Oduduwa News

The seven farmers kidnapped in their farmland at Itaogbolu in Akure North LGA, Ondo State, on Saturday have regained freedom. 

The victims were working on their farms when gunmen launched an attack and whisked them away. 

A relative of one of the kidnapped farmers, who did not want to be named for security reasons, confirmed on Friday that the seven farmers were released on Wednesday night after spending five days in captivity. 

“I’m happy to tell you that the kidnappers released all seven farmers on Wednesday night. They are back with their families. 

“I want to let you know that when the kidnappers demanded ransom, which was N100 million initially before it was reduced to N20 million, we were only able to raise N5 million.

“They were released in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti, on Wednesday night after collecting N5 million and food items. The victims are now in the hospital for medical attention,” he said. 

The commander of the Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, could not be reached for comments.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, simply said: “I’m not aware of their release.” 

(NAN)

As part of efforts to promote tourism and culture in Ogun State, the famous Olumo Rock Tourist Centre in Abeokuta will be open to members of the public free of charge from now until the end of September this year.

Governor Dapo Abiodun, who made the announcement on Thursday at the commissioning of the newly renovated Tourist Complex, said the gesture is to encourage people to embrace tourism as well as appreciate the richness of their culture.

The Complex has a galleria that contains artworks made up of pictures of eminent Nigerians, a gazebo, a restaurant that will serve both local and continental dishes, shops for selling adire fabrics, and a standby generator set that will power the newly installed elevators and other facilities.

Olumo Rock, the governor noted, is more than a majestic outcrop or an assemblage of stones; it represents a sanctuary of strength, a symbol of refuge, and an identity for a people.

“For centuries, it has stood tall, offering safety and identity to the Egba people in times of conflict and change.

“Renovating this sacred site is not just about infrastructure; it is about reviving memory, rekindling pride, and reaffirming our cultural roots. The site connects us to our roots.

“We recognize that tourism, when properly developed, has the capacity to generate employment, attract investment, promote cultural understanding, and serve as a catalyst for community development,” he said.

The governor noted that his administration would continue to prioritize tourism as a strategic pillar of the ISEYA development agenda, emphasizing that when properly developed, it could impact the local economy, generate employment opportunities, and boost the revenue of the State.

While declaring the State a foremost destination of choice, Governor Abiodun beckoned to tourists around the world to come to the State and experience its tourist attractions, adding that the Olumo Rock Tourism Complex has undergone a total renovation and is now equipped with a world-class arts gallery and restaurants.

He said: “This renovation has transformed Olumo Rock from a historic relic into a modern heritage destination. From an economic standpoint, this revitalized complex is a tourism magnet.

“Entrepreneur zones have been provided for artisans, vendors, and creatives to showcase their talents and benefit from growing visitor traffic. This centre will boost local commerce, empower our youths, and build a thriving cultural and creative economy.

“Socially, Olumo Rock reminds us of who we are: a people of strength, a people of courage, a people of ingenuity, and a people of unity. Spiritually, it connects us with our roots and reaffirms the values that we find in our collective identity. It stands as a cultural invitation to the world.”

His administration’s goal, Governor Abiodun stated, is to establish tourist sites across the state, assuring that the renovated Olumo Rock Tourist Complex would be concessioned to a reputable organization for its proper upkeep.

Welcoming guests to the occasion, the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Hon. Sesan Fagbayi appreciated the state governor for repositioning the tourist centre, adding that this would attract more tourists and visitors.

In his remarks, the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, revealed that the Rock, in the olden days, served as a sanctuary for the Egba people and was also used as a military observation post by local militias who defended the town from invaders.

While noting the spiritual importance of the tourist center, the monarch observed that apart from serving as a place where prayers are answered, it provides a place for relaxation for seekers, even as he appreciated Governor Abiodun for giving the facility a facelift.

The Chief Executive Officer of Nike Arts Gallery, Chief (Mrs) Nike Okundaye, expressed optimism that the renovation of the Complex would lead to an increase in tourism traffic from around the world, assuring that a wide range of unquantifiable services would be offered to both local and foreign tourists and visitors.

She said: “We are going to bring people who are art lovers from different museums all over the world to come and celebrate our culture and our heritage, which is Olumo.

“We will share our knowledge with them, and they will also share their knowledge with us. With this, everybody is going to benefit. We are going to create more jobs and train people in new ideas about what they can do to make more money.

“This place is going to be number one in the whole country; that is why I said, give it two years.”

The Presidency has stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is fully entitled to seek a second term in office, just like his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.

This was made known by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, during an interview on Trust Radio.

Onanuga warned against what he described as politically motivated attacks aimed at discrediting Tinubu’s leadership, particularly by those who feel uncomfortable with a Southerner at the helm.

“This President is a Nigerian. He deserves the same two terms that Buhari had. Let’s not sacrifice the country for personal ambition,” he said.

He accused certain individuals and political actors of deliberately trying to stir division by pitting Northern Nigerians against the President in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.

According to him, allegations that Tinubu’s administration has marginalized the North in terms of development and appointments are nothing but “falsehoods” driven by “political mischief.”

“You need to get your statistics right. The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and both Defence Ministers are all Northerners,” he noted, while citing improvements in security in areas like Birnin Gwari and Igabi in Kaduna State.

Onanuga also emphasized the need for unity and sacrifice among all Nigerians, regardless of region or political affiliation.

“There are bad roads across the country, not just in the North. We should stop promoting false narratives. Everyone must put national interest above personal ambition,” he added.

The remarks come amid increasing political tension and speculation about Tinubu’s future ambitions ahead of the 2027 presidential race.

The Kwara State High court Ilorin has sentenced Abdulrahman Bello, a self-acclaimed cleric and the killer of Hafsoh Lawal, a final year student of the Kwara State College of Education to death by hanging.

In a judgement delivered by Justice Hannah Ajayi on Thursday, four other defendants were set free and cleared of any wrongdoings.

‎Charged with five-count, the judge started by acquitting the four out of the five defendants namely Ahmed Abdulwasiu, Jamiu Uthman, Suleiman Muyideen and Abdulrahman Jamiu of any complicity, subsequently setting them free of taking part in the death of the victim (Hafsoh Lawal).

However, Justice Ajayi, while delivering judgment on the main culprit, described Bello’s act as cruel, wicked, and an extreme display of human wickedness, saying all evidence proved that Hafsoh was killed in order to be used for money ritual and trading in human spare parts.

‎The judge further noted that Abdulrahman’s confession of love and plan to marry the victim, are all concocted lies to lure her to his residence in order to kill her.

‎She therefore sentenced Abdulrahman Bello to death by hanging while setting free the other four suspects not guilty.

‎The offence was said to have been committed on February 10, 2025, at Olunlade area Ilorin. The victim was said to have been invited by her boyfriend Abdulrahman Bello, who killed and dismembered her body in his room after having sex with her.

‎Upon being arrested and interrogated, the palm of the deceased and, a bottle filled with blood and personal belongings of the dead were found Bello’s room. Also found in his room was a cutlass used in dismembering the deceased’s body.

‎Other parts of her decomposed body were later found at a nearby dumpsite in Ilorin.

A combined team of the Amotekun Corps, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), and local hunters successfully thwarted a kidnapping operation in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing three suspected kidnappers and rescuing one victim.

The victim, Ogunyinka Samuel, popularly known as Agbede, was abducted from his residence in Otu on Monday night. Following the incident, local hunters and vigilante operatives launched a swift rescue operation, engaging the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle. During the exchange, one of the local security personnel sustained a gunshot wound.

The operation led the security team to the kidnappers’ hideout, where three of the suspects were gunned down. Their bodies were later deposited at the Otu Divisional Police Station for identification.

Authorities commend the collaborative efforts of the local security outfits and urge residents to remain vigilant while continuing to support community-based security initiatives.

In a bid to ensure a crime free and safety environment for members of the public in the Pacesetter State, the Oyo State House of Assembly has called on the Executive Arm of Government to restrict the activities of scavengers to Government approved dumpsites alone and put in place a regulatory guidelines for all involved in such activities.

This was part of the House resolutions following a report presented by the Chairman House Committee on Environment, Water Resources and Ecology, Hon. Olorunpoto Rahman on the Need to regulate activities of metal scavenger, popularly known as Bola, to prevent infrastructure vandalism and enhance security in oyo state.

Presenting the report, Hon. Olorunpoto explained that as part of the committee’s findings during investigation , the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has handed over the oversight and the management of dumpsites to consultants who have authorization over the dumpsites.

He hinted further that :
“Metal Scavengers operating at the dumpsites are being subjected to regulations and guidelines set forth by dumpsites consultants “

The House further reiterated the need to put in place measures or regulatory guidelines on scavenging by the government in order to discourage criminal elements who use the activity to perpetrate crimes and curb the rising trend of criminal elements who hide under the guise of scavenging to perpetrate crimes.

The House also called on the Oyo State Security Network Agency and other Law Enforcement Agencies to conduct regular surveillance and enforce the restrictions on scavengers activities to designated dumpsites across the State.

Governor Ademola Adeleke has described the passage into law of the Osun Electricity bill as a major tool to deepen and boost the economy of Osun state.

Reacting to the passage of the executive bill by the State House of Assembly, the Governor said the bill will open windows of opportunities for investors in the power sector with a lot of offgrid generation opportunities.

According to Governor Adeleke, sources of power generation will be diversified, opened up and regulated to address what he called chronic power supply crisis rocking the state.

“The new law will ensure the right energy mix. Renewable energy will complement the traditional energy sources. Osun state is open to new energy sector investors”, the Governor was quoted as saying.

Aside from tapping into various power generation sources in the state, the Governor said the era of exploitation and oppression of Osun people by some officials of Ibadan electricity distribution company is over.

The new law according to the Governor provides for the establishment of the State Electricity Regulatory Agency to regulate and monitor the electricity market as well as attend to service delivery issues by the distribution company.

He stressed that the commission will be empowered to address complaints of electricity users and act on the activities of the distribution company, warning that the Disco should sit tight now ahead of the eventual take off of the commission.

“The regulatory commission will be addressing critical issues relating to customer – service providers complaints. It will grant licenses to power generators among others. The commission will not allow current maltreatment of electricity users in the state.

“I will invite all stakeholders to the signing into law ceremony. The business community in Osun state should heave a sigh of relief. The much needed policy framework for the state power sector has arrived

The governor commended the House of Assembly, the state Ministry of Energy and all those who worked on the draft bill and participated in the consultation processes leading to the passage by the state assembly.

Healthcare services across Nigeria face major disruption from today (Wednesday) as 25,000 nurses, under the umbrella of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), Federal Health Institutions Sector, embark on a seven-day nationwide warning strike.

The action, which began at midnight, followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued by NANNM to the federal government.

This is coming amid the faceoff between doctors and the government over welfare and other issues.

Speaking with Daily Trust on Monday, the National Chairman of NANNM-FHI, Morakinyo Rilwan, said the strike would involve a total withdrawal of services across all federal health institutions.

“The 15-day ultimatum ends by Tuesday, July 29, 2025, by midnight, and the warning strike commences on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, at 12.01am.

“The action would include 74 federal hospitals – teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, specialist hospitals like orthopaedic, neuro-psychiatric, and eye centres, as well as all general hospitals and primary healthcare centres in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and 774 local government areas.

“Private hospitals are not included. This is because for now the private practitioner nurses are not spread over Nigeria,” he said.

According to him, the strike was in response to issues which include poor remuneration, staff shortages, unpaid allowances, and unsafe working conditions.

On July 14, 2025, the union issued a 15-day ultimatum to the federal government, demanding immediate intervention to prevent a total healthcare shutdown.

Rilwan noted that despite the ultimatum, the federal government had not initiated any negotiations.

Rilwan said the strike became necessary after the federal government and the Federal Ministry of Health failed to respond meaningfully to its July 14 ultimatum.

“Since the 15-day ultimatum was given, there has been no invitation by the federal government or federal ministry of health. So, it is imminent that the strike will take place and it is going to be a total of seven days in all federal institutions, secondary and primary health care in Nigeria,” he said.

He said the decision was aimed at drawing urgent attention to the critical issues affecting nurses nationwide.

“The strike is a follow-up to the ultimatum given to the federal government through the federal ministry of health on the 14th July 2025 and this is as a result of our unmet demands,” he said.

The organisation’s demands include gazetting of the nurses scheme of service approved by the NCE in 2016 in Minna, Niger State, implementation of the National Industrial Arbitration Court (NIC) judgment of January 27, 2012, upward review of professional allowance for nurses and midwives, and employment of nursing personnel and adequate provision of health facility equipment.

Other demands include creation of a department of nursing in the federal ministry of health, inclusion of nurses in the headship of the health policy-making body, a fair representation by the association on the board and membership in federal health institutions, centralisation of internship posting for graduate nurses, and consultancy for nurses and midwives.

The association is also demanding the withdrawal of the content of the recently released circular on revised allowances for health workers (Nurses).

Rilwan said: “We want the government to employ more nurses because of the Japa syndrome. Those of us on ground working are not ready to travel out. The workload on us is too much, that’s why we want the government to employ more nurses.

“But the government is actually embarking on this propaganda that there are no nurses in Nigeria, we have enough nurses in Nigeria. In fact, the majority of them are working in private hospitals where they are being paid peanuts and we want the government to employ them so that the work load on us will be reduced.

“For now, based on the data collected from the association, we have about 10,000 nurses that are unemployed.

“Talking about our shift allowance which presently the circular on ground actually stipulated 30 percent basic, what we have been receiving since 2009 is about 8.6 percent as against 30 percent of our basic, so we want this to be implemented. We want a 200 percent increment over all allowances including allowances to nurses and call duty allowance.

“We want nurses to be included in policy making. As the largest health professional in the health sector, we hardly participate where decisions on the health system are being taken.”

Asked the last time nurses went on strike, he said: “Nurses alone have not gone on any strike in Nigeria for the past 40 years. Nurses went on strike last in 1984 and then some consensus was reached that made them suspend the strike at that time.

“We’ve been appealing to the government not to let us reach the situation where we are going to go on strike but the government has remained adamant. After the seven days warning strike, if nothing tangible comes from the government, we are going to give a 21-day ultimatum according to labour law before we embark on an indefinite strike.

“The government is not serious because they don’t consider the masses. They can easily travel abroad so they don’t bother what happens to the poor masses, that is why they are being insensitive.”

Rilwan, who described the warning strike as a “total shutdown”, said there would be no services, including emergencies.

“There will not be emergency services, the strike is a total shutdown, and there will be no skeletal services,” he said.

He listed the services to be affected to include operating theatres; Intensive Care Units (ICUs), labour wards; anaesthesia; accident and emergency; and general outpatient clinics.

Others are special care baby units; all specialty clinics (for example ophthalmic, dialysis, orthopedic, neuropsychiatric, antenatal, oncology clinic, fertility clinic, etc); all in-patient admission wards; and central sterile supply units.

The NANNM’s seven-day warning strike coincided with the ongoing three-day warning strike embarked upon by doctors in Lagos under the Medical Guild, which started on Monday.

The Guild, representing doctors employed by the state government, accused the government of “illegal and disrespectful” deductions from their July salaries and the non-payment of 12 months’ arrears owed to honorary consultants under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

Already, the doctors’ strike has left a sore taste in the mouths of patients, leaving them stranded as they were reportedly told to return home, while several departments appeared deserted.

In an interview, Toba Odumosu, the State Secretary for the Lagos State Council of NANNM, expressed displeasure over the condition of health workers, describing the strikes as coincidental.

He reiterated that the decision to embark on a seven-day warning strike followed the expiration of a 15-day ultimatum issued to the federal government over improved welfare, fair allowances, and better working conditions for nurses.

He added that the negotiation with the federal government through the Ministry of Labour on Tuesday ended in a deadlock.

A medical practitioner, Rukayat Hassan, said it was a slap on the government’s face that doctors and nurses are in a battle with the federal government at the same time.

“Honestly, to me, it is not fair at all. The government and bodies need to look into the issues carefully because I believe health is key. It is a slap on the face of the government that they cannot resolve these issues bedeviling the health sector.

“It is high time they started to consider the masses. I just can’t imagine what would happen in hospitals affected from Wednesday when there is an emergency. Private hospitals are quite expensive,” she said.

Another medical practitioner, Adeniyi Kolawole, also corroborated Hassan’s stance.

He said: “The government has no reason whatsoever not to heed to the demands of the nurses. Anyway, it’s not surprising as top government officials through tax payers’ money travel abroad for treatment when need be.

“It’s going to be disastrous if the government let this happen. Many of these nurses cannot even afford the food they eat, the clothes they wear, or the medicine they need.”

While urging the government to take decisive action, a practicing nurse, Oyekanmi Blessing, said: “Our only crime is staying in Nigeria to care for Nigerians. My colleagues serving as nurses in Saudi Arabia are treated with respect, honour and dignity.”

When contacted, the Head, Information & Public Relations at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Alaba Balogun, requested a WhatsApp message.