Headlines

Yet-to-be-identified gunmen who attacked the ex-Governor Samuel Ortom’s Chief of Staff, Terwase Orbunde, Friday evening and abducted his wife and housemaid have opened negotiations with the family demanding N100 million ransom for their release.

Orbunde who is currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital in Makurdi for injuries he sustained from gunshot, told a close family member that the abductors spoke to him at about 8:30 am on Saturday themselves and through the captives.

According to him, “his wife and house help were very calm when they spoke with him.”

He revealed that during the attack which took place at about 6pm, the gunmen were speaking Fulani among themselves and communicated with him in Hausa saying they would contact him on phone.

Orbunde said they told him that he should be prepared to send money to them, vowing that if he failed to do that, they would kill his wife and maid.

It could be recalled that gunmen Friday, April 12, 2024 attacked Orbunde when he went to supervise work on his farm between Genocide Cemetery and Angus Memorial College, along Mobile Barracks-Welfare Quarters Road in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

The former Chief of Staff was shot on the forearm while his wife, Kashimana Orbunde, and maid Patience Ogute, were abducted.

Benue State Police Command has confirmed the attack on the family of Mr Terwase Orbunde, Chief of Staff to the immediate past Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom by armed men suspected to be herdsmen.

Orbunde and members of his family comprising the wife and house help were attack on his farm where his wife and the maid were whisked away to an unknown destination.

The State Police spokesperson Catherine Anene who disclosed this said, the Command got a report Friday evening from the Chief of Staff himself that he was attacked on his farm in the evening and his wife and house helped were abducted.

According to the PPRO, the complainant, Orbunde, was seen with a wound on the hand but she did not know whether the wound was obtained through a gunshot.

It was gathered that the attack took place close to the Genocide Cemetery along Mobile Barracks-Welfare Quarters Road in Makurdi, the state capital on Friday, April 12, 2024, at about 6 pm.

The family source who did not want his name in print explained that the former Chief of Staff escaped with a gunshot wound on his right arm while the attackers whisked away his wife Kashimana Orbunde, and her house help, Patience Ogute.

The victims had gone to inspect the weeding of the farm located close to the road at the time they were attacked.

In a telephone conversation, an eyewitness told our correspondent that unknown gunmen numbering about five suddenly appeared and attacked the victims as they walked back to their car after inspecting the farm and paying the workers.

“As the victims walked to their car, the gunmen opened fire and shot Orbunde on the right arm and ordered him, the wife and house help to follow them to an unknown destination,” a source said.

The shooting was said to have caused villagers and passersby to scamper for safety in different directions.

As the victims followed them, the former Chief of Staff was said to be bleeding profusely and unable to walk quickly.

The eyewitnesses who was watching from a distance said the leader of the group ordered him to walk away while the gunmen took the women to an unknown destination and a good Samaritans who arrived the scene conveyed Orbunde to the hospital.

Channels Television’s reporter, Joshua Rogers, who was kidnapped near his residence at Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Thursday, has regained his freedom.

He was said to have been released around 10pm on Friday.

One of his colleagues with Channels TV in Port Harcourt, Charles Oporum, confirmed his release to news correspondent on Friday.

“Yes, he has been released. He was released about an hour ago, and he has reunited with his family,” Oporum said.

The management of the television station, in a short statement, also confirmed the development.

The statement read, “Channels Television reporter, Joshua Rogers, who was abducted last night in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has been freed.

“We thank our viewers and all those who expressed concern over the unfortunate incident.”

Rogers is the Government House, Port Harcourt correspondent for Channels TV.

Following the sentencing of celebrity transgender, Idris Okuneye, a.k.a Bobrisky, to six-month imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Lagos over Naira mutilation, the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has said that the convict will be incarcerated in the male section of its custodial facility.

LEADING REPORTERS reports that Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court found Bobrisky guilty of Naira abuse, leading to his sentencing on Friday.

Bobrisky, who has openly discussed his gender transition on social media, identified himself as a male when questioned in court, influencing the decision to place him in a male-designated facility.

“Since he admitted to being a male in court, then we have to abide by what was submitted in court,” a spokesperson for the correctional service in Lagos said.

Despite concerns regarding his safety due to his gender preference, Correctional officers have assured that Bobrisky will be adequately protected from potential harm.

“He shouldn’t be afraid of sexual assault from other male inmates because our men can give him protection,” the spokesperson stated, addressing worries about his vulnerability.

Bobrisky’s social media activity, including a recent video on Instagram where he posed suggestively, continues to garner attention. He has shared his gender transition journey with his five million followers on Instagram, stating, “My journey transitioning into a woman has been going smooth, no health issues, everything is going smooth for me.”

A High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has granted bail to Godwin Emefiele, the embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in the sum of N50 million.

Ruling on the bail application on Friday, the presiding judge, Rahmon Oshodi, admitted Emefiele on bail with two sureties in like sum.

The former CBN governor is facing trial in Lagos on a 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office.

Recall that Justice Oshodi had ordered the remand of the former Central Bank Bank (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The judge gave the remand order over alleged abuse of office and and $5.5 billion and N2.8 billion fraud.

The judge ordered that Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoile, should be detained at Ikoyi Custodial Centre.

The defendants counsel, Mr A. Labi-Lawal, had in his two bail application urged the court to grant the defendants bail on self recognition and on liberal terms pending the determination on the case.

Labi-Lawal, in his 31 affidavits, said the first defendant (Emefiele) had complied with the bail application which was given to him by Justice Muazu in his alleged fraud trial case going on in Abuja.

He said the charges were bailable offences and not a capital offence.

“Though the first defendant was granted administrative bail by the prosecuting authority. He is seeking for bail based on self recognition and he is ready to attend the court.

“The court should also take into consideration, the status of the first defendant as he was the former CBN governor of the country,” he said.

The defence counsel said his client had religiously presented himself before Justice Muazu in Abuja to answer the allegations before him.

According to him, the first defendant was not at flight risk, as he was the first person to arrive in court.

He also prayed the court to release Emefiele to lawyer, pending the determination of the bail.

Emefiele and his co-defendant pleaded not guilty to the 26-count charge bordering on abuse of office, accepting gratification, accepting gifts through agents, corruption, and fraudulent property receipt.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty, following their arraignment.

The EFCC counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), did not oppose the bail application moved by the defence counsel.

Oyedepo, however, urged the court to exercise its discretion judiciously in granting bail to the defendants.

A total of 50 staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) were sacked on Monday, April 8 by the current management of the apex bank.

This brings to 117 the total number of disengagements since CBN governor Olayemi Cardoso’s appointment.

The termination of appointments affects directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, principal managers, senior managers and lower ranking staff.

The dispatch of the disengagement letters, which started on March 15, has continued every other week with palpable apprehension amongst staff of every cadre as the management has not specified any standard criteria for the decisions, insiders told our correspondent.

Since the commencement of the sacking, officials of the apex bank have refused to comment on the matter.

Attempts to get the reaction of the acting Director of Corporate Communication, Hakama Sidi Ali, was not successful as she did not pick her call or return the text messages to her line.

A senior management source, who does not have the permission to speak on the matter, told our reporter that the sacking spree will continue till the end of April.

Staff affected by the latest development said the lack of clarity or justification for the sack has made them conclude that they are victims of personal vendetta by Cardoso and the deputy governors.

The central grouse of most of the affected staff, especially those who spoke with our correspondent, is the alleged “Indiscriminate application of the manual by the current management.”

The termination letters sent to the directors and some of the affected staff, as seen by our reporter, cited “Reorganisational and human capital restructuring” as the reason for their dismissal, in line with the bank’s new strategic direction.

It was gathered that five directors have indicated their readiness to contest their termination, as according to them, no wrongdoing had been attributed to them, and they have not been implicated in any misconduct.

One of the staff said: “We have seen indiscriminate sacking in procurement, development finance and the medical services department. What it means is that other departments will follow soon.

“I am worried that they will come for all those that worked closely with the sacked directors. The apprehension is not good for productivity and it is also bad for the system,” he said.

Another senior staff member said: “A lot of people who received their sack letter just kept quiet and left their various offices. They feel helpless by the way the system is structured.”