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Police Arrest Herbalist, 3 Others For Beheading Delta Resident, Dump Him In River
Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested no fewer than four suspects for allegedly killing a man identified as Paulinus Okon over N30million business deal in Delta State.
It was learnt that the deceased was earlier declared missing and was later beheaded on the 8th of September 2024 at Otokutu area of the state.
Paulinus’ body was said to have been thrown into the river, while one of the suspects, a herbalist, took the head and buried it at his shrine in Otokutu.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Olufemi Abaniwonda during a press briefing on Monday, identified the suspects as Okeimute Gaga, Efe Onoitiyi, Sunday Ikpeba, and a 30yrs old herbalist known as Lawrence Joseph.
The statement reads in part; “It involves the murder of one Paulinus Okon ‘m’ by his bosom friend One Efe Onoetiyi. Paulinus was reported missing on 8/9/2024 by his brother after he went out with his friend Efe Onoitiyi ‘m’ age 30yrs.
“The suspect Efe Onoitiyi who initially denied knowing what happened to Paulinus came to Paulinus’s house to ask his family of Paulinus, he was confronted that the deceased went out with him on that same date which he denied that the deceased did not go out with him.
“On a later date, Efe came back and demanded Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000) from the deceased’s brother that he would use the money to pay a herbalist who can tell them Paulinus’s whereabouts.
“Efe again came and informed the family that Paulinus was kidnapped and he collected a ransom of about twenty million, seven hundred and fifteen thousand naira (N20,715,000) from the deceased brother claiming that he was in touch with the kidnappers. When it became obvious that Efe had something to hide, he was arrested and the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) State Headquarters, Asaba.
“On 28th November 2024, I directed the DPO Ekpan to take over the case and ensure that a discrete investigation is carried out to fish out those responsible as the main suspect Efe was not yielding.
“The DPO Ekpan carried out an intelligence led investigation that indicted one Okeimute Gaga ‘m’ aged 48yrs old. Okeimute gaga upon his arrest opened up and confessed that he could no longer hide what happened. Okeimute Gaga narrated how Efe brought Paulinus to Orere River in Otokutu and requested that they kill him.
“The suspect further stated that on the 8th of September 2024 himself, Efe and Sunday Ikpeba, and a 30yrs old herbalist known as Lawrence Joseph tied Paulinus Okon to a stake at night close to Orere River and beheaded him alive. His body was thrown into the river while the herbalist took the head of Paulinus and buried him at his shrine in Otokutu. The DPO Ekpan Police station led police operatives to the shrine in Otokutu where the skull of Paulinus was exhumed and recovered.
“During interrogation, Efe was asked why he killed his friend Paulinus, Efe stated that he saw a building for sale at a cost of thirty million naira (N30,000,000) which he advertised to the deceased and the deceased paid him Thirty Million Naira (N30,000,000) in three instalments, but instead of buying the house, he diverted the money for his personal use, bought two lands and was building a duplex for himself.
“He further stated that he did not know how to explain to the deceased that he had used his money hence he decided that killing him will save him the trouble. Efe and the three other suspects are in custody.”
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Just in: Ooni Ex- Queen Naomi, Oriyomi Hamzat, others to spend Christmas in prison
A Chief Magistrate Court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, has ordered the remand of three people in connection with last week’s tragic stampede at Bashorun Islamic High School.
The individuals include Mr. Abdullahi Fasasi, the school’s principal; Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, the proprietor of Agidigbo FM and Naomi Silekunola, the estranged wife of Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ile Ife.
Presided over by Chief Magistrate Olabisi Ogunkanmi, the court’s ruling came on Tuesday, following their arraignment by the Oyo State Police Command.
The proceedings took place under heightened security, with a crowd of family members and interested parties gathered outside the courtroom.
The defendants face four counts of charges related to the incident, as outlined by the police prosecutor, who cited a violation of Section 324 of the Criminal Code, Cap. 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.
After hearing the charges, Chief Magistrate Ogunkanmi ordered that the trio be held at Agodi Correctional Center while awaiting further guidance from the state prosecutor.
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Mozambique Top Court Confirms Ruling Party Disputed Win
Fears are high that more violence could break out in the nation after the opposition threatened to call an uprising following the decision.
Mozambique’s highest court confirmed Monday the ruling party’s victory in a disputed October vote after allegations of rigging triggered weeks of deadly street clashes.
Fears are high that more violence could break out in the southern African nation after the opposition threatened to call an uprising following the decision.
The Constitutional Court said the ruling Frelimo party presidential candidate Daniel Chapo secured 65 percent of the vote, revising down provisional results from the electoral commission which said he got nearly 71 percent.
Chapo’s main challenger, exiled opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, received an upward revision to 24.2 percent of the vote.
The final results extend Frelimo’s half-century grip on power, lining up Chapo to take over from President Filipe Nyusi whose second term ends on January 15.
Mondlane has said that the election was rigged in favour of Frelimo and that a separate count shows he won enough votes to take office, which he intends to do.
Several international observer missions have also said there were irregularities.
Some had thought the opposition’s challenge of the results was “a bluff,(that) we’re joking,” he told supporters on social media on Saturday. “So they will also be surprised on January 15 when they see Venancio Mondlane take office in Maputo.”
Mondlane has been in self-imposed exile since the assassination of his lawyer on October 19, a killing he blames on security forces, and it was unclear if he intended to return.
“Difficult days will come,” said the 50-year-old, who appeals to disenchanted younger voters in a country of 33 million people marked by poverty despite its abundant resources.
“The Constitutional Council’s ruling will lead Mozambique either to peace or chaos,” Mondlane said in an online address, promising a “new popular uprising at a level never seen before.”
– Country on edge –
The southern African country has been rocked by unrest since the election commission said that the October 9 vote was won by Chapo.
No fewer than 130 people have been killed in two months of violence, most of them opposition demonstrators shot by security forces, according to local NGOs.
Cities, mines, borders and ports have been affected by protest action and operations at the main border with South Africa halted, causing its neighbour major losses in exports.
Tension was already mounting in the capital Maputo ahead of the court decision with many businesses shut.
The main roads into the city centre were barricaded by police and access to the presidential palace and Constitutional Council office shut, AFP journalists saw.
The US government on Thursday raised its warning level against travel to Mozambique ahead of the Constitutional Council announcement.
Pope Francis called Sunday for dialogue and goodwill to “prevail over mistrust and discord” in Mozambique.
President Nyusi and Mondlane had talked, both men confirmed last week, without announcing any outcome.
In an address to the nation on Friday, Nyusi said he hoped that once the final results were proclaimed, all sides “will open their hearts to a constructive and inclusive dialogue.”
– ‘Maputo under siege’ –
The protests have been the “most dangerous” ever seen in Mozambique, said analyst Borges Nhamirre, continuing despite deaths and arrests, and intensifying with police stations and Frelimo offices torched.
“Protests have already been called for Monday. The main cities, including Maputo, will be under siege because of the fear of protests,” he said.
“I’m convinced that if Monday the Constitutional Council declares the election as free and fair, which I am 100 percent convinced it will, then the blood is going to flow,” Maputo-based political and security risk analyst Johann Smith told AFP.
“The whole game changes on Monday,” said Smith. “It will be a lot more intense and bloody.”
Mondlane had awakened resentment against Frelimo, he said, similar to discontent that this year led to the party that governed Botswana since independence being voted out and threatening to do the same in Namibia.
“It’s almost like the Southern African Spring,” Smith said, in a reference to the Arab anti-government protests in North Africa in the early 2010s.
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Tinubu Bombs Obasa Over Controversial Lagos Council Law
The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has reportedly slammed the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, over the contentious 2024 Lagos State Local Council Administration Law sent to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent.
Visibly upset, President Tinubu questioned Obasa’s qualifications to draft laws that could destabilize the political harmony in Lagos State.
He repeatedly scolded the Speaker for his perceived individualistic approach to state matters and his confrontational stance toward the state executive, the party, and its elders.
A stunned Obasa was reportedly left speechless as Tinubu lambasted him for his alleged political misconduct and defiance toward the party, its leaders, and the governor. The President emphasized that matters concerning local government laws were beyond Obasa and the House of Assembly at this stage. Tinubu directed the Speaker to align with Governor Sanwo-Olu’s directives, particularly regarding the screening, approval, and confirmation of board members for the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC).
Obasa was further instructed to comply with other instructions that would be communicated to him in the future.
The incident comes after Obasa, during the Lagos State 2025 budget presentation, boasted that no serving or former Lagos State governor was better qualified than him to oversee the state, which boasts the fourth-largest economy in Africa. His assertion, seen as a direct indictment of President Tinubu, who governed Lagos from 1999 to 2007, also highlighted his ambition to run for Lagos State Governor in 2027.
The controversial 2024 Local Government Administration Law has been widely criticized as a tool for Obasa to install his loyalists as administrative secretaries in the 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs). This move is viewed as part of his 2027 gubernatorial agenda, branded as the “Muda Eko, Obasa Lagos 2027 Agenda” under The Mudashiru Movement (TMM). The proposal has reportedly caused divisions within the APC in Lagos State.
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