News

Witness recounts how alleged robber raped wife, threatened family

Published

9 hours ago

March 20, 2025

Admin

A man, Japhet Akawe, on Wednesday, told an Ogun State High Court how a suspected armed robber, simply identified as Moses, raped his wife (name withheld) on a farm in the Sagamu area of the state.

Akawe, who was testifying in an ongoing trial of Moses over alleged rape and armed robbery, before Justice O. S. Oloyede, added that the defendant allegedly snatched his wife’s mobile phone and a motorcycle belonging to his brother.

The witness narrated that on March 18, 2023, while he was away from home, his wife, sister and brother had gone to their farm to harvest cassava before the defendant attacked them at gunpoint.

He narrated further that his wife called him on March 18, 2023, through his sister’s mobile phone and informed him that while they were on the farm, the defendant appeared to them, snatched his wife’s mobile phone, dragged her into the bush and unlawfully had sex with her.

Akawe said, “On March 18, 2023, at about 3 pm, I received a phone call from my wife through my younger sister’s phone and she told me that she and my younger brother, Joseph and his wife had gone to the farm to uproot cassava. She told me that the defendant forcefully snatched her phone, dragged her to the bush, forcefully had sex with her, took her naked picture and put pepper substance on her face.

“I called my friend to take her to the clinic where she was treated. I called my wife’s phone number and the defendant picked it up and asked if I was not happy he had not kidnapped my wife before he ended the call.

“Afterwards, the defendant called me with a number and issued a warning that I should not call my wife’s number and the number he called with, or he would come for my family. I called my wife the next morning through my younger sister’s phone to go to the police station and report that a criminal had collected her phone so that if anything happened, they would hold her responsible.”

He continued that following the incident, the owner of the motorcycle that was allegedly stolen from his brother charged his brother to court and he had to pay for the cost of the motorcycle before the case was struck out.

He continued, “On Thursday, March 20, 2023, the owner of the motorcycle which the defendant forcefully collected from my brother arrested my brother and took him to court. The court granted him bail, but I was not around so he couldn’t meet the bail conditions and was taken to prison.

“When I came back, I met with the owner of the motorcycle, negotiated with him and paid him the money for the motorcycle, then the case was struck out in court.”

Akawe went further to tell the court that he reported the matter to the Sagamu Police Station and gave them the number that the defendant had allegedly called to threaten him and his family.

Akawe stressed that three months after reporting to the police, the number was tracked which led to the arrest of the defendant.

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, D. O. Efuwape, the witness said he had not met the defendant before the incident.

When asked how he was able to identify that the defendant was the one who called him, Akawe said through the call the defendant made to him.

After listening to the testimony, Justice Oloyede adjourned the case to May 20, 2025, (today) for continuation of trial.

News

BREAKING : Reps Review, Approve State Of Emergency In Rivers State

Published

1 hour ago

March 20, 2025

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has passed and adopted the proclamation of President Bola Tinubu through a voice vote of 243 members in plenary on Thursday.

The House also made recommendations to the proclamation.

The House recommended that a national committee on reconciliation be set up to mitigate and restore peace back to Rivers State.

The House also resolved that the National Assembly take over activities of the state Assembly within the period.

The lawmakers further recommended that the President can terminate the state of emergency at any given time within the period.

Details later……

News

BREAKING: Ahead 2027, Atiku, Fayemi, El-Rufai form coalition against Tinubu

Published

2 hours ago

March 20, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Ex- Vice President Atiku Abubakar, alongside prominent members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), launched a new coalition against President Bola Tinubu as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.

At a press conference currently underway, several opposition leaders have shown support, including Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi (represented by Yunusa Tanko), former Secretary to the Government of the Federation Babachir Lawal, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, National Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties Peter Ahmeh, and Segun Showunmi, Convenor of the Alternative, among others.

Some notable figures who could not attend, including former Governors Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers) and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), as well as former APC National Chairman Abdullahi Adamu, sent their apologies.

News

Just In: Oyo govt drops criminal charges against Oriyomi Hamzat, Queen Naomi others over Ibadan stampede

Published

2 hours ago

March 20, 2025

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Oyo State Government has dropped the criminal charges against Queen Naomi Silekunola, the ex-wife of the Ooni of Ife, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, the CEO of Agidigbo FM and Mr Abdullahi Fasasi the principal of Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan.

It was gathered that the charges were initially slammed on the trio following the tragic stampede in December 2024 that resulted in the deaths of at least 35 children during a children’s festive party.

However, in a viral video, the defendants were visibly showing their happiness and exchanging pleasantries after the trial on Thursday, signalling their relief and release from the charges.

This development was later confirmed by the Oyo State Attorney General and commissioner for justice, Abiodun Aikomo, who addressed the media after the court session.

Speaking in a live coverage monitored by SaharaReporters on Facebook, the Attorney General said: “It was an unfortunate incident that led to the death of many. And you see, in law, whenever death occurs and the circumstances are not natural, the law will take its course. So the state responded by filing charges against the persons implicated in the investigation.

“In the course of doing that, we actually wanted to prosecute but the affected persons showed empathy. They showed compassion. And as far as human beings can do, they try to persuade the feelings of the affected parties.

“And the circumstance, we felt, the essence of prosecution is not to kill people or persecute them. It is in the interest of justice to discontinue these charges, and that is what happened today.”

This decision comes after an intense period of legal proceedings. Earlier, the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan had granted bail to Naomi, Hamzat, and Fasasi.

The ruling, pronounced by Justice Kamorudeen Olawoyin, was made after the defendants had argued their bail applications before the court.

The court granted Naomi N10 million bail with two sureties, while Hamzat and Fasasi were also granted bail on similar terms.

In addition, the court ordered the suspects to deposit their passports with the court and barred them from granting interviews, effectively placing restrictions on their public engagements.

The drama surrounding the case began after the tragic stampede at the Islamic High School, Bashorun, during a children’s event in December 2024, where dozens of young children lost their lives in a chaotic rush.

The victims’ families and the public were left devastated by the horrifying incident. It was one of the most devastating tragedies in recent memory in Oyo State.

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The prosecution team, led by Oyo State’s Attorney General, had initially opposed bail for the defendants, emphasising the gravity of the charges and the need for justice for the victims.

However, the defence team argued for bail, stating that the accused cooperated with the investigation and did not pose a flight risk.

Governor Makinde had previously insisted that those responsible for the stampede must face trial but also expressed openness to the suspects being granted bail during the proceedings.