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Insecurity: Increase security personnel in Our State, Ekiti Obas tell FG

Traditional rulers in Ekiti State under the aegis of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, have called on the Federal Government to deploy more security personnel to Ekiti in order to beef up security in the state.

The traditional rulers who stated that the state is under-policed also demanded that the State Government should empower them with adequate resources to police and secure their respective domains to compliment the efforts of the security agencies.

They also all traditional rulers to take necessary measures to ensure all forets currently occupied by bandits and kidnappers are flushed out immediately and that no bushes and forests should be occupied by anybody.

These were part of the decisions reached by the monarchs in a meeting with Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji at the State Traditional Council Chamber, Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday.

The meeting which was at the instance of the Governor to review security situation in the state and get the input of the obas, was attended by heads of security agencies and the Commander of Amotekun Corps in the State.

Governor Oyebanji in his remarks at the opening session of the meeting which was held behind closed doors, conveyed the condolence message of the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the traditional rulers, who lost two of their colleagues –The Onimojo of Imojo Ekiti, Oba Olatunde Samuel Olusola and the Elesun of Esun Ekiti, Oba David Babatunde Ogunsakin in Monday attack by some gunmen.

The Governor told the monarchs that investigations into the killings of their colleagues had begun, urged them to cooperate with the security agencies in the course of the investigations. He also told them to come up with an implementable road map for securing their localities, in line with government’s plan to get the local institution play some roles in safety and security of the environment.

“I know that this is a very sad moment for all of us, on behalf of the government of Ekiti state and the President of the Federation, I extend my condolences to all traditional rulers, Mr President asked me to personally expressed his condolences to all of us and he has given me his message for our royal fathers, he said, I should tell you that we are in this together. He said I should make a commitment that those behind this will be fished out as soon as possible. And he said I should also tell you that the children that were abducted, by the special grace of God will be back home unhurt.”

The Governor also stressed the need for collaboration among members of the various communities with the security agencies in the state to achieve the well desired security of lives and properties in the state. He also commended the unity among royal fathers even before the creation of the state which he said had helped in bringing peace to Ekiti.

He stated that the meeting with the traditional rulers was a way out of the present web of insecurity in the state as he believed the deployment of both formal and native security apparatus would bring out the desired result.

“We have our own structures too, we should be in collaboration with our hunters, vigilante groups, with the local government, once I have those resolution and roadmap from our royal fathers, we will then agree with the local government chairmen on how to go about it.

“I covet your support and advice that will help security agencies. Another thing I want to tell our royal fathers is that in an attempt to fish out perpetrators of this sacrilege in this state, a lot of arrests will be made, I will not want our royal fathers to get involved in begging, because, most of the time, when you pick people up, and you want to profile them, they will run to Kabiyesis and they will be pleading on their behalf that he knows nothing about it. I can assure you that if anybody is picked up, he will be profiled, if vindicated, he will be released after investigation, the Governor stated.

Briefing newsmen on the communique reached at the end of the stakeholders’ meeting, the Chairman, Ekiti Council of Traditional Rulers and the Olojudo of Ido Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori Faboro commiserated with the bereaved families and communities of the late Oba Samuel Olusola Olatunji, the Olumojo of Imojo-Ekiti and Oba David Ogunsakin, the Elesun of Esun-Ekiti and the abducted school children and teachers in Emure-Ekiti same day Monday January 29, 2024.

The traditional rulers also commended Governor Oyebanji for providing quality leadership at this critical time and urged him to remain focused . They also called on patriotic Ekiti indigenes all over the world to generously support their communities to provide local security arrangements to protect lives and property in all communities.

Other decisions reached by the monarchs include the need for native security systems to work together to end all manners of criminality in the state.

The traditional rulers observed one minute silence in respect of the two traditional rulers that were killed before the commencement of the meeting.

Their recommendations are to be conveyed to the Governor for implementation.

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Man eaten alive by pet lion just days after buying the animal to keep in his back garden

A man was mauled to death and eaten by his pet lion just days after buying the beast to keep in his back garden.

A resident of Najaf, southern Iraq, was horrifically attacked by the predator before it consumed most of his body on Thursday, May 8.

“Today in a garden in the city of Kufa in Najaf, a citizen was attacked by a lion in his own garden and died immediately,” Mufid Tahir, spokesperson for the Najaf Police, told local news site Rudaw.

He added that the lion had to be k!lled because it had eaten a large portion of the man’s body, and refused to leave the remains.

The victim, 50-year-old Aqil Fakhr al-Din, had reportedly been keeping lions and other wild animals in his garden for several years, according to Tahir.

But on Thursday, the predator launched a surprise attack on its trainer before ferociously mauling him to death and devouring him.

One of the victim’s neighbours reportedly intervened and shot the lion with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing it with seven bullets, as per local TV reports.

The mans was immediately transferred to Al-Sadr Medical City Hospital in Najaf but did not survive due to the extent of his injuries.

Grisly images showed the man covered in blood as he laid on a hospital bed and an official investigation has also reportedly been opened into the circumstances of the incident.

A clip of the dead lion in the garden is also making rounds on social media, raising concerns about how al-Din was able to keep the wild animal on his property.

According to local reports, the victim had purchased the lion just days before the tragedy, with the intention of raising and taming it at home.

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Court jails T-dollar, TobiNation for spraying naira notes

The duo of Babatunde Peter Olaitan (T-Dollar) and Tobilola Olamide (TobiNation) have been sentenced to six months imprisonment each for mutilation of the Naira notes.

They were jailed by Justice Alexander Owoeye of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The convicts were arraigned on a separate one-count charge of tampering with the Naira notes and spraying, to which they each pleaded “guilty”.

The charge against Olaitan reads: “That you, BABATUNDE PETER OLAITAN, on 8th April 2025, at 23, Macdonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N200 (Two Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying it, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”

The charge against Olamide reads: “That you, TOBILOLA OLAMIDE A.K.A TobiNation, on 8th April 2025, at 23 Macdonald Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, whilst dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N200 (Two Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying it, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.”

In view of their pleas, prosecution counsel, C.C. Okezie and H.U.KofarNaisa, respectively, reviewed the facts of the cases through Ibrahim Bukar, an investigative officer with the EFCC.

In his evidence, Bukar specifically told the court that the Commission, on April 10, 2025, generated an intelligence-driven investigation on TikTok, where Olaitan, also known as T-Dollar, was seen spraying Naira notes.

He also told the court that “Upon the approval of the intelligence by the Zonal Director, a letter of investigation was sent to the defendant, requesting him to make a statement regarding the video.

“The defendant reported to the Special Operations Team, SOT, on May 5, 2025 and his statement was recorded under caution.

“He stated that he went to a night club on April 8, 2025 and met some of his fans sharing money.

“He also said that a fan, in the process, gifted him a bundle of N200 notes, which he sprayed on some of his other fans.

“He was shown a video of him spraying the money and he made a statement regarding it.”

Consequently, the defendants’ extrajudicial statements and video recordings were rendered and admitted in evidence by the court.

Okozie and KofarNaisa, therefore, respectively prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly.

Justice Owoeye convicted and sentenced both Olaitan and Olamide to six months imprisonment each, with an option of fine in the sum of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira).

The convicts’ road to the Correctional Centre started when they were arrested by operatives of the EFCC for Naira abuse. T

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Alleged N33.2bn arms procurement fraud: Re-arraignment of businessman stalled

The re-arraignment of Olugbenga Obadina, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Almond Projects Limited, on Monday, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) suffered a setback.

Obadina is being prosecuted over his alleged involvement in the misappropriation of N33.2billion meant for the purchase of arms by retired Col. Sambo Dasuki, a former National Security Adviser (NSA).

The matter, which was fixed for hearing before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja, could not proceed because the amended charge, claimed to have been filed by the EFCC, was not in the court record.

Upon resumed hearing, the prosecution lawyer, Ibrahim Buba, informed the court that he had an amended charge filed on May 2 and served on the defendants.

But Justice Omotosho could not see the amended charge in the court record after a thorough search.

“Counsel, I do not have that charge before this court and I have checked our ledger and I do not see it there,” he said.

The judge said the amended charge might have been mistakenly taken to another court at the instruction of the anti-graft agency’s lawyer during the filing of the process.

Buba, who admitted that the amended charge might have been taken to Court 8, instead of Court 7 where the trial judge presides, tendered an apology for the mixup.

Adeola Adedipe, SAN, who appeared for the defendants in the case, also apologised to the court on behalf of the prosecution.

Justice Omotosho subsequently adjourned the matter until June 26 for re-arraignment of the defendants.

“This matter is adjourned to June 26 for arraignment of the defendants for the amended charge that is not before this court as a result of the prosecution given wrong number of the court at the Process Unit,” the judge said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Obadina, alongside his company, was earlier re-arraigned on Jan. 13, 2024, by the anti-corruption commission on eight-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N2.17 billion before Justice Omotosho.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the counts and the judge ordered his remand in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the perfection of his bail conditions.

NAN reports that Dasuki, a former NSA during the President Goodluck Jonathan government, was accused of criminal diversion of funds to the tune of 2.1 billion U.S. dollars.

The money was allegedly part of funds earmarked by the Federal Government to fight Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast.

The EFCC had, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/142/2016, sued Obadina and Almond Project Limited as 1st and 2nd defendants, following their alleged link with Dasuki’s misappropriated funds.

They were formerly being prosecuted before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of a sister court before his elevation to the Court of Appeal.

In court three of the charge, Obadina and Almond Projects Ltd were alleged to have, on April 3, 2014 directly took possession or control of the sum of N 648,000,000.00 (Six Hundred and Forty Eight Million Naira) paid into the account of Almond Projects Ltd with Zenith Bank Plc Account No: 1010921116.

The money was allegedly to have been paid from the account of the Office of the National Security Adviser with the Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award.

The agency said the fund formed part of the proceeds of an unlawful activity of Col. Dasuki (rtd) and the offence is contrary to Section 15(2), (d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012 and punishable under Section 15(3) of the same Act.

NAN reports that Justice Dimgba had, on July 4, 2024, adjourned for adoption of final written addresses after the EFCC had closed its case with four witnesses and the defendants called two witnesses before he was elevated to the Appeal Court.(NAN)