Former Governor of Cross Rivers state, Donald Duke’s daughter weds clergyman, Tony Rapu’s son
On Thursday, January 22, former governor Donald Duke and wife, Onari, gave out their daughter, Donna’s hand out in marriage to popular Lagos pastor, Tony Rapu’s son, Tobe.
The wedding was had in attendance family members and friends.
AGONY: Lady missing (likely Killed) during visit to boyfriend in Epe
After almost ninety agonizing days of waiting for the Police to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of our sister and daughter, Ms. Comfort Uwakwe since October 25, 2025, we, the members of Owalla Town Development Union, Lagos branch, are left with no option than to call the attention of the public to this matter.
Ms. Comfort Uwakwe, a native of Owalla Autonomous Community, in Owerri North Local Government Area of Imo State, resident at 1, Olusegun Close,Off Eliasau Street, Mafolokun- Oshodi, Lagos, according to her sister, on the 25th Of October, 2025, went to visit a friend, Olajide Akeushola, in Epe.
On getting to her destination, she put a call through to her female friend (Ifeoma) that she had gotten to her destination and had seen the friend she went to visit. By 10:08 p.m, of the same day, Comfort made a distress call to Ifeoma informing her that she was locked in a room and was in danger, before her phone went off and nobody has heard from her till date.
On the 27th Of October 2025, the family reported her as missing at Makinde Police Station, Oshodi. An IPO was assigned to the case but the family members were told to go to Epe Police Station since she was last seen in Epe.
On getting to Epe Police Station to lay the complaint, they were referred back to Makinde Police Station.
On October 28, 2025, investigation into the matter commenced at Makinde Police Station and on November 26, 2025, the boyfriend, Olajide Akeushola, whom Comfort had gone to visit was arrested in Epe and was taken to Makinde Police Station, from where he was transferred, as a suspect, to Lagos State Command (Special Squad), Ikeja, on November 28, 2025, and an IPO was assigned to the case.
The suspect has since confessed that he met with Comfort in Epe on the day she was last seen by the family. Part of his confession was that they had some drinks and when she got tipsy, he had to lock her in the hotel room where they went. He also told the police that she later had an accident along the Epe highway. According to him, a trailer crushed her on the highway. Thereafter, the police said they had been taken to the scene of the accident by the suspect where they picked a leg said to be the only remains of Comfort; after one month that the said accident occurred.
The family had insisted, immediately they saw the picture of the leg, that it was not Comfort's leg; making the police to demand for an autopsy and DNA to be carried out on the leg, and that the family will bear the cost.
This development has not only traumatized the family but has left a lot of questions unanswered:
1. Whose leg was picked by police?
2. If it's Comfort's leg, as claimed by the suspect (And the police seems to believe him) where are the other parts of parts of Comfort's body?
3. If Comfort was locked in the hotel room, as the r claimed, how did she escape to the "highway" where, according to the suspect, she was said to have been crushed by a speeding truck?
4. What are the hotel staff on duty on fateful day saying? escaped to the Epe highway from the hotel room where she was locked, was there evidence of the door or window of the room being forced open?
6. Why is the police holding on to the 'accident' story of the suspect, and are not looking at other possibilities like ritual murder (Given the sudden appearance of a leg without a body).
7. Why is the "leg of an accident victim" still intact at the accident scene for several weeks, and not rotting when it was discovered?
These and more questions are begging for answers that are critical for the sake of justice. There need for due diligence in the investigation, on the part of the police, before it is concluded.
This is for the Nigerian public to note.
Anyone with any useful information regarding the missing person should kindly report to the police or contact the following numbers: 0913 061 0045 0706 290 3832
Signed: Chiedozie Nzeh (President, Owalla Town Development Union, Lagos branch).
IShowSpeed, the American streamer, on Wednesday, linked up with Nigerian creator Jarvis in Lagos while on his ‘Speed Does Africa’ livestream tour.
The visit was marked by a significant milestone, as he celebrated reaching 50 million subscribers on his 21st birthday while in the city.
A highlight of his stay was a viral encounter with content creator Jarvis.
In widely circulated videos, the streamer, born Darren Jason Watkins Jr, was seen hanging out with Jarvis, who was dressed in her signature robot costume.
She notably taught him the signature dance to the hit single ‘Money Constant’.
IShowSpeed Meets (Nigerian Robot 😂) Jarvis at his birthday party while celebrating in Nigeria. 🔥🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/NK85WiC2oe
The lighthearted moment contrasted sharply with another viral incident involving Peller, the Nigerian streamer.
In a separate clip, Peller, Jarvis estranged lover, was prevented from meeting IShowSpeed by his security team while attempting to approach the American star for a potential collaboration.
IShowSpeed bodyguard bundle peller like FUFU and fling am away
If no be Egungun wey beg, by now we for don deh gather money to do surgery for peller 😭😂😂pic.twitter.com/PS0Vj0rFSW
Undeterred, Peller made a further attempt to gain IShowSpeed’s attention by riding on a horse while calling out to him, but was seemingly ignored once again.
Following the incident, Peller made allegations against the security team, claiming they demanded a payment of N1 million before he could gain access to IShowSpeed.
“Bouncer dey tell me say make I bring N1 million to see IShowSpeed. Imagine. Na so e dey collect money from the remaining people. You wicked oh. Una do me strong thing. Make I bring N1m to see IShowSpeed for what reason?” he said.
Peller and Jarvis were previously in a relationship before publicly parting ways following an emotional fallout.
Residents of Makoko, a community nestled on the Lagos lagoon, have protested the demolition of their homes by officials of the state government.
Speaking with TheCable on Thursday, they shared that the clearance began on December 22, 2025.
They said they initially thought the bulldozing was meant to destroy only homes within the 30-metre safety setback from the high tension power line.
The power line criss-crosses the community and the landmark Third Mainland Bridge.
Messou Abayomi, a resident and stakeholder, said sometime last year, community leaders and officials of the Lagos state government, agreed that only buildings within the 30-metre safety setback should be demolished.
Abayomi said it was later agreed that a 50-metre safety setback from the power line was sufficient and then 100-metre setback was finally settled for.
Abayomi said another round of levelling that kicked off on January 4 and 5 severely violated the 100-metre safety setback deal.
The green flag mast signifies the 100 metres from the power line but demolition has gone beyond the 100 metres
“They (officials of the Lagos government) have passed more than 100-metre setback. They are even going to 200-metre. They lied to us,” he said.
“They came with caterpillars and started demolishing the houses without notice. As we speak, they are still demolishing houses.”
Micheline Sunnuvun, a woman in her sixties, said she was not given notice before her home was brought down last Friday.
A temporal shelter for Micheline Sunnuvun, one of the affected resident who’s home was demolished Sunnuvun said her goods, including bags of garri, were destroyed during the demolition exercise, adding that she has nowhere to go.
“I have been staying outside beside the shore since the demolition. At night, I usually use clothes to cover myself and sleep. They have destroyed all what I have been using for survival,” she said in Yoruba.
Another victim of the demolition is Wusu John, who has been residing in the waterfront community for over three decades. John, a fisherman, said he left Kweme community in Badagry to Makoko to continue his trade.
“I don’t have anywhere to go,” says Wusu John, one of the affected community member as he seats in front of remains of his demolished house He said community leaders told him that his home would not be demolished since it was not in violation of the setback agreement.
John said security operatives attached to the demolition officials fired teargas canisters at residents.
“We have been staying here for a very long time. I was here when they did this power line,” he said.
Wusu John “We were not prepared for this demolition. Since I moved here over 30 years ago, this place has become my home. I don’t have anywhere to go.”
When TheCable visited the community, some residents were seen sleeping in boats laden with their belongings.
Reacting to the development, Gbolahan Oki, permanent secretary in the Lagos urban development office, defended the state government’s position on the flattening.
Oki said the government had acted in the interest of public safety, adding that it would be held responsible if a power line lands in the water.
Demolition exercises are not new in the Makoko suburb. Residents have been repeatedly threatened with forced evictions.
Successive Lagos governments have made numerous attempts to dislodge occupants of the settlement.
PROTEST AT LAGOS ASSEMBLY
On Thursday, some residents of the settlement besieged the Lagos house of assembly complex in Ikeja to protest the demolition.
They appealed to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the state, to put an end to the destruction of their community.
The demonstrators bore placards with inscriptions like ‘Save Makoko community’, ‘Shelter is our right’, and ‘Please leave our homes alone, 100-metre is 100-metre’.
Following the recent demolition of stilt houses by the Lagos State Government, families have been left with nowhere to turn. Many have taken to the lagoon, tying canoes together and laying planks across them to form precarious sleeping spaces. Elliot Ovadje reports on the plight of the displaced, highlighting the most vulnerable, children and the elderly, whose futures now hang in limbo
The boy’s arms tremble as he drags a wooden canoe through chest-deep water. Around him, the lagoon is littered with broken planks, splintered beams, and twisted sheets of corrugated iron, debris that only days earlier formed the walls and roofs of homes.
This is not refuse washed ashore by a storm; it is the aftermath of a government demolition.
Nearby, other children sit silently on a larger canoe, their bare feet dangling inches above the murky water. They watch without laughter, without playfulness. In Makoko, childhood has been replaced by survival.
Following the recent demolition of stilt houses in Makoko by the Lagos State Government, residents of this waterfront community have been displaced, with nowhere else to go.
Makoko has long been a flashpoint for forced evictions and government-led demolitions, a pattern that stretches back decades. These repeated displacements highlight the ongoing tension between Lagos’s ambitious urban development plans and the livelihoods of its most vulnerable residents.
Many families have lived on stilts over the lagoon for generations, relying on fishing and small-scale trading to survive. Demolitions disrupt these fragile economies, stripping people of homes, livelihoods, and a sense of security.
With no emergency shelters provided, many families have retreated onto the lagoon itself, turning fishing canoes into makeshift homes. Wooden boats, once tools of livelihood, are now places to sleep, eat, and wait.
“This is where we live now,” said Elizabeth Ottom, a 29-year-old mother of three, pointing to a narrow canoe tied beside several others. Clothes, plastic sheets, and pieces of wood lay scattered across it. “We sleep here. This is our house now. We don’t even have food.”
Her voice was steady, but her eyes betrayed exhaustion and disbelief. She said her home was pulled down without warning, no notice, no consultation, no plan for what would come after.
“They just came and destroyed everything,” she said, tears brimming. “They didn’t ask us where we would go.”
Makoko, often romanticised as the “Venice of Africa,” is home to thousands of low-income families who depend on fishing, petty trading, and manual labour.
Life there has never been easy, but before the demolition, families at least had fragile wooden homes perched on stilts above the lagoon. That fragile stability is now gone.
In its place are clusters of canoes tied together with ropes, planks laid across them to form sleeping spaces.
At night, families sit or lie curled tightly, afraid that a wrong movement could send them into the water.
“There is no safety,” said Jack, a fisherman in his 40s. “If you turn in your sleep, you can fall into the lagoon.”
Children bear the heaviest burden
Children are the most vulnerable victims of this displacement. Many now spend their days paddling between canoes, helping adults retrieve belongings or steadying boats against the current.
There are no life jackets, and supervision has become a luxury. The murky water, littered with debris of various kinds, is also polluted.
“I am always afraid,” Elizabeth said. “My children cannot swim well. If they fall into the water at night, who will save them?”
Parents report skin rashes, coughs, and persistent itching among children who spend hours in the lagoon. Schooling has also been disrupted.
“How can they go to school like this?” asked Mariam, a mother of three. “Their uniforms are gone. Their books are gone. We don’t even know where to bathe.”
Nights of fear, days of hunger
When night falls, fear thickens. The lagoon grows dark. Mosquitoes swarm. Children cry from hunger and cold. Parents stay awake, clutching their children, alert to every movement that could tip the canoe.
Rain worsens the ordeal. Water pours into the boats, and residents scoop it out with bowls and empty containers.
Some still attempt to cook on coal stoves balanced on planks, a dangerous gamble in a settlement of tightly packed wooden boats.
“If heavy rain comes, we don’t know what will happen,” said Joseph Effah, a fisherman whose boat has turned into an emergency home for his aged parents. “We can die here by drowning.”
Food is scarce. Fishing nets, essential tools for survival, as proceeds from fish sales were used to buy food and other necessities, were destroyed in the demolition.
Trading goods were also lost, leaving some families to survive on donations from neighbours or religious groups.
“My children ate only garri yesterday,” Elizabeth said, looking crestfallen. “Today, I don’t know what they will eat, and they have not eaten yet.”
At the moment, healthcare is largely inaccessible, as the sick must be transported by canoe to distant clinics, a cost many cannot afford.
In one of the canoes, an elderly man lay weak, wrapped in a faded cloth, his breathing shallow.
“We are just praying he survives,” a relative said.
‘Demolished without notice’
Residents insist the demolition was sudden. Officials, they said, arrived with security personnel and began pulling down structures immediately. People scrambled to salvage mattresses, clothes, and cooking utensils, but many lost everything.
“They did not give us time,” Joseph said quietly. “They did not say tomorrow or next week. They just came.”
Our correspondent gathered that there has been no relocation plan, no temporary shelter, no food aid, and no medical support since the demolition took place.
Human rights groups have long criticised forced evictions in waterfront communities, especially when carried out without notice, compensation, or resettlement.
In Makoko, residents say the silence following the demolition hurts as much as the destruction itself.
“We are Nigerians too,” Elizabeth said. “We are human beings.”
Sunday PUNCH findings showed that the Lagos State Government had revealed plans to demolish shanties located less than 100 metres from power lines in the Makoko waterfront community.
Traditional leaders had pleaded for a 30-metre setback, but the Permanent Secretary of the Office of Urban Development, Gbolahan Oki, insisted the law allowed a maximum of 100 metres, citing public safety.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, he said, had approved the reduced distance to avoid displacement, but enforcement would proceed.
Oki stressed that Lagos is developing into a megacity and that compliance with urban planning laws is non-negotiable.
Residents, however, insist they are not opposed to development, but should not be erased in the process.
“If they want to remove us, they should tell us where to go,” Joseph said. “Not throw us into the water.”
A familiar pattern
This is not Makoko’s first encounter with demolition. In April 2005, thousands of residents were forcibly evicted without notice or compensation.
Homes, clinics, and churches were destroyed, and some women gave birth amid the rubble.
The most devastating eviction occurred in July 2012, when armed police dismantled parts of the stilt community after a 72-hour notice.
A local chief was allegedly killed, and thousands were displaced, sparking national and international outrage.
Authorities justified these actions, citing environmental hazards, security concerns, and plans to create a “21st-century mega-city,” with waterfront areas eyed for high-end developments like Eko Atlantic.
Critics argue these projects prioritise wealthy developers over the welfare of long-standing communities.
Urban planners and housing experts argue that informal settlements like Makoko need upgrading, not destruction, through improved housing, sanitation, and services. For now, they noted, the theory offers little comfort.
As days turn into weeks, Makoko’s displaced residents wait for intervention, answers, and help.
For now, the lagoon remains crowded with floating canoes, their residents gripped by fear and uncertainty, burdened by unanswered questions about how long they are expected to live like this, trapped between survival and what human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, have repeatedly condemned as systemic exclusion.
When Sunday PUNCH reached out to the state Commissioner for Information, Gbenga Omotoso, for comments, he promised to respond but had yet to do so as of the time of filing this report.
Yesterday, I attended a deeply emotional and heartbreaking burial of three siblings, Stephen Onyeka Omatu, Casmir Nnabuike Omatu, and Collins Kenechukwu Omatu, the three young brothers whose lives were cruelly cut short in the Great Nigeria Insurance building fire in Lagos, Nigeria.
It is almost impossible to describe the depth of this tragedy. For days, these young men sent distressing pleas for help while trapped in the building, yet there were no emergency services to rescue them. Several days passed in the rubble before their bodies were finally recovered. Several days of unanswered calls, of a system that failed them at the moment they needed it most.
This is not just a personal loss for their family, it is a national loss. This tragedy should serve as a reminder that our emergency services must be improved and accessible to every citizen. We cannot continue like this. Every life matters, and no Nigerian should ever have to endure such neglect or be left to perish in such a gruesome way, while help could have been provided.
I pray that the souls of Steve, Casmir, and Collins find eternal rest, and that God grants their family the courage, strength, and comfort to bear this unimaginable grief. May we never forget them, and may we be moved to ensure such a tragedy never happens again.
The lyrics of this song is causing uproar on Facebook. 😂
"Why will you sing that kind of thing? Can kids sing it?" Catholic Priest questions gospel singer Chinyere Udoma over lyrics of her latest song
A Catholic Priest has criticised gospel singer Chinyere Udoma for the lyrics of her latest song.
The priest questioned why Chinyere used certain words in her song. He went on to ask her if children can sing the song.
He wrote: "Dear Chinyere Udoma, I love you so much Ma'am. Please oo, that ur song 'IHE DI GI MMA', are you going to sing it in Church? Kids fit sing am?"
He added: "But wait, on a serious note, why you go sing that thing na. Why those words na?"
In the song in question, Udoma sang: "My flesh wants me to f*rnicate. My flesh wants me to m@s+urbate. My flesh wants me to engage in h0mos£xuality. My flesh wants me to steal. But I don't want to do what my flesh wants. Heaven is important to me. I don't want to do what my flesh wants. God hold me."
The priest’s post criticising the song has sparked mixed reactions.
Some pointed out that even the bible did not mince words when naming certain sins and children read those parts of the bible. So, they questioned why the priest should try to police the words used by Udoma in her song.
However, others agreed that Udoma could have passed her message across without being explicit.
Portable jumps gate to escape as police come to arrest him over alleged unpaid debt for his G-Wagon…. Watch till the end cos he actually jumped the fence for real 😩😭😂 pic.twitter.com/PORc1X3cmK
TIMELINE: Theft, assault? Seven times Portable has been arrested since 2022
Since bursting onto the scene in December 2021 with the hit song ‘Zazoo Zeh’, street-hop artiste Portable, born Habeeb Okikiola, has built a reputation where controversies rival his musical output. What began as attention-grabbing, erratic behaviour quickly evolved into a persistent pattern of clashes with police authorities.
His numerous arrests — over allegations of assault, public disturbance, theft, and debt — have become headline fixtures. Each incident adds to a growing record, detailing a cycle of alleged offences, evasion, and detention.
Below is a timeline of his most notable arrests since December 2021.
June 2022: Invited by police for ‘brutalising’ disc jockey (DJ)
Portable’s first major clash with the police after his rise to fame was on June 20, 2022. The Ogun state police command invited him for questioning after a viral video showed him directing a group to attack DJ Chicken. Unlike later incidents, he voluntarily reported to the police, accompanied by his father and manager, to settle the matter.
Since then, evading arrest has become a recurring pattern in his legal troubles.
March 2023: Arrested for assault
After ignoring several invitations and resisting arrest, Portable was apprehended on March 31 for allegedly elbowing a police officer Hammed Moshood in the nose, causing significant injury. He was arraigned, granted bail of N300,000, and released on April 8. He later claimed he had merely “honoured a police invitation,” and referenced the incident in the visuals for his single ‘Am Not a Prisoner’.
May 2024: Arrested for G Wagon debt
Portable was arrested by Lagos police for failing to pay the N14 million balance on a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon. He had repeatedly cited mechanical issues to defer payment. During the arrest, he attempted to evade officers by jumping over a gate. Released on bail on May 15, he promptly released a song titled ‘Spider Man‘ referencing the incident.
February 2025: Arraigned for assaulting Ogun State Planning and Development Permit Authority (OGPDPA)
After Ogun state planning officials attempted to seal his bar, Portable was accused of leading an armed attack against them. He was declared wanted after evading police invitations — at one point claiming to be receiving psychiatric treatment. He surrendered on February 19, was arraigned on a five-count charge, and granted bail set at N2 million.
April 2025: Arrested in Kwara for ‘threatening’ Fuji singer Osupa
Portable was arrested in Ilorin on April 12 following a petition by Osupa alleging criminal defamation and threats. The dispute began after Portable’s song was removed from streaming platforms over copyright claims. He was remanded briefly but released on April 15 after Osupa withdrew the suit, following interventions and a retraction agreement.
May 2025: Imprisoned for ‘assault’ for three months
In May 2025, Portable was convicted on two counts of assault stemming from a 2022 incident in the Okeosa area of Ilogbo, Ifo LGA, where he allegedly attacked Osimosu Emmanuel Oluwafemi.
He was also accused of stealing musical equipment, including a Yamaha H55 studio monitor, a studio interface connection cable, and an AKG P420 condenser microphone.
The court sentenced him to a total of three months in prison; one month for the first count with a N10,000 fine option, and two months for the second count with a N20,000 fine option.
January 2026: Remanded in custody for ‘theft, assault’
In October 2025, a video of “Omije Ojumi” circulated online, showing her at a church seeking prayers and healing This raised serious concern among people, who began raising funds for her upkeep Sadly, she did not recover from her illness
In October 2025, a video of “Omije Ojumi” circulated online, showing her at a church seeking prayers and healing This raised serious concern among people, who began raising funds for her upkeep Sadly, she did not recover from her illness https://t.co/EhcjSh5qcypic.twitter.com/GcgLeJeogM
A search of the hideout yielded a large cache of lethal weapons, including 13 AK-47 rifles, 38 magazines, 690 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and four hand grenades.
Nigerian Army Busts Taraba Kingpin John Gata’s Secret Armoury, Intercepts Wife, Recovers AK-47s, Grenades
Troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have intercepted the wife of a notorious Taraba-based criminal kingpin, John Gata, and uncovered a significant arms cache hidden in Amadu village, Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Military sources confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria that the operation followed actionable intelligence indicating that the suspect’s wife was transporting herself along a route spanning Amadu Village, Wukari, Kyado and Zaki-Biam, with Gboko as her destination.
Acting swiftly, troops of Sub-Sector 1A mounted a snap roadblock at Zaki-Biam, where they successfully intercepted the woman without resistance.
According to a senior source at Army Headquarters who spoke to the NAN on Sunday, the suspect subsequently led troops to her husband’s concealed armoury located within Amadu village.
A search of the hideout yielded a large cache of lethal weapons, including 13 AK-47 rifles, 38 magazines, 690 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, and four hand grenades.
Military authorities said the facility was immediately destroyed at the site to prevent its reuse by the criminal network and other armed groups operating in the area.
The source confirmed that all troops involved in the operation returned safely to base. While noting that the overall security situation in the area remains calm.
He added that civil-military relations in the area remain cordial.
“Troops’ morale and operational readiness continue to remain high as fighting and confidence-building patrols persist in the region,” the source said.
Politics › Donna Duke Weds Tobe Rapu (photos) by nlfpmod(mod): 1:49pm On Jan 24
