Nelson Ugwuagbo

A Rivers’ woman identified as Hope Nwala is on the run after allegedly bathed her husband, Ekelediri Nwankwo Nwala with a hot groundnut oil over a minor disagreement.

The incident happened at Okehi community in Etche Local government Area of Rivers State.

According to reports, Mrs Hope Nwala poured the hot groundnut oil on her husband while he was asleep.

Blessing Okon: Homeless mother of one duped by housing agent is dead

It was gathered that the couple had been having some domestic squabbles before the tragic incident.

The victim, Mr. Nwankwo who is still battling for life said he told his wife’s younger sister to leave their house for dressing indecently, which his wife refused.

He added that while he went to sleep his wife attacked him and bathed him with hot oil.

“I had told my wife’s younger sister to leave my house because of the way she has started dressing, and the way she occupies my matrimonial bed even when I am around, no young guy will tolerate such behaviour, but my wife has refused the younger sister to leave the house.

“I also saw my wife alone with one tall black guy in the shop I rented for her, not that he is in for business, he followed my wife and sister here and there, with all these, I gave that her younger sister two thousand naira transport to go home so that I can actually understand what is going on in my house, but my wife got upset, while I went to bed to sleep, she used boiled groundnut oil on me, then start hitting me with harmer,” he said.

Although the State Police Command is yet to comment on the matter at press time, but we gathered, the incident has been reported to the Okehi Divisional Police Headquarters in Etche

The National Primary Health Care Department Agency (NPHCDA) says 20 persons have been confirmed dead of the 156 cases of Diphtheria in the State.

The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, who is also Co-Chair of the Federal Task Team on Diphtheria, made the disclosure during an assessment visit to Kaduna on Wednesday.

Shuaib said they were at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, to assess the situation of the diphtheria outbreak that affected part of the State.

According to Shuaib, Kaduna is ranked among the seven states with the highest number of diphtheria, saying that they were at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, where mild to moderate cases are being attended to before being admitted to the infectious disease hospitals.

The Executive Director noted that since March, when the diphtheria outbreak was detected in Kaduna, 156 cases and about 20 deaths were recorded.

He said, “There is also a need for the media to step up in creating awareness and providing useful information to the public about the existence of the disease.”

He stressed the need for patients to be presented early, assuring that diphtheria is a preventable disease.

He said that about 80 per cent of those afflicted by the disease did not present themselves for vaccination.

He noted that vaccines were the most powerful tools against vaccine-preventable diseases.

While acknowledging the state government’s efforts in combating the disease, he encouraged the people to wear nose masks, especially when visiting health facilities.

He hailed the efforts of the Chief Medical Director of the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital and the State’s Primary Health Care Board

The elder brother, who was caught by neighbours, said he buried the boy alive after their mother directed him to punish the boy for stealing N1000.

Ayoung boy has been rescued by some concerned citizens in Apamisede area of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.

In a video obtained by Leading Reporters, the young boy was seen being tortured and buried alive by his elder brother who claimed he was instructed by the boy’s mother to punish the erring boy.

The elder brother, who was caught by neighbours, said he buried the boy alive after their mother directed him to punish the boy for stealing N1000.

The elder brother was heard in the video speaking pidgin said, “He thief money. The last time he went to thief money, We dey ask am where he put the money, and I no know how much he thief oo but he said nah N1000. The last time he stole, nobody beat ham, and nobody touched Ham.

“Nobody send, nah my mother talk say make I punish am,” the elder boy added.

A source privy to the incident added that the matter had been reported to the Police Force, D Division, Lokoja

An 18-year-old pregnant housewife, Khadija Adamu, whom the police arrested in Bauchi State for allegedly beating her five-year-old step-daughter to death for defecating on her body, has said she regrets her action.

She said it was not an intentional act but one aimed at correcting the child for wrongdoing.

“How can I kill a child who was like my child? Even though she was my co-wife’s baby, she was also my daughter because she was my husband’s child. What happened was just a mistake and not a deliberate intention to kill,” she said.

“I am also a mother, and I am currently four months pregnant with my second child. How can I possibly kill another child? What happened was that this girl defecated on her body, and I felt that at her age, she shouldn’t have done that, so I used a USB cord to beat her with it. It was not as if I had any intention of killing her.

“I didn’t know she would die. I only wanted to correct her. She didn’t die that day I beat her, it was the next day that she died, and I felt very sad and unhappy that she had died.

“I asked for leniency because everyone has forgiven me. I asked the Police to pardon me if not for anything but for the baby I am carrying in my womb since what I did was not deliberate,” she added.

Leading Reporters gathered that the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Auwal Muhammad while parading the suspect before journalists at the Command’s Headquarters on Tuesday, said that the suspect, a resident of the Kandahar area, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis in the State, was arrested following serious injuries she inflicted on the minor.

He said that the incident happened on September 28, 2023, at about 9.25 pm, one Abdulaziz Adamu, male (38), of Kandahar area Bauchi, reported at A’ Divisional Police Headquarters that on the same date at about 4.00 pm, Khadija Adamu, female (18) of the same address beat up her stepdaughter named “Hafsat Garba” female (5). As a result, she sustained serious injuries to her body.

“Upon receipt of the report, a team of detectives led by DPO swung into action, rushed to the scene and moved the victim to Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, for medical attention, where she was certified dead by the medical doctor.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect beat up the victim as a result of alleged pass-stool that spoiled her clothes, and she sustained various degrees of injuries on her body,” he said.

Speaking on the incident, the Commissioner of Police described the incident as a case of wickedness, calling on women to be careful how they discipline children when they err.

Muhammad said: “The case of envy and rivalry among wives is bad. We should try as much as possible to reduce it. This is an act of wickedness because you are not the biological mother of the five-year-old child; she stooled in her trousers, and then you beat her, and it caused her death.

“This is really, very sad. This is really very disturbing, causing the life of a five-year-old girl to be lost. A child that doesn’t know her left from her right. Just to correct her, you beat her to a stupor, and she died. It is really very sad. This should serve as a lesson to other women of like minds.”

The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdulahhi Sule has recalled how he was advised to shut down Goshen Camp of the Living Faith in Masaka, Nasarawa State for asking Chrisitians to vote Christian candidates in the last general elections in the state.

The governor made this assertion while delivering a speech at the just concluded 2023 Peace And Development Submit for Young University Students in Abuja, on Tuesday.

Prior to the 2023 general elections, Leading Reporters recalled that Bishop Abioye, who is the Vice President of Living Faith Church Worldwide, had called on Christians to vote for candidates of their faith.

“If anybody tells you now that there is no religion in politics, they are deceiving you. Don’t hide it, vote for your faith. Till tomorrow, I will vote for my faith. I won’t vote for someone who will slaughter me.” Abioye said.

Speaking during the summit, Gov Sule maintained that contrary to people’s advice, he refused to order the arrest of the Bishop.

He said, “Indeed, for those of you who remember, we have most of the major religious organizations in Nasarawa State, like the Goshen City at Kilometer 36, which is presided by the respected Bishop David Abioye, who once released a video just before the elections asking: why can’t a Christian be a governor in Nasarawa State.

“He then urged Christians to vote only for Christian candidates.

“Some people came and advised me, let us check whether that church has paid their taxes, otherwise close the church.

“They said let us send security to arrest him (Bishop Abioye) for making those kinds of statements, but I said no.

On Monday, 2nd October 2023, the Governorship Election Tribunal Petition, (OEPT) chaired by Justice Ezekiel Ajayi delivered in judgement, declaring David Ombugadu of the PDP the rightful winner of the March 18 elections, nullifying Sule’s victory at the polls.

An Akure Magistrate Court has declared as barbaric, evil and ungodly a part of Ibo custom which denied a father access to his children over non-payment of bride price to the wife’s family.

It said: “The custom that tends to punish one person when two consenting adults are involved in the act is nothing but the highest element of insensitivity and servitude.”

Magistrate Segun Stephen Rotiba spoke when he gave ruling on the legal tussle between Prophet Theophilus Obayan and his estranged wife, Prophetess Chibuzor Lilian.

Prophet Obayan is a Yoruba while his estranged wife hails from Abia State.

The were heads of the Divine Prophetic Solutions Prayers Ministry, Ladipo in Lagos State.

Prophetess Chibuzor left her husband to marry one of his spiritual son, Abua Obi, and changed her children’s surname to Obi.

Obayan filed a divorce suit against his wife on grounds that she changed his children’s surname to her lover’s name.

He also asked the court to dissolve the 23 years old union over allegation of disobedience, misunderstanding, lies, manipulation, abuse, hate and rage.

Prophet Obayan challenged snatching of his four children by a member of his church, and sought return of the paternity of the children as well as grant him custody of the children

In his ruling, Magistrate Rotiba dissolved the marriage on grounds that the parties have lost interest in the union and granted Obayan’s prayers to reclaim his four children.

He noted that from the evidence before it, the Respondent alluded to the fact under cross- examination that since the Petitioner did not pay her bride price, her new husband who paid same has the right to have them bear his name in accordance with Ibo custom.

According to him: “In the same breathe, I find the Ibo custom exuded by the respondent and her witnesses that the children of the union can bear Mr Abua Obi as their surname, atavistic, barbaric, evil, ungodly, irrational, unsensational, crass, gross, crude, unwary, provocative, ungodly, discriminatory and insensible.

“The custom that tends to punish one person when two consenting adults are involved in the act is nothing but the highest element of insensitivity and servitude.

“I condemn this custom in the strongest terms. While the matter was on, a publication was made on  February 2, 2023 in Vanguard newspapers, changing the surname of the first two children of the parties to Abua Obi

“Aside the fact that complicit to change the surname of the first two children has been establishqed against the Respondent, it also amounts to subjudice as no action is expected to be taken on the subject matter by whoever, when the matter is pending before the Court.

“This is a complete affront to the Court. I say no more. In conclusion, the Court hereby dissolves the union between the parties, having broken down irretrievably.

“The Court, hereby declares personal non grata, the custom of the Respondent awarding paternal personality to a man who is not the biological father of the children.

“The Court hereby invalidates and render null and void the publication changing the surname of the 1st and 2nd children from Obayan to Abua Obi.

“The Court also invalidates any other publication or whatsoever changing the surname of the Children from Obayan to Abua Obi during the pendency of this case

The three suspects were accused of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and false alarm leading to the death of Abubakar.

No fewer than three suspects who caused the death of a commercial motorcyclist, Usman Abubakar in Aiyetoro – Gbede, Ijumu local government area of Kogi State, have been paraded by the police.

It was learnt that the victim was accused of snatching the male organ of one of them.

According to the report, the suspects identified as Haruna Adamu 28, Harisu Abdulrasheed 18, and Yakubu Mohammed, 23, were among the nine suspects paraded for various deadly offences at a press conference by Kogi Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha, in Lokoja on Tuesday.

The three suspects were accused of criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide and false alarm leading to the death of Abubakar.

The trio were said to have falsely accused the deceased commercial motorcyclist of snatching the male organ of one of them.

This led lynching of Abubakar in a mob action before the truth could be established.

Another set of suspects, ThankGod Joseph and Monday Mathew, were apprehended for terrorising residents of the Onicha-Igo community in Ofu LGA of Kogi State. Onuoha said the gang was believed to be responsible for a series of armed robbery attacks, assaults, thuggery and mischief in the community.

Onuoha said on 23/03/2023 at about 0130hrs, the hoodlums evaded the house and premises of one Mrs. Rachael Agada, firing guns sporadically, robbed the occupants of their valuable properties, kidnapped the house girl of Mrs Agada, named Nawaitu, and stole her Hilux Van. In addition, he said that on 28/01/2023, the hoodlums killed one Miss Queen Onoja without any just cause.

The remaining suspects are Daniel David, a serial car snatcher, Akoji Ojo, Abdulmumun Zakari and Ali Abdulrahman, said to be kidnappers operating in Lokoja and environs.

According to the CP, the suspects confessed to their various criminal roles in the commission of the crimes and admitted to having carried out several kidnapping, and armed robbery attacks on innocent people as well as travellers on the major highway in the State.

Items recovered from the suspects included three stolen vehicles, arms, ammunition, Jerry cans of oil, handsets, and military uniforms.

“While soliciting for more cooperation from the good people of Kogi State, by continuing to provide credible and timely information to the Police, I want to assure you that the Police Command will not relent in its efforts in crime prevention and public safety in the State.

“Those who engage in criminal activities are warned to desist from such and hand over their arms and ammunition to the Police and engage in something meaningful for their lives or be prepared to face the full consequences of their actions,” the Kogi State police commissioner concluded.