GRAPHIC:PROMINENT DELTA STATE POLITICIAN REPORTEDLY BEATEN TO DEATH IN POLICE CUSTODY !

A prominent politician in Delta state, Lucky Ayomanor, reportedly died in the custody of the police in Sapele, Delta state yesterday April 27th. According to reports, Ayomano who is a former Director-General of the state's Direct Labour Agency, was arrested on Wednesday April 26th for allegedly possessing a loaded firearm.

He was detained and reportedly beaten up by the police officers in the state. Yesterday while in detention, he slumped and died. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors certified him dead.
 His remains has been deposited at the Central Hospital Mortuary in Sapele.

AKIOLU DENIES SNUBBING OONI SAYING IT WAS THE WAY OF GREETING A MONARCH IN LAGOS !

Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Thursday evening cleared the air on the video that showed him snubbing the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, at a public function in Lagos.

According to the statement from one of the white cap chiefs of Lagos, Lateef Aderibigbe Ajose, who is the Opeluwa Onido of Lagos, he said his gesture was not ‘snub’ as being dubbed but that it was the culturally acclaimed way of greeting a monarch in Lagos.

He said Oba Akiolu’s response to Oba Ogunwusi was the culturally acclaimed way of greeting a monarch in Lagos and that the Lagos King is basically trying to revive the culture and tradition of ancient Lagos, which is peculiar to the State while other tribes also have their peculiar ways of greeting, he said.

Ajose stated: “The sign by Oba Akiolu signifies ‘inu mi, inu e’, the culture of greeting in Lagos.

“If Oba Akiolu wanted to ignore, he would have turned his face away from Ooni.
“There is no misunderstanding between both highly revered monarchs in Yorubaland.”

According to Ajose, the relationship between both Yoruba kings is peaceful and mutual.

He said: “Oba Akiolu was well represented at the coronation of Ooni of Ife, which attested to the fact that he does not disregard the office of Ooni Adeyeye.”

Chief Ajose said Oba Akiolu had waited till this time to react to the issue because he had to meet with other chiefs in the palace to rub minds before addressing the public on the matter.

He said: “There is no sentiment in the culture of Lagos. As we met it, that is the way we are doing it.
“Kabiyesi Oba Akiolu is trying to bring back the old pattern, the old culture we have left behind.

“What happened that day was wrongly speculated by the social media to disrupt peace and order and misinterpret Oba Akiolu’s action.
We just want to appeal to the social media to stop spreading wrong information.

“They should try and understand the reason behind every action carried out, most especially by traditional rulers. “Yoruba has a very rich culture.

“There is no quarrel between the Oba of Lagos and Ooni of Ife.”


__Daily Post

COULD THIS BE THE REASON WHY OBA OF LAGOS SNUBBED OONI IN PUBLIC ?

According to research done by Onyema Dike of Sabinews its revealed that the Oba of Lagos, might have not done it knowingly. He went futher to say that the Oba of Lagos is visually impaired and may not have realised who had come to greet him especially as the person seemed to genuflect. To him, anyone bowing for him must be a subject.

This is based on a story published on September, 2, 2016 by The Nation, where the Oba acknowledged his visual impairment, stating that he had been suffering from Glaucoma for 21 years.

The story reads in part: “Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu has called on Lagos residents to go for glaucoma screening to prevent blindness. “So, as a person living with glaucoma, I can say for anyone not to go blind, if you are being treated for glaucoma, be sure to take your prescribed glaucoma medicine every day.
See your eye care professional regularly. "You can help protect the vision of family members and friends, who may be at high risk for glaucoma, especially those over age 40 and everyone over 60 years and people with a family history of the disease by sharing information as I am doing. “Please encourage them to have a comprehensive dilated eye examination regularly. Remember that lowering eye pressure in the early stages of glaucoma slows progression of the disease and helps save vision,” said Oba Akiolu.
 Also, an official of the Lagos state government who spoke to Sabinews on the condition of anonymity said: “Have you ever wondered why he always wears dark glasses even indoors? I once saw him leave the seat reserved for him to sit on another man’s lap at a public event. "I wonder why the palace has not acknowledged it by now and saved the Oba all the insults on social media.”

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PHOTOS: MO ABUDU JOGS WITH RICHARD QUEST ON LEKKI-IKOYI BRIDGE

Media entrepreneur, Mo Abudu and popular CNN journalist Richard Quest went on early morning jog on the Lekki-Ikoyi link Bridge yesterday. The duo also bumped into the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo.

"We managed to touch on a number of important topics...laugh and giggles during our jog," Ms Abudu said. "Truly Richard Quest has a great sense of humour"

SOURCE :LIB

REDEEMED PASTOR WHO STABBED HIS WIFE 76 TIMES AND 73 OTHER CONDEMNED PRISONERS PLEAD FOR MERCY

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) youth pastor, Akolade Arowolo, 34, who killed his banker wife, Titilayo Omozoje at their residence, Akindeinde Street, Isolo, Lagos,is among 74 condemned prisoners seeking mercy under the prerogative of mercy conferred on Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State under the constitution.

Aside from the condemned prisoners, there were also scores of those serving life sentences at kirikiri maximum prison, Lagos also seeking mercy of the state.

Arowolo, spotting a sky blue T-shirt over a blue jeans trouser with a low haircut, sat among condemned prisoners who were called out randomly by Prerogative of Mercy Committee led by Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, set up by the governor to review their applications yesterday.

The committee was on a fact finding visit to Kirikiri Maximum Prison to have firsthand information of the inmates that are eligible for mercy and pardon.

Justice Lateefa Okunnu of a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja sentenced Akolade to death having found him guilty of a one count charge murder of his wife, Titilayo preferred against him by the state government.

Foremost pathologist and Chief Medical Examiner at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), who was a witness during his trial, Professor John Obafunwa, had then testified that he “discovered at least 76 stab wounds resulting from the use of tremendous force on the chest, heart, lungs, liver, diaphragm, hands and other parts of the deceased’s body.

The chairman of the committee, Prof. Oyewo said that there are rules and guidelines that would guide the committee in the conduct of its work.

Prof. Oyewo said the committee would look at how heinous the crime committed was, whether the person cut his victim into pieces, how long he has spent in prison after conviction, whether he has truly repented and is remorseful and whether the society would accept that person.

He said a lot really depend on the family who is expected to give some undertaking and care for beneficiaries of prerogative of mercy as those who have no family to receive them mighty lose the opportunity.

He said assurance of lifer outside prison is for them to first reconcile with their family, asking for forgiveness adding “I want to see it in you. Let your works speak for you, the way you comport yourself and mind who you flock with”.

He however said that nobody on death row, life sentence or serving a long prison term should expect pardon immediately as there are different stages of prerogative of mercy.

Prof. Oyewo disclosed that the governor has approved the application for mercy of 18 prisoners whose cases were among those reviewed during their last visit to the prison facility.

Arowolo who delivered a remark on behalf of his fellow condemned inmates, pleaded for mercy stressing that they are all remorseful and have learnt from their mistakes.

“Your coming gave us a beacon of hope. I know that not everybody wrote application. Would there be opportunity for them? A lot of us have realized the wrongs that we did and having gone through the process of reformation, restoration and rehabilitation (3Rs), being faced with life and death, have held on to God that indeed we are wrong and plead that you give us a second chance”, he told the committee.

Deputy Controller, Kirikiri Maximum prison, Seye Oduntan thanked the committee for the visit which he said helped to reduce tension amongst the condemned prisoners.

Oduntan said that the prison was heated since last week following reports that government was considering execution of Reverend Chukwuemeka Ezeugo a.k.a. Reverend King whose death sentence was recently affirmed by the Supreme Court for the murder of one of his church members, Ann Uzor.

~~from the nation

NEW METHOD OF SMUGGLING DRUGS BUSTED BY U.S CUSTOM AND BORDER PATROL OFFICERS !

United States Customs and Border Patrol officers at New York’s JFK airport said they captured two more passengers who attempted to smuggle drugs by strapping packages of cocaine to their legs.

The most recent seizure came when two men tried to bring more than 10 kilos of cocaine into the United States on April 19, officers said. Both men allegedly had the drugs taped to their legs under their clothing, and one man taped the drugs to his back.

The two men traveled on the same flight from the Dominican Republic to New York last week, but it’s unclear if they knew each other.

“This latest seizure demonstrates our CBP officers being ever vigilant in protecting the United States from the distribution of these illicit drugs,” Leon Hayward, acting director of CBP’s New York field operations, stated in a press release.

In the statement, it was not mentioned what tipped off the officers to conduct additional inspections on the men. But they were taken to a private search room where officers seized 23 pounds (10.4 kilos) of cocaine estimated at a nearly $400,000 street value.

The two men were arrested and are facing federal narcotics smuggling charges, according to the CBP.

Last month at the same airport, officers said they discovered two other passengers on separate days with drugs taped under their pants.

Those seizures equaled to 6.8 kilos (15 pounds) of cocaine.

PMNEWS.

PARENTS USE THEIR SON AS A COLLATERAL FOR A LOAN OF N8,000 IN LAGOS !

When Lagos based parents gave away their son as collateral for a loan of N8,000 they most likely did not know that they will not get him back after two months as agreed or that a series of other child trafficking activities will be uncovered in their efforts to find their son.

The parents of 15-year-old Ajala samuel gave him away to a Lagos trader, whose name was given as Iya Meta, for two months, in exchange for N8,000 needed to meet some urgent family needs.
However, four months after, Ajala's parents are yet to set eyes on him, neither do they know where he is. Punch Metro gathered that Iya Meta allegedly gave Samuel to some other traders on the Lagos Island for a fee of N72,000 and they in turn gave him to another family.

In the process of getting their son back, Ajala's parents allege that two policewomen from the Ijora Badia division, Titi and Funmilayo, told them to refund the N72,000 paid to Iya Meta for Samuel, else they will not see their son until October 2017 when the fee paid for his service will expire. Ajala's parents decided to sell their son after the family encountered crisis and needed some money to get out of it.

Ajala's stepfather, Idowu Isiaka, 39, lost his job in June 2016. His wife, Ajala's mother had surgery within that perios and they need funds for her treatment. To make ends meet, Idowu borrowed a motorcycle and began to use it for business but he later had an accident with it and broke a man's leg. The bike was seized and he was mandated to foot the medical bills for his victim. When things came to a head, they decided to loan money and use their son as collateral.

Speaking to Punch Metro, Idowu said:
“I worked as a security guard for a traditional ruler. When a banner displaying the man’s picture was stolen, I was put in a police cell for a week before I was released and told that I had lost my job. At that time, Ajala’s mother just had a surgery and she needed money for medications. I borrowed a motorcycle from a friend and started using it to work. Later, I had an accident with the motorcycle and broke a man’s leg. The motorcycle was seized from me and I was asked to raise money for the victim’s treatment.
“I called my wife and told her that we needed to raise money by all means. I told her about Iya Meta, who lived in the community and always said she needed teenagers to work for her. We agreed to take Ajala (Samuel) to her so we could raise some money."

He revealed that the agreement was that Ajala would work for Iya Meta for two months and N8,000 was paid to his family. However, the Kwara state indigene said that after two months, he was surprised that Samuel did not return home as agreed. He said he went to Iya Meta’s house in the Ijora Badia area and discovered she had packed out. He phoned her but she claimed she was in Seme in Benin Republic on a business trip and Ajala was with her there. She said she would give Ajala the phone when she arrived home so they could speak with him but she didn't call back.

"The following day, I called her and she told me that she had actually lied to me. She said the boy was with some people whom she had problem with. She told me the case was at the Ijora Badia Police Station and one officer Titi would tell us where the child was," he said.

Isiaka explained that he went to the station with his wife and officer Titi told them that they had to pay N72,000 before the boy would be released. She explained that that was the amount paid to Iya Meta for Ajala's service and failure to pay it will mean that Ajala will not return home till October. Iya Meta denied collecting any money for Samuel and accused the policewomen of conniving with some women against her.

She said, "Prior to Ajala’s coming to my house, I had met three women –Rukky, Iya Ibeji and Eniketa. They claimed that they were textile dealers on the Lagos Island and they needed young boys and girls to work for them. At that time, two of my cousins came from the village to work in Lagos. I handed over the two girls to the women. They gave me N80,000 as advance payment for their service. It was a few weeks later that Ajala’s parents brought him and I gave them N8,000. The boy had barely spent a month when he attempted to escape. He told me that his parents had instructed him to run away after getting the money from me. I decided to send him to the three women so he could work with them. They didn’t give me anything."

She said that some days later, she got a call from one of the girls, claiming that she had been taken to a pepper seller who maltreated her. Iya Meta said  she quickly helped the girl escape and return to the village and it was only then that it dawned on her that the children were being trafficked by the women. Subsequently, she sent a soldier to arrest the women when they will not pick her call to return the remaining children she placed in their care.

The husband of one of the women was caught but Iya Meta claims to discover later that the soldier had become compromised so she took the case to the police at the Adeniji Adele and Ijora Badia divisions and a few weeks later, she met the three women at the Ijora Badia police Division.
"The women told the police that they paid money for the children and they would not release them until their payments expired. I told the police it was not true and that I didn’t collect anything for Samuel. They locked me up in the cell for a day. Officer Titi said I must pay N72,000 before they would release Ajala and my cousin, Amina, failing which the children would not be released till October, 2017,” she added.

The three women, denied that Iya Meta handed the children over to them but Rukky later claimed that Ajala was in the care of someone called Idowu and that it was Iya Meta who handed the boy over. She reveale dthat she had the contact for Idowu.

"She collected money from Idowu for the boy to work with her. She collected N45,000 and later N28,500 for the boy. I have nothing to do with the case. Iya Meta collected money for the boy’s service and the contract will not end until December," Rukky said.
Meanwhile, Iya Meta has denied knowledge of any Idow, claiming there's no one by that name and that she gave Ajala to Rukky, the leader of the group.

The Director of the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender, Mrs. Olubukola Salami, said the agency was working with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and Other related Matters, to ensure that the victim was rescued.

She said, “Child abuse and child labour in any form is unacceptable in Lagos State.  Being impoverished is no excuse to use children as a bargaining chip.  The OPD, in collaboration with NAPTIP, is looking into this matter as a human trafficking case and all parties involved will be brought to book after the rescue of the boy is effected.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, said the command was investigating a case of “a woman who sold her child into trafficking.” and denied the allegations against the policewomen.

Photo Credit: Nick Hagen