Nelson Ugwuagbo

The pastor of Household of David, Sola Osunmakinde, has revealed how the fire incident that gutted the church started, saying he watched with agony as everything was burnt before his eyes.

The Nation reported that a fire broke out at the church located in the Ikeja local government area of Lagos state earlier on Wednesday, January 31.

The incident was confirmed by the spokesperson for the Lagos State Fire Service, Amodu Shakiri, attributing it to the overheating of the church’s auditorium roof.

Osunmakinde said the fire service was put off but “painfully, we watched till everything got burnt completely. Everything.”

He said: “I came here this (Wednesday) morning and everything was going on well, we were setting up,” he narrated. “All of a sudden, we started hearing something up there and there was fire.”

“Nobody anticipated this. The most important thing is that no life was lost,” he said in a video with a background of burnt carcasses of what is now left of the fancy auditorium with colourful lighting and thousands of steel chairs.

“It’s a painful experience, no doubt but all things work together for good.”

The Mercy Conference was scheduled to take place on January 31, 2024, and numerous Pentecostal preachers, including Yemi Davids, Godman Akinlabi, Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, and Apostle Joshua Selman, were scheduled to minister during the gathering. Notable minstrels including Moses Bliss, Victoria Orenze, Dunsin Oyekan, and Nathaniel Bassey are also scheduled to minister throughout the convention.

Osunmakinde added: “We believe God and we are still going to go ahead with the conference.”

Ekiti State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of five suspected kidnappers, 24 hours after the killing of two traditional rulers in the state.

However, the police public relations office stated that it could not confirm whether the kidnappers were connected to the killing of the traditional rulers until investigations were concluded.

The police spokesman, DSP Sunday Abutu, said the suspects were arrested in a forest.

“In a bid to flush out criminal elements, especially kidnappers out of the state, a combined team of the Police, NSCDC, Amotekun, OPC and local hunters embarked on a bush combing operation through Oke-Osun, Ikere/Igbo-Okah, to the thick forest around Iju/Ikere boundary.

“During the Operation, five suspected kidnappers – Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi and Suleiman Abdulahi, were arrested.

“During interrogation, the suspects claimed to be herdsmen but it was later discovered that none of them had cattle and no cattle was found with them in the forest where they were arrested.

“The following items were found with them in the forest – two motorcycles, one cutlass, one jack knife/ dagger and four mobile phones

Kidnappers of five pupils of Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure Ekiti, and four staff members have demanded N100m ransom for the release of the nine victims who were taken away on Monday.

The principal of the secondary section of the Ekiti school, Boje Olanireti, confirmed the ransom demand in an interview on Tuesday.

The abduction epidemic has continued to defy the efforts of the security agencies as cases of kidnappings were being recorded in various parts of the country daily.

On Monday, gunmen killed two Ekiti monarchs-the Onimojo of Imojo, Oba Olatunde Olusola, and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba Babatunde Ogunsakin, while the Alara of Ara Ekiti, Oba Adebayo Fatoba, narrowly escaped.

The traditional rulers were returning from a function in Kogi State when their vehicles ran into the suspected kidnappers who were operating on the highway between Ipao and Oke Ako in the Ikole Local Government Area of Ekiti State.

The abduction of the schoolchildren and four staff members occurred when the school bus conveying 25 pupils home after school hours was waylaid by the gunmen in the Emure community in Ekiti State.

Shedding light on how the incident occurred, Olanireti explained that the abduction occurred about a five-minute drive from the school.

She said, “Immediately the school closed at 3pm, and by the time we gathered all the children, it was already 3:30pm. It was that time that they moved. So, the incident happened between 3:30pm and 4pm. The school is in a suburb of Emure village, so they were going back home in Eporo. The incident occurred just about a five-minute drive from the school to Eporo.

“When the gunmen attacked, the people around heard the gunshots and they came to Emure with motorcycles to inform the people in the school about what happened. We immediately reported to the police station at Emure.

“The students were over 25 on the bus when the incident happened. When the gunmen attacked them, they shot the tyre of the vehicle and asked the children to come out of the bus. They asked all of them to lie down. They picked five students and four staff members. They, after that, asked others to go.”

Olanireti added, “The five students comprise two from the secondary (school) and three from primary school while the four staff comprise two teachers, one driver and one bus assistant.

“When the parents heard about the incident, they came from Eporo and they have been making frantic efforts by reaching out to some security outfits, including the police and Amotekun.’’

“The security operatives have also been talking to the proprietor of the primary school and he has been giving them information. By the time they opened communication, they first called the husband of one of the teachers and demanded N10m for each kidnapped victim. But when they later called the headmaster, they demanded N100m for all of them.” the principal said.

A family source at Eporo Ekiti, who preferred anonymity, confirmed on Tuesday that the kidnappers had contacted the family of one of the children demanding  N100m on the victims.
LeadingReporters gathered, that “They called the family of one of the school children and they are requesting N10m per victim. What we gathered is that there are nine persons kidnapped – five schoolchildren, two teachers, one bus assistant, and a driver.

“The parents are at Eporo. The bus was taking them home after closing. It was in the process that the kidnappers struck. None of the families of the abductees can afford the ransom.’’

Meanwhile, the Aremo of Emure Kingdom, Chief Clement Akinola, has appealed to the state government to assist in the release of their children.

 Akinola, who in the company of the Emure Local Government Chairman and state government officials visited the families of the kidnapped persons at Eporo Ekiti, said, “One can imagine the condition the children will be in, one can imagine the state of mind of the parents, the entire Emure community and the Eporo people. There is tension, very high tension.’’

The chief called for the establishment of military posts on the many borders between the Emure community and Ondo State to tame kidnappings and the activities of gunmen in the area.

He said, “Emure is a border town, we have a boundary with Ondo State at Owo through Eporo, we have a boundary with Ondo State through Supare Akoko, and we have some farm roads pliable by motorbikes to Ondo State at Uso.

“My appeal is that there should be military checkpoints between Emure and Owo and Eporo and as well around Supare. These will reduce the violent crimes in the areas.

The Chairman of the Joint Security Committee of Ise, Emure and Ikere, Tunji Falana, who corroborated Akinola, said, “The boundaries are too porous. We have been appealing to the government to establish police posts and army checkpoints at the borders.

“This is not the first time kidnappers would kidnap there. The place is porous. But in this kidnap case, the Kabiyesi, the Elemure of Emure Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Adebayo, a former commissioner of police, is working round the clock to ensure the release of the abductees.

Falana advised that in the meantime, “Bush combing should be at regular intervals, not more than two weeks interval. When the kidnappers realize the forests are free, they return especially during dry seasons like this when there is North-South migration.

“They destroy our farms at Ise Ekiti and Emure Ekiti here and nobody can control them. We commend the police because they are making arrests and taking them for prosecution.”

Meanwhile, the police in Ekiti State said on Tuesday that they had arrested five suspected kidnappers just as the command launched a manhunt for the kidnappers in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Amotekun, Odua Peoples Congress, and hunters.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, disclosed in a statement that the suspects were arrested during a joint operation with other security agencies.

He said, “The suspects were arrested by a combined team of policemen, civil defence corps, Amotekun Corps Odua Peoples Congress, and local hunters on Tuesday during a bush combing operation through Oke-Osun, Ikere/Igbo-Okah to the thick forest around Iju/Ikere boundary.

“During the operation, five suspected kidnappers namely- Usman Jelili, Mohammed Bande, Abubakar Aliu, Isah Abdulahi, and Suleman Abdulahi were arrested.’’

“During interrogation, the suspects claimed to be herdsmen, but it was later discovered that none of them had cattle and no cattle was found with them in the forest where they were arrested.

“The following items were found with them in the forest – two motorcycles, one cutlass, one jack knife/dagger, and four phones,” the PPRO stated.

In response to the killing of two monarchs by suspected kidnappers on Monday, Ekiti State communities wore sober looks on Tuesday when the Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, paid condolence visits to the palaces of the two communities and the people of the two towns.

The indigenes of the two communities, who spoke on the deaths of their monarchs, described the incident as a great loss to the two communities.

At the palace of Elesun, they cut the trees to signify the passage of the monarch while red flags were flown on masts as people sat in groups singing dirges over the Elesun’s transition.

Oyebanji, who said Ekiti State had been very peaceful, lamented the attack and unexpected killings, which he described as “unfortunate and an affront to the peaceful nature of the state”.

The governor, who spoke at the Palace of the Elesun and a small hall at Imojo where the building of the palace was ongoing, said that the incident was a sacrilege to the traditional institution in the state.

He said it was a good development that President Bola Tinubu, who was on the phone with him for about an hour on Monday to commiserate with the Ekiti people had given directives to security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to book.

Oyebanji said, “I have absolute confidence in the security agencies to fish out the people involved in this crime against the traditional institution in Ekiti. The government will continue to step up efforts at the security of the people because that is why we are here in government.

 “My message to all the criminals is that Ekiti State is going to be too hot for them, we are going to get hot at them, and for those that are involved in this act, this sacrilege, they will be fished out.”

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, to pay N135,722,303.40k along with accrued interest to the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) over his unpaid bank loan.

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo issued the order in a judgement delivered in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/AMC/12/2022 filed by AMCON.

Justice Ekwo, who declared that Umeh was actually indebted to AMCON, issued an order directing the forfeiture of Umeh’s 5,000,000 units of Skye Bank shares in the records of the Central Securities & Clearing System to AMCON.

The judge also awarded a cost of N2m in favour of AMCON and against Umeh, who is currently the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora.

According to court documents filed by AMCON, Umeh got a loan of N23,250,000.00 from the now defunct Skye Bank in January 2008 “to enable him invest in and purchase shares of a financial institution in Nigeria.

“The tenor of the credit facility granted the defendant was specifically fixed for 356 days.

“The offer letter contained various other explicit terms and conditions, which the defendant accepted by duly executing the memorandum of acceptance.

“The defendant utilised the funds granted to him as credit facilities by the bank. However, at the expiration of the tenor of the facility, the defendant failed and neglected to liquidate the credit facility as per the contract.”

AMCON stated that it later acquired the unpaid debt when Skye Bank became unsuccessful in making Umeh repay.

It added that its suit was to recover the debt, which stood at N135,722,303.40k as of April 2011.

Justice Ekwo, in his judgement, noted that despite being served with court documents in relation to the case, Umeh failed to file any response or make any effort to enter a defence.

The judge said: “It is to be noted at this point that the defendant, upon being served, failed to enter a defence in this case.

“It is trite law that the net effect of the failure of a defendant to file pleadings is that the assertions of the claimant in his pleadings stands unchallenged and are deemed admitted and established

“It is also true that the effect of a defendant’s failure to call evidence in defense of the claims against him at the trial is that he is presumed to have admitted the case made against him by the claimant.”

The judge added that despite Umeh’s failure to file a defence, the plaintiff was able to prove it’s case through the evidence it presented.

He held that, based on the evidence presented by the plaintiff, “the indebtedness of the defendant has been proven.

“I find that the plaintiff has established its case by preponderance of evidence as required by law.

“Consequently, judgement is entered per terms as follows:

*A declaration is hereby made that the defendant is indebted to the plaintiff, in the sum of N135,722,303.40 representing the principal debt sum plus all the accrued interest and charges, at the rate of 15 percent per annum drawn up to January 25, 2021, being the sum due and outstanding from the defendant to the plaintiff.

*A declaration is hereby made mandating the defendant to pay to the plaintiff the sum of N135,722,303.40 representing the principal debt sum, plus all the accrued interest and charges, at the rate of 15 percent per annum drawn up to January 25, 2021, in settlement of the debt due and outstanding from the defendant to the plaintiff.

*An order is hereby made mandating the defendant to pay the plaintiff a sum representing 15 percent of the principal sum as interest on the judgement sum from January 26, 2021, until the date of delivery of the judgement.

*An order is hereby made mandating the defendant to pay the plaintiff a sum representing 15 percent of the judgement sum as interest on the judgement sum, from the date of delivery of the judgement till the date of full and final liquidation of same.

*A declaration is hereby made that the defendant is liable to a total forfeiture and divestment of all his title, rights, interests, benefits, and claims in respect of the 5,000,000 shares of Skye Bank shares in the record of the Central Secures & Cleaning System while the plaintiff is entitied to take over, as beneficial owner, all the title, rights, interests, benefits and claims in respect of same.

*An order of final foreclosure and final forfeiture is hereby made foreclosing and divesting the defendant of his title, rights and interests, in respect of the 5,000,000 units of Skye Bank shares in the records of the Central Securities & Clearing System and vesting same in the plaintiff in furtherance of part liquidation and satisfaction of the outstanding debt obligation of the defendants due to the plaintiff.

*An order is hereby made mandating the defendant to pay to the plaintiff the sum of N2,000,000 00 as costs for filing and pursuing this claim.”

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, DASH, Lafia, Nasarawa State, has declared a 72-hour protest strike, effective immediately.

The decision to embark on the strike was announced on Tuesday morning, just hours after a distressing incident unfolded at the state-owned hospital.

A doctor on duty became the victim of an assault perpetrated by a male relative of a patient whose identity remains confidential.

Protesting against incessant aggression towards its members and other healthcare workers, the association, alongside supporting hospital staff, convened a demonstration within the hospital premises.

Armed with placards bearing various messages, they pleaded for intervention from government authorities and other relevant bodies to swiftly curtail the surge in assaults on healthcare professionals within the state.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s media aide, Paul Ibe, has said his principal was not silent on the January 16 explosion that killed five persons, injured 77 and destroyed 58 houses in the Old Bodija area of Ibadan, Oyo State.

Ibe was reacting to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who remarked on Monday that Atiku had not reached out or condoled with the government and people of Oyo State over the tragic incident.

Makinde stated this in Ibadan when a former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general elections, Peter Obi, paid him a condolence visit over the January 16 explosion.

Makinde said, “Let me use this opportunity to thank former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for the visit. I thank him because politics didn’t seep into this. You came here to commiserate with us over the explosion. Actually, the investigation is going on. It was simply illegal miners storing explosives in an environment where they shouldn’t be.

“It is a place where meant for people to live in; It’s not a mining site. So, all the lapses that allowed such to happen have been looked into.

“I am particularly grateful because the musketeers that went for the presidential election have reached out to me. The President has called me, and you have reached out to me, but my own party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has not called or even sent a text message.

“And I am saying it openly so that our leaders will know that there is time for politics. You have a time for governance and you have a time for humanity. So, we want to say thank you so much, sir. We appreciate this visit.”

But reacting, Ibe said Atiku had condoled with the Oyo people over the incident.

He said, “With due respect to Governor Seyi Makinde, we wish to correct his expression about the response of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar to the recent explosion in the city of Ibadan.

“Atiku Abubakar made a condolence message about the Ibadan explosion, less than 24 hours of its occurrence, where he shared his commiseration and empathy with the good people and government of Oyo State over the incident.

“Perhaps the Governor has been too busy to take track of media reports on the incident. But we wish to put on record that on the 17th of January, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar did make a widely available message on the Ibadan incident.”

Atiku has blamed his defeat in the 2023 presidential election on the refusal of Makinde and four other PDP governors to support his ambition.

Makinde and the other PDP governors, who called themselves G-5 governors, supported President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress in the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

Meanwhile, Obi, during his visit to Ibadan, said, “Through the governor, we want to extend our condolences to the bereaved families and to all those who lost their valuable property in the incident and to assure them of our prayers that God will grant those who lost their lives eternal rest. And we want to thank the government for its prompt response and that is what governance has to be.”

Speaking on the economic situation of the country and its effect on the masses, Obi called for a cut in the cost of governance at the federal level as a necessary sacrifice to move the country forward.

“All of us are now involved, and all of us should work hard and make the necessary sacrifices to see that we turn around the situation. That is why it is necessary when things happened here, and the government responded in a manner the government should respond and everybody comes to participate and commend them for doing the right thing.

“It’s a matter of sacrifice, today, elections are over, governance is the key thing and what is required, for me, is to cut down the cost of governance, especially at the federal level. It is unacceptable the way it is going; we need to prioritise critical areas, such as education, health and pulling people out of poverty,” he said.

An unprecedented hike in fees for Abuja-based private schools is imminent following the decision of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to hike operation charges of private schools in the capital city.

Under the new tax regime, each school will be billed according to tuition paid by students and the number of enrolments.

A memo from the Head of Account at the Department of Quality Assurance of the Education Secretariat, Mudi Muhammed, revealed that the development would take effect from January 2024, as reported on Monday.

The memo was titled: “Review of private school operation charges in FCT,” and it read: “ Following the approval of the Honourable Minister of the FCT for a review of operational charges (annual charge, accreditation, application, re-accreditation, commencement and recognition) payable by private schools in the FCT.

“You are by this letter informed that the old rate of charges cease to be valid as of 31/12/2023 and the new rate of charges effective 1/1/2024.

“Under the new rate, each school is billed according to the tuition charged and the number of enrollments. As a consequence, each school has its peculiar bill. You should also note that all application(s) are now N40,000.”

Meanwhile, the National Association of Private School Owners in the FCT, in a letter written to the Education Secretariat, noted that such a tax review at a time when the Federal Government had promised to eliminate multiple taxes would only increase the cost of education beyond the reach of many parents, thus adding to the population of out-of-school children.

In the letter signed by its Chairperson, Ruqayah Agboola, NAPPS added that the tax review would further put pressure on private schools in the FCT as it would increase their running costs.

The association said, “Unfortunately, our members rejected the proposal in its entirety. They cited the hard economy, the huge bank loans outstanding in their books, the unpaid fees by many owing parents, the many levies payable to local government and other agencies, and more importantly payment of their teachers’ salaries, other staff as well as maintenance of our infrastructure.

“Our members, therefore, plead that you use your good office to effect a 50 per cent reduction in the existing annual dues to enable your office to recover the outstanding dues. We will partner with you to achieve this.”

Speaking with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, a member of the association said the association was planning to write the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and also notify the Parents-Teachers Association of the newly imposed tax.

The Supreme Court, on Monday, reserved judgment on an appeal the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its candidate, Senator Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, filed to challenge the outcome of the governorship election that held in Adamawa State on March 18.

A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, adjourned the matter for judgment, after all the parties adopted their final briefs of argument.

Specifically, the appellants, through their legal team headed by Chief Akinolu Olujimi (SAN), prayed the court to sack Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State from office.

They urged the Supreme Court to set aside the concurrent verdicts of the Court of Appeal and the Adamawa State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, which upheld Fintiri’s re-election.

Binani maintained that she polled the majority of valid votes cast at the election and was validly declared the winner by the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC.

However, Fintiri, through his lawyer, Mr. Damian Dodo (SAN), urged the apex court to dismiss the appeal and validate his election victory.

The appellate court had, in a judgment it delivered on December 18, 2023, dismissed Senator Dahiru’s appeal, even as it awarded a cost of N1 million against her.

While affirming the election of Governor Fintiri, who was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the appellate court held that Senator Dahiru’s appeal was vague.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had at the end of a supplementary election held in Adamawa State, announced that Fintiri polled 430,861 votes to defeat Binani of the APC who got a total of 398,788 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, Binani approached the tribunal. She alleged that the election was fraught with corrupt practices and manifest non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.

She urged the Justice Theodora Obi Uloho-led tribunal to declare that she was the valid winner of the governorship election. The panel refused and dismissed her petition.

While affirming the decision of the tribunal, the appellate court, in its lead verdict that was read by Justice Ebiowei Tobi, held that the 27 grounds of appeal the APC candidate brought before it, lacked competence.

It held that the appellants failed to, by way of credible evidence, substantiate the allegations they raised against the outcome of the election. It stressed that their claim that electoral fraud took place in 14,104 polling units in the state was not proven.

More so, the court noted that the record of proceedings transmitted from the tribunal, as well as the briefs of argument that were filed by the appellants, were incomplete.

The appellate court further emphasised that only a Returning Officer at an election has the statutory power to declare the results of the election.

It will be recalled that the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had earlier granted INEC the permission to prosecute its suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari.

Yunusa-Ari is facing a six-count charge over alleged unlawful role he played in the Adamawa State governorship election held on March 18.

INEC had initially declared that the gubernatorial election was inconclusive and ordered a supplementary poll.

However, midway into the collation of results of the supplementary poll held on April 15, the suspended Adamawa REC, Yunusa-Ari, sidelined protocols and announced the APC candidate, Binani, as the winner.

The action elicited instant reactions. The electoral body not only voided Yunusa-Ari’s action but equally placed him on an indefinite suspension.

The Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Monday summoned a member of the State House of Assembly representing Makurdi North State Constituency, Hon Berger Alfred, to appear before a disciplinary committee set up by the leadership of the party over alleged anti-party activities.

Alfred is expected to appear before the committee on Monday.

LeadingReporters gathered that the invitation is not unconnected with his activities in the forthcoming bye-election into Guma State Constituency.

According to a statement by the Publicity Secretary of the party, Daniel Ihomun, Alfred’s invitation was “in accordance with Article 21 of the Constitution of the All Progressives Congress.”

The statement further said, “The State Working Committee of the APC in Benue State has constituted a disciplinary committee to investigate the petition by APC Party Chairmen of Guma and Makurdi Local Government Areas and 50 others on allegations of anti-party activities carried out by Hon. Berger Emberga Alfred, Member representing Makurdi North State Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly.”

The seven-member committee set up by the party is headed by Barr. Vincent Uji with Princess Awuese Nancy Torhee, Hon. Daniel Ihomun and Comrade. Cephas Tertinde Adom as members.

Other members are Hon. Adah Ochojila; Hon. Simon Aluor and Alh. Mohamed Hassan as Secretary.

The statement further directed Alfred to appear before the Disciplinary Committee at Hon. Umar Ganduje Congress Hall, APC Secretariat Makurdi (Sen. Ahmed Tinubu House) on Monday by 3 pm.