BREAKING NEWS: COURT REMANDS RAHMAN ADEDOYIN IN PRISON CUSTODY OVER DEATH OF TIMOTHY ADEGOKE

An Osun State High Court sitting in Osogbo, Osun State capital, today remanded Rahman Adedoyin and six other suspects over the death of Timothy Adegoke.

Rahman Adedoyin is the Chairman of Hilton Hotel, Ile-Ife, Osun State, the last known place that Timothy Adegoke lodged prior to his death.Adegoke, an MBA student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, died under suspicious circumstances at the hotel.Adegoke, who has since been buried, had arrived Ile-Ife to write his examination and lodged in the hotel before meeting his death.Adedoyin’s son, who is also a suspect, is still at large.

More details later…

Man kills girlfriend, commits suicide, leaves note for wife in Ogun

A contractor, Hakeem Oladimeji, has allegedly committed suicide after killing his yet-to-be-identified girlfriend in the Bariga area of Lagos State.

ODUDUWA News gathered that Oladimeji, who lived in Ogun State, was with his girlfriend in a rented apartment around Bariga when an argument ensued between them.

The argument was said to have degenerated into a fight and in the process, Oladimeji reached for a stick and hit her in the head.

It was learnt that the lady slump and died on the spot.

In a bid to escape being arrested, Oladimeji reportedly carried her lifeless body, dumped it inside his Toyota Sienna and drove to his residence in Ogun State.

Our correspondents gathered that he later drove to a location close to the NASFAT Islamic Centre along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

Traders, customers and passersby in the area were said to have discovered the decomposing bodies of Oladimeji and his girlfriend inside the vehicle.

During a visit to the area on Wednesday, a mechanic, Sunday Aghali, said the stench from the vehicle made people discover the corpses, adding that the vehicle had been towed to the Ibafo Police Station.

Aghali said, “Although I was not around when the incident happened, when I returned, people in the area told me that two naked decomposing bodies were found in a Sienna vehicle parked opposite my shop. I was told that it was like they passed out while having sex in the vehicle.”

One of the security guards at the NASFAT Islamic Centre, who spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented the circumstances surrounding the death of the lovers.

While some people said Oladimeji and his girlfriend died while sexually pleasuring each other in the vehicle, other persons said a police investigation would reveal the true circumstances surrounding the victims’ death.

Our correspondent visited the Ibafo Police Station where the decomposing remains of the lovers were sighted in the vehicle parked on the premises of the station.

A black nylon bag was used to wrap the remains as efforts were on to convey the corpses to a mortuary.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, however, revealed that Oladimeji was responsible for his girlfriend’s death.

He added that he confessed to the crime in a suicide note he sent to his wife.

The PPRO said, “The man’s name is Hakeem Oladimeji; he and his girlfriend were the ones found dead in a Sienna vehicle parked at the entrance of the NASFAT campground. Oladimeji lived in Ogun State, but rented an apartment for his girlfriend in Lagos State.

“A fight broke out between them without anyone knowing the cause of the fight and he hit her head with a stick and she slumped. Immediately, he deposited her corpse in his car, drove straight to his house, but those who saw him carrying the corpse into his car reported the case at the Ilaje Police Station at Bariga.

“When he got home, he dropped a suicide note for his wife, which stated that he had killed someone and he’s going to commit suicide and she shouldn’t bother looking for him.

“He drove his dead girlfriend straight to the Ibafo area of Ogun State, parked his car close to the entrance of the NASFAT Islamic Centre, brought out an insecticide, wound up the glasses, drank it and died.”

Lawmakers reject life pension for Senate President, Speaker, others

193 members of the House of Representatives voted to knock out the quest to give constitutional life pension to the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and their respective Deputies.

Lagos Reporter’s reports that while 162 voted for, 3 persons abstained from the voting exercise.

In a related development, the House of Representatives has voted against the provision of special seats for women and moving Value Added Tax (VAT) to exclusive legislative list.

The House rejected the two provisions during voting on 68 clause being considered in the ongoing constitutional amendment, on Tuesday.

209 members of the House voted against moving VAT while 208 members voted against the provision of special seats for women.

The proposed Bill on VAT reads: “A Bill for an Act to Alter Part I of the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to include Value Added Tax on the Exclusive Legislative List; and for Related Matters”.

OPINION: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: Roman Abramovich As A Victim Of International Diplomatic Vendetta

In Yoruba parlance, a friend of one’s enemy is another enemy. This perhaps informed the hostility meted to billionaire Abramovic, the owner of Chelsea Football Club of England. Or, how do we explain the blanket ban placed on the Russian by UK government !

The Russian-Ukrainian war has been globally condemned by many nations across the world. In expressing their annoyance against Russia and solidarity for Ukraine, most of the world’s super powers have been slamming various embargo on Russia government, firms and private individuals who have affiliation with Russian government. Such affiliation has become an affliction and any relationship with President Putin is seen as a plague.

Presumably regarded as President Putin’s friend, Mr. Abramovic became a victim of vendetta as he was banned form UK where he is the proud owner of one of the formidable clubs in the world. The ban may not be unconnected with
Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.

Prior to the ban, Abramovich had reportedly applied for a British Tier 1 investor visa in 2018 but swiftly withdrew his application after he was found to have links with the Russian government as well as strings of business connections to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

War are won on different strategic approaches. Abramovich may not be the target but every individual who is connected with the Russian government may be picked to face sanctions in a bid to compel president Putin to embrace ceasefire.

Physical war is complemented by emotional attack. As it is, the heat may be turned on other influential people who are complicit in the actions of the Russian leadership, banks and companies of significance. This is about inflicting pain on Putin and degrading the Russian economic system over time.

Upon becoming the owner of Chelsea in June 2003, Abramovic has massively injected collosal sum of dollars to the club and this has practically transformed the almost moribund club into a giant on the world football stage.
Since he salvaged the fortune of the club, Chelsea has won eighteen major trophies including the European Champions League, English Premier League and FA Cup. Abramovich is the owner of private investment company Millhouse LLC.

Consequent upon the ban, the Russian billionaire has handed the control of the club to trustees of its charitable foundation on Saturday.
Justifying his decision, Roman had said in a statement on the club’s website that he had always viewed his role as a “custodian of the club”.
It is understood that Abramovich took the decision in order to protect Chelsea from reputational damage as war rages in Ukraine. It remains to be seen whether Roman Abramovic would sell the club outrightly.

However, there are questions about his long-term future at the club. Whether Abramovich will ever return to taking a more visible hands-on role at the club will likely depend strongly on whether he faces any sanction and what happens in Ukraine and the UK’s relationship with Russia.

Abramovich was a confidante of former Russian president Boris Yeltsin and current Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He was formerly Governor of Chukotka Autonomous Okrug from 2000 to 2008. According to Forbes, Abramovich’s net worth was US$12.9 billion in 2019, making him the eleventh-richest in Russia.

Few days ago, the UK government had ordered all assets of President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov frozen over the invasion of Ukraine.
The Treasury issued a financial sanctions notice against the two men adding them to a list of Russian oligarchs already targeted.

The vendetta was not only on Chelsea. FIFA and UEFA have also banned Russian football clubs and national teams from all competitions. The two bodies had argued that football is a vector for unity and peace amongst people.

With this development, Russian men’s team will not play their World Cup play-off matches next month and the women’s team have been banned from this summer’s Euro 2022 competition.

Spartak Moscow have also been kicked out of the Europa League and their last-16 opponents RB Leipzig will advance to the quarter-finals. In the same vein, the final of UEFA champions league hitherto slated to hold in Russia has been rescheduled for Stade de France.

Roman Abramovich has reportedly accepted Ukraine’s offer to participate in peace talks and try to bring an end to Russia’s invasion of the neighbouring country. Meanwhile, a report, contrary to the invasion revealed that the UK government chose to deal with Abramovich over money laundering issue.

Comrade Lekan Badmus is a columnist with Oduduwa News and a Public Opinion Analyst.

For comments:

lekanbadmuscolumn@gmail.com.

PHOTOS: Ooni, Alaafin Meet Aregbesola, Push For Tinubu’s Reconciliation With Minister

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, on Tuesday, met the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, in a bid to reconcile him and his estranged political godfather, Bola Tinubu.

Though the details of the meeting are sketchy, it was gathered that the meeting took place at the Ibadan residence of the Alaafin.

Tinubu and Aregbesola quarrelled over the choice of who becomes the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the upcoming Osun State election.

Continuous Intimidation And Harrasment Of Accountant-General By EFCC Is Unconstitutional – Oyo Govt

The Oyo State Government has condemned continuous questioning and detention of the Oyo State Accountant General by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC.

ODUDUWA NEWS recall that the Accountant-General was arrested on Friday, February 25, 2022, and later released on Monday, February 28, 2022.

This was contained in a statement released today by the Commissioner of Information, Dr. Wasiu Olatunbosun as read in part:

“The Oyo State Government is using this medium to update the good people of Oyo State regarding the arrest, questioning and detention of the Oyo State Accountant General on Friday, February 25, 2022, and subsequent release on Monday, February 28, 2022. The continued harassment and intimidation of the Accountant General and other officials of the state government by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is totally unconstitutional and unacceptable and is being contested in a court of competent jurisdiction.

“The EFCC and its officials have, since last year been mounting pressure on Oyo State and its officials to provide documents regarding disbursements and expenditure of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, Contingencies Fund and Security Vote lawfully approved and passed into Appropriation Law of Oyo State by the Oyo State House of Assembly. This is despite the fact that the Supreme Court of Nigeria has decided in a long line of cases that the EFCC lacks the powers to prosecute issues that are not corruption cases.

“We would like to put it on record that by virtue of Section 128 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, unless and until the Oyo State House of Assembly reports or exposes any corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence and in the disbursement or administration of funds appropriated by it to the Executive Governor of Oyo State and Commissioner for Finance, Section 6 (h) of the EFCC Establishment Act 2004 (as amended) cannot be triggered. The Oyo State House of Assembly has not made any such reports and thus the actions so far by the EFCC and the EFCC Chairman are unconstitutional and ultra-vires.

“In line with this conviction, the Oyo State Government had approached the Federal High Court, in the Ibadan Judicial Division on February 8, 2022, for declaratory reliefs and to among other things, issue an order of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendants (1. Attorney General of the Federation; 2. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; 3. President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria and 4. The Chairman EFCC) their functionaries or agencies or whosoever from interfering with the activities of any government officials in Oyo State (i.e. any public officer or functionary or officer or servant of the government of Oyo State) in the exercise of powers purported to be conferred by or under the provisions of the EFCC Act, 2004 with relation to the expenditure and or spending of the Oyo State Government or security votes as vested in the Governor of Oyo State.

“The EFCC had brazenly refused service of the processes at the Abuja Head Office for reasons unknown to the law but as of today, March 1, 2022, at the hearing in Ibadan, Hon Justice N. Agomoh directed the EFCC to accept service of the Oyo State Government originating processes and pending applications in the full glare of the Court. The Trial Judge also ordered that all forms of arrest and intimidation by the EFCC should cease. The case has been adjourned to the March 9, 2022 for the hearing of all applications. The arrest of the Oyo State Accountant General on Friday, February 25, 2022, was a desperate and malicious attempt at thwarting a constitutional process that had already been instituted at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, with a hearing date of Monday, March 1, 2022”.

Oyo Govt Shuts Down Illegal Tertiary Institution in Oke-Ogun

The Oyo State Government, on Tuesday, has ordered the immediate closure of Oke-Ogun College of Management Sciences and Technology, Iseyin. The Honourable Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Barrister Rahman Abiodun Abdu-Raheem, said the institution was shut down for non-compliance with registration procedures.

Recall that some indigenes of the town, under the auspices of ‘Ebedi Frontliner’, had petitioned the Oyo state government; the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu; and the National Board for Technical Education, asserting that the institution was neither registered nor accredited for students’ enrolment among other allegations.

Barrister Abdu-Raheem, while sealing off the college urged Proprietors of schools to always do the needful, in their quests to establish schools. He said this will avoid unnecessary embarrassment for both the state and the proprietors.
Barrister Abdu-Raheem, had earlier last month, invited and directed the Proprietor of the College, Mr. Adewale Owoseni to remove all billboards with the inscriptions of the school, until the needful is done.

The Honourable Commissioner therefore affirmed the State Government’s commitment to ensure due process is followed in all affairs of the state.

Court Remands Kunle Poly In Kirikiri Prison Over Idumota Clashes

A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Yaba axis of Lagos has ruled that a chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Worker (NURTW), Adekunle Lawal, popularly called Kunle Poly, be remanded at the Kirikiri correctional centre pending when allegations leveled against him on the clashes that occurred in Idumota would be determined.

The judge said that Kunle Poly should be remanded at the centre, as allegations brought against him on the clashes that claimed lives and resulted in the destruction of property were yet to be proven untrue.

Kunle Poly was remanded on Monday during the court proceedings oversee by Chief Magistrate Linda Balogun, barely two days after the Nigerian Police granted him bail following the expiration of a 30-day custody appeal granted to the law enforcement agency.

Confirming outcomes of the court proceedings, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, Hauwa Laraba, told News Men that the NURTW has been remanded by the court.

Hauwa further disclosed that the magistrate has adjourned the case to Tuesday, March 1st, 2022, for further hearing of allegations levelled against the transport union member.

It would be recalled that Kunle Poly, and two others were under the custody of the Nigerian Police, Zone 2, and they were Idowu Johnson and Agboola Akeem popularly called Okoro.

In previous ruling, the magistrate had said that the Idumota clashes resulted in a breach of peace across the country’s commercial capital and it put residents of the axis under fears and disrupted commercial activities within the state.

Balogun said that keeping the NURTW members under the police custody would help unravel other hidden facts on unrests that led to the loss of lives and destruction of property worth millions of Naira.

According to her, the three defendants are to be remanded in the facility of the Nigeria Police Zonal Monitoring Unit, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan-Lagos, for the next 30 days, to enable the police to conclude investigations.

Earlier, Animashaun, while presenting the case before the Magistrate, told the court that the application was pursuant to sections 264(1), (2), (3), (4), and (6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2021 (as amended).

The Counsel added that the request was also in line with sections 4 and 10 of the Police Act, 2020, and sections 6(c), 35(1)(C)(5), and (7)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 199 (as amended).

He told the court that the application sought, was to enable the police to conclude investigations of a case of threat to life and property, violence, cultism, mayhem, and conducts likely to cause a breach of peace, unlawful possession of firearms, conspiracy, and murder against the three men.

Electricity: Ogun, Oyo communities to suffer blackouts until conditions improve — IBEDC

The management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has said that the states under its franchise will experience prolonged power outages due to low weekly power allocation to its network by Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

A statement issued by IBEDC’s spokesperson, Kikelomo Owoeye, on Sunday in Osogbo, said that Ogun, Oyo, Ibadan, Osun and Kwara region would be affected by the power outage.

The statement said that the weekly power allocation to IBEDC network by TCN had dropped from 692.5 megawatts to 368.5 megawatts.

“This has led to massive load shedding across our franchise in Ogun, Oyo, Ibadan, Osun and Kwara region.

“Kindly bear with us, as we work with stakeholders in the electricity value chain on sustainable resolution,” the company said.

Nigerian students protest in Abuja, block Federal Secretariat over ASUU strike

The National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, on Monday, staged a protest in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and some other parts of the nation over the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

The National President of the association, Sunday Asefon, with other students, converged at Unity Fountain in Abuja on Monday morning, displaying various placards.

Students also protested in other states including, Kano State; Jos, Plateau State; Kofar Nasarawa, Minna, Niger State; Jalingo, Taraba State, among others.

Asefon, who spoke with newsmen in Abuja at the beginning of the protest, said they were marching from the Unity Fountain to the Federal Secretariat and then proceed to the National Assembly

Recalls that NANS, on Tuesday, last week, issued a one-week ultimatum to the Federal Government to resolve its disagreement with ASUU or face a national mass action by Nigerian students across the country.

Asefon said the students would block some major roads in the nation’s capital if the government and ASUU fail to resolve the issues within the weekend.

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