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By Austin Ojomah

Members of Igbale Community in Ikole-Ekiti, Ekiti State, have petitioned the Nigeria Police Force over allegations of harassment, threats and disturbance of peace involving one Mr Lere Oni.

The petition, signed by the Igbale-in-Council and concerned members of the community, was addressed to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ikole Division, and urged the police to investigate the allegations and take necessary steps to prevent a breakdown of law and order.

The community alleged that Oni had on several occasions visited their family farmland, known as Ugbo Omo Farm, accompanied by individuals described as touts, where he allegedly harassed and intimidated tenants occupying and working on the land.

According to the petition, the affected tenants had complained of threats and actions capable of disrupting their farming activities.

The community further alleged that Oni had ignored interventions and warnings from elders and the Sagbale-in-Council, the recognised leadership body of Igbale Community, despite efforts to resolve the matter peacefully.

“We are law-abiding citizens who believe strongly in peaceful coexistence and respect for constituted authority,” the petition stated, adding that the alleged activities were causing distress among residents and raising concerns over public safety.

The community requested that the police invite Oni for questioning, investigate the allegations and take appropriate lawful action to prevent further tension.

The petition also referenced a previous complaint submitted to the Elekole of Ikole-Ekiti in 2015 over alleged cases of hooliganism and disturbances within the community.

In that earlier appeal, community leaders accused some individuals, including Lere Oni and another person identified as Jimoh Oloodan, of engaging in activities that allegedly threatened peace in Igbale and its surroundings.

The community leaders called for intervention from traditional authorities and security agencies to restore peace and ensure harmony among residents.

Reacting to the development, a media practitioner and politician, Mr Sanni Kayode Arewa, accused Oni of allegedly engaging in activities that he said had negatively affected the community.

Arewa alleged that Oni had been involved in the sale of lands belonging to his family and other members of the community, warning prospective buyers to be cautious.

“Lere has sold all the land belonging to his family, and I have called him several times to remember what his children and future generations will inherit. It is unfortunate that after selling his family land, he is now coming to other families’ lands and attempting to sell them,” Arewa said.

He further alleged that Oni lacked the background and skills required to contribute positively to the community, claiming that his activities had created concerns among residents.

“How can someone who has no value terrorise a whole community? This kind of situation must stop,” he added.

Arewa also criticised the handling of the matter by some security officials, alleging that the process had not been fair to community leaders.

He claimed that during a meeting involving the police, Oni and community representatives, the community chiefs arrived on time but Oni arrived later after being contacted by officers.

“The chiefs got there before 12 noon waiting for him, but he did not come until after 2pm when police officers called him. This is not the kind of attitude expected in a serious matter like this,” he alleged.

Arewa called on authorities to ensure that the dispute was handled transparently and urged land buyers to verify ownership before purchasing property in the disputed areas.

“People buying land from Lere Oni and Tuba ‘Big Tree’ should be careful so they do not waste their money buying lands in Ugbo Omo and other areas around the Ikole-Ara road,” he said.

However, the allegations against Oni remain claims by the petitioners and have not been independently verified. Efforts to obtain a response from Oni were not successful as of the time of filing this report.

The community said it remains committed to peaceful resolution while calling on security authorities to intervene and ensure that law and order are maintained in Igbale.

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There was confusion around the Apo Bridge axis of the Federal Capital Territory on Thursday night after an explosion occurred near Shafa Filling Station, close to Rita Lori Hotel in the Garki axis of Abuja.

The explosion, which was said to have occurred at about nightfall, sent motorists, traders and residents scampering for safety amid fears that it could be a bomb explosion.

An eyewitness, Jason Akande, said he heard several loud bangs in quick succession, describing the incident as frightening.

“It suddenly exploded. At first, I thought it was a bomb blast because I counted about seven explosions,” he said.

Following the incident, emergency responders from the Federal Fire Service and the FCT Fire Service arrived at the scene and immediately commenced efforts to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading to nearby structures.

As of the time of filing this report, authorities had yet to determine the cause of the explosion, while there was no official confirmation of any casualty or the extent of damage.

Security operatives and emergency officials remained at the scene, with residents advised to keep away from the affected area to allow rescue and firefighting operations to continue.

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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has submitted an interim report to President Bola Tinubu on its findings into the alleged fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC), recommending the prosecution of its alleged Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi.

ICPC’s Chairman, Musa Aliyu, disclosed this on Thursday after meeting President Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, exactly 30 days after Tinubu directed the anti-corruption agency to conduct a thorough investigation into the PFIPC.

According to Aliyu, preliminary findings revealed that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the purported appointment letter, gazette and other documents used to establish the agency were forged.

The case centres on an alleged corruption and forgery scandal involving the disputed government entity, PFIPC.

Speaking at the State House, Aliyu said the commission’s investigation established that Adeyemi was never appointed by the Federal Government and that the documents used to legitimise the agency were forged.

The ICPC boss said the investigation also revealed significant weaknesses in government verification and oversight processes, which were exploited to create the impression that the PFIPC was a legitimate government agency.

“Our interim report found that there are weaknesses in verification, inter-agency oversight and government processes. We discovered that those weaknesses were exploited by Adeniyi, with some level of negligence.

“Our investigation found that no Federal Government funds were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC/PEAC,” the ICPC chairman stated.

According to him, investigators also uncovered two additional agencies allegedly created by Adeyemi, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIFA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public Private Partnership (PIPA-PPP).

Aliyu said the disputed DG “used forged legislative instruments styled as enabling acts, and used them to support opening of bank accounts.”

Recommendations
The ICPC chairman said the commission recommended Adeyemi’s prosecution, administrative sanctions against public officers whose negligence enabled the operation of the fake agency, and institutional reforms to strengthen internal controls across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

“Our recommendation is that Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi should be prosecuted. Administrative sanctions should also be imposed on public officers whose acts of omission and negligence facilitated the illegal operation of PFIPC/PEAC.

“There is also a need for institutional reforms so that the internal controls of MDAs can be strengthened to prevent this kind of illegal activity,” he stated.

Aliyu noted that the report submitted to the President is only an interim one, adding that investigations are continuing to identify other collaborators and build a stronger criminal case.

“We have continued with the investigation of the activities of Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi and his collaborators so that we can unravel more facts and file criminal charges that can stand the test of time before a court of competent jurisdiction,” he said.

The PFIPC scandal came to the fore after the Presidency disowned the council, describing it as a non-existent government agency despite its appearance in the 2026 Appropriation Act with a ₦1.3 billion budget allocation.

The Federal Government has since filed criminal charges against Adeyemi over allegations including forgery, impersonation and fraudulent misrepresentation, while separate investigations by the House of Representatives and the ICPC continue into how the fake agency operated within government institutions.