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A man identified as Femi on Saturday in Osogbo, Osun State jumped into Osun river, not long after he complained about the hardship facing him.
A source close to the scene said Femi stood on the Gbodofon bridge located along Osogbo/Gbongan road around 10:30 am and jumped into the river.
A vulcaniser, working close to the scene, who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons, said he observed a man walk down from the Old Governor’s Office end of Osogbo/Gbongan road and stood for a few minutes in the middle of Gbodofon bridge before he took a plunge into the river.
He said, “I was at a spot close to the bridge working on a customer’s tyre when I looked towards the Gbodofon bridge and I saw a man walking down from Old Governor’s Office end of the Osogbo/Gbongan.
“He stood right in the middle of the bridge and took a plunge into the Gbodofon river. People around were seized with fear after the incident.”
During an interview with The PUNCH, the spokesperson of Osun State Fire Service, Ibrahim Adekunle, said operatives of the agency were called for an emergency rescue operation when the victim jumped into the river around 10:30 am
“We responded, but the river is overflowing at the moment. We made efforts and we are still looking for the person, but we are yet to recover the body. From what we were told, the person involved is a man,” Adekunle said.
Also commenting, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun State Command, Kehinde Adeleke, identified the victim as Femi, adding that he had earlier made an attempt to commit suicide, but was chased away by some people who suspected his movement on the bridge.
Adeleke further said, “On July 6th, 2024, at exactly 10:30 am, a man identified as Femi, the only son of his parent and a native of Ilesha jumped into Gbodofon River.
“According to an eyewitness, before he jumped into the river, he kept saying that a group of people had beaten him mercilessly at a (fast food joint) in the OgoOluwa area, which led him to decide to end his life.
“During the investigation, we interviewed a man who witnessed the incident. He mentioned that Femi initially attempted to commit suicide, but was chased away. He later came back, saying he was tired of life. Shortly after, he went to the top of the Gbodofon Bridge and jumped into the river.
“As of Saturday evening, the body of the said man has not been recovered but the effort is ongoing.”
The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has advised Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, to beg the Nigerian government to secure his freedom.
Primate Ayodele warned that the embattled IPOB leader would die in detention if he refused to beg the Nigerian government for his freedom.
Ayodele gave the advice during the launch of his 30th “Warning to the Nations” at his church in Lagos on Saturday.
Recall that Kanu is currently locked up by the Department of State Services, DSS, on the orders of the Nigerian government.
This is coming when Southeast governors and senators had agreed to meet President Bola Tinubu to seek a political solution to Kanu’s continued detention.
The IPOB leader has been detained since June 2021 when he was re-arrested in Kenya and repatriated to Nigeria.
Since his repatriation, courts have granted Kanu bail but the Nigerian government refused to release him.
However, the popular prophet also disclosed that Nigeria would break up and neither Kanu nor Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Igboho would be responsible.
He noted that Nigeria will break up without a bloodbath, adding that the country will break up from the North.
According to Ayodele: “Nigeria will break but not through Nnamdi Kanu or Sunday Igboho, Kanu should beg the government before he is released or else he will die in jail.
“He should hands off because he lacks the capacity to carry the agitation. The country will break without a bloodbath, it will be a natural cause.
“Prayer and fasting will not stop it because the spirit of existence is tired. The spirit of our forefathers like Tafawa Balewa is not happy. Nigeria’s break up will start from the North.”
The Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, has come under heavy attack, following his order to his security aides to slap one of the Islamic clerics at a gathering.
According to Punch, Bago, in a video ordered his aide to ‘slap’ the cleric.
The Governor ordered, “Slap him, very well. I said slap him. Go and arrest him. Deal with him well-well.”
He thereafter uttered a Hausa idiomatic expression which was interpreted as “I have power.”
The cleric, who knelt down, was dragged away from the gathering by one of the security operatives suspected to be an officer of the Department of State Services.
Some of the people at the gathering were laughing and giggling when the governor gave the order.
The offence committed by the cleric was not known, but sources that spoke with the platform on the development, claimed that he wanted to give the closing prayer at the event which the governor opposed.
Some Nigerians in their reaction to the Governor’s action described it as an abuse of power.
A popular skit maker, Debo Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, wrote, “A governor who has sworn to serve the people is ordering a security agent to assault the same citizen he sworn to serve. See security agent too, flexing muscles on a man already on his knees. Continue pushing the people until they get to the wall.
“See my people laughing and giggling while their brother, a fellow human being like them was being assaulted by the same person that swore to serve and protect them.”
Also an X user identified as @greatjoe01 tweeted, “I sincerely understand when people argue against state policing for fear of this kind of abuse of power from the governors. But what exactly are the governors not doing with the federal police now?
“Here is a DSS agent being ordered to carry out illegality. What are we afraid of?”
A human rights lawyer, Deji Ajare, who spoke with Punch condemned the governor’s action, describing it as a violation of the cleric’s right.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, however, in his reaction to the development, said he was not aware of the viral video.
He said, “I am not aware of the video. Is it social media work? I will look for it, let me check.”
Many persons, including operatives of the Ondo State Security Network a.k.a. Amotekun, have been injured by herdsmen in Akure North Local Government Area.
The attack took place while Amotekun personnel were trying to enforce the anti-open grazing law at Igoba, a community on Ado Road.
The armed Fulani herdsmen were said to be grazing their cows on some farms when they attacked the officers with guns, bottles, cutlasses and stones.
Spokesman for the Ondo Amotekun Corps, Jimoh Adeniken, said in a statement that the corps surveillance team was led to the farms by their owners where they met more than 120 cows ravaging the farms but no herder was seen with them.
Adeniken said the Amotekun operatives moved the cows out of the farms but were attacked by the herdsmen.
He said: “The assailants continued to throw stones and bottles till they invaded the main road and hacked one of the Amotekun officers into coma even as they attempted to disarm officers and men of the Amotekun corps.
“Other officers sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attack and they are currently receiving medical attention.
“The owner of the cows has been identified while investigation by the corps continues.
“Government will continue to ensure strict compliance with the law with a view to ensuring that efforts of farmers would not be truncated through destruction of their farmlands by herders and their cows.
“Officers of the corps will continue to carry out its legal functions of protecting the people of the state as well as their property.”
A nationwide power outage has hit Nigeria as the national grid experienced system collapse again on Saturday.
Emeka Ezeh, the Head, Corporate of Communications at Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, disclosed this in a notice on Saturday.
According to the notice, the National Grid Collapse occurred around 15:09 hours on Saturday.
Consequently, bulk electricity supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria National Control Centre has been disrupted.
EEDC said the situation is the reason for the loss of power supply in the Southeast states – Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.
“This has resulted in the loss of supply currently being experienced across the network.
“Due to this development, all our interface TCN stations are out of supply, and we are unable to provide services to our customers in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states.
“We are on standby awaiting detailed information of the collapse and restoration of supply from the National Control Centre (NCC), Osogbo,” the notice reads.
The development comes days after TCN announced that electricity generation declined to 4,723.30 megawatts peak on July 4, 2024, compared to 4800mw in May.
In 2024 alone, Nigeria has recorded at least three system collapses. System collapse has occurred about 227 times in the last 14 years, according to TCN.
This comes amid the April 3 and July 1 2024 electricity tariff hike for Band A customers, who are supposed to get 20-24 hours of power supply.
The electricity tariff for Band A rose to N206.80 per kilowatt-hour from N66 kWh.
The Big Brother Naija reality show has finally announced the date to kick off its Season 9 edition.
The show organisers made the announcement on their official Instagram page on Friday night.
According to the graphics posted, the show which will last for 71 days, will kick off on July 28, 2024.
According to the organisers, the 2024 Season 9 edition will be ‘Two Journeys in One House’.
“BBNaija Season 9 is HERE! This is a must follow Season! Get ready for double the drama, ships, and HUGE competition! Cameras 24/7 for 71 days. Don’t miss the premiere on July 28th at 7 PM WAT.”
N1 million a month isn’t enough to cater for Imade’s needs – Sophia Momodu says in leaked chats
AFOLABI
Sophia Momodu, embroiled in a heated custody battle with music sensation Davido, isn’t pulling any punches. She’s thrown the gauntlet by leaking a WhatsApp exchange between herself and Davido’s billionaire father, Adedeji Adeleke.
In the leaked conversation, Sophia firmly rejected Adeleke’s proposal for their daughter Imade to spend Christmas 2023 with the Adeleke family.
Sophia made it abundantly clear that Davido must fulfill his parental obligations if he hopes to secure future holiday visits with Imade.
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In response to Sophia’s message, Davido’s father showed empathy, underscored the importance of joint custody for Imade’s well-being.
He assured Sophia that Davido would uphold his responsibilities, including covering school fees, lesson fees, a monthly upkeep of N1 million, medical expenses, and contributing N5 million towards accommodation costs.
SEE SCREENSHOT BELOW
Sophia fired back, asserting that the mentioned provisions, including N1M monthly upkeep, fell far short of what was necessary to adequately meet Imade’s needs.
SEE SCREENSHOT BELOW
In a bombshell revelation reported by WITHIN NIGERIA, Sophia leveled explosive accusations against the Afrobeats icon’s sisters, accusing them of orchestrating a brazen abduction plot targeting their infant daughter, Imade, when she was just three months old.
Sophia detailed a chilling account where Davido’s sisters purportedly conspired to whisk Imade away permanently, masquerading the scheme as an innocuous holiday plan.
The alleged scheme, according to Sophia, was on the verge of execution when immigration authorities intervened, thwarting the abduction attempt just in the nick of time.
Nigerian actor Richard Mofe-Damijo, affectionately known as RMD, is celebrating his 63rd birthday on social media with a touching message of gratitude, while adorned in a stylish Yoruba attire called Dansiki and another black leather jacket with a touch of green flaps.
On Saturday July 6, RMD took to his Instagram account to share pictures of himself, expressing deep appreciation for God, his family, and friends.
The actor donned a traditional Yoruba Dansiki attire, beaming in one photo while making hand gestures. In another, he posed thoughtfully with his hand on his cheek.
Captioning the post, RMD wrote:
“Celebrating 63 years of blessings! Immensely grateful to God, my amazing family, cherished friends, and unwavering fans who stand by me. I salute you all.”
RMD’s second post which had him wear black jacket, trouser, tshirt and sneakers was captioned:
“Here comes the lost GenZ files, y’all thought i forgot?
63 is giving Steeze on Steeze, Aura for Aura!.”
RMD’s post quickly gained traction, with celebrities and fans alike flocking to the comments section to extend their congratulations.
Fellow actor Chinedu Ikedieze wrote, “Happy birthday great man. Age gracefully,”
Mercy Aigbe commented, “Happy Birthday sir.”
Ruth Kadiri added, “Happy birthday sir,”
skit makers Broda Shaggi and Kiekie also joined in with “Happy birthday sir” and “Happy birthday legend,” respectively.
Media personality Mo Abudu commented, “Happy birthday to the one and only,” while comedian Ushbebe added, “Migwo Daddy, happiest birthday Ose.”
Big Brother Naija host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu wrote, “Happy birthday egbon. Keep inspiring and leading.”
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The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Saturday, warned that President Bola Tinubu is not the messiah Nigeria needs.
Primate Ayodele said Tinubu only came to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy but nothing much will happen to the country’s economy.
Addressing journalists in Lagos, the prophet also warned that Tinubu would have challenges contesting for a second term.
The prophet warned that state police are not the solution to Nigeria’s insecurity problems.
He noted that some politicians would use state police as a weapon to cause insecurity.
According to Ayodele: “Tinubu is not Nigeria’s messiah but only came to do one or two things, and what he came to do is to strengthen our democracy.
“Nothing much in the economy, we are still going to experience more hardship till 2025 and confusion in our economy.
“In the area of insecurity, the question is will there be anything special? We have good Service Chiefs but if they don’t improve their services, insecurity will continue.
“State police will not help our nation, it will even add to the troubles of insecurity, and as a matter of fact, some politicians will use it as a weapon to cause disorderliness in our security. So let’s suspend the issue of State police for now, it’s not the best idea.
“Tinubu will have a very tough and challenging time going for a second term. There will be so much pressure on him and he needs to look after his health.”
Speaking about the upcoming elections in Edo State, Primate Ayodele said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, will lose if Governor Godwin Obaseki fails to negotiate with the powers that be.
“If Obaseki does not negotiate with the powers that be, PDP will lose Edo disgracefully.
“Anambra: APC will lose Anambra State and give it back to Soludo,” he said.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said he is still wary of sexual immorality despite his ‘anointing’ and years in the ministry.
Adeboye said despite his age, he runs faster than before to avoid any form of sexual temptation, noting that no amount of anointing can fight such temptation.
The cleric also warned ministers of the gospel to be wary of sexual immorality and the erroneous belief that their ‘anointing’ could help them withstand any temptation.
He stated these during a sermon at the just concluded Ministers & Workers Conference of RCCG America 1, which consists of North, Central & Caribbean with the theme: “The Glory Ahead”.
During the sermon shared on his YouTube page on Friday, Adeboye noted that Samson, who was a judge in Israel, fell into sexual immorality despite the anointing over him.
He said, “Somebody says, at your age, why are you still running? I run faster than before because the closer you get to the finishing point, the more careful you must be.
“Some of you can say, ‘Daddy, what are you saying, are you still running?’ I run fast.
“‘With all your anointing?’ Does anointing turn your body to stone? Samson was anointed. Single-handedly, he killed a thousand soldiers. A woman finished him. I hope the boys are listening.
“You can say, ‘Is anybody still interested in an 82-year-old man?’ She is not interested in you but interested in putting an end to all the great works God has done through you.
“You see that woman smiling at you everywhere you go, she is there smiling, and she is not your wife, run.”
Adeboye also counselled youths to be careful of lust, urging them to run away from anything that looks like sin.
He added, “And you girls, when you see a boy smiling at you saying, ‘Where have you been all my life? It looks as if the sun has just come out.’
“He is calling you sunshine. By the time he finishes with you, you won’t even know the difference between sunshine and sunset. You may laugh but mark my words.
“I do warn my children, particularly the boys. I said if the devil comes against you, tell the devil to get lost, but when you see a girl smiling at you in a funny way, run because you can’t win the battle.
“Didn’t you read a report that a man committed an offence about 42 years ago, and now his ministry is finished? Anybody who tells you that whatever you do is hidden, it’s hidden until the wind begins to blow.
“The Bible says, flee youthful lust. It did not ask you to say grace would be sufficient. There is no grace for what God says you should run from. Maybe grace to run.”
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Innocent Ujah Idibia, the legendary Nigerian singer, who is popularly known as 2Baba, has said despite the dominance of the new wave of Afrobeats artistes, he is still relevant in the music scene.
The ‘African Queen’ crooner noted that his sacrifices and that of his pairs propelled Afrobeats to its current level.
He stated this in a recent interview with AFRIMMA.
He advised young artistes to trust the process rather than being overambitious.
The music icon urged them to take a clue from Burna Boy, highlighting that he started touring by selling out small venues and built a strong fan base before moving to arenas and stadia.
2Baba said, “Burna Boy sells out Madison Square Garden and they [other artistes] think they are on the same level. And that’s unrealistic.
“He knows what he passed through before getting to the level he is, and you have to go through that process in full. Burna boy didn’t just wake up and sell out Madison Square Garden, it’s a process that took a long time.
“He started by touring small venues and he built a huge followership from there. And you see the results now. It’s the same process. We are part of the sacrificers; the instrumental process [laughs].
“But that doesn’t take anything away from the fact that I am still very much relevant. I’m still here making good music.”
In the ongoing trial of Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja, an American victim and the third Prosecution Witness (PW3) recounted to Justice U.P Kekemeke how the defendant and his entire family allegedly conspired to defraud her of $370,000.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is prosecuting Kingsley on a two-count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining by false pretence and criminal possession of fake documents to the tune of $370,000.
One of the counts against him reads, “That you, Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley sometime in 2021 in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the High Court of Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with intent to defraud obtained the total sum of $370,000 from Nicole Kierulff Sayers under the false pretence of being a purported payment to finance a contract with Federal Ministry of Works and Housing with Contract No: RC/FGN/0275AN/20 issued to Nwachi Chidozie Kingsley, a claim which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(b) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act”.
At the resumed trial, Nicole Kierulff Sayers, an American and lawyer by profession in the state of Oregon, United States, was led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Fatsuma Muhammad and the witness identified the defendant before the court as the man who sent her messages on Facebook during her birthday.
She said, “I know the defendant, the defendant messaged me on Facebook on my birthday and he said he was a member of the same spiritual organisation with me. We engaged in romantic discussions and phrases and we engaged in conversations that escalated into a relationship of a romantic type.”
Sayers further told the court that the defendant asked her for money to finance the award of a contract by the Ministry of Works and Housing, claiming that some men were threatening his life if he didn’t provide money to secure the contract.
Sayers further said, “Before we met each other, he had asked me for money about eleven days before, and his reason for asking for the money according to him was for the award of a contract by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and alleged that some men were threatening his life, if he did not provide the money to secure the contract.
“He asked me for help, and supplied me with the details of the contract and logo and all the information, I believed that because I was in a vulnerable state and I had developed an emotional connection with him.”
According to her, the defendant told her that if she gave him $15,000, he would repay her within 45 days and she believed him, and transferred the money to the defendant, with an instruction to repay her the money.
Narrating how she transferred the money and how she got to meet the family of the defendant, Sayers said, “I transferred the money using a money transfer app, he received the money and within one week, he asked me to join him in a FaceTime Video with his family.
“This was his parents' house and his entire family was there, which included his sister Doris Nwachi, Kenneth Nwachi, sister-in-law Loveline, his father Chizom, his mother Victoria and his alleged daughter, Princess, who was then two years old.”
Continuing, Sayers said, “One more uncle of his, who I don't think is a member of the family, I think is Bishop Ekeke, he and his mother's brothers were there.
“He engaged me in video calls and messages and because of the reputation that I can see from a distance that he had, he is very highly regarded in the Port Harcourt area and I thought that I could trust him, so at the family meeting, each adult member that I met thanked me for saving the defendant’s alleged contract job and so, I didn't realize that the entire family could conspire against one innocent woman as myself.
The witness further told the court that she had sent a total amount of $40,000 (Forty Thousand United States Dollars), even before she came to Nigeria to meet the defendant.
“Before I came to Nigeria, I sent to him approximately $40,000 (Forty Thousand US Dollars), and we had continued conversation about him paying back knowing that things will change.
“I arrived in Abuja in late March 2022, and I spent two weeks with the defendant and despite his assurances that he wouldn't leave me alone for extended periods, he left me alone on countless occasions and I stayed at his rented house in Sun City, Abuja.
“But because I wanted to get my money; I continued the relationship with him. Several months later, he asked for more money, a minimum of 125 transactions.
“The reason he gave me fall into several categories such as medical contingencies, surgeries, malaria treatment and other categories, such as supplies on the government contracts because he didn't have the money for the government. He used emotional manipulation and gaslighting.
“The total amount, and to my best estimate, was well over $200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Dollars), in a period of twelve months, January to December. On a few occasions, he claimed he attempted to wire me money at one specific time.
“He produced a document that he claimed was a bank document and that he made an attempt to wire me $10,000 (Ten Thousand Dollars).
“He claimed the bank intercepted it, because he said the bank claimed it was an attempted misappropriation of government funds, so he found himself in jail.
“He asked me to bail him out and I did, and again he asked me to make provisions for bribes to pay for the criminal case, because he attempted to misappropriate government funds
“Finally in December, after pleading and begging, and showing him my desperation, he agreed to wire more money to me and asked for the bank details and he said ‘I will do it tomorrow’.
“Few days later, I asked him, did you wire the money to me and he said no. That was when I realized that I will never see a penny from him again,” she stated.
Thereafter, the matter was adjourned till November 7 for continuation of trial.
'I have always worked hard but have nothing to show' - Secondary School Teacher Commits Suicide, Leaves Note For His Family
AFOLABI
Panford Mweetwa, a 46-year-old teacher at Maguya Day Secondary School in Chipata District in Zambia has taken his own life.
The man allegedly committed suicide by taking unknown poisonous substances.
Panford Mweetwa, who was recently transferred from Nsanjika Day Secondary School to Maguya left behind a written note stating that "he had been working very hard but had nothing to show what he had achieved" and further indicated on how his money is to be shared.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, at Mwami turn off.
Eastern Province Police Deputy Commanding Officer Stephen Mayoko who confirmed the incident to the media on Friday, July 5, explained that the deceased told his wife that he was going into Chipata town, howeve, around 10pm, Mr. Mweetwa was found unconscious.
He was rushed to Katandala clinic for treatment but was later referred to another hospital where he was admitted.
Whilst being treated, the deceased who was able to talk revealed that he had taken unknown poisonous liquid to end his life. He died the same day.
The body is still in the mortuary awaiting burial.
Olaniyi Sunday, a 30-year-old man, has been jailed in Ekiti.
He was remanded on Friday in a correctional centre on the order of an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly r*ping a minor.
The defendant, whose address was not provided, is facing a lone charge of alleged r*pe.
The police prosecutor, Insp Sodiq Adeniyi, told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offence of r*ping a 12-year-old girl between April and June at Araromi in Omuo-Ekiti.
Adeniyi said the defendant, a neighbour to the victim, saw her stealing meat in another neighbour’s pot and threatened to expose her but on the condition that he had sex with her.
He said the victim did not accept the condition until she was r*ped in the process.
The prosecutor urged the court to remand the defendant pending the issuance of legal advice from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
The plea of the defendant was, however, not taken.
Chief Magistrate Dolamu Babalogbon ordered the remand of the defendant in the correctional centre, pending the release of the legal advice.
She, subsequently, adjourned the case till Aug. 7 for mention.