Author: oduduwanews

The Lagos Police Command has cleared air on the alleged kidnapping of a baby by a Despatch Rider. This was contained in a statement released today by the Spokesman of the Force, CSP Ajisebutu as read in part:

“On 11th March, 2022, a video of a dispatch rider accused of concealing a suspected stolen child in a courier box went viral on the social media, causing apprehension.

“Although the incident was not reported at any police station, however, the Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, fdc, mnim, psc, directed that the incident should be investigated immediately.

“In compliance with the directive, investigation was initiated which led to the discovery of the scene. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the child was not stolen afterall and that he was not kept in the courier box as alleged by the mob.

“The child’s mother, Lovina Biturs, was contacted. It was then revealed that the child was actually taken away and put on the dispatch motorbike by the rider with the consent of his mother.

“According to the mother, the 10-month-old baby is fond of the rider who is a relative, a neighbour and was crying uncontrollably when he (rider) wanted to go pick up something in the neighbourhood. To pacify the baby, his mother allowed him go with the rider.

“Passersby who saw the child with the rider along Sangotedo area, Ajah on the said day, became suspicious and concluded that the child might have been stolen, raised the alarm which attracted a mob. The mob subsequently pounced on the rider, beating him without finding out the truth.

“The dispatch rider later identified as Williams Tadule, was said to have been rescued by the Chairman of the Sunview Estate, Sangotedo.

“The Commissioner of Police, therefore warns members of the public against any form of jungle justice as such uncivilized action has grave consequences”.

Academic Staff Union Of University(ASUU) has, after intense deliberations decided to extend the warning strike by yet another 8 weeks(Two Months) to press home their demands.

The decision was informed by the lackadaisical attitude of the Gov’t towards towards what ASUU tagged as “University-Saving” demands.

However, our sources confirmed that, if government decides to do the needful within the next days, ASUU NEC will reconvene and change its position to a favourable one.

Details later.

Hip-hop artist Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has cried out on threats to his life by members of an unnamed cult group.

He specifically identified a man named Ijomode Yusuf as the instigator.

According to the Zazoo Zehh crooner, he was enticed to join the cult group on the promise of travelling to Dubai and meeting notable people including Fuji star, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma.

“They want to kill me. They gave me seven days and are threatening me every day. They are sent by Ijomode Yusuf in Owode Ogun state. He is the one who made me join cult,” Portable shared on a now-viral video.

“He said he will make me meet Pasuma and IBD Dende, Abu Abel and different people. He also promised to take me to Dubai and give me money.

“He bought me iPhone and then accused me of stealing it when I moved out of his house,” Portable added.

Lagos Police commissioner, Abiodun Alabi says that the command is unaware of the allegations Portable has made and his admission to being a member of a cult group.

Portable hit limelight in 2021 with his Zazu single featuring Olamide and Poco Lee.

As the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) intensifies its war against drug in the country, the agency says it arrested Ugochukwu Ekwem, general overseer of Christ Living Hope Church, and seized 54 sticks of drugs wrapped around his body.

The news about his arrest was made public was through a statement issued on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, who said Ekwem was apprehended at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on March 7, while on his way to Kenya for a three-week crusade.

According to Babafemi, a laboratory test revealed that the sticks tested positive for cannabis.

“The youthful and popular preacher who has his church headquarters in Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu road, Awka, Awka North LGA, Anambra state and two other branches in Lagos and Abuja, was arrested on Monday 7th March, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi via Addis Ababa,” the statement reads.

“When tested, the 54 sticks proved positive for cannabis. The clergyman confessed during the preliminary interview that he packed that quantity of illicit substance on his body to use during his three weeks crusade in Kenya.

“On the same day, another passenger, Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King who arrived at the airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers at the E-Arrival Hall of the MMIA. During a search of his luggage, forty (40) parcels of Cocaine concealed inside bottles of body cream with a gross weight of 9.70kg were recovered from the suspect.

“Three days later, Wednesday 9th March, another passenger on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy, Mr. Edo Blessing was intercepted at the Departure Hall of the airport with 2,090 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam. The suspect who hails from Edo state but lives in Italy claimed ownership of the recovered psychotropic substances.

“Also on the same day, operatives arrested a freight agent, Rafiu Abbas at the NAHCO Export Shed of the airport when he presented a cargo containing 19.15kg cannabis going to London. The illicit substance was concealed inside plastic containers labelled as “African Dishes” and packed in a bag.

“In a related development, a 63-year-old Vincent Obimma was on Friday 11th March arrested with 350grams of cocaine and 150grams of heroin by NDLEA operatives at a park in the Apapa seaport corridor in Lagos. The drugs were hidden in industrial torch packets heading to Kano, Kano state.

“Meanwhile, a drug dealer in Kaduna state, James Okenwa has been arrested in a follow-up operation at Central Market, Kaduna. He admitted the ownership of 1,807 bottles of cough syrup with codeine that were earlier recovered from two suspects at tollgate. At the point of his arrest, another 152 bottles of the drug were recovered from his vehicle. He has accepted ownership of all the 1,959 bottles of codeine syrup.

“In Yobe state, two fake security agents: Akalonu Justin and Azimbi Festus who were coming from Onitsha and heading to Maiduguri, Borno state have been arrested with 25 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 12 .5kg and 1, 598 bottles of Codeine Syrup weighing 159.8 Liters, while 85kg of cannabis was also recovered from the warehouse of a notorious drug dealer in Pawari area of Damaturu, the state capital on Thursday 10th March.

“In Anambra state, a total of 38,605 tablets of assorted opioids were recovered from a 29-year-old drug dealer, Awoke Friday at Nkwelle junction, Onitsha on Friday 11th March with the support of men of the Nigeria Police.

The immediate past Commissioner for Works and Transport, Professor Raphael Afonja has revealed the reason why he dumped Christianity for Islam.

Afonja said, he had wanted to become a Muslim since his childhood age as he was given birth to parents with mixed religion, he said his father was a Christian while his mother was a practising Muslim and it gave him privilege to be nurtured by parents with mixed religion.

Afonja disclosed this today in a telephone chat with ODUDUWA NEWS correspondent, he affirmed that he chose to take a bold step and followed his intention having been convinced it was right time to do so.

ODUDUWA NEWS had earlier reported yesterday how the Commissioner was converted to a Muslim in a shot clip circulated on social media.

In the 1 minute, 35 seconds video that has since gone viral, the Professor of Physical Sciences now known as AbdurRahman was seen pronouncing the Kalimat Shahada after the Chief Imam of Ogbomosoland, Sheikh Talihat Yunus Ayilara.

The former Commissioner who has now adopted the name AbdurRahman, is a Professor at the Department of Physical Sciences, City University of New York. He was once an Adjunct Professor at the Southern New Hampshire University.

He has won several honours, some of which include: U.S. Army National Defense Service Medal, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; U.S. Army Service Ribbon, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; U.S. Army Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; U.S. Army Sharpshooter Qualification Badge, Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Others are Distinguish Honor Graduate, US Army Quartermaster School; Doctoral Fellowship Award, City of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

Aside from his academic career, he has an intimidating diverse professional career having worked for various bodies. Some of these include the United States Air Force, where he served as a Program Manager/Engineer in the 27th Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron, and Gamut Engineering and Technology Services where he was a Senior Consultant.

ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that a suspected kidnapper was arrested yesterday in Saki area of Oke-Ogun, Oyo State.

It was learnt that the kidnapper was nabbed around 3:45pm to 4:10pm yesterday while trying to lure one teenager identified as Taiwo Muhammad by giving him something to eat.

According to report from the people of the community, the alleged kidnapper who claimed to bear a name call Hajarah has been disguising to be a lunatic woman but took the intervention of Amotekun officials before her real identity was unravelled.

Caught with her were candy sweet, orange, #20 among other items suspected to be used as a bait to lure her unsuspecting victims.

As at the time of filing this report, the suspect has been handed over to Amotekun for further investigation.

Publisher of Ovation International Magazine and presidential aspirant in the 2023 general elections, Dele Momodu, on Saturday, condemned the setting up of a ‘political department’ by the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), saying the church’s involvement in politics is an “invitation to Armageddon.”

Momodu was reacting to a leaked memo from the church which alluded to the fact that it had created a political department to be known as “Office of Directorate of Politics and Governance.”

The leaked memo dated February 28, 2022, and addressed to all regions, provinces, zones and other levels of the church around the country, had stated that the Directorate was created for political education of its members.

It also stated that the new office is “to help mobilize support for them (RCCG members in politics) when required.”

However, many political observers believed the newly created department was to give an undue advantage to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who is being rumoured to be interested in the Presidency by secretly mobilising members to vote for him.

Although the church had cleared the air in a statement on Friday that the Directorate of Politics and Governance has nothing to do with Osinbajo’s political ambition, Momodu, in a statement, warned the church’s hierachy to steer clear of mixing religion and politics as it will not augur well with the church.

In the statement posted on his Facebook page entitled “My Kobo advice to Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG),” the veteran journalist, who said he is also a member of the church, argued that “establishing a political arm of our Church was nothing but an invitation to Armageddon.”

He also posited that “there are no guarantees that being a church Pastor or otherwise would make you a competent and truthfully honest leader.”

Nigerians especially those from the southern and middle belt region of the country have been urged to ensure that they reject presidential candidates from other parts of the country. The call was made by the leadership of the Southern Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) on Thursday, March 10. Leaders from the south and middle belt have called on Nigerians to reject presidential candidates from any other region. ODUDUWA NEWS reports that this was a resolution from its meeting that had delegations from constituent organisations of the SMBLF led by Ayo Adebanjo, leader of Afenifere (southwest); Pogu Bitrus, President of the Middle Belt Forum (Middle Belt); George Obiozor, president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo represented by the secretary-general, Okey Emuchay, (southeast); and Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien, national chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF (south-south) represented.

The leaders said the call for the 2023 presidency to be zoned to the south should not be taken lightly.

In its communique released at the end of the meeting, the forum declared its total support for a unified Nigeria anchored on the tenets of equity, fairness, justice and principles of true federalism. It further urged the people to reject any political party that fails to flag a candidate from the south. Reject political parties that fail to field southern candidates Further calling on political stakeholders from the region to avoid any comprise, the forum said the worsening security situation in the country needs urgent attention.

The forum also condemned in the strongest terms, the ongoing massacres and decimation of indigenous populations, especially in Zuru, Kebbi state, southern Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and southern Gombe.

In the same vein, it called for the establishment of state police across the different states of the country.