenly spread developmental projects across the nooks and crannies of the state without being held down by the perennial mutual ethnic distrust that has slowed down development in the state for decades.

In fact, the new sing song coming from some quarters within the state is that Governor Bello, an Ebira man, has done more for the Igalas than he has done for his own tribe when it comes to distribution of projects and appointments. On the other hand, some cynics and petty critics blinded by primordial ethnic sentiment believe, wrongly though, that he has done more for his own tribe than any other part of the state. There is no factuality in all of these. The real deal is that the Governor is passionately committed to developing every part of the state as long as he remains the governor.

Shall we go tell it on the mountains that none of Governor Bello’s traducers and oppositionists in the state wants to hear that his administration is the first in the annals of history of the state to run a government peopled by efficient and capable young women and men?

In today’s Kogi, the future is here as tomorrow’s leaders are the ones saddled with the onerous responsibility of governing the state at the moment. All thanks to Governor Bello who deemed it fit to run an all-inclusive government that took into cognizance the aggregate wisdom of the aged and the boundless energy of the youth who constitute a significant part of the state’s population.

Governor Bello has learnt a few things in the last three years he has been in the saddle as Kogi helmsman. Every smart man learns from his mistakes. With available empirical shreds of evidence, he is rebuilding the state, emplacing bricks for sustainable growth and development. Against the foregoing, he should be allowed to consolidate on his modest achievements while working hard to correct some of the accidental anomalies he might have made in the past. That’s how government works.

As the state prepares for the forthcoming governorship election, it is expected that there will be more sponsored media attacks to dent the reputation of the Governor and his administration. Much as these will happen, all men of conscience in and outside the state are enjoined to put their ears to the ground, listen to the facts alone and learn to separate the wheat from the chaff.

by Joseph Jibueze



The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a criminal charge against Bauchi State governor-elect, Senator Bala Mohammed, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.

He was charged with accepting gratification in form of a house valued at N550million on No 2599 & 2600 Cadastral Zone, AO4 Asokoro District, Abuja, from Aso Savings & Loans Plc in 2014.

The commission, through prosecuting counsel Mr Wahab Shittu, said the alleged gratification was accepted as reward by Mohammed “for performing your official duties”.

The alleged offence, EFCC said, is contrary to Section 18 (b) of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000 and punishable under Section 18 (d).

Among the six-count charge is an allegation that the governor-elect made a false statement to an EFCC investigating officer, Ishaya Dauda, that he acquired the Cadastral Zone property through a mortgage facility from Aso Savings & Loans.

Mohammed was also accused of failing to make full disclosure of his property on 54, Mike Akhigbe Street, Jabi, Abuja in the course of filing his asset declaration form at the EFCC.

The commission said the offence is contrary to Section 27 (3) (a) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (3) (c).

The prosecution also accused Mohammed of failing to declare a property on Agwan Sarki Kaduna in Kaduna State.

EFCC said the governor-elect made a false declaration that a property on CITEC Kwara House 5, AP Street, Mbora, Abuja belongs to him.

The commission said the property actually belongs to Abubakar Abdu Mohammed.

EFCC said Mohammed, in 2014, “did use your office and position to confer corrupt and undue advantage upon your associates by allocating four numbers of fully detached duplexes and eleven numbers semi-detached duplexes valued at N314million only through the Presidential Tax Force on Sale of Government Houses to them…”

The alleged offence contravenes the Section 19 of the ICPC Act 2000.

A source said Mohammed will be arraigned today in Court 26, FCT High Court, Maitama.

The charge is numbered CR/177/17.

Mohammed won election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has rekindled hopes that he will reclaim his mandate at the tribunal.

The former Vice President said this in a statement to DAILY POST on Sunday signed by his Special Assistant on Youth and Support Groups Ambassador Aliyu Bin Abbas.

Atiku assured millions of his supportersin the last elections, that victory was sure.

He titled the statement, ‘A MESSAGE OF HOPE TO THE OVER 18 MILLION ATIKULATED FAMILY MEMBERS.’

“Like never before in the history of presidential election petition in Nigeria, the plethora, overwhelming, watertight and barefaced evidences at the disposal of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and the PDP has put us on a track to glory,” he said.

He appreciated the efforts, doggedness and determination of his supporters to bring about a new Nigeria where businesses and investment will thrive, when Wazirin Adamawa reclaims his mandate at the tribunals.

He added, “It is just the believe and confidence you had that made many of you to travel far and wide, even twice for some, risking everything to cast your votes for his Excellency Alhaji Atiku Abubakar/Peter Obi.

“Some of you may have never voted before, but because you believed in #TheAtikuPlan and you wanted a new Nigeria to be birth by Wazirin Adamawa and Peter Obi, you chose to endure all the stress, including those of collecting PVC and joining the queue to cast your vote under the scorching sun.

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“It is a public knowledge that some of you had to even paid money to collect your PVCs in some places like Lagos among others, a very sad and embarrassing situation,” he said.

He told them not to despair, but remain resolute.

“Right now, our dream of a #BetterNigeria may seem to have been dashed by the cowardice behavior of the chairman of INEC, caving in to the desperation of the APC to cling to power at all costs.

“But I want to tell everyone of us that the good news is there’s light at the end of tunnel. The vision to Atikulate a new Nigeria is alive.

“Be optimistic as you have always been because the JOURNEY to reclaiming the stolen mandate to create #BetterJobs for the millions of unemployed youth of this country, provide #BetterLife and #GetNigeriaWorkingAgain WILL SURELY BE FRUITFUL because TRUTH is on our side.

“Whatever is the case, we insist and call on the judiciary, the last hope of the common man to remain resolute and dispense justice to the Nigerian people without fear or favor. Nigeria is bigger than anybody and will outlived all of us.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the Atikulated family, keep the faith.”

The cold war between Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has entered another dimension as the embattled governor tries to consolidate his position ahead of his second term bid in 2020.

Those close to the state of affairs in the state allege that Oshiomhole is determined to take back control of Edo from Obaseki’s iron grip. Although the governor has largely succeeded in establishing his own strong structure since coming into office, the APC national chairman’s current prominence on the national scene is said to give him a joker, especially as the National Working Committee of the party which he presides over will have to approve the Edo governorship candidate of the party.

The genesis of tensions can be traced back to 2016 when Oshiomhole, the outgoing governor of the state then, handpicked Obaseki, who was then the chairman of the state Economic and Strategic Unit, as his successor against the advice of many stakeholders. Obaseki went on to win the elections.

Oshimhole must have neglected to emphasize the virtues of loyalty in his handover notes, for no sooner had Obaseki settled down than he went about hounding some of his predecessor’s most loyal men placed in strategic positions. While some were arrested and detained, others were summarily dismissed; the rest were unceremoniously run out of town. Only a few lucky ones either too entrenched or too low on the totem pole survived the purge. The governor also allegedly undermined some of the projects of the previous administration, like the Benin Central Hospital built by Oshiomhole which is yet to be opened several years after completion.

Since then, Oshiomhole has an axe to grind with his former protégé. And as the time approaches to choose the state’s number one citizen, he senses his opportunity to get his pound of flesh. The governor knows this too, hence the recent token attempts at conciliation ahead of the recent general election. His cause wasn’t helped by the party’s performance during the presidential and house of assembly elections as the party under his stewardship lost several seats to the PDP.

Desperate to bolster support, Obaseki has turned around and embraced some of those he persecuted in the early days of his tenure. By hook or by crook, he has wooed some of Oshiomhole’s foot soldiers of yore to his own side. But he knows that isn’t enough. His situation is like when the heroes of a martial arts film have fought their way through an assortment of henchmen only to come face to face with the big bad boss who stands between them and their ultimate quest.

By Lanre Adewole



A major political battle is appearing in the horizon for leading lights of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2023 presidential ticket, as both Northern and Southern elements move in different directions over zoning of party positions.

President Muhammadu Buhari will be ineligible for another term in 2023 if he scaled the judicial hurdles against his re-election victory early this year, but weighty voices in the Northern part of the country where he hails, are already pushing for his successor in four years, from the same zone.


The agitation for the retention of the Presidency in the North beyond 2023 has, however, been spiked, with the reported interest of the National Leader of the party, Senator Bola Tinubu in the same seat after the expiration of the Buhari presidency.

A close political associate of the Lagos strongman confirmed to Sunday Tribune at the weekend that he (Tinubu) was serious about seeking the presidency and “is not just flying a kite for possible negotiation as being assumed in many quarters.”

It was learnt that before the just-concluded presidential and parliamentary poll, Tinubu reportedly told his allies and associates developing cold feet about post-election Buhari presidency that the president must be supported and that whoever among them was acting to the contrary, should consider him [Tinubu] an enemy.

Many of them, according to Sunday Tribune findings, grudgingly toed the path of his instruction, with one of them disclosing that he knew the use-and-dump controversy would resume after the president must have secured a second and final term.

Tinubu was said to have been asked for a Plan B concerning his ambition should the president display unwillingness to back him all the way.

“He simply said we should wait,” the source told Sunday Tribune.

With the unfolding political scenario now, it was gathered that his allies would be seeking an answer to the question he parried the last time.

“When Oga [Tinubu] returns from France, the issue of Plan B, we will discuss again, because these people (Northerners) are serious and they have the numbers once a few people (names mentioned) are brought to their side down South,” the source stated.

Despite the alleged opposition of Buhari’s close allies to a Tinubu presidency, the party’s national leader is said to be committed to demonstrating his total loyalty to the president.

Apart from mobilising votes for him, Sunday Tribune can confirm that the Chief Wole Olanipekun-led legal team defending the president’s re-election at the Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja was composed by Tinubu.

Olanipekun, a senior advocate and long-standing ally of Tinubu, had opposed the current administration on some salient issues, and even taken up cases against it in recent time.


It was a surprise to many to see him emerge the lead counsel to the president.

Sunday Tribune gathered that nearly all the leading senior advocates on the case instituted against Buhari’s victory by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate and a former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, were in at the behest of Tinubu.

Incidentally, Buhari’s tribunal opponent, Atiku, it was learnt, had briefed a couple of the said senior advocates to handle his petition, but their affinity with Tinubu prevailed.

However, Sunday Tribune learnt that relationship between Buhari and Tinubu almost broke down completely during the colloquium marking the National Leader’s birthday recently in Abuja.

Contrary to the official reason given for the president’s absence despite being in town, an associate of Tinubu emphatically told Sunday Tribune that “the cabal stopped the president from coming. They didn’t know XYZ (names mentioned) understand Hausa language, with which they were telling the president not to attend the event. Our people were very angry and sought Oga’s permission to go all out against the cabal, but he stopped them.”

The source was, however, certain it would be a matter of time before things boil over between the two biggest players in the ruling party.

The stinger from Tinubu over the planned increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), which was delivered at the birthday colloquium, is said to be an appetiser of things to come.

“Those in PDP seeking to decamp to APC should stay back in their party. When we met with XYZ (name mentioned; a prominent senator from the South who could profit again from the crisis within the ruling party) somewhere recently (place mentioned), the same issue was taken up with him. 2023 belongs to PDP, because with the way things are going, APC leaders are going to cancel themselves out with all the intrigues going on. The party won’t survive post-Buhari presidency, though they are likely going to get what they are aiming at. They will use our people here to get it, at least one of them is already being tipped to run with XYZ (name of a governor in the North mentioned) as vice-presidential candidate,” Sunday Tribune was told.

One major political step from the president, which Tinubu’s allies are waiting to see the direction, is the appointment of ministers from the South-West states.

If the president side-steps their leader again as was the case in 2015, the source said, it would confirm to them that he has been used and dumped again, a development which Sunday Tribune was told would come with a lot of consequences.

It was learnt that the president is yet to demand any list from state chapters of the party as is the custom, but that a couple of state chapters are said to have the lists waiting for the president, who, days back, embarked on a private visit to the United Kingdom.

The expected coming appointment is already opening up old political cleavages and putting tendencies in the state chapters at one another’s throat.

In one of the South-West states, an outgoing governor is said to be a sole nominee on a list jointly signed by him and the elderly state party chairman, who is seen more as his lackey.

APC lost the gubernatorial election in the said state. But the party’s governorship candidate is believed to be heavily favoured by Tinubu’s camp, which is also said to have pencilled him in for a repeat contest in 2023.


As a minister, another gubernatorial run is expected to be a lot easier for him.

In another state, a former governor is also a sole nominee by the understanding of the party leaders, who deem any challenge by other chieftains as a sacrilege.

Sunday Tribune can, however, confirm the interest of others in the slot, with party chieftains outside of the said state said to be watching out for such interested parties in Abuja.

In Lagos State, there is a lot of whispering around the outgoing governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, as the likely ministerial nominee for the state.

A school of thought reasoned that his estranged godfather may not want to deepen the wound of denying him a second term as governor, by supporting the push for his movement to Abuja like his predecessor, Babatunde Fashola.

However, when the governor hosted the president last week, Tinubu was not only absent, many of his allies also shunned the event, a move believed to be a pay-back for the colloquium snub by Buhari.

Tinubu was abroad during the visit, but his followers, particularly in Lagos, Osun and Ogun states, shunned the event.

Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola and top political associates of Tinubu in Lagos known as the Mandate Group, stayed away, while Ambode played host to the president, supported by Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun).

Lagos governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the incoming deputy governor, Femi Hamzat, however, side-stepped partisanship to welcome the president.

Chioma Igbokwe



https://sunnewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Salisu.jpg



An Islamic cleric identified as Salisu Abubakar has given details to the police on the role he played in encouraging activities of suspected kidnappers in some northern parts of Nigeria.

The acting Inspector General of Police, Yakubu Abubakar and other service chiefs have been under pressure following the rise in cases of kidnap along Abuja-Kaduna expressway. Several strategic raids of suspected hideouts led to the arrest of suspected kidnappers and their accomplices. One of such persons is Salisu who was arrested by operatives attached to the Inspector General of Police, Intelligence Response Team, a move that has led to the arrest of several suspects.

According to police source, police acted based on intelligence report generated by the Technical Intelligence Unit(TUI) on April 4, about the activities of alleged spiritual adviser of the suspected kidnappers in the North especially Kaduna axis. On April 16, after serious and unrelenting follow up, operatives of IRT succeeded in arresting Salisu Abubakar, inside a bus in Galadimawa village, Kaduna state.

Salisu aged 48, who is a native of Dutsinma in Kastina state confessed to the police that he is their spiritual adviser. He disclosed that most of his clients operate along Abuja, Kaduna, Zaria, Niger and Kastina states axis. While the interrogation lasted, Salisu had to pause severally to receive calls from them.


My job is to pray

Responding to questions, Salisu insisted that his only job is to advise the suspected kidnappers when and where to attack. “I was an honest cleric before those bad men took over our community and some of us for fear that they will kill us, decided to work for them.

“I am happily married to four wives and God blessed me with 15 children. My father is from Kastina state but relocated to Kaduna because he acquired a massive land for farming. He was also very spiritual that was why he sent me to Arabic school. I also learnt how to cultivate Maize and Guinea corn. Luckily when I was at the Arabic school, I got the gift of vision and healing.

“I started practicing and also farming because then we made a lot of money through farming. About 10 years ago, kidnapping and cattle rustling increased. It was no longer safe to be seen as a successful farmer. If they do not kidnap you they will wait till the day you harvest your crop and attack. For a man with so many children, I needed to train my children, so I decided to start using my gift to make extra money. I started about eight years ago, to pray for people and in exchange they will pay a certain fee. Go to our community and ask about me. We rarely go the hospital. I guess it was my popularity that brought them to my shrine. Three years ago, they kidnapped me and told me that they are not interested in money but my powers. They forced me to pray and advise them for one operation and I did. They were very successful and happy. The next day I was released but with the condition that I will be working for them. They threatened to wipe out my entire family if I fail to co-operate with them.”


On the payroll of 15 gangs

According to Salisu, more than 15 different criminal gangs consult him on a monthly basis and he has never failed them. “They trust my work so much because for the past three years that I started praying for them, none has failed to succeed in any operation they set out to do. I became so popular because they normally share the good news with others. They come looking for me from different parts of the country especially the north. I do not ask for anything much but the cost of procuring the things needed for prayers. It is left for them to decide to give me anything extra.

“I have tried my best to stop them but whenever they come to my shrine, they are armed. I thought of running away from the community but I was shocked when one of them traced me to Kaduna town. I feel safe working for them and for the past three years, they have not harassed me or any member of my family.”

He also alleged that most of his clients were from Zamfara and Kastina state. “Most of them relocated from Zamfara with their families because there are so many criminals in Madugu village close to Galadinmawa in Kaduna state. The true indigenes have all left the village and about 30 percent are left. For you to be allowed to stay, you need to co-operate with them. All the elders that are left are loyal to them. That place is a might forest and there are so many armed residents; police or army dare not enter the area, they will be killed and buried.”


Invasion of Zamfara communities

On why they did not alert security agents when they noticed the sudden influx of strange faces, Salisu said that they reported to the nearest police station but they did not attend to them. “Initially, they started by rustling cows and harvesting our crops. We the elders reported the matter to the nearest police and they did nothing about it. In fact, the policeman on duty asked us to form our own vigilante and fight crime. How can you fight people with bare hands?

Those criminals will attack and go back to their state. Gradually they started relocating to the community with their families. I also gradually moved some of my wives and their children to Kaduna town because, you cannot predict what those killers can do when they are angry.”

With his so-called spiritual powers, Salisu was asked why he could not detect that policemen were about to arrest him. “I did not commit any crime; all I did was to advise them through prayers. If I knew that police will ever come after me, I would have disappeared. It is my job to pray, I should not be held responsible if the people I prayed for used my suggestion to commit crime.”


Offer to help

On the way forward, Salisu volunteered to assist the police to arrest most the criminals. “You can see that they are still calling to seek for my spiritual consent before they can go out. I can help them out. All they need do is to allow me to go home and pray. Then I will give them the list of things to buy which will not be more than N50, 000. After two days of prayer, Allah will show me their location and also advise when to strike and be very successful. It was when I got to the station that I realized the number of people they kidnapped and that they even killed some of them. I am sorry that I was not bold enough to come forward these past three years. If the police will assure me and my family that we will be safe, I am ready to help them arrest all of them.”

The decision of an upper Shari’ah court sitting in Tudun Wada, Zaria, to sentence three rapists to one year imprisonment with an option of N7,000 fine has generated controversy and anxiety in the ancient city.

The judge of the court, Malam Iliyasu Muhammad Umar, during the ruling said the prosecution led by Sergeant Adamu Yahaya, convinced the court, therefore the three suspects will serve one year jail term or pay N7,000 fine with 20 strokes of the cane.

While presenting his case at the court, Prosecutor Yahaya said the offence committed by the suspects contravenes sections 222 and 117 of the Penal Code. According to investigation, the trio, Hassan Suleiman, Ibrahim Usman and Adamu Audu, lured their victims of between nine and ten years while on the way to school, while Hassan Suleiman and Ibrahim Usman used to intercept the 9-year-old girl on her way to school and rape her. Adamu Audu’s victim is the 10-year-old girl.

The two girls are both attending an LEA Primary School in the Tudun Jukun area of Zaria. According to the officials of a voluntary community association, Gyara Kayanka, who arrested the suspects, the rape of the victims had been going on for many months before the suspects met their waterloo.

Many residents of Zaria and human rights activists have condemned the verdict of the judge, especially that he did not support his decision with any provision of Islamic jurisprudence, as Shari’ah is the status of the court. Kaduna State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hafsat Mohammed Baba, when contacted said the new law being used in the state says thus: “Section 31; (1) No person shall have sexual intercourse with a child.
(2) A person who contravenes the provision of subsection (1) of this section commits an offence of rape and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.
(3) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section, it is immaterial that: “(a) the offender believed the person to be of or above the age of eighteen years or age of puberty; or (b) the sexual intercourse was with the consent of the child.
(4) “Notwithstanding any enactment or rules of law to the contrary, reliable medical, scientific or other physical electronic evidence of rape shall be sufficient to secure a conviction under this section; consequently, the prosecution and the court may dispense with the oral testimony of a parent or of the child victim.”

She said her ministry would follow up the case to ensure justice is served, saying that the verdict of the court would only encourage rapists. The District Head of Tudun Jukun, Zaria, Alhaji Jibrin Yakubu, urged parents to always monitor the movement of their wards.


[img]https://cdn.dailytrust.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Your-lamentations-aren’t-enough-Madame-Commissioner-768x563.jpg[/img]

“School authorities should also interrogate those pupils that report late to school. This can assist in tracing this type of attitude and those engage in it can be easily exposed,” Alhaji Yakubu said. The Prosecutor, Sergeant Yahaya, said the charges prepared against the suspects were on “procration of a minor” not rape, saying that there is a difference between the two.

However, Hajiya Hafsa had debunked the position of the prosecutor, saying that the two are the same, and the law has provided for stiffer punishment.

By Josephine Agbonkhese



Popular Nigerian Pastor, recently divorced his wife, not only for extra marital affairs but having given birth to children that were not his. In 2015, Nigerian women cried foul when a survey conducted by condom manufacturer, Durex, branded Nigerian “married” women as the most sexually unfaithful in the world. The outcry was understandable though, as these are women known for their awe of culture and religion, far more than their counterparts anywhere else.

Four years down the line, the marital fidelity of Nigerian women has again been questioned with a report making the rounds since late 2018 claiming Nigeria has the second highest rate 30 percent of paternity fraud in the world.

Paternity fraud is the pretence that a man is the legitimate and biological father of a child that isn’t his; a woman wrongly pinning a child on a man. In the report’s graphical presentation, Jamaica ranked first with 34.6%, while Canada, the UK and France were on the list with 2.8%, 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively.

As if that wasn’t injurious enough, one Mr Ayodele Ayodeji of Paternity Test Nigeria, a Deoxyribonucleic Acid, DNA, test centre in Lagos, was widely alleged to have affirmed, following the emergence of the above report, that there is one case of paternity fraud out of every four paternity test conducted at the centre.

Although these statistics have not been verified by any institution, disregarding it entirely is impossible as it continues to provoke conversation and, of course, reactions on cyberspace.


The claim too ridiculous, mothers react

“I don’t agree with that claim. It is too ridiculous. I am a Nigerian mother and I am sexually faithful to my spouse. How on earth will I now pin a child that isn’t his on him? How will I conceive such child in the first place?” retorted Ijeoma Thomas-Odia, a Lagos-based mum, while debunking the allegation during a conversation with Vanguard.

“If accusing fingers should be pointed at any of the parties in a marriage, then Nigerian men should be the focus. Most Nigerian women are sexually faithful to their marriages against all odds and will never engage in whatever they know will bring them disrespect and disgrace; such as sleeping with another man,” added Enitan Lawrence, a mother of three from the South-West.

Arguing that cheating is common among men more than women, Thomas-Odia emphasised that the only difference is the fact that women are the ones who bear the evidence of sexual recklessness pregnancy

For Lawrence, Nigerian wives who cheat at all do so either because they have been frustrated by their cheating husbands into revenge, have been pushed to the wall by husbands who fail to provide for their needs but would rather spend money on extended family members, they are trying to cover-up an infertility issue in the home, or because they do not love the men they are married to, but were forced into the marriage by either their parents or circumstances.

Whatever may be the reason for marital infidelity on the part of a woman, the fact remains that she will bear the evidence of her sexual recklessness either in the form of a contracted sexually transmitted infection, pregnancy and/or even child birth; which could therefore result in paternity fraud, as no woman would let her child be labeled a bastard.



Nigerians should not be swayed by unnecessary sensationalism —Pathologist

Speaking to WW on condition of anonymity, a renowned pathologist and Chief Executive Officer of a notable laboratory in the country argued that there is no official statistics to prove that Nigeria truly has the second highest rate of paternity fraud in the world.

According to him, in the first place no reputable establishment will publicise such delicate information about the paternity of a person; which makes any official national data on paternity fraud difficult to collate. “There is no statistical evidence to prove that. You get all sorts of data on the internet.

The regular population does not do paternity test except to resolve an issue of trust or perhaps for immigration data purposes; of which I am also sure embassies will never publicise such information concerning anyone. Nigerians should not be swayed by unnecessary sensationalism,” he added. On whether DNA testing should be made mandatory for all children to curtail any possibility of paternity fraud as some Nigerians now suggest since the controversial report surfaced, he said: “Even in the UK and in some other countries, you can’t do paternity test unless it is a court-ordered test.

So, how does anyone come up with such national statistics on paternity fraud? In France where the report claims the percentage is 1.4%, it might interest you to know that paternity test is banned completely in that country; you can’t do it. So how did anyone get such data? In Nigeria, we do not have any restrictions but of course, a reputable laboratory will be required to successfully and reliably carry out one.”

For families that might still be anxious about verifying the paternity of their children but feel discouraged due to the purported exorbitant cost of the test, he debunked claims that DNA testing is affordable only to the affluent. His words: “Anybody can afford to do a paternity test. It is not a sickness or diseases that its diagnosis will now be expensive. It can be done in any laboratory, but I will advise that we do every test in reputable laboratories. If a DNA test is done in a reputable laboratory, you can be sure it is 99.8% accurate. That is almost 100% accurate.”



Why paternity fraud might be dangerous

Speaking on the likely dangers of pinning a man’s biological child on another man, Professor(Mrs)Ibironke Akinsete, a renowned pathologist who was formerly Chairman, Pathcare Laboratories (now Synlab Nigeria), said occasions such as inheritance and organ donation may arise.

“Usually, blood relatives are the best to do a match for any organ donation. So, if such a need arises and it turns out that there is a mismatch somewhere, the truth will be unraveled by an eventual DNA test. For inheritance, some family might require a test perhaps because they doubt the paternity of a particular child; especially if the father died intestate,” said Akinsete.


Victims pay huge price— Maymunah Kadiri,

Psychiatrist In her analysis of the psychology behind paternity fraud, popular psychiatrist, Dr Maymunah Kadiri, said a married woman whose husband is in a better financial condition than the actual father of her child, might lie about the paternity of that child so the child can get the opportunity of a better life.

“Also, the fear of embarrassment and the consequences of divorce could make her lie about the paternity of the child. Due to the pressure from society to have children, some women become desperate if their husbands have fertility issues, and thus go ahead to reproduce with someone else and pass it off as their husband’s child,” Kadiri said. Kadiri, however, warned that such children risked growing up with issues such as abandonment, lack of trust and also a sense of identity loss, noting that on the defrauded fathers also, the implications of discovering the truth could range from resentment to loss of self-esteem, lack of trust and also, severe embarrassment.

By AZA MSUE KADUNA




A group under the auspices of Arewa Youth Awareness Forum (AYAF) has on Saturday kicked against the decision of the All Progressives Congress to adopt the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the 9th National Assembly speakership.

In a statement signed by the group’s Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary-General – Mohammed Sani-Kabir, Salisu Abdurrahaman and Ben Alege, also said the endorsement was against the collective interest of the north ahead of 2023 presidency.

Recall that, the APC had on Tuesday adopted Gbajabiamila when President Muhammadu Buhari hosted members-elect to a dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The northern group supported House of Representative members-elect that were opposed to party’s candidate, saying that Gbajabiamila was not the best option for northern interest.

The statement accused the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu and its National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole of scheming for the 2023 presidency.

They said they were alarmed by the dictatorial and insensitive manners in which the party foisted the leadership on the two Chambers of the National Assembly.

The group urged the party leadership to allow members-elect to freely choose their principal leaders for the 9th National Assembly.

According to the group, the plot is railroading the National Assembly towards having a leadership that will benefit the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and the National Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu for the 2023 Presidency.

The group said:”We are alarmed by the dictatorial and insensitive plot by the APC leadership for foisting leadership on the two chambers of the National Assembly.

“We are also concern by the fact that northern interests are being compromised with great implication for the future of the region.

“We also note with grave concern, the undemocratic posture of some party leadership which is already structuring a game plan for the APC’s 2023 presidential primaries and we note with delight the quiet but firm resistance of APC members who will not concede to being used for such game plans under the façade of party interests.

“We also urged lawmakers of northern extractions to resist any attempt by the party leadership to use them against the overall interest of the north.

They also warned that party leadership against disregarding the Nigeria’s Constitution by forcing particular members on the National Assembly, calling on the party to allow members to choose their leaders rather than “Tinubu and Oshiomohle forcing Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila on the National Assembly.”

“It is risky for President Buhari, the North and the entire federation for one man to be in control of the Vice President, ruling party chairman, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives,” the group added.

During the phone conversation, the bandit also claimed that there would continue to be bloodshed as long as the Nigerian government continues to send in more troops to the state.


Bandit ravaging Zamfara communities have disclosed that they have information feeding them with every move of the military against them.

This was disclosed in a tape recording the conversation of a bandit (yet to be identified) with an emir in Zamfara, obtained by the Punch newspaper.

During the phone conversation, the bandit also claimed that there would continue to be bloodshed as long as the Nigerian government continues to send in more troops to the state.

The bandit said: “God has already given you a position (as an emir) and when you talk, people listen. You have some poor masses in the bushes. This violence started happening in our state about six years ago or so.

“They killed my people; they killed my relations; they killed my wives, my children. They killed some of my cows. I ran away when they killed my people. Then I involved myself in the activities of these terrorist groups. Now, I have escaped and back in my community. Will you not accept me as a member of this community?”

The emir replied, “Aka ne (yes, that is it).”

The bandit continued: “You should call your chiefs and bring your people from the bushes and from the village. Anywhere you meet us, advise the people of the community to join hands with the Miyetti Allah association. This land will be peaceful.

“If they make it this way, peace will reign. But to say you will call police and soldiers to Zamfara, this will not bring peace. It will continue to cause more bloodshed.”

The emir replied again, “Aka ne (yes, that is it).”

The bandit said: “Sometimes, you hear that they bombed a place where the bandits are camping. But the next day, the bandits will still come and strike in another place, close to where they bombed.”

The emir responded: “We also are not in support of the bombings.”

The bandit continued: “The reason why their bombing will not work is because before their helicopter comes around, information has already reached us. Before the helicopter leaves any base, the information will reach us, and even where it will land. If they bomb any place, they will kill only birds and animals, which are there.

“Also on land, soldiers were sent to attack us. But before they come, information has reached us. We know how we will attack them and know all areas where they will follow. We want you to ban anything vigilante.

“People are surprised that they use airplanes to attack us but we are just like ants. They can’t see us; it is God that is helping us.”

The emir replied: “Killing human beings is not good. I have heard your grievances and it is a load on me and I will try to unite the people of the community. We will still call you together to deliberate on it. I will try to ban vigilantes in any other place and I will give the feedback to the government.”

The Nigeria government had earlier in the week claimed that some Zamfara chiefs and monarchs were conniving with the bandits.

The chiefs dispelled the claim, alleging that the military airstrikes have been targeted at homes of innocent villagers.

By Dirisu Yakubu



The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has taken a swipe at the national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole over a statement he allegedly made that the party will not share chairmanship of House of Representatives and Senate’ Committees with opposition parties in the 9th Assembly, saying the former labour union leader lacks understanding of the internal working mechanisms of the hallowed chambers.

The party described as unfortunate, the statement credited to Oshiomhole, adding that there is no way the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate would emerge without the support of lawmakers elected on the platform of the PDP.

In a chat with our correspondent yesterday, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Diran Odeyemi, said the PDP has a joker it is keeping close to the chest, warning that when the chips are down,” both Oshiomhole and the APC will be shocked.” He said: “We wonder why Adams Oshiomhole will continue to display a clear lack of understanding of how the leadership of the federal parliament emerges.

It seems he believes that his choice of Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila for the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively will see fruition without the support of our lawmakers. We have our own strategy and at the right time, both him (Oshiomhole) and the APC will be shocked.”

Odeyemi further noted that as a party “still learning the ropes” having only won elections in 2015, “APC can be forgiven for thinking the leadership of the National Assembly is its own to determine.”

On the chairmanship of the committees, the publicity scribe counselled Oshiomhole not to be in a hurry, stating that very soon, the chairmen will emerge in a way he would find difficult to understand.

“He should not be in a hurry and like I said, Oshiomhole appears to have little understanding of how these things work. The chairmen of the committees are not his to appoint. The earlier he realises this, the better for him,” he added.

Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, on Wednesday, officially declared his intention to seek reelection for a second term on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bello made the declaration while inaugurating the board of the State House of Assembly Service Commission at Banquet hall Government House, Lokoja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has slated the governorship election in the state for Nov. 2.

The governor said his declaration came after consultations with the leadership of his party both at the national and state levels and pressure from the people of the state on him to seek re-election.

He added that his decision is premised on the official release of the State’s Election time table by INEC.

“I would like to inform the good people of the state, the APC family and supporters from the state, the Local Government Areas (LGAs) down to the wards and polling units, as well as various stakeholders, opinion molders, families and friends of my interest to run for a second term in office as the Executive Governor of the state.

”I have sought the blessing of the Almighty God and our good people; I will have to contest for the second term so that we can build on our modest achievements so far in the state by taking it to the next level,” Bello said.

He urged members of the board to always let the interest of the state be paramount in their mind, and shun any form of tribal or religious sentiment.

Thugs Rescue Melaye From SARS Operatives
There was pandemonium at the popular Area 1 roundabout Abuja when suspected thugs loyal to…

He further enjoined them to serve well with all their capacity and ensure they cooperate with the members of the state House of Assembly.

Mr Matthew Kolawole, the Speaker, commended the governor for his magnanimity to have signed the bill and for inaugurating the board.

”All of us in the House of Assembly are happy with the inauguration of the board of the commission, because it marks the beginning of our financial autonomy,” Matthew said.

He expressed happiness over the governor’s declaration for second term bid, saying they had been expecting it.

“Our prime objective right now is to see him returning on Nov. 2, as the 5th executive governor of the state, and it shall come to past,” he said.

Mr Andas Momoh-Jimoh, the Chairman of the Commission, commended the governor for the opportunity given to them to serve.

”I believed in oneness and unity of the state and I am going to carry out this assignment without any bias, fear, favor or any religious or tribal sentiment,” he said.

The Head of the Nigeria Police Force’s Public Complaint Rapid Response Unit, ACP Yomi Shogunle, has revealed the language Nigerians should use to converse with Policemen.

The ACP advised Nigerians to speak Pidgin and not Queen’s English.

According to him, this will aid communication and proper understanding between personnel of the NPF and Nigerians.

This could mean that most Nigeria police officers do not have a clear understanding of Queen’s English

He tweeted, ”For now, don’t go and be speaking Queen’s English with them on the road.

“For proper understanding, talk to them in Pidgin, another way to avoid kasala.

Atiku Abubarkar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for exhibiting “crass ignorance and incomparable low level wretched illiteracy” in its assessment of Dr. Livy Uzoukwu's qualifications, in the petition challenging the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the February 23 election.

In a counter-affidavit, INEC had challenged the choice of Uzoukwu as counsel in the petition, claiming the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) was not on the roll call of lawyers called to the bar and therefore ineligible to practise in the country.

The counter-affidavit specifically referred to documents signed by the learned SAN as Dr. Livy Uzoukwu as against one Dr. Livinus Uzoukwu, which INEC acknowledged to be on the roll call yet argued that both names could not be referring to one and same person.

Reacting to the claim, Atiku said INEC exhibited “crass ignorance” as the use of abbreviations by counsel has been settled by the Supreme Court.

In a statement signed by Phrank Shaibu, Special Assistant on Public Communications and Strategy, the PDP flagbearer said as in the case of the dubious WAEC certificate paraded by Buhari, the APC and INEC has assembled a team of lawyers intent on misleading the courts and Nigerians in general.

“It's either INEC is not aware or chose to maintain a blind eye as far as this issue is concerned,” he said. “How can you say a former Attorney General of Imo State and a SAN is not qualified to practise law in Nigeria? This is a clear case of crass ignorance and incomparable display of low level of illiteracy intended to mislead the court and Nigerians."

The former Vice President referred Nigerians to a judgment of the Supreme Court permitting counsels to use abbreviations as well as their full names, adding that the use of Livy as against Livinus in the roll call of lawyers called to the bar does not in any way diminish from the qualification of his counsel.

To cement his argument, Atiku reproduced a previous Supreme Court judgement on the matter as follows:

In the case of DANKWANBO v ABUBARKAR (2015) LPELR-25716(SC) the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment comprising of a full court of 7 Justices( normally the number is 5) held:

Whether an abbreviated name of counsel is permissible for endorsement on court processes I must say clearly, that an abbreviated name is legal and permissible. It does not cease to be a person's name or render it to lose its juristic personality. In other words, an abbreviation of the first name of any person whose name is on the Roll of Legal Practitioners does not render the abbreviated name to become unregistered or unknown to law as argued by the appellant. This is a different situation from the use of two names that are on the role as a Legal Practitioner's name to file processes in court. There is no doubt that two persons or personalities cannot become, except in marriage when the Statutory law of marriage treats husband and wife of two different personalities as one as far as the relationship exists.? In Amos Oketade Vs. Olayinka Adewunmi & Ors (2010) NWLR (Pt.1195) 63 at 74, this court opined as follows: "There is a big legal difference between the name of 3 firm of legal practitioner and the name of a legal practitioner simpliciter. While the name of Olujinmi and Akeredolu is a firm with some corporate existence, the name of a legal practitioner is a name qua solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria which has no corporate connotation. As both carry different legal entities in our jurisprudence of parties, one cannot be a substitute for the other because they are not synonyms. It is clear that Olujinmi and Akeredolu is not a name of a Legal Practitioner in Nigeria..... There is no such name in the roll of legal practitioners...."There is no doubt that the court came to the above conclusion in that case because it was not disputed that the name Olujinmi and Akeredolu are two different names of two distinct personalities. The two names with the conjunctive word cannot make it one name of a legal practitioner on the roll of Legal Practitioners. Such name cannot be found on the roll. But the name of Samuel Peter Kargbo which is on the roll remains a legal practitioner who is entitled to practice law in the Nigerian Courts by that name either with abbreviated first name or initials of his other names other than the family name - Kargbo. It cannot be said that the name "Sam Kargbo" is either a fictitious or false name. I agree that it is the same name of Samuel Peter Kargbo - a Legal practitioner on the roll of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. I agree entirely with the court below when at p.2226 of the record the court, per Ogunwumiju, JCA stated beautifully, inter alia, as follows: ".......The purpose of Sections 2 and 24 of the legal Practitioners Act is to exclude anyone from practicing as a Barrister and Solicitor who had not been called to the Bar and whose name had not been enrolled as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. There was no doubt that the counsel who appeared before the tribunal was a Barrister and Solicitor duly enrolled to practice law before the courts in Nigeria. Counsel's affidavit to that effect was never countered." I cannot agree more with the court below. The trial tribunal was wrong to have held that the counsel to the petitioner who is the 1st respondent herein cannot practice law with his abbreviated name. The court below was perfectly right and put the point straight.There are many Senior Legal Practitioners and Judicial Officers whose first name as it appears on the roll of legal Practitioners of the Supreme Court of Nigeria has been abbreviated as it stands today, yet that abbreviation has not robbed and could not rob them of their status as legal practitioners nor can it be said that they have contravened the Legal Practitioners Act. Many first names such as Oluwole, Olukayode, Akinlolu, Christian, Okechukwu, Joseph, Samuel, Emmanuel, Omotayo, Olajide, Oladele, Olabode appear in the Roll but today stand abbreviated as first name of legal practitioners as Wole, Olu, Akin, Chris, Okey, Joe, Sam, Emma, Tayo, Jide, Dele, Bode. Until the contrary is proved, abbreviated first name or initials before family name used on documents for filing processes in court or announced as appearing for litigants remain valid and proper forever." Per ARIWOOLA, J.S.C. (Pp. 66-70, Paras. E-A)

A 23-year-old man, Eleward Sariwa, has been dragged to a Zimbabwean court for setting ablaze his neighbour’s house,who had rejected his sexual advances.

Sariwa reportedly broke into Precious Jamu’s home, and laid down on her bed, naked, waiting for her.

iHarare revealed that Sariwa’s actions had been without the consent of Jamu. She was therefore shocked to find Sariwa not only in her house but on her bed.


When she complained about Sariwa’s conduct, he insisted that he needed to have sex with her.


Jamu turned down the advances and threatened to scream for help if Sariwa did not leave her house. Sariwa left but threatened to get back at her.


He then set Jamu’s kitchen hut on fire and destroyed property worth $350.

Sariwa faces charges of unlawful entry and malicious damage to property. He has been remanded in custody till April 17.

By Shittu Shola



A political analyst, Wale Ogunade, on Wednesday said the governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, would have surpassed the achievements of his predecessors if he had not ignored the political structure that brought him to power.

Mr Ogunade, who is the president, Voters Awareness Initiative, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, while assessing Mr Ambode’s performance ahead of his exit from office next month.

Mr Ambode lost his bid to return to office for a second term during the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election, losing to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who became the party’s candidate in the March 9 governorship election and would be succeeding him on May 29.


Unlike Mr Ambode, his immediate predecessors, Babatunde Fashola and Bola Tinubu spent eight years each in office, having been there for two terms each.

Mr Ogunade said Mr Ambode started well as he continued on the development progress of his predecessors.

“In fact, Gov. Ambode should have surpassed his predecessors, but unfortunately he got carried away by power.


“He saw power as a means of getting himself above the system and I believe the system overwhelmed him.

“He is a technocrat, and unfortunately he did not take into consideration the political structure that brought him in. And of course, as election time came, the same political structure did away with him.

“I hope that it is a lesson that no matter how good you are, you must not lose touch with the political structure or the people, because the Governor at some point cut off the people.


“That was why he only had the support of the few friends he worked with and not the people,” he said.

Mr Ogunade urged political leaders to learn from the mistakes of Mr Ambode and carry the people along in their administration.

“So, my advice to politicians is that the people must be factored into your political life, because as a President or a governor, you have to live a multidimensional life.


“You are a family man, a party man, chief security officer, head of civil service and the father of all, and you must carry everybody along because everyone matters,” he said.

Mr Ogunade said the governor’s administration has, however, recorded sterling achievements that have propelled the state on a positive economic trajectory which would outlive it.

“Aside these political issues, Gov. Ambode took up quality projects. He performed well and drove infrastructural development such as construction of roads and bridges, provision of buses and bus terminals, and others,” Mr Ogunade said.

Locally recruited staffers of the Nigerian High Commission London would from April 20th have their employment status changed from “employee” to “self-employed “ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports on Wednesday.

This development is contained in a memo addressed to the staff by Mrs Helen Nzeako, the Commission’s Head of Chancery.

Nzeako stated that the decision was “sequel to the communication received from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on tax payment to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs Commission( HMRC), Embassy Unit’’.

Under the “self-employed’’ status, Nzeako said that staffers would be responsible for their National Insurance Contribution (NIC) and Income Taxes.

However, they would retain all benefits they currently enjoy such as Holiday, Maternity leave and sick leave.

She also said that they would enjoy salary increment as a gesture of goodwill.

NAN reports that in December 2018, the same locally recruited staff of the Commission were disengaged from service and their entitlement paid.

They were further advised to reapply for their various positions as contract staff in a move necessitated by the then ongoing restructuring of the High Commission following budgetary constraints.

Currently, over 50 locally recruited staff work for the Commission. (NAN)

Outgoing governors of Ogun and Borno States, Ibukunle Amosun, and, Hashim Shettima, both of whom are also senators-elect had long conversation on Tuesday during the orientation programme for new lawmakers.

The two governors were said to have excused themselves from the orientation venue in Abuja and had a discussion for a long time.

It was learnt that their long talk was connected with the issue of the Senate presidency.


Amosun had on Monday refused to comment on insinuations that serving and former governors were plotting to install the 9th Senate President.

Hi meeting with Shettima on Tuesday might be related with decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to adopt a candidate for the position.

As reported by PunchNG, their body language when they saw an aspirant to the position, Senator Ali Ndume, also fuelled the suspicion as two governors also engaged the former senate leader in a brief discussion before resuming their talks.

Recall that Ndume is from the same state with Shettima.

Upon returning to the orientation venue, Ndume was sighted having conversations with former governor Gabriel Suswan, who is also a senator- elect from Benue State; Isah Jibrin from Kogi State; and Boma Mohammed from Yobe State.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that only two Nigerians were found honourable during the trial of public office holders during his military rule.

Speaking during a town-hall meeting with Nigerians in Dubai, United Arab Emirates(UAE), the President who recalled how he sent President Shehu Shagari and other top government officials to prison over corruption, said Bilyaminu Usman, a junior minister, from Jigawa State, and Adamu Chiroma, a minister of finance and governor of central bank were the two Nigerians found honourable by the panels that investigated politicians.

Buhari was responding to a question by a Nigerian based in Dubai had asked the president: ” What are you doing to bring treasury looters to justice ? Your boss, your subordinates and others. Many are saying the president can only bark, he can’t bite. When are you going to bite like lion?

The president who was in Dubai for the ninth edition of Annual Investment Meeting (AIM) of the UAE, responded by saying:

” I have once ruled this country, some of you know that once upon a time I came in uniform and what I did was to arrest from the president downward. The president, Vice President, the governor’s and ministers, other than the president and the Vice President, the others, I put them in Kiri-Kiri, and I told them they are guilty until they can prove themselves innocent.

” And you know subsequently what happened- we set up about six tribunals base on the geopolitical zones, and those who were ministers and governors were asked to justify what they have in the banks and physical on the ground relative to their legitimate earnings.

” There were only two Nigerians then to my knowledge who were found to be very honourable, both of them are dead now: Bilyaminu Usman, a junior minister, from Jigawa State, and Adamu Chiroma, a minister of finance and governor of central bank. They were incredible Nigerians.

Buhari served as the nation’s head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, after taking power in a military coup d’état. Buhari justified the military’s seizure of power by castigating the civilian government as hopelessly corrupt and promptly suspended Nigeria’s 1979 Constitution. In 20 months as Head of State, about 500 politicians, officials and businessmen were jailed for corruption during his stewardship.

merrymaker2:
A young man was caught collecting money from an Automated Teller Machine, ATM, points of one of the new generation banks beside Radio Nigeria, Dugbe, Ibadan machine without using a card.

Radio Nigeria reports that the young man, Azeez Morufu said the incident was not the first time he would be carrying out the nefarious act.
Speaking with Radio Nigeria, Morufu said he has a code he always input on the ATM to dispense without a card.
Morufu Azeez met his Waterloo when a passer-by saw him with a huge amount of money at the machine.
The witness explained that she became suspicious when he noticed the young man in dirty clothes withdrawing huge amount from the ATM.
The suspect has however been handed over the police.

source: Radio Nigeria

Iyobosa Uwugiaren in Abuja



The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, has said that the executive arm of government in Nigeria was more corrupt than the legislative and judicial arms.

A statement from the commission’s spokesperson, Rasheedat Okoduwa, said Owasanoye spoke while delivering a lecture titled, ‘The legislature and fight against graft and corruption,’ at the 9th National Assembly Induction Programme for new legislators in Abuja.

Owasanoye told participants that members of the legislative arm would also continue to be branded corrupt by the public until the arm made its yearly budget public.

The statement said, “Corruption thrives more in the executive than the legislature and the judiciary.

“The ICPC boss based his assertion on the fact that the aggregate budgetary allocation to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) year by year was more than that of the other two arms combined, thereby allowing corruption to thrive.

“Corruption in the executive is far more than the legislature and judiciary combined. This is because the executive spends a far bigger chunk of the money appropriated.”

The ICPC said its boss also frowned at the way National Assembly conducted its statutory oversight functions on the MDAs, noting that asking government departments and agencies to fund the oversight was inappropriate.

“The power of oversight is largely impotent because it has been commercialised. The legislature is accused of passing the cost to MDAs and of accepting other forms of gratification, for instance, foreign travels, phony seminars, etc. to look the other way.”

While berating the National Assembly for the secrecy surrounding its budget, the ICPC boss said at the lecture that huge allowances due to the lawmakers had increased in high proportion between 1999 and 2018 even though the number of members at the National Assembly had not increased.

The statement added “The ICPC boss spoke on the alleged outlandish allowances of members of National Assembly and the controversial issue of constituency projects. He said that the public perception of legislators as being corrupt would not go away until the National Assembly throws open its yearly budget to the public.

“He stressed that the execution of the National Assembly budget, which has grown exponentially from N6.9 billion in 1999 to about N139 billion in 2018 for the same number of legislators has remained shrouded in secrecy thereby giving room for allegations of abuse and misappropriation of the funds.”

The ICPC boss said that Nigeria had the highest paid legislators representing the poorest people in the world, adding that since 1999, National Assembly budget had increased without defensible legal or moral justification.

“‘The public is hardly told the breakdown and how it (National Assembly budget) is used. The criticisms will disappear if we are told how it is spent,” the ICPC chairman noted while describing corruption as the enemy of development and good governance.

He, therefore, enjoined the 9th National Assembly to move away from the presumed norm and chart a new course which would aid the fight against corruption.

Responding, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, told the gathering that he had canvassed for a complete disclosure of the budget of the National Assembly to put an end to the numerous accusations of corruption against members.

by Yusuf Alli



Ahead of May 29 exit date, some governors, ministers, and senators are pushing for the removal of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.

They are mounting pressure on some Presidency officials to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to “ease out” Magu.

It was learnt that many governors are jittery about Magu’s retention, following the clinical investigation of the outgoing Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.

This is the third time in two years that attempt has been made to give Magu the push from office by some politicians who are opposed to Buhari administration’s anti-corruption campaign.

There was a plot in January to send Magu on a course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) on or before the conclusion of the general elections.

The latest move is to sack Magu on or before May 29 when some of the governors would have completed their eight-year tenure.

A source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said those who wanted Magu out had been alleging that the EFCC chairman’s stay might not assist the interest of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.

The source said: “The arrowheads, including outgoing governors, have begun smear campaigns to poison the minds of Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the First Lady, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, against Magu.

“They are said to be relying on three bogus/ fake reports against Magu allegedly submitted to the Presidency by an unknown government agency.

“They are also alleging lack of loyalty against Magu, claiming that he is working against APC’s interest from now till 2023.

“They cite how EFCC’s probe led to Onnoghen’s sudden resignation. They allege that Magu can go to any length to expose them, especially the outgoing governors, when they leave office.

“They are of the opinion that since they have skeletons in their cupboards, Magu can prosecute them once he is still in office.

“The promoters of the plot have co-opted politically exposed persons in the APC and the PDP.”

It was learnt that some Senators have also teamed up with aggrieved political office holders on the anti-Magu campaign.

The source added: “Some senators are jittery over possible confirmation of Magu after May 29, as they are afraid that he may go after them once they lose their privileged positions.

“They are aware that there are pending investigations against them, including over N1trillion unexecuted constituency projects. Magu is uncompromising in this regard.

By Ghbase Writer



Pophet Ebenezer Adarkwa Opambour Yiadom is the leader of the Ebenezer Miracle Worship Center in Kumasi, Ghana.

The popular man of God who is well known for self-proclaimed spiritual powers and extreme Christian practices which have often sparked national outrage with many accusing him of being a fake pastor has disclosed that men with big and oversized manhood will not make it to heaven.

According to him, men who for sexual promiscuity bleach their skins and do other things just to attract the opposite sex and men who take pride about their big manhood are bound for hell fire.

In his assertion, it encourages lusts among people and tends to frustrate other men who are less endowed to seek help elsewhere which later turns out bad for them.

In a sermon in his church, Opambour highlighted the need for this generation to forego worldly lusts and seek the way of the Lord because judgment beckons everybody.

“Nobody is above judgment; not even a beautiful lady with big breasts that satisfy men during sexual intercourse”, he preached.

” You are an honourable man who has bleached your skin, trimmed your hair; you have done waves and the ladies say you’re handsome; hey fine boy, you are not above judgment”, he continued.

“You’re also a man, all the women say your penis is big; women are praising you because of your penis, women are buying you cars, because of your penis women are even buying you clothes; I’m telling you that your big penis can’t take you to heaven so repent”, he fumed.

I'm not a prophet of doom, but I can confidently say that given my over three decades experience, I'm afraid if the APC decides to retain power, not only the party but northerners would lose woefully... In 2010 when President Yar'Adua of blessed memory passed on, the indication that power should remain in the North was on the front burner. But the North was persuaded to allow the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to be, on condition that power would return to the north in 2015.


The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been warned not to renege on its zoning formula that cedes power to the South-West in 2023, else it risks quitting the political stage after just two terms.

Umar Duhu, pioneer National Vice Chairman of APC (North-East), dropped the warning in an exclusive chat with SaharaReporters on Monday.

He was reacting to media comments credited to Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), as saying "there's no law that mandates the ceding of power to the South-West".

Duhu also spoke on a wide range issues, and accused President Muhammadu Buhari of self-centeredness and failure to provide the right leadership for the party.

He expressed dismay at how candidates of the party contesting at various levels worked for the President's reelection, but he could not return same gesture, only asking the electorate to vote according to their conscience irrespective of party divides.

On the raging crisis involving the selection of National Assembly leadership, Duhu feels Buhari, rather than Adams Oshiomhole, should be blamed for APC's plans to foist Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila on the Senate and House of Representatives respectively.
"I don't see Oshiomhole as the originator of the problem; I've alluded that to the Commander in Chief, who is the National Leader of the party," he said.

"It is very unfortunate for anyone to think you can cow people elected as legislators, people who are seasoned administrators in their own rights. The attempt to foist leadership on members of the National Assembly is undemocratic.

"I believe if APC does not play carefully, and use persuasive diplomacy, it is going to lose, and in the end we're likely going to vote in a PDP President of the Senate."

On Babachir's "no power shift" saga, a statement widely considered as flying a kite on behalf of some hardcore northern elements, Duhu counselled them to perish the idea.

Babachir had absolved the APC of any commitment to any such obligation of respecting rotational presidency agreement, and hinted he was also a ready presidential candidate in 2023.

Duhu therefore reacted in a stern warning that any attempt to retain power in the north beyond 2023 would be resisted by all democratic forces in the country.

"I'm not a prophet of doom, but I can confidently say that given my over three decades experience, I'm afraid if the APC decides to retain power, not only the party but northerners would lose woefully," he said.

Tracing the history of rotational presidency to late President Umar Yar'Adua, he highlighted that former President Goodluck Jonathan was ousted because he reneged on an earlier zoning ceding power to the North.

"In 2010 when President Yar'Adua of blessed memory passed on, the indication that power should remain in the North was on the front burner.

"But the North was persuaded to allow the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to be, on condition that power would return to the north in 2015.

"That political diplomacy was prelude to APC's victory. It was not as if we were more popular or more strategic than the PDP; the overriding sentiment was that power must shift to the north for eight years."

He described as unfortunate, Babachir's attempt to chart a wrong course for the party, saying: "It beats my imagination that B. D. Lawal is making such postulations, because here is a man standing a trial bothering on credibility."

Duhu consequently charged the party's national hierarchy to discountenance Babachir's comments and continue to pursue principles of fairness, equity and national unity.

By Steve Uzoechi, OWERRI

Police detain student for owning two Facebook accounts

The reign of extortion and intimidation of residents especially students living within the Polytechnic community may have taken an alarming dimension as multiple allegations indicate that the police formation in the area sometimes engage in arbitrary arrest and detention of youths and students in the area without regard to rights and due process.


A student of one of the off-campus student lodges, Benny Udogu narrated his ordeal in the hands of the rampaging policemen recently when he told our correspondent how he was bundled into police detention for allegedly owning two Facebook accounts.

The security man in the lodge was also arrested and handcuffed for daring to question the arrest of the student.


A third occupant of the lodge, Chukwuka Ubani was also thrown into the police bus in handcuffs for refusing to unlock his mobile phone for the policemen, after he was beaten black and blue.

Narrating his ordeal, Udogu said: “The incident happened around 8:15pm on that fateful day. I returned from MCC road and due to the heat, I decided to relax outside in the balcony (1st floor, upstairs) of our lodge and get some fresh air while listening to music on my phone.

“Not too long after, an armed man on mufti approached me from behind and due to the brightness of his torch light I was unable to see his face, but his cap had the Nigerian police logo on it.

“So he asked me what I was doing sitting in the balcony, he also asked if I lived in the lodge and I told him I lived in the lodge, that I just returned from town and decided to chill outside a little.

“He demanded for my phone which I gave him. He accessed my phone and gave it back to me and before I could say thank you, another man on mufti who wore Police bulletproof vest approached me and asked same question and I answered, he collected my phone and ordered that I take him to my room and I took him to my room and three more police men followed me making them a total of 4 policemen.



“They searched my room and found nothing; one of them requested that I unlock my phone which I did. He accessed my phone again and asked me why I have two Facebook accounts, I told him that a friend used my phone to check his account so he logged into my account, log out and tried to log into the second account and discovered that it’s not in use (showing error message), so he called me a fraudster. And they immediately bundled me downstairs into their bus and drove me to their station (Ihiagwa Police Station) where they dumped me in cell. They were deaf to all my pleas and explanations and did not let me write a statement before they locked me up in their cell.

“I was detained till the next day when I was allowed to write my statement at about 11am. That was also when I was allowed to make a call to whoever would come and bail me. However, I was unconditionally released after the intervention of my elder brother through the Divisional Crime officer.

Another student, Peter Ogbunka confided in our correspondent that he was arrested and detained for about a week in the same station because some policemen said his mouth smelled like that of one who smoked Indian Hemp.

Said he, “I was on my way back home and these policemen flagged down and stopped the motorbike (Okada) I was on. They searched me and found nothing. One of them leaned closer and said my mouth smelt of Indian Hemp and that was how I was detained for more than a week for no just cause.”

Ogbunka who noted that an asthmatic student, which he said were many on campus, would not last 20 minutes in the cell he was detained as ‘it was totally unhygienic and beyond inhuman to hold any person there’.


The students called on the Police high command to put some supervisory mechanism in place to check the rampant excesses of these policemen ‘who play god with human lives’ in the Nekede Polytechnic area.

A 52-year-old electrician in the Ikorodu suburb of Lagos has admitted in court that he sucked his daughter’s breasts to make them round and big, just as the 17-year-old girl told the court that her father did not only begin to suck her breasts when she was 12, he had also been sexually abusing her until he was caught in the act by her mother after four years of continuous sexual molestation.

Mr Folorunso Oluwaseun, a father of five children, was reported to have started having sex with his daughter when she was just 12 years old and was caught right in the act by his estranged wife when the girl was 17.

The accused, who resides in Ikorodu area of Lagos State, was said to have defiled his first daughter at his residence between August 8, 2013, and April 2017.

Problems started when Oluwaseun’s wife walked out of their matrimonial home, in 2012 leaving him with five children to cater for.

The family reportedly had issues resulting in constant quarrels and shouting matches with the man accusing his wife of being tired of the marriage because he was poor.

But soon after she left the ex-husband who is an electrician by profession, he started having sex with his daughter. He allegedly started by sucking her breasts.

He was said to have told the girl that sucking the breasts would make them become as big and round as those of her mates. He graduated from sucking her boobs, to having sex with her. He then assured the girl that the sperm would make her become as fat as her friends.

Luck, however, ran out on him when his former wife got wind of the development and confronted her daughter who confirmed the act.

She then took the matter to an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, Lagos State. Oluwaseun, however, denied the offence claiming that he was framed by his wife and his in-laws.

But despite vehemently denying ever having sex with his daughter, he admitted having an inappropriate relationship with the girl.

“I only sucked my daughter’s breasts. I didn’t have sex with her!” he said.

He added that he only sucked her breasts while he was drunk.

The accused was later charged to court, where he denied having sexual intercourse with his daughter under cross-examination by the prosecution counsel, Babajide Boye, claiming that he only sucked her breasts while he was drunk.

The victim, however, told the court that her dad sucked her breasts, claiming that he told her that he did so to make them as big as her mates and then ended up having sexual intercourse with her for four years.

The girl explained that her father started sexually abusing her when she was 12 years old and would often force her to drink salt in water solution after having sex with her and releasing his sperm inside her private parts.

The victim told the court that her mother left her father’s house in 2012 as they were always having misunderstanding.

She said, “My four siblings and I were staying with my father in a room apartment. The whole thing started one day when my father called me and said that my breasts were not as big as those of my mates; he said that he would help to suck them so that they could get bigger.

“I was in Junior Secondary School (JSS3) when he started. He asked me to sleep with him on the bed and he began to suck my breasts.

The accused, Oluwaseun, later changed his narrative to claim that police asked him to admit sucking his daughter’s breasts.