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Family slams Aiyedatiwa for ‘dishonouring, disrespecting’ Akeredolu
The family of the late former Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has taken a swipe at Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for allegedly dishonouring their patriarch since his demise one year ago.
While describing as insincere the recent actions of Aiyedatiwa of immortalising Akeredolu with the naming of a yet-to-be-completed judicial complex after him and the memorial lecture in his honour, the family stated that the ex-governor deserved better from his successor.
According to the family in a statement issued by Babajide Akeredolu, the son of the late former governor, the lack of
courtesy and respect on the part of Aiyedatiwa towards his late boss and the family were unbecoming,
Babajide, who was the head of the Project Performance and Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU) in the state, emphasised that the projects initiated by the ex-governor for the people had been stopped by Aiyedatiwa, with advice that if the governor is sincere in sustaining the legacies of his erstwhile wife, all the projects should be completed.
The family also reiterated that the state government led by Aiyedatiwa failed to involve the family in the memorial lecture despite the family informing the governor of the remembrance in Owo, the hometown of Akeredolu, which he failed to attend personally.
He said, “The Leadership Lecture Series organised by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, coinciding with our family’s remembrance event in Owo, deserves clarification and context.
“While we recognise that the state government has the prerogative to organise such events, basic decency and protocol demand that the family of the deceased be informed and included. This glaring oversight leads one to question if it was intentional mischief or based on erroneous advice from the governor’s aides.
“We acknowledge and commend Governor Aiyedatiwa for performing the groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed Judicial Complex, a project initiated by Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a passionate advocate for the judiciary, this project was dear to his heart.
“However, the current politics surrounding the project are glaring. Naming a project after someone before its completion is both premature and insincere. True immortality lies in completing the project and ensuring its functionality. If the governor is genuinely committed to honouring Arakunrin Akeredolu’s legacy, he must demonstrate this through actions, not empty gestures.
“As a former head of the Project Performance and Implementation Monitoring Unit (PPIMU), I am well informed and involved to advise Governor Aiyedatiwa if he truly wishes to immortalise Arakunrin Akeredolu. As a matter of urgency, Mr. Governor should prioritise the completion of key projects initiated by our late patriarch.”
Babajide stressed that “Governor Aiyedatiwa must halt the vindictive and divisive acts of punishing or ostracising anyone associated with Arakunrin Akeredolu.
“True loyalty and respect for the late governor cannot coexist with disdain for his policies, family, or vision. It is hypocritical and unbecoming of leadership that claims to want to honour the legacy of its predecessor every time the opportunity presents itself.
“Lead boldly, stand up for the people, and prosecute your convictions with courage. Politics and governance are mutually exclusive, and an everlasting legacy is hinged on effective governance. The place of governance must not be desecrated with the murky water of politics. Leadership demands strength, not a lily-livered approach. Only then will you truly earn the respect and admiration of the people.”
Meanwhile, a government official who craved anonymity stated that Babajide cannot dictate to the Ondo State Government how it would honour a former governor, stating that Akeredolu was more than a family man but an elected leader of the state.
“The state government played its role in the events organised in Owo by the family, where the deputy governor represented the governor. The preparation for the lecture event in Akure had commenced before the invitation for the Owo events was delivered to the state government.
“The condescending tone of Babajide in his statement over the unavailability of the Governor at the family events shows his lack of respect for the office of the Governor. Is Babajide unaware of the public attacks and unrestrained abuse that his mother, former First Lady, has leveled at the governor since he assumed office? Is Babajide also unaware of how his mother had embarrassed the governor and deputy governor by ignoring their pleasantries at public events?
“That Babajide was privileged to hold a non-existent political office under the administration of his father does not confer on him the right to dictate how government projects and policies are handled by Governor Aiyedatiwa.
“Babajide should return all government properties he took away before arrogantly making statements on how to run the government.”
Japa on reverse lane as the United States Department of Homeland Security, DHS, has updated its list of Nigerians facing removal from the country, reducing the number to 112 and publishing their names and photographs online.
The latest list features Nigerians from different parts of the country and was published through the DHS official website.
Among those listed are Cletus Onyali, Olaolu Alabi, Marcus Unigwe, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Blessing Uchanma, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Richard Ugbah, Oluwamuyiwa Olawoye, Anthony Asanya and Ebele Agbasiele
Others identified on the list include Izuchukwu Okoye, Olufemi Olufisayo Olutiola, Abiemwense Obanor, Chibuzo Nwaonu, Oluchi Jennifer Chimdimma Chime, Ifeanyi Okoro, Oluwaseun Kassim, Quazeem Adeyinka and Talatu Dada.
The complete list contains 112 names, with the photographs and details of the other individuals available through the DHS online portal.
The publication comes amid stepped-up immigration enforcement by the US government, particularly involving undocumented immigrants and individuals with outstanding removal orders.
It also comes against the backdrop of efforts by US authorities to obtain increased cooperation from foreign governments in receiving their nationals who have been ordered to leave the United States.
Nigeria has previously faced pressure from the US over the repatriation of its nationals subject to deportation.
The updated publication provides public access to the identities and photographs of the Nigerians currently identified by DHS for removal from the United States.
The Department of State Services, DSS, on Thursday re-arraigned five men accused of complicity in the May 15 kidnap of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and the subsequent killing of two of the victims.
They were arraigned on a seven-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, filed by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.
The defendants, accused of being members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group, are Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa); and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).
All five defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them by the Registrar of the court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the DSS legal team, applied for the immediate trial of the defendants in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
He also applied for the names of witnesses lined up to testify in the trial to be shielded and for them to be permitted to wear masks to ensure their protection.
Following no objection from counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the request of the DSS counsel.
At the time of filing this report, arrangements for the full-scale trial were being put in place.
LAGOS — A post-mortem examination conducted by the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has confirmed that 20-year-old journalist Pelumi Onifade died from a penetrating firearm injury to the abdomen.
The finding is contained in a six-page autopsy report dated July 30, 2026, and submitted to the Lagos State Coroner’s Court investigating the circumstances surrounding the young journalist’s death during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
According to the report, Onifade died from massive haemoperitoneum, a severe accumulation of blood in the abdominal cavity, caused by a high-velocity projectile that penetrated his abdomen.
The forensic finding provides medical evidence establishing a gunshot injury as the cause of death, while the circumstances surrounding who fired the shot and the events that followed remain matters before the coroner’s proceedings.
How Onifade Died
Onifade was a 200-level History student of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) and worked as an intern reporter with Gboah TV, a Lagos-based online news platform.
On October 24, 2020, during the nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality, he was assigned to cover an attempted looting at a government palliative storage facility in the Abattoir area of Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.
According to accounts presented by his family and colleagues, Onifade was wearing a press jacket and carrying reporting equipment when officers attached to the Lagos State Task Force opened fire while attempting to disperse the crowd.
He was reportedly struck by a bullet and subsequently taken away in a police van, commonly referred to as a Black Maria.
A colleague who was with him at the scene reportedly attempted to identify him as a journalist and explain that he was carrying camera equipment, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Onifade was not seen alive again after that incident.
Family Searched Police Stations, Hospitals
Following his disappearance, his family and colleagues searched police stations, detention facilities and hospitals across Lagos in an attempt to establish his whereabouts.
According to the family, police authorities denied having him in custody.
Six days later, on October 30, 2020, the family located his body at the mortuary of Ikorodu General Hospital, where it had been registered as a “brought-in-dead” case under body number 1385.
The discovery triggered years of demands for an independent investigation into how the young journalist died and how his remains ended up in the mortuary.
DNA Test Identified the Body
The identity of the body was subsequently confirmed through forensic DNA testing.
Results from the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre established a match between the unidentified body bearing tag number 1385 and reference samples obtained from Onifade’s parents.
The DNA confirmation provided a crucial breakthrough after years of uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts and identity of the missing journalist.
Court Ordered Coroner’s Inquest
The search for accountability later moved into the courts.
In July 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Lagos State Government and the police to conduct a coroner’s inquest into Onifade’s death.
The objective of the inquest is to establish the circumstances surrounding his death and determine the facts surrounding the actions of the security personnel involved.
The ongoing proceedings before the Lagos State Coroner’s Court are being presided over by Magistrate Temitope Oladele.
Following the submission of the post-mortem report, the court has directed key witnesses, including police personnel who were on duty in the Oko-Oba area on October 24, 2020, to appear and testify.
Rights Groups Demand Accountability
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which has supported the Onifade family in its legal efforts, has described the post-mortem findings as significant evidence in the case.
Rights activists, journalist unions, and the deceased’s family continue to demand the public prosecution of the police officers who fired the shot and those who supervised the deployment during the Lagos #EndSARS demonstrations.
Japa on reverse lane as US releases names, photos of 112 Nigerians on deportation list
Oyo kidnap: Five defendants plead not guilty to seven count charges
Autopsy Confirms #EndSARS Journalist Pelumi Onifade Died From Gunshot Wound
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