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Dismantling Ibadan’s unholy temples
By Akin Oyedele, Ibadan
Monday, 3 Mar 2008

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Some of the victims rescued fr

What, perhaps, many people never thought could still be possible in a 21st century Nigeria played out in the country about a fortnight ago when the police discovered some rehabilitation centres in Oyo State. Considering the gross dehumanised state of the inmates of the centres, it has become so much doubtful if such places could aptly be referred to as rehabilitation centres.

Tucked in the remote parts of the ancient city of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, are three torture chambers established in the names of rehabilitation centres and Arabic schools. The common features among these centres are that inmates are manacled like common criminals; they are subjected to mindless torture occasioning bodily harm, and death in some instances, in the process of exorcising the evil spirit in them.

The female ones are sexually abused and subjected to unsafe abortion by the ‘men of God rehabilitating them.’

The Police Public Relations Officer at the state command, Miss. Olabisi Okuwobi, said intelligence at the disposal of the police suggested that there were 30 of such centres in Ibadan alone, where might is right. Life cannot be more brutish and short in these centres than the scenario painted by Thomas Hobbes, with the reported death of about 63 inmates from at least, three of such centres already uncovered by the police.

Welcome to Orogun, Eleta in Sango and Ojoo areas of the city where a total of 115 inmates were evacuated in the last two weeks, looking gaunt and malnourished. 17 of the tormentors-in-chief are already in police net.

The promoters of these three centres, Alhaji Abdul Ganiyu Imoniyi, Alfa Ali Ademola and Alfa Mohammed Olore, claimed that they were only engaged in Arabic teaching, spiritual healing and rehabilitation of social miscreants voluntarily brought to the centres by their parents or family members. This claim was corroborated by the inmates and their gullible and ill-informed parents.

The sorry look of the inmates, their rashes-ravaged skins, especially the buttocks, which were intertwined with scars of lashes, suggested that the rehabilitation centres are indeed torture chambers.

The Director, Centre for Religious Tolerance and Civil Right, Dr. Sabitu Olagoke, who is also the founder and spiritual head, Shafaudeen in Islam Worldwide, described the activities of the operators of the centres as condemnable in all their ramifications.

His views were shared by the Oyo State Coordinator, National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations, Alhaji Moshood Akintola.

Olagoke said Islam detested camping people under unhygienic conditions or chaining them. This, he said, was a gross violation of the victims’ human rights. He called on well-meaning Muslims to condemn the act before more people got trapped.

The Muslim leader, who is also Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, said the arrested leaders were hiding under the cloak of religion to engage in traditional healing.

He said, “When you enter some homes where these Muslims say they are rehabilitating people, you think you are in the house of a herbalist.

“If we have to be objective, government needs to condemn the acts in their totality. These people are not scientific in their approach to treatment of the inmates. In the past, some Christians also used to have these centres where they chained people, which they called Agbala.

“But these Christians stopped it with time. The Christians are now of age, but some Muslims and traditionalists still remain in the (old) practice.

“You will discover that majority of those who engage in these despicable acts are not necessarily out to help the people, but to help themselves.

“What we expect in religious circles is that clerics should emphasise the need to teach the scriptures and morality. When you teach scripture, people will be able to know their rights and use religion to realise their potentials.”

Olagoke, who linked mental illness and other social problems confronting the people to hunger, called on the government to empower the people, saying “once you are not hungry, you will form resistance to psychological problems that people capitalise on to milk others.”

He said kudos should be given to the government for beaming its searchlight into discovering “this anathema in our social lives.”

Similarly, the NACOMYO boss said Islam encouraged people to reform those that are seen as social miscreants, but noted that the practice of torturing them was unIslamic.

Akintola said, “Islam abhors inhuman treatment of fellow human beings, not even animals. We are asked to be kind to animals. But from our interaction with these inmates, we discovered that these stories are exaggerated.”

For instance, he claimed that those rescued from the Imoniyi camp told him that they had to fabricate the story to get back at some of the followers of the man who were in the habit of torturing them.

Rather than a total clampdown on these centres, he called on the government to come to their aide by assisting them to have a decent environment and by donating food items to them.

He summed it up by saying that the failure of the various tiers of government to put in place social security was responsible for the thriving business of rehabilitation centres.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200803032134385

Sango is a Yoruba god. It strikes Yorubas only. In my language sango means s-h-it. Sh-i-t don't bite.

By using ''another'' in the title, it means some other torture chambers exist in bad o'l Ibadan

http://ndn.nigeriadailynews.com/templates/default.aspx?a=6526&template=print-article.htm

Nigeria: 60 Feared Killed in Another Ibadan Torture Chamber
Sunday, February 24, 2008 - Ola Ajayi Ibadan

ABOUT sixty people were said to have died and buried in a newly-discovered illegal detention camp in Ojoo area of Ibadan.

This brings to 62 the number of people alleged to have been tortured to death by the founders of the three illegal detention camps discovered so far in the ancient city. Nine suspects have been arrested. Acting on a tip-off, men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) stormed the camp on Friday and rescued 92 victims including children who have allegedly spent many years there. There were bruises all over their bodies. Among them were six girls who were alleged to have been sexually abused.

When Sunday Vanguard spoke with some of the inmates, they alleged that the prime suspect, Mohammed Olore, who claimed to be an Islamic cleric, only used the school to cover up, adding that he engaged in selling parts of those who died among them to influential people who patronized him. They pointed out that at least two to three people died within a month through torture and they were always taken to Sasa Cemetery for burial by the 'cleric' who later removed their parts and sold them.

Sunday Vanguard also gathered that some people including a mobile policeman from Arowomole in Ogbomoso were kidnapped and detained at the camp. The arrest of the prime suspect and his collaborators almost led to a full-blown confrontation between the police and loyalists of the suspects.

Oyo State police commissioner, Prince Udom Ekpoudom, while parading eleven suspects in Ibadan, in connection with the case, said "the experience at the scene was unbelievable and the treatment given to their captives, 90 per cent of them, was dehumanizing. Six of the hostages who are females complained that they were subjected to series of sexual acts against their wish. It was also discovered that illegal abortions were carried out on pregnant inmates in the camp. It was a situation where human beings were shrunk to skeletal frame with severe burns and rashes.

Grievous inhuman treatment usually resulted in multiple deaths of the inmates who were subsequently buried without any report to the police. The hostages in unison confessed that bodies of deceased inmates were usually eaten by their captors."

The police boss, an assistant inspector general of police, AIG, confirmed that some influential people had been pestering him to release the suspects arrested earlier at Olomi in connection with illegal detention but he would not be cowed into releasing them without being tried by the court. But the prime suspect in the latest torture chamber, denied all the allegations, saying they were made to disparage his person.

He stated that "the policemen came to our Olore Islamic School at Ojoo and arrested me and my students. We don't kill in our place as alleged. The motive for establishing the school, he stated, was to heal numerous people who are mentally-deranged. Also, we teach them Quran."

On the allegation of torture, he confessed that those who misbehaved were beaten but said none of them died except the two who were sick and taken to their parents. "We also beat them when they escaped. Somebody yet to be cured of insanity but ran away would be beaten when caught. The allegations they were leveling against me are false.

I did not beat anybody to death. All they are saying is just to implicate me. They are saying that just to paint me black. The water and the bones that were said to have been taken from the bodies of those that died should be taken to the doctors for examination to ascertain whether it is true or not. If anybody is sick, we hand him over to his parents to take care of him. Two of them died in the custody of their parents."

One of the suspects, Sherif Salami, who was alleged to have killed more than fifteen inmates, also denied the allegation, saying they were unfounded and malicious. According to him, "they are lying. They brought me too to the place just like any of them. What they are saying is to implicate me so that they can be released. This is my eighth year in this school." When asked why all the inmates were accusing him of having killed about fifteen people, he noted that it was because they did not like him since he was always punishing them when they erred. "We beat them when they erred. It is a lie that some people died. Anytime any of them fell sick, his parents were invited to come and treat him."

The suspects who are helping the police in their investigations, besides Olore and Salami, areDauda Atanda, Mohammed Adeyemi, Yusuff Owolabi, Ismail Balogun Lukman Olalekan, Alfa Taye Ogunlofin and Adeola Adeniyi. Among the callers at the police station yesterday were the Are Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Azeez Arisekola, and the former Commissioner for Justice in the administration of Senator Rashidi Ladoja, Barrister Adebayo Shittu.
NigeriaDailyNews.Com
http://www.nigeriadailynews.com/

Ancient or not, it shows that whereas Igbo kidnappers kidnap fellow Igbos, despite the free Yoruba they can easily grab in Igboland, Yoruba kidnap Igbos in their midst, all out of envy and a desire to get at hard-earned Igbo wealth.

Saved by menstruation!
Woman survives five days in ritualists’ den
From Moshood Adebayo, Abeokuta
Sunday, November 01, 2009


Mrs Adeniji
Photo: Sun News Publishing
More Stories on This Section
It was narrow escape for a mother of three in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital after spending five days in kidnappers den in the ancient town.
Mrs Tope Adeniji, who miraculously escaped from the ritualists’ hideout, said for the first time in her life, she saw fresh skull and lifeless bodies with their heads severed from the rest of their bodies.
Adeniji, a staff of the Ogun State Magistrate Court, Isabo, Abeokuta, was returning home penultimate Tuesday when she ran into the get-rich-quick men of the underworld through a taxicab she boarded.

Road to kidnappers den
I was returning home after work at Isabo to the Aregbe area of the state. I met three other persons who pretended to be passengers in the taxi. By the time we got to Asero, I noticed that the two ‘passengers’ beside me had dozed off. There was another one in front, beside the driver.
I still did not suspect any foul play until we got to an area called CAMP, where I requested that I should be allowed to disembark since I have reached my destination. Rather than allow me get out, one man who sat in front of the cab pulled out a gun. He ordered me to lie face down, which I obeyed immediately. Thereafter, I knew nothing again until we got to an unknown place where several others, more than 100 that had been kidnapped, were waiting for the hangman.

When we got there, I switched my telephone to discreet (vibration) and inserted it almost inside my private part. I was taken to a place where a man that appears to be their leader stays. Before his arrival, I managed to send text messages to people, particularly members of my church that I had been kidnapped.
I noticed that a net that I believe had been charmed was usually put on their prey, who within few minutes would die. But when a similar thing was placed on me, nothing happened to me. So their leader instructed that I should be taken away very fast.

Thereafter, I was taken to a room within their enclave for some minutes. About thirty minutes after, their leader requested for me and he asked those who kidnapped me where they got me.
They stripped me Unclad and noticed that I was menstruating. This infuriated them and their leader ordered that I should be taken away from his sight. They obeyed immediately and I was taken to a room where I was left alone for hours.

When I got to the room, I resumed sending text messages to people until they came in with a plate of food, which I rejected. Afterwards, they asked me my name and I gave them a fictitious name. I passed the night alone in the room.
The following morning, their leader came to tell me that I was stubborn. I pleaded with them that I should be spared. He later directed that his boys should rub a substance on my face. When I did not react as they had expected, he again instructed that I should be returned to the room from where I was brought.
On the third day, those boys that were guarding attempted to violation me and while struggling with them, blood came out from my private part and they all shouted that I was not clean.

So I was left alone. I later sent a message to my pastor requesting that I should be given the name of an angel, which I repeated several times.
One thing that I noticed that while I was calling the holy name, my guards started fighting themselves and they left me alone.
The following day, they forcibly cut my fingers and toenails before I was taken to a dungeon where another spiritual net was used to cover me. Thereafter, they returned me to the room again with guards. All this while I was praying, reciting the names of angels sent to me by my pastors and others.

On the fourth day, one of the guards offered to assist me, but he did not give details of how he would do it. That very day too, I was taken to another man that seemed like their overall boss. When I got there, he asked me whether I am a Sango worshipper and I said no. He told me that what he was seeing on me suggested that I was an adherent of Sango.

I did not know what transpired between them as I kept pleading that I should be allowed to go. The man that promised to assist me then told me that about 2am he would assist me. Thinking that they would harm me at about the time, I attempted to run into safety but I did not succeed because the fence of the yard was higher than the usual.

As he promised, about that time, he opened the gate of the building where I had been incarcerated and threw my bag they collected from me the day I got there. After trekking some minutes from the kidnappers den, I got to a thick bush. I continued trekking until I got to a cassava farm near the mechanic village along the Abeokuta-Lagos road. There I sent a text message to my people who came to pick me. I was later taken to my church where more prayers were offered for me. I thank God that I am alive to tell this story.

How prayers saved me
I survived their onslaught through the grace of God and prayers by members of my church at the Christ Anointed and Miracle Church Cherubim and Seraphim Church, (CAMCA). But for God, I would have been killed like several others that met their untimely death.
Before, I used to think that kidnapping in our town is not real. But with my experience, I now know better than before. I know on daily basis somebody somewhere is being used for money ritual. I thank God for saving my life. He is the one that rescued me from the hands of the ritualists. I will continue to serve Him for the rest of my life.

Yoruba community in Anambra State condemns kidnap of 21 Igbo traders
By Okey Maduforo, Correspondent, Awka

Yoruba community in Anambra State, under the umbrella of Egbe Omo Oduduwa has condemned the alleged kidnap of 21 Igbo traders in Owo, Ondo State, warning that it is a threat on the unity and peaceful coexistence of Nigeria as a nation.


The traders were allegedly kidnapped last Friday by three militant groups known as Palace Boys, Eyin Ogbe Boys and Iloro Youths, who demanded millions of naira as ransom before they would be released.


The militants had last year kidnapped 16 Igbo traders before the latest incident which led to a petition to the state Commissioner of Police Mr. Charles Dawodu, by Ndigbo in the community.


Speaking with Daily Independent in Awka, Anambra State, the chairman of **Egbe Omo Oduduwa** in the area Baba Tunde Adegbenjo, said the incident sends danger signals, adding that there is no state in the country that do not have militants.


"We want to condemn the action and attitude of these militants. We have militants all over the federation and they should consider the fact that if they continue with this other people will revenge and when they do, it becomes crisis everywhere.


"So we are not happy with the attitude of our people back home who gather themselves together and call themselves militants.


"The relation of any of those victims would look for people around to kidnap and those of us outside the Yoruba land or non-indigenes generally would become victims. If this type of thing continues we will have no option but to point to the residence of part of Yoruba land where these activities are taking place.


"The place where it happened is Owo community, so instead of allowing them to go and revenge on Ogwoko man or Akure or Ondo town, we will now point to the residence of the Owo people among us; so that they will go and pick them. This is because things like this spread like wild fire and we will not allow that to happen."


Adegbenjo further noted that security is very important in business interaction and such a thing can affect business between visitors and owners of the land.


"If an Igboman do not feel safe to do business in Yoruba land they will not go there and those of us in Igbo land will not be comfortable and these are the type of incident we experienced some time ago, when the Hausa people had problems with the Igbos and many lives were lost.


"We do not want this type of thing and this is how it starts. So we have to tell our people to stop all these nonsense they are doing. It will not discourage economic development and sound interpersonal relationship in the country."


He urged the Ondo State government to take action quickly to protect the interest of the Igbo in the area as Yoruba and other ethnic groups are being protected in the South East zone; adding that the people at the zone and their respective governments have been friendly and displayed the spirit of brotherhood among visitors and settlers in Igbo land.

Kidnapping - A truly Nigerian phenomenom as Yoruba youths join the party
« on: September 15, 2008, 07:38 PM »

Ondo: Youths kidnap, release 5 traders


Five Igbo traders in Owo local government area of Ondo State were kidnapped by unknown youths in the town. The victims were abducted on Saturday September 6 and later regained freedom last Friday. It was gathered that an undisclosed huge amount of money was paid to the youths to secure the release of the victims by the Igbo community. Niger Delta STANDARD Correspondent gathered that their release was made possible because of the intervention of Olowo of Owo, Oba Victor Olateru- Olagbegi and other notable chiefs in the town.

Those abducted were: Mr. Mike, Okechukwu Okafor, Chigozie Nwanekezi, Monday and Agboh. Worried by this development, the Igbo community staged protest to the State Police Commissioner, Charles Dawodu, shortly after their kinsmen were freed. The chairman of the Igbo community in Owo, Mr. Eze Chidozie who led his kinsmen to the state police commissioner said the youths had made life unpleasant for them in the community. He said the suspected militant youths abducted sixteen Igbo people in the last one-year and huge ransoms were paid before they were released to the Igbo community According to Chidozie, "These militant youths just enter our stores at will, carry our goods and ask us to pay certain amount of money before they will release these items.

They will just kidnap that person who argues with them and take such person to their cell. After, they would demand for ransom which start from N100, 000 and above, they would not release the victim until their demand is met." Chodozie said that the abduction was alien to the town as Igbo traders and other ethnic groups had been living in harmony with the people of Owo who he described as 'peace loving'. However, a reliable source close to the Olowo of Owo, Oba Victor Olaretu-Olagbegi, told our correspondent that such case was never reported to the Olowo. But, Chidozie pointed out that the Igbo community had reported severally to the monarch of the town without meaningful solution, threatening that his kinsmen would not open their shops until the issue is addressed by government and other stakeholders.

He appealed to the state police commissioner to beef up security among Igbo traders in Owo town, saying that the youths had turned abduction and looting of Igbo stores as a source of generating income. Chidozie said all Igbo indigenes in the state would join their kinsmen to protest against the injustice meted on them. The state Police Commissioner, Charles Dawodu who confirmed the incident blamed the Igbo traders for not reporting the alleged series of kidnapping in Owo town to him. Dawodu pointed out that he had met with traditional ruler of the ancient city and other prominent traditional chiefs to find a lasting solution to the illegality being perpetrated by the Owo youths.[b][/b]

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-171774.0.html

This was aired on NTA back in 2005.

The Millionaire gods Of Lisa
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    Monday, November 14, 2005 - By Reuben Abati
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For the avoidance of doubt, Lisa is the village in Ogun State where an ill-fated Bellview aircraft crashed on October 22, resulting in the death of all the 117 persons on board. This tragic incident affected the entire country, as it brought out the humanity within us, but one aspect of it that deserves further exploration is the reaction of the people of Lisa to the tragedy and their circumstances since the accident occurred. I had pointed out on an earlier occasion that the accident gave the people of this hitherto unknown community an opportunity to bring their plight to the attention of government and to proclaim their seeming neglect over the years by the authorities. Before the accident the people of Lisa were untouched by the processes of social advancement in the shape of access to modern facilities and a good quality of life.

It took a plane crash in their backyard for government to start constructing a road through their community. Electricity is also being provided; and the village has been linked to the telecom network. The point about the neglect of rural Nigeria where incidentally, the majority of Nigerians live is apposite and cannot be overstated. But what should now be considered is the humanity of the people and the leaders of Lisa village. What is being reproduced in that village is a typical Nigerian story, a strong indication of how poverty has robbed the people of basic human values, driven them to desperation, cynicism and cruelty. One sad fact of our lives is that the average Nigerian is forever looking for profit, always looking for an opportunity to cheat the system. When he is in that mood, he suspends his own humanity or beliefs; he is motivated by a burning desire for momentary gain. He comes across as an unreasonable person; something in him or her suddenly changes, he is transported to a temple of human desire where all that matters is greed.

It is true that this descent to the animal level is a given illustration of the duality of the human nature, and the complexity of man. But here in Nigeria, especially in the context of the recent event, it says something far more fundamental about the fault lines in our land in relation to the human index. The lesson is that we still have to do a lot about values in our society, about the moral question and the building of a sense of citizenship and community. In making these declarations, I am reminded of the interesting example of the Pastor of a church who had gone to his daughter's school to ask that the teachers should help to make sure that the daughter passed her school cert exams. The pastor sounded as if he would not mind if this would require helping the poor girl to cheat in the exams. When the pastor was reminded that the school was a Christian School and would not encourage such practice, the man of God flared up: "Please keep Christianity out of this. We are talking about my daughter here, please!". The thoroughly scandalised listeners had to remind the church Pastor that he, a man of God should not talk like that. When Nigerians want anything at all, they place values in a state of suspended animation.

And so as persons trooped to Lisa village, weeping, helpless and worried, the people of that community saw in other people's grief, their own opportunity to make profit. Cab drivers and motorcyclists plying the route increased their fares. Young men in the village and the neighbourhood became pick-pockets. They moved near the mourners and removed their cell phones and wallets. They besieged the crash site and began to remove whatever valuables survived that dramatic destruction of lives and property. If they saw a severed hand lying on the ground and it happened to still have a wrist-watch on it, they picked up the hand and removed the wrist-watch. If they saw a cell phone or SIM card that had been thrown out of the plane as it nose-dived into mother-earth, they took that too and thanked their stars. The Ogun state Commissioner of Police AIG Tunji Alapinni has confirmed that the villagers swooped on the site of the crash and made great fortunes looting and grabbing before the rest of the country got to know the location of the missing aircraft. Some families who lost their dear ones in that incident have said that they are convinced that the people of Lisa removed human corpses from the scene of the crash. Their fear is that those mangled bodies may have been sold to ritualists. Sadly, we live in a country where people trade in virtually anything including human body parts.

But perhaps the more shocking development was the declaration by the village head of Lisa, Chief Sadiku Odugbemi, that his community will need a sum of N2 million to appease the gods to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic in the village, and to exorcise the ghosts of the victims of the crash who are reportedly disturbing the villagers. There have been reports of strange noises at night. Chief Odugbemi's request for N2 million attracted great attention. He has since issued a statement denying that he ever made such a request. But the Baale is lying. He made the case for a N2 million ritual grant at a press conference.

He also granted an interview to the Sunday Champion (October 30, p. 20) in which he was quoted as having said inter alia that: ", the government should provide a big cow and some reasonable amount of money for us in order to appease the gods of the land so that calamities and untimely deaths will not occur in the vicinity again. You see, this is very crucial, because we cannot run away from our tradition, the gods should be appeased because they are angry. The enormous corpses buried in our village can cause epidemics if we failed to appease the gods. Do you know how much the government is spending to appease Osun goddess every year? Here in the village we need to appease the gods of Oro and the big masquerade to protect the village from imminent epidemic". In these words, the village head had exposed the widespread nature of ignorance and superstition in our land. What is the connection between gods and the threat of an epidemic?

The village head was not asking for government assistance to provide necessary medical care for his people nor was he concerned about the protection of the environment, rather he was asking for N2 million to buy cows for the money-guzzling gods of his ancestors. He made this request out of the unmistaken conviction that Nigerian leaders also worship and support traditional gods, and that the state is too actively involved in religion. The issue however is not about Chief Odugbemi's faith, but his opportunism. He wanted to make millionaires out of the gods of his people! But the truth is that those gods if at all they exist, do not eat beef, nor do they spend money: the real gods of Lisa are the Baale and his cohorts who are seeing an opportunity for quick business in other people's misfortune. The cow that he requested for would end up in the pots of his wives and the wives of other chiefs. The Baale in council would share the two million naira with some amount of money going into the pockets of virtually very important chief including the abore and the apena!

It is important that the authorities refused to succumb to Chief Odugbemi's blackmail. Rather than give him the N2 million that he asked for, the man was arrested by the police and interrogated. Seven elders of Lisa, accused of having looted the property of the victims, were also arrested and detained. A Non-Governmental Organisation, Feed Nigeria Initiative (FENI) has condemned this response as an abuse of human rights. I don't think so. Nothing gives the village head and people of Lisa and the neighbouring villages the right or the powers to behave so badly. If it can be established that they looted the belongings of the victims or that they stole handsets and robbed the mourners, then the police should do its job and whoever is found guilty should be treated according to the relevant laws. The excuse that the people are poor and therefore desperate cannot be a sufficient excuse for any wrong-doing.

It is interesting that following government's reaction, the leaders of Lisa have had to modify their position. They have denied ever asking for two million. They still want to organise a feast for their gods but the money will no longer come from government. Every adult in the village has been asked to contribute a sum of N1, 000 each. This is fine, let the people who will share the cow pay for it. The people are also denying that they ever looted at the site of the crash, more than two weeks after the event, they are now showing concern about the tragedy. It is either the village head has actually been called to order or he has been given some money and advised to speak differently in public.

Without any doubt, the people of Lisa have been greatly affected by the crash that occurred in their village. It has changed their lives, possibly forever. They deserve sympathy and support. In particular, the issues that they have raised about the neglect of their community by successive governments should be addressed. They want potable water in their community, a good road, access to quality health care especially in the face of danger. Many of them saw Nigerian leaders for the first time in their lives. One of them was so excited seeing President Obasanjo in flesh and blood, he had to report his excitement to a newspaper reporter. Bellview Airline has dug boreholes for the people; the government is constructing a road through the village; there is a lot more that can be done. Beyond this episodic focus on Lisa village, the challenge that has been thrown up by the people of Lisa is the need for government to be brought closer to the people at all levels. In the eyes of a growing number of Nigerians, government is an abstraction which holds no meaning for the people.

The people of Lisa also need to be counselled. They had asked government to sponsor the feast that they are planning for their gods because they are aware that every year government spends money on Muslim and Christian pilgrimages to Mecca and Israel. Government constructs churches and mosques, and patronises herbalists and futurologists. Governors grant interviews and boast about the ritualists that assist them to hold on to power. And yet the Nigerian Constitution says the state shall have no religion. Because Nigerian leaders have politicised religion in the country, they are asked to worship all kinds of gods. Certainly, the people of Lisa must have heard about the gods and priests of Okija and how they have enjoyed government patronage and protection. They too want their own gods to get a share of "the national cake".

What they may not know is that the millionaire gods of Lisa are not the ones to be appeased. The real gods that should be appeased are the policy makers in the aviation sector and the field operators who have refused to do what is right; the gods that caused the crash at Lisa village can be found at the airport; they are in the air traffic control tower, in the offices around the place, all those men and women in uniform who play ludo with other lives. These are the gods to be appeased. And doing so would not require any N2 million; cows won't be needed as well. What is required is a "broom" in the hands of President Obasanjo and the courage to sweep all saboteurs out of the aviation industry. This is why there must be a thorough investigation of the Lisa plane crash.

http://nm.onlinenigeria.com/templates/?a=5998

Ngodigha:
I did not say they are Hausas. Fashola sent Yoruba almajiris back to their states mostly Ekiti state. Without hesistation, they have come back to Lagos streets.

ROFLMAO

lagcity:
you ibo ppl don't make sense because malnutrition affected your brains permanently during the war. u want me to believe that NVS crap you posted when we all know ibo ppl use other names to post crap abt Yoruba? your IQ is not as high as you think it is.

Silly excuse
The original author of that article is Hakeem Jamiu who is a well known Yoruba commentator. Google him.

Ngodigha:
Just few months after Fashola sent them packing have they returned speedily. Something is really wrong with this people.

These are not hausa almajiris. These are Yoruba . Please read the first post before you comment

lagcity:
kwashiorkor baby, u want my comment? ok. the elderly women were brave and would go to any length to bring the best out of their govt. are u happy now? ibo kwashiorkor baby.

Emerging trend of social almajiri in Yorubaland: kwashiokor babies in 2011

http://nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/main-square/21137-emerging-trend-social-almajiri-inyorubaland.html

Wow. The things that happen in the SW are baffling

The founder’s skeleton

Has the world eventually entered the “last days” as prophesied in the Bible, the holy book for Christians? Maybe, if the activities of some so-called Christians are anything to go by. According to II Timothy 3-7: “In the last days, perilous times shall come.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good.”

The holy book further states that in the last days, men would have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof and men will ever be learning, and will never be able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
The story is hardly believable but it is true that about five years after the death of a pastor, members of his church still worship his skeleton because of their faith in the efficacy of his powers.
To members of the church, late Jacob Adebayo Oladele, who was the founder, Millennium Gospel Church (MGC), remains powerful even in death.

In February 2010, the police stormed the premises of MGC located at an abandoned aerodrome in a vast forest at Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, following a tip-off by the monarch of the town, Alayemoore of Ido-Osun, Oba Adedapo Adeniyi Sapoyoro. The monarch, who said the palace had been inundated with series of allegations of high-handedness and weird worship style of the church members, led a team alongside the police to the church where a purported skeleton of the church’s founder was recovered.

The police arrested 15 suspects while people of the town warned the church members never to return to the land, which belongs to the government. Sunday Sun gathered that five of the suspects are still standing trial at an Osogbo Magistrate Court. Members of the church however insist that they are not ritualists and never killed anybody or performed any ritual in the church.

One of those standing trial, Mrs Florence Oluwaloni Oladele, who is the deputy founder said: “We are not ritualists. We worship our Lord Jesus Christ like every Christian. The skeleton belongs to our founder. Truth shall prevail and we will be vindicated. This is a test of our faith and members should be steadfast and more prayerful.”

Head, Pathology Department at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital (LAUTECHTH), Dr Akinwumi Komolafe, confirmed the presence of the skeleton in the morgue, but said the police did not present a request for tests to be carried out on the skeleton. He said the hospital authorities would keep the skeleton until it receives further directive from the police.

It was however gathered that some of the church members have been visiting the mortuary in order to worship the late founder who they described as their Messiah. “Before stopping them from coming to see the skeleton, some who came were practically worshipping the skeleton. They rolled on the ground, shouting his name, weeping, wailing and appealing to him to answer their prayers. They are fanatical about him and if care is not taken and the skeleton remains in the mortuary more than necessary, they may go wild and take steps to recover it. The mortuary needs more security,” a source at the hospital warned.?

When contacted, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Solomon Olusegun, said the “case is in court.”
But a police source said: “The skeleton may soon be released to the members since nobody had come forward with a claim that his/her relation was missing.”

“Apart from the skeleton, police did not find any other human or animal part at the church. Initially, we were made to believe that more bodies were going to be recovered from the church like that of the infamous Okija Shrine. None was found apart from the skeleton. However, all theories pointed to the fact that the skeleton belongs to the church founder. You know how fanatical some people could be with living or dead founder of their faith.

“The skeleton will soon be released for burial. At least, the man should be allowed to rest in peace. We still appeal to people who may have contrary information about the church to volunteer it to the police.”
At press time, police authorities were in confusion over what to do with the skeleton even as the hospital management anxiously awaited the collection of late Adebayo’s skeleton for burial because according to them, “the mortuary is meant for dead bodies and not skeleton.

Have they checked SW almajiris in other states too?

Emerging trend of social almajiri in Yorubaland
By Hakeem Jamiu

There is a social malaise which is gradually creeping into the lexicon of Yorubaland and this is the ugly spectre of hungry children begging for food and alms at social events. Older women are equally not left out in this ugly but strange practice in Yorubaland. It is strange in Yorubaland because the concept of almajiri which simply means street urchin is common in the Northern part of the country. Yorubas use to refer derisively to anybody soliciting for arms in Yorubaland in the olden days as almajiri. The almajiri of the North are usually children between the age bracket of 7 and 20 in most cases. Almajiris are so desperate for food that any unsuspecting visitor to the Northern part of the country who goes to a restaurant to eat but mistakenly left his food to wash his hands is likely to lose such to waiting almajiris before he comes back for the food.


I first noticed this ugly trend at a ceremony I attended a few months ago at Ayetoro Ekiti. Elderly and middle aged able bodied women from Kwara, Osun and Oyo states invaded the burial ceremony uninvited and were embarrassing guests who refused to give them money. Also noticeable were children with their begging bowls who thronged the venue of the ceremony soliciting for left over food and alms. The children were a pitiable sight. Poverty was clearly written on their faces. I have attended many social functions after that and the same trend was noticeable. But I became worried a few days ago, when I attended the burial ceremony of a friend's father in Ilesha , Osun State . They came in various groups and employ different methods in soliciting for alms. There were the elderly women who were busy harassing guests in the name of praise singing and would not leave until you part with money, there were the men with their public address system which they use in praise singing but which is disturbance and yet, there were Yoruba children in the mould of almajiris with their begging bowls scrambling for left-over and at the same time soliciting for alms.


Fellow guests on my table at the event who were also journalists expressed their concern in unison about the growing trend of almajiri of various categories in Yorubaland. They all agreed that it has become a social problem. We started discussing and realised that the culture of begging in the mould of almajiris is alien to Yoruba culture. In those days before the advent of the British, the Yorubas are a proud people known for their hard work and industry. They practiced hoe agriculture and were well known as traders and for their crafts. Yoruba artists have produced masterpieces of woodcarving and bronze casting, some of which date from as early as the 13th century. Many of Nigeria 's best-known artists and writers are Yoruba. Other occupation of the Yorubas at that time were drumming and masquerading which would now be called showbiz. They engage in all the foregoing occupation but a Yoruba man or woman (able bodied) would not beg for alms as it is considered shameful and something akin to a curse. The Yorubas cherish their oriki (folklore) which is a poetic version of eulogizing the exploits of their progenitors which is an incentive for them to excel and even surpass their progenitors. The Yorubas have harsh words for lazy people. Such people are objects of ridicule and butt of jokes in the society. With this background, it is understandable why we became worried with the array of beggars at the Ilesha ceremony.


After leaving the party, I reflected on the scenario of the almajiris in Ilesha and I was able to draw a relationship between Political almajiris and social almajiris. I discovered that social almajiri had its root in the advent of the politics of do -or-die introduced into the political lexicon of Yorubaland by apostles of mainstream politics especially ex-President Obasanjo. The grand Patron of political almajiris who recently passed away was Chief Lamidi Adedibu. Many have argued that his death has led to the proliferation of almajiris in Yorubaland. This is because those he hitherto dole handouts to must look for other means of survival since he is no more. These political almajiris are ready to exchange their mothers for few coins. A new political class of men without integrity and anything goes was created and they became political almajiris who survive on crumbs from their masters. They would rig, kill, maim and do all sort of things to acquire political power. With the ascension of these men in power, good governance became a thing of the past. Our collective patrimony was squandered by these political almajiris. Nigeria has never been so blessed with petro dollar with oil selling for $156 dollars per barrel but Nigeria has never been so poor with a chunk of the population living below poverty line. So versions of the political almajiris are the social almajiris that now invade ceremonies in Yorubaland. With these children begging for alms, a ready made market for thuggery and other social vices is assured. The activities of the beggars are not limited to parties. At bus stops in our cities, it is a common sight to see women most of who are still in their mid thirties, who would strap a baby at their backs and approach men with stories of despair to solicit for alms. Many of them would end up in bed with such men. This is another brand of alamajiri and these are Yoruba women. A violent version of almajiri but which is gradually being tackled in Lagos is the 'Area Boys' syndrome. These are Yoruba street urchins who are semi- armed robbers.


The underlying factor in this new trend is failure of the Nigerian State on one part and the laziness on the part of these women. Most of them don't want to work, In those days, when everybody's occupation was farming you dare not beg. You must find something to do. But these days, our women and children are too lazy. It is either they steal or beg. In most cases a mother and child become almajiris at social events. So the question now is can a Yoruba man now refer derisively to a Hausa beggar as almajiri when we have many of them now in Yorubaland? The answer is no! This trend must be arrested before it goes out of hand. The almajiris in the North these days engage in novel forms of drug abuse like sniffing of gutter water to get intoxicated, sniffing of adhesives and other drugs so that they are ever ready to unleash terror on the rest of the society whenever they are called upon to do so by the political wing of almajiris. I strongly recommend that guests at public functions must stop encouraging almajiris by giving them money.


But can government which itself owns the political wing of almajiris arrest this trend? Time will tell.

http://odili.net/news/source/2008/jul/9/221.html

We need legislation to eradicate rituals, cannibalism - Erelu Lola Ayonrinde -Raises posers on Oba Funso Adeolu’s corpse

Erelu Tunwase AyonrindeErelu Tunwase of Ode-Remo, Chief Lola Ayonrinde, who is the Otun Iyalode of Shomolu and Lagos District, and also the Yeye Akinrogun of Ikeji-Ile Ijesa was twice Mayor of the London Borough of Wandsworth. She talks to AYO-LAWAL GBENOBA on her campaign against human sacrifice and cannibalism in Nigeria. Excerpts:

WHAT is your campaign all about?
The ‘Say No To Cannibalism In Nigeria’ campaign is aimed towards eradicating the ancient and obnoxious practice of mutilating the bodies of traditional rulers after death. The rituals and sacrifices parts of the body of a dead king, especially in Western Nigeria, are used for are barbaric and a disgrace to the country in this 21st century. The movement is out to stop these evil practices which are not in consonant with the will of God and against the fundamental human rights of the affected traditional rulers. When a king dies, they say they have to give his heart to his successor on the throne to eat. They explained that it will make the new king strong and courageous but, is that not deceit? How can eating somebody’s flesh give courage to another person? They mutilate the remains of these kings and engage in fetish and obnoxious activities which add no value to anybody or the society in general.


Why do you need to feed an incoming royal father with the heart of a dead one? This cannibalism started with Christopher Colombus who believed that when a king ate the heart, or some other parts of a dead ruler, some major attributes of the dead was transferred to the new king. This is sheer cannibalism and has no place with God. And, I want the chiefs, the traditional rulers themselves and other stakeholders to know that any tradition that does not recognise God is doomed. The government must put a stop to this cannibalism going on in some parts of Nigeria because, it is even against the constitution of Nigeria. Section 38 subsection 1 of the Nigerian constitution gives every citizen the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, while section 17 subsection 26 declares that the sanctity of the human person shall be recognised and human dignity shall be maintained and enhanced. Where is the sanctity of the human person in all these? Where is human dignity?


What motivated this campaign?
I was very close to the late Alaye of Ode-Remo, Oba Funso Adeolu, the popular Chief Eleyinmi of the rested Village Headmaster soap opera. Few months after his death on August 21, 2008, he started appearing to me and I had months of traumatic haunting. In his lifetime, Oba Adeolu was a Christian and he made it known that he did not partake in anything fetish during his installation as king. He explicitly, several times, demanded that when death came calling, his corpse should be handed over to his family so that he could be given a proper Christian burial. However, his corpse was not released to the family. After his death, he appeared to me several times, and kept telling me about many things. He said his corpse was handed over to the ‘odis’ (slaves) who treated it like that of a criminal. They took bits and pieces of his remains for their own use while some parts were distributed to the four corners of the town.


It was while going round that I discovered what happened and I met some chiefs who confessed what happened but asked me to forget it because there was nothing we could do about it.

All the ‘odus’ of Ifa do not approve using human beings as sacrifice, the constitution does not approve and to crown it all, God Almighty frowns at this practice, they are doing it to appease whom? Some of the kings today are enlightened and those who are born again Christians, like Oba Adeolu, are renouncing these things. So, why hold on to an obnoxious and barbaric act? Oba Adeolu believed he would be given a decent burial and that is why his ghost has refused to rest. Even in Ijebuland, these things were abolished years ago and Ijebuland under the Awujale agreed they would bury kings according to their religion.


So, how do you hope to stop the practice?
We are canvassing that our traditional rulers should be buried whole, without being mutilated and it should be in the open. There is secrecy because of the evils attached. It is untenable scientifically that the heart is eaten for so and so reasons. To start with, let us have the installation of kings in the open, no aspect of the installation should be shrouded in secrecy. It should be a celebration of our culture so, why should it be shrouded in secrecy? When everything becomes transparent, it will even help younger ones to know more about our culture and we will be able to restore some of our societal values. Why should obas be laid to rest in a paganic manner? If a governor gives staff of office to a king, giving him recognition and authority, that king is under the governor so, why should the government condone barbarism in this age? The ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs should do something about this, if not, the government is endorsing cannibalism. True that some of the kings went through these rituals during installation but those who opted out should be given that grace of opting out of the rituals in death. They should be buried according to their faith. The practice is a disgrace to the whole of South West because it is common there.


We are appealing to the traditional rulers who were installed through cannibalism to renounce it publicly and declare they don’t want their hearts to be eaten or other parts of their bodies to be used for any form of ritual. Abolition of slave trade took place years ago. So, why do we still have some people in Ode calling themselves slaves (‘odis’)? We need legislation to stop the barbaric act and we are appealing to our lawmakers to rise up to this task of eradicating cannibalism in Nigeria. There should be a law backing a king to opt out of fetish installation and burial and it should become an offence for anyone to tamper with the remains of a king, for whatever purpose, or to give the body to the ‘odi’ for rituals. The penalty should be without an option of fine so that the perpetrators would know how grave the offence is. The ‘odi’ in Ode can be given money to buy goat, ram, cow, or whatever they need for sacrifice, if they must, but there must be total abolition of human sacrifice in the country. Efforts are being made by some Ogun State traditional rulers to stop it but some feel the fetish practice must be protected. The government must detach itself from it.


Internationally, human sacrifice, cannibalism, witchcraft and sorcery are illegal so, why should it be done with impunity in Nigeria, a country that is known as the giant of Africa? Infact, politicians should begin to include the abolition of cannibalism in their campaign programmes, and party manifestos by 2010.


What efforts have you made so far to network and get people involved?
We give glory to Almighty God. I have spoken to so many kings who secretly don’t want it and we are telling them that they should make an open declaration against these evil practices. The campaign would be boosted if they do because people believe they all knew and agreed to these evil practices before being installed. We now call on the royal fathers again, in the name of Almighty God, to declare publicly that they don’t want these fetish practices to continue. I have carried the campaign to the international level so that Nigerians of affluence who are in diaspora would lobby the lawmakers and get a legal backing for the campaign to eradicate human sacrifice and cannibalism in Nigeria. A number of international media like the BBC have aired my interview on the campaign and some Nigerian people abroad are involved in the lobbying for a legislation to stop the obnoxious practices.


We call on the ‘oluwos’ and ‘odis’ in Ode to review the entrenched ill that has no value to the society. We appeal to them to accept cows and goats and allow our royal fathers to be buried according to their beliefs. Then, it was about time that the royal fathers are constituted into the House of Royals, like the House of Lords, so that they would have more power, say and patnership in governance. This would help them to contribute meaningfully to issues affecting them and the society at large.

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Author Topic: I Got My Fake Ife, Ui, Nysc Certificates For N350,000 (Read 2037 views)
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I Got My Fake Ife, Ui, Nysc Certificates For N350,000
« on: February 23, 2009, 07:56 PM »

Sunday, February 22, 2009
I got my fake Ife, UI, NYSC certificates for N350,000

By AKIN OYEDELE

NOTHING in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Ingenuity will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."



Ogunshola




Had Olusola Ogunshola come across this wise saying of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States of America, in his quest to earn a living through honest means, maybe he would have been singing a song different from the one he now sings at the headquarters of the Oyo State Police Command, where he is now cooling off.

Born 51 years ago in Sagamu, Ogun State, Ogunshola said he had tried his hands on many things since he finished from Oke Ibadan Boys High School, Ibadan, in 1974. He was a petty trader, clergy, and fish farmer at different times in order to secure honest livelihood. He didn't have a major breakthrough, he said.

In 1987, he said he struck an idea to travel abroad to seek the proverbial greener pasture, which landed him in trouble 21 years after.

Legitimately, Ogunshola did not possess more than a school certificate, but he goes about parading himself as a lawyer and pastor to swindle unsuspecting members of the public. It will be difficult for anybody to believe that the Bachelor's of Law certificate of the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University); Master's of Law degree certificate of the University of Ibadan, Ibadan (which he 'bagged' even before the university began postgraduate degree in law); the National Youth Service Corps certificate; call to Bar certificate and the identity card of the Nigeria Bar Association, found in his possession, were forged.

Not only that, the suspect confessed in an interview with our correspondent that he "stole" the stamp and letterhead of a law firm, S. O. Alli and Co. And to complete his bogus identity, he said he purchased a lawyer's wig and gown, with a shirt to match in Lagos, when he finally decided to pass for a lawyer. Before he was excommunicated when his deals became known to the church authority, Ogunshola was also a 'pastor' with the Global Harvest Church, where he 'cast and bound' the devil and its agents for several years. The official stamp of the church, a disused locally-made gun, two international passports and some fake certificates of occupancy were also among his haul.

The Commissioner of Police at the state command, Mr. Bashiru Azeez, said that the suspect was nabbed over a N362,000 shady deal that went awry.

Azeez said, "His cup became full when one of his victims reported that the transaction between them began on February 15, 2006 when the victim met the suspect at their church.

"The victim had told him that he needed the services of a lawyer to verify the genuineness of a property in Lagos State, which was introduced to him for purchase and to process the certificate of occupancy in respect of the property.

"To his enquiry, the suspect responded that he was a barrister and could render him the legal services. The victim was pleased at this development; that he had found a lawyer pastor in whom he could repose absolute trust."

Pronto, the victim was said to have made available the sum charged by the 'lawyer' in order not to lose the property to other interested buyers. That became his undoing. Ogunshola went to work and before you could say Babatunde Fashola, he had produced a purported C of O and other legal documents on the property, which the CP said were later discovered to be forged. Had the suspect refunded the money, probably the victim would have kept this secret, but he began to dilly-dally, as months of unfulfilled promises turned to years.

But on Thursday, Ogunshola cut the image of a pensive rogue, who having realised the gravity of his offence, would pose as a fowl beaten by the rain in his wig and robe.

Asked how he came about the certificates found in his possession, he said that it was in 1987 when he was desperate to travel out of the country that he encountered one late Ishiaku, who procured the documents for him at a fee of N350,000. Before his accomplice died in an auto accident (if he was not being economical with the truth), he said he was in the process of securing a Canadian visa with his fake certificates. Asked why he needed to go to that extent to secure a visa, he claimed that the idea was that of his late accomplice to smoothen the process. His dream however vanished with the death of Ishiaku.

His good command of English language notwithstanding, he said he could not further his education beyond secondary school due to lack of financial support from his struggling parents. His memory failed him when asked how he met the late accomplice and where.

He said the death of his partner dealt him a devastating blow that he did not know how to pick up the pieces of his life, having lost his life savings from his petty trading to the ambition.

Ogunshola insisted that he never defrauded his victim, who he identified as one Kayode Oresanya. Rather, he said that a link person that he contracted to secure the C of O from the Office of Surveyor General in Lagos "collected the money and ran away."

He said, "I was no longer making use of the certificates. The police found them in my store. I never went to court or took a brief from anybody. I acquired those things when I wanted to travel abroad. When the Canada thing failed, Ishiaku still promised to help me before he died in an accident. I inherited the old gun they found in my house from my father. Go and check it very well, it is an old useless gun."

In a rare display of 'honesty,' he said that he stole the S.O. Alli and Co. stamp and letterhead when he had an opportunity of being at the law firm when they were relocating to another office.

His countenance dropped and he almost ended the interview when asked whether he was still a pastor, to which he declared "I will not answer that question."

Asked why he could not venture into any neat business with N350,000 as far back as 1987, he said his ambition was to live big and do well with his family. Now he said he had put his wife and two kids in a quandary.

Querying the rationale behind his arrest for a deal that was about three-years-old, he said he had already promised to refund the money to Oresanya before he (Oresanya) decided to invite the police. The suspect said that his income from his fish farming business could barely sustain him now, which explains why he told his victim to tarry a while.

If given another opportunity, he said he would turn a new leaf now that he had realised the position of law on his activities.

Hear him, "I feel frustrated with my life because of the serious setback I suffered when I could not travel abroad. I have repented. I regretted my action. I can't do it again. I was a petty trader at a point, but I thought my life will be better. Now, I know better."

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/feb/22/412.html

As Senate re-run election approaches, Iyiola Omisore's post-graduate degree generates new controversy
WRITTEN BY SAHARA REPORTERS, NEW YORK
THURSDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2009 13:07





Ex-Senator Iyiola Omisore



Just as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State on Wednesday fixed December 5 for the court ordered re-run election for the Senate seat previously occupied by Iyiola Omisore of the PDP, a new controversy has surfaced over the authenticity and veracity of Omisore’s degree.


Omisore parades a Master’s degree in Building Services Engineering Management, which he obtained from Brunel University in the United Kingdom in July 2004, according to an academic report obtained by Saharareporters and signed by Dr. R H M Wakelin, the Chairman of the Board of Examiners in the course.

The course description on Brunel website shows the “Building Services Engineering Management MSc at the institution to be a 3-5 years self study without attendance course,” permitting the student to "follow a structured programme of self-study at home or at work."



Omisore's Academic Report from Brunel University



If this is how Omisore obtained his M.Sc degree in 2004, that would mean he was undertaking the course while in prison over the murder of the former Oyo State Governor and later Attorney-General of Nigeria, Bola Ige, in Ibadan. That assassination has never been solved.

An additional question would be how he was able to take his examinations. The structure of the Brunel University self-study programme states that while students can study at their own pace using a study pack comprising text books and CD-ROMs, they have to take annual examinations, in May. Once registered, a student can take his examinations in his country of residence. The university implements the process through "an extensive network of organisations (Universities, Colleges and British Council Offices) throughout the world" who provide invigilation, the cost of which is paid by the student. It is unclear whether such services are made available in the context of incarceration, as Omisore was in 2004, and how.

Efforts to have the former senator speak about his MSc degree have been difficult, but Stephanie Berke, who is a Clerical Officer in the Examinations and Conferment’s section of the Brunel University schools’ registry, responded to our inquiry, asking that we obtain Omisore’s consent to enable them release his academic records to us.

Today, Omisore refused to grant that consent. He told Saharareporters to wait until next week upon his arrival in Abuja to produce a copy of the certificate and the roll call of graduands.

He refused to clarify the pertinent issues relating to when he took the course and how he was able to continue while he was in detention. Saharareporters also wanted to know specifically when he completed the study, whether he used the method of self-study or attended classes, but he was non-committal. About the completion date, he gave us 2005, but the academic record clearly shows 2004.

It would be recalled that on October 30, 2009, the Appeal Court, sitting in Ibadan, removed Omisore from the Nigerian senate, following the successful the petition filed by Action Congress (AC) candidate, Jide Omoworare.


http://www./index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4280:as-senate-re-run-election-approaches-iyiola-omisores-post-graduate-degree-generates-new-controversy&catid=76:hot-topic&Itemid=205

seanet02:
No be me go mention that name my younger sisters dey home i no wan make dem possess fake doctorate degrees. E be like say the name start with ony

She lives in the SW and learnt how t do Oluwole from there