ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Popular singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has called on United States President Donald Trump to pay attention to the situation in Osun State ahead of the upcoming governorship election, citing concerns over tension and possible violence.

In a post on X on Tuesday addressed to Trump, Davido drew the US president’s attention to developments in Osun State as the state prepares for the election.

The singer expressed concerns over growing tension and the possibility of violence, intimidation or disruption of the democratic process, stressing that residents of Osun State deserve to exercise their constitutional right to vote freely, peacefully and without fear.

Davido appealed to the United States and the international community to pay close attention to the election and urged relevant authorities to ensure that every voter is protected and every vote is respected.

He stressed the need to prevent bloodshed and intimidation, while calling for peace, transparency and a free and fair election.

He wrote, “A CALL FOR ATTENTION TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP

“President Donald Trump, I am calling your attention to the situation in Osun State, Nigeria, as we approach the election.

“There are growing concerns about tension and the possibility of violence, intimidation, or disruption of the democratic process. Osun people deserve to exercise their constitutional right to vote freely, peacefully, and without fear.

“I appeal to the United States and the international community to pay close attention to the election and encourage all relevant authorities to ensure that every voter is protected and every vote is respected.

“We do not want bloodshed. We do not want intimidation.

We want peace, transparency, and a free and fair election. @realDonaldTrump”

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The details of three suspected members of the kidnapping gang accused of abducting worshippers during an attack on St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Inoyi-Affa, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, have been revealed following their arrest by security operatives.

The suspects were identified as Aliyu Mohammed, Usman Mohammed and Babuga Usman.

Meanwhile, SaharaReporters gathered that Babuga Usman was killed during an alleged gun battle.

The three men were arrested during a joint security operation involving operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigerian Army and other security agencies following the August 2, 2026 attack on the Catholic church.

The operation also led to the recovery of four AK-47 rifles, seven magazines, 133 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, $1,000 and ₦785,900 allegedly belonging to the criminal syndicate.

Recall that on Monday that troops of the Nigerian Army and DSS operatives under Operation UDO KA had arrested a suspected commander of a notorious kidnapping syndicate in Enugu State and recovered a cache of arms, ammunition and cash.

Although, the military authority didn’t reveal the identity of the suspects in the statement, the arrest followed the abduction of worshippers in Udi Local Government Area on August 2.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 82 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Olabisi Olalekan Ayeni, said an earlier operation had resulted in the neutralisation of one member of the syndicate and the arrest of another suspect.

According to Ayeni, information obtained from the arrested suspect enabled security operatives to track the fleeing commander.

“Acting on the intelligence, troops intensified their manhunt and eventually tracked, intercepted, and arrested the syndicate commander as he attempted to flee Enugu State,” he said.

The arrested suspect subsequently led troops to the gang’s hidden armoury inside Umuchingu Ujenike Forest in Udi.

“During the follow-up operation, troops recovered four AK-47 rifles, seven AK-47 magazines, and 133 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition from the forest hideout,” the Army said.

The military said preliminary investigations indicated that the arrested kingpin was linked to several high-profile kidnapping operations across the South-East and North-Central regions.

The development also comes after the remaining victims of the August 2 attack, including seminarian Lawrence Igbo and Emmanuel Onwudi, were rescued by security agencies.

The Enugu State government said all the kidnapped victims were recovered alive and without injuries.

Governor Peter Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, had disclosed this while parading the arrested suspects at the DSS office in Enugu on Monday night.

Onyia said the victims had identified the arrested suspects as the men responsible for their abduction, but didn’t disclosed their identities.

He also disclosed that ransom was paid during the rescue operation but insisted that the money was used as bait as part of a broader strategy to track the kidnappers.

The kidnapped victims were all recovered and they have been returned safe. None of them lost their lives or were harmed,” Onyia said.

According to him, the security agencies prioritised the safety of the victims throughout the operation.

“Part of what was used was the ransom amount as bait, as part of our strategy. That was not the only strategy,” he said.

Onyia said all the ransom money paid had subsequently been recovered following the arrest of the suspects.

“So yes, ransoms were paid but they have all been recovered completely. They were used strictly as strategy and we have it and nobody was killed,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The youngest Presidential Candidate Ambassador Aliyu Bin Abbas, and the Vice Presidential Candidate, Hon. Chinazam Ike of the Action Democratic Party has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the forthcoming Osun State Governorship Election as a litmus test for the 2027 General Election.

The duo, in a joint statement on Tuesday, said the Osun election provides INEC an opportunity to demonstrate its preparedness to conduct free, fair, transparent, and credible elections.

They urged the electoral commission to ensure that the processes of voter accreditation, voting, counting, collation, and declaration of results are conducted in accordance with the law.

According to them, any shortcomings identified during the Osun election should be addressed before the 2027 general election.

“Osun should not be treated as just another off-cycle election. It should serve as a critical test of INEC’s readiness for 2027. Whatever shortcomings are identified must be corrected before the general election,” they said.

The ADP candidates also called on political parties, candidates and security agencies to ensure a peaceful electoral environment, while urging stakeholders to reject vote buying, intimidation, violence and other practices capable of undermining the democratic process.

They stressed that Nigerians deserve an electoral system in which their votes are protected and genuinely reflected in the final results.

“Let Osun set a new standard for electoral integrity and demonstrate that Nigeria is ready for a credible 2027 General Election,” they said.