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Ibadan stampede: God will vindicate you, Ooni tells ex-queen

Published

4 months ago

January 11, 2025

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has assured his ex-queen, Naomi Silekunola, that God will vindicate her trial on the stampede that claimed the lives of 35 children during a Christmas funfair she organised in Ibadan, Oyo State, on December 4.

Oba Ogunwusi absolved his former wife of ill intent to harm the children and other participants of the programme.

He noted that she organised the event with the noble intention of putting smiles on the faces of underprivileged children.

Silekunola, the proprietor of an Ibadan-based radio station, Agidigbo FM, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, and the Principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, where the programme was held, Abdulahi Fasasi, are facing a four-count charge of conspiracy, causing death by negligence, endangering public safety, and failing to provide adequate security and medical facilities at the event.

An Ibadan Magistrate’s Court had on December 24, 2024, remanded the trio in prison over the matter.

Similarly, Justice K.B. Olawoyin of the State High Court in Ibadan refused to release the defendants on bail when the case came up before him on Tuesday.

Justice Olawoyin adjourned the ruling on the bail applications until Monday, January 13, 2025.

Since the inception of the case, supporters of the ex-queen have been calling on Oba Ogunwusi to intervene and secure her release.

Some supporters accused Ooni of not taking sufficient steps to ensure his former wife was not jailed.

However, the monarch explained that he could not interfere in the matter beyond praying for the ex-queen, stating that only God and the court could decide her fate.

Ooni spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Otunba Moses Olafare, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday.

He said, “The case is before the court. We cannot interfere with the court process; we will wait for the court’s outcome, and we will not take any step that will jeopardise the court’s process on the matter. We hope she will eventually be exonerated. We don’t know what the court has for her.

“The only thing we can do for her now is to pray to God to vindicate her, and the Ooni, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi believes God will vindicate her because she had good intentions for the programme. She has always cared for children, especially the underprivileged, even when she was in the palace. Nobody ever died during such events when she organised them in the past.

“She must have organised about three or four editions while at the palace, and nobody died. We understand she had been doing it even before she came to the palace and continued doing it after leaving the palace. The Ibadan edition is not the first children’s programme she has held since leaving the palace.

“Based on that, we are wishing her well and praying that God grants her justice. God will vindicate her. We believe she must have acted in good conscience. Nobody organises an event intending to harm people. We at the palace wish her well and pray for her eventual exoneration.”

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Five suspected kidnappers eliminated by police in Delta

Published

2 minutes ago

April 27, 2025

ADMIN

Five alleged kidnappers have reportedly died after a fierce gun battle with operatives of the CP-Special Assignment Team.

The suspects were confirmed dead in a hospital they were rushed to for medical attention.

Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe who confirmed the development in a statement, stated that the incident occurred on 21st April 2025.

The police image maker disclosed that operatives of the CP-Special Assignment team, acting on intelligence relating to kidnapping in Ubuluku, Isseluku, Issele-Asagba, and environs by one Bello Abubakar and his gang members, stormed one of their hideouts in Agu-Amawbia forest, Anambra State.

SP Edafe pointed out that during the raid of the suspects hideout in the forest, the operatives recovered one AK-47 rifle and one hundred and thirty-two rounds of live ammunition.

He further said the investigation was extended to another of their hideouts in a forest between Issele-Asagba and Utulu, where the said Bello Abubakar and his gang members were waiting in ambush.

According to the police image maker, the suspected kidnappers attacked the policemen in a fierce gun battle, but the team, who were aware of the battle ahead, reciprocated in like manner.

SP Edafe added that the manhunt for other injured fleeing suspects is ongoing.

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Francophone Ambassadors, Nigeria Unite To Fight Against Climate Change

Published

5 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The Ambassador of Bulgaria to Nigeria and President of the Francophone Ambassadors Group, Amb. Yanko Yordanov has reaffirmed the commitment of French-speaking countries to work closely with Nigeria in promoting environmental protection, democracy, and cultural exchange.

Speaking during the 2025 Francophonie celebration in Abuja, the Ambassador explained that although the International Day of La Francophonie is usually marked in March, they decided to hold the event in April to accommodate broader participation.

“This is a gathering that encompasses the meaning of La Francophonie. In French-speaking countries, the Francophone countries, we are uniting together to celebrate the diversity, our values, our mission, and, of course, to celebrate together with Nigeria. Because we are partners, we share the same values, and we have the same concerns,” he said.

Addressing the theme of the event, which includes environmental preservation and afforestation, the ambassador stressed that climate change is a shared challenge that must be tackled together.

“I think that it is a very important theme and La Francophonie has a lot to say and a lot to do in cooperation with countries, our partners like Nigeria, which are really equally affected by the climate change. So we want to raise the awareness of the importance of fighting the climate change in a way that benefits all nations, that mitigates really the climate change effect and that benefits the lives of all the citizens of all the worlds on the planet,” he said.

Reflecting on his experience leading the Francophone ambassadors in Nigeria, he said he was proud of the progress made in deepening ties between Nigeria and the Francophone community.

“I have been honoured to chair the informal group of the Francophone ambassadors in Nigeria for the past two years and I am proud of what we have achieved together in terms of making La Francophonie much more popular, much more understandable and much more visible in Nigeria,” he said.

He explained that the group, made up of over 25 ambassadors, has not only promoted Francophone culture in Nigeria but has also worked to showcase Nigeria’s rich heritage across Francophone countries Their joint efforts also span areas like trade, investment, political relations, and cultural exchanges.

“I think that the success of our group, which is very visible, is based on the cooperation with Nigeria, which is our partner, which shares our values and our mission, including in the area of the fight against climate change, which affects not only the Francophones, but also all the others, including Nigeria,” he added.

He emphasized that the partnership between Francophone nations and Nigeria is built on shared principles of humanity, democracy, and the rule of law.

“So we are very happy to cooperate with Nigeria in many directions, including the visibility of these problems and the visibility of the decisions and successes that we can achieve together in this area. I would like to say that the Francophones and Nigeria have the same mission. It is humanity. It is the promotion of democracy, of the rule of law. So we are very, very happy and proud to be able to cooperate with Nigeria,” the envoy stated.

Every year, the celebration of “La Francophonie” is an opportunity to highlight the richness of French-speaking cultures and linguistic diversity. It also pro ides an opportunity to promote the French language as a tool for solidarity and cooperation in tackling major challenges such as sustainable development.

This year, the celebrations planned as part of the Month of La Francophonie in Nigeria showcased how the French-speaking countries work together in the service of energy transition, the protection of fauna and flora and the development of new ecosystems.

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Gunmen abduct two senior LG workers, three others

Published

6 hours ago

April 27, 2025

ADMIN

Some senior officials of the Kwara State Local Government Service Commission have been kidnapped by gunmen along the Omu-Aran/Ilorin Road.
The victims were abducted on Friday evening.
Those kidnapped are: the Head of the Legal Department of Oke-Ero Local Government, Elizabeth Arinde, and the Head of Personnel Management of the council, whose name could not be immediately confirmed.

It was gathered on Saturday night that the two senior administrators were among seven individuals kidnapped at Corner Eleyin along the Omu-Aran/Ilorin Expressway while returning to Ilorin, the state capital, for the weekend on Friday, April 25, 2025.

The incident occurred at about 5:45pm where five gunmen ambushed the two private vehicles before leading the passengers into the bush.

The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the incident.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, on Saturday.
The statement added “The Kwara State Police Command confirms a kidnap incident reported at about 5:45 p.m. on Friday, 25th April 2025, at Eleyin village via Isanlu-Isin. It was reported that about five armed men blocked the highway, stopping two private vehicles, forcefully taking all occupants to an unknown location.

“Following the report, the command, in collaboration with the military and vigilantes, launched a swift operation, leading to the successful rescue of two victims, Ganiyu Ajayi and Kolawole Adeyemi.

“Efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining five victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

“The command has intensified security measures across the area, including aggressive bush combing, strategic patrols, and intelligence-driven operations to prevent further occurrences”